As He walked here on earth, Jesus Christ bore the fruit and all the attributes of God. That fruit contains the seed of which we can partake. As we eat of Him, that seed reproduces itself in and through us. His fruit is not separate from Christ but an integral part of Him
“Verily, verify, I say into you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it
bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12:224). In order for the seed of Christ, which God has planted within us to bring forth fruit, we have to die to our old self. As a seed lays in the soil, it produces nothing until it sprouts and begins to take on new life. In a similar way, as we abide in Him, our fruit manifests from the life we live.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away; and every branch that
beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth much fruit. Now ye are clean through the word, which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me you can do nothing” (John 15:2-5).
We all go through times of pruning by our heavenly Father, the vinedresser. (John 15:1-2). We don’t like to be pruned
(purgeth, cleanseth) yet when you prune fruit in the natural, it produces more fruit. Why? Because the fruit emerges from branches closer to the vine. Our Heavenly Father prunes us so we will exhibit the nature and character of the Lord (Heb. 12:10-11). We also abide in Him and allow His words to abide in us, so that we can ask what we desire and He shall do it. Therefore, we glorify Him when we bear our fruit (John 15:7-8).
A person can be in Christ, but to abide, to become a part of the vine, you must become a part of the source of energy. Without the vine, a branch will soon die, because the vine no longer supplies the necessary life. When we become a part of Him, speak His words and desire His ways, we will indeed produce fruit, which will bring life to others. Without Christ, who is the root and the foundation, the One who paid the price for us to become fruit, we live in a death realm and bring forth no fruit (1 Pet. 1:23).
Sin produces spiritual death in people (Eph. 2:1-3), whereas salvation in Jesus Christ produces spiritual life. The seed that granted men life is the Word of God through the Holy Spirit, which made us a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17; Titus 3:5). This brings us to the truth that we have to be willing to accept. James 1:18 says God’s Word is truth, which He chose to bring life to us. It was God’s will to save us (2 Pet. 3:9). Our new birth doesn’t come by physical, human effort but by the power of God who willed to send His Son to pay the price for our salvation (John 1:13).
The life is in the seed. Every seed, whether plant or animal, has a God given ability to reproduce itself. Genesis 1:11 states, “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth and it was so.”
1 Peter 1:23 tells us, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” We area a spiritual being because we are born, not of the flesh but of the spirit (John 3:6). In order for us to produce the seed of life for the next generation, we must first bear the fruit, which will contain the seed.
In the natural, the vine and the branch connect together. If you pull out the vine, the branch comes with it. God and man are one. Nothing can really separate the two. Our task remains to believe this truth from the word. We are one as the Father and Jesus are one. In the natural, the life that flows through the vine also flows through the branch, so if one dies, both die. In the spirit, if we cut ourselves off from the Word and the spiritual, we will die, because we have cut ourselves off from the life.
To bear fruit we must abide in the vine. When we abide in the vine, then we take on the nature of the vine. We no longer bear the fruit of the old nature but the fruit of the living vine. The old vine has died. When you bear the fruit of the true vine, you can ask the Father for whatsoever you need and you will receive, because you and the Father are one and because you are dwelling in the vine, which is Jesus. Jesus and the Father are one.
Our natural father chastens (corrects) us to train us (Heb. 12:10). The Word says to train up a child in the way of the Lord and he will not depart. Our heavenly Father wants us to partake of holiness, therefore sometimes He has to discipline us or tell us no. His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. He knows His plan and purpose for us, therefore He gently leads us in His way. If we don’t accept His pruning and directions, the Lord may process us more severely.
The fruit you bear includes the change in you that you reveal to others. Do you demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit, or do you expose you old nature? Can you now forgive; have you let go of bitterness? If you confirm the fruit of the spirit, you know you abide in Him and have taken on His character and nature. On the other hand, if you let worry, fear or anger rule, you still abide in your adamic nature and do not bear the fruit. You have to desire more of Christ’s nature and less of Adam.
It’s up to you to start forgiving, to stop worrying or letting fear, doubt and unbelief rule. Rather, let the Spirit of Christ within you rule. See the good in people rather then their negative qualities. We all have some of those good qualities. Rather than their natural self, you should see the Christ within people, and try to see how much they have grown in Christ.##
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