Thursday, January 2, 2020

Does your fruit authenticate you as a disciple?

Does Your Fruit AUTHENTICATE You as a Disciple?
The way we can tell someone is an authentic Christian or not is by their fruit.  Jesus said that every tree is know by it’s fruit either for good or for evil.  A good tree produces good fruit and you know it’s a good tree, a bad tree produces bad fruit and you know it’s a bad tree.  It’s interesting because some Christians think that you can’t know the hears of men, they say, “Only GOD can know the heart.”  But these same exact Christians KNOW what Jesus taught, they know that they are KNOWN by their fruits.  But then they get around that saying; “Well, you can know my fruit but you can’t know my heart.”  Well, is it possible to have a really bad heart, but to have good fruit for the LORD?  Of course not!  Either you are a good tree, you are connected to the LORD, you are connected to the VINE, and you are producing GOOD fruit, or you are connected to the WORLD and you are producing EVIL fruit because you are connected to the DEVIL.  Jesus said in John chapter 15, He said;
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the VINE, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
If we want to be the disciples of Jesus, we have to show that we are His disciples by staying connected to HIM and bearing GOOD FRUIT.  Are we proving we are authentic by our fruit? Or does the fruit of our life show that we have OTHER interests, that we are NOT really interested in the WORDS OF JESUS AND HIS KINGDOM?  May the grace of Jesus be with you.