A Tree and Its Fruit

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit….Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46 (NIV)

“What kind of tree is that?” the guest evangelist asked repeatedly of my dad on the occasion of his visit to Indonesia. His interest in botany came alive when he saw all of the exotic tropical fauna. With a wink in my direction, my dad replied: “Oh, that’s a ‘pohon hijau’ [green tree] and that one is a ‘bungga merah’ [red flower].” I smile every time I think of my dad’s response! Obviously, my dad had no idea what kind of trees they were, and he eventually came clean and confessed as much to our guest. But answering that question was a lot easier when the question was asked of fruit trees. The trees were easily identified by their fruit!

Jesus reminds us that a tree is known by its fruit—good trees yield good fruit. Look at the fruit and you’ll know the tree! “Fruit” is a Jewish metaphor for both character and conduct. So, Jesus is telling his followers: look at the conduct of a person’s life and you’ll know their character…look at their actions and you’ll know their attitudes. Jesus warns us that words alone are not enough. Claims are easy to make but meaningless unless they are backed up by proof. The proof of “claims” is in the “conduct.” Those of the “Jesus-tree” will bear “Jesus-fruit”; in fact, fruit-bearing is one of the primary purposes of our being made a part of the tree. Jesus says it this way: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last.” John 15:16 (NIV)

“Fruit-bearing” is such an integral part of life in Jesus Christ that it will be “judged” in “The Final Judgment” (Rev. 20:11-14). At that time, every person will stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ and give an account of their lives as recorded in the “Book of Life” and the “Book of Deeds” (2 Cor. 5:10). The “Book of Life” is the book of God’s gracious salvation offered freely to all who come to him by faith in Jesus Christ. All whose names are recorded in this book are destined for an eternity together with God in the new heaven and new earth. The “Book of Deeds” is the book of “fruit” and every name and every deed—good or bad—is recorded in this book. For those whose name is in the “Book of Life” the “Book of Deeds” will include a record of their righteous conduct, the basis of their heavenly rewards. Nothing can be done to merit inclusion in the “Book of Life”, but our rewards are earned by our deeds.

Those of the “Jesus-tree” will have evidence of “Jesus-fruit” recorded in this book. When we stand before the great white throne of our Lord Jesus Christ, he will look through the “Book of Deeds.” And when he sees…for example…the fruit of our righteous conduct done with pure motives (Matt. 6:1) on behalf of the least of these (Matt. 25: ) out of love for the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11), we will hear “Well done, my good and faithful servant!” (Luke 19:17)

What “Jesus-fruit” gives evidence that you belong to the “Jesus-tree”? What do your actions reveal about your attitude? Your conduct say about your character? The solution is to “abide in him” the one who is the “tree” and you will bear his “fruit.” Recommit to abiding in him. Rearrange the priorities of your life in order to love him. Restructure your time to dedicate yourself to serving him more fully at home, in your job, in our church, and in God’s world.

I can’t speak for you, but I can speak for myself: I want my wife, my daughter, my friends, and my church to be able to look at me and say, “When I look at Scott, I see evidence that he’s a man that follows Jesus.” Even more so, I look forward to the day where hopefully I will hear: “Well done, Scott, my good and faithful servant.”

On the way…

Scott Corwin

God Calls His People to Repent (Friday)

“Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:7)

God has created us and called us into a love relationship with himself, to reflect his character, and to accomplish his purpose in the world.  Look at how God says it through Moses:

“For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees, and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.” (Deut. 30:16)

These three elements summarize God’s commands to his people and the result of following them:  love God, walk in his ways, and obey him and you will have life.  These three are also the most common ways that we depart from God:

1.  Shift of Heart–Moving away from God has nothing to do with activity!  It’s a matter of the heart.  It begins when the warmth of our love for God cools and our hearts shift away from God.

2.  Disobedience–When our hearts are diverted toward another love, we then disobey God.  Instead of walking in God’s ways we simply walk away from God.

3.  Idols–Next we turn to substitutes for God, creating our own personal “gods” to which we bow down in worship.  Anything that becomes a replacement for a love relationship with God is an “idol” of the heart.

Moses warns God’s people of the consequences of following this path:

“But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.” (Deut. 30:17)

God gives us a clear choice:  love him with a whole heart resulting in life and blessings…or…don’t love him resulting in death and curses.

The choice is yours!

Examine your heart:  How’s your love life?  Are you warm-hearted for God, longing to be in his presence…enjoying times of being with him…talking with him?  If not, repent!  Return to your first love!

Check your obedience quotient:   Are you quick to obey God?  Do you listen to God speak–Scripture, prayer, church, etc.–and do what he says?  When was the last time you intentionally did something that was direct obedience?  (Obedience is in reality a measure of your love!  See John 14:21.)  In what ways have you disobeyed?  Repent!  Confess your sin and return to your first love!

Tear down all “idols”:   What substitutes have taken the place of an authentic and vital love relationship with God?  Materialism?  Relationships?  Bible study? Career or job?  Ritual worship?  Serving God?  Trusting in the help of others?  Self?  Repent!  Tear down that idol!  Confess your sin and return to your first love!

[Click here to listen to Psalm 51, the classic prayer of repentance written by King David.]

God Calls His People to Repent (Thursday)

“Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:7)

When I…as an individual…wander away from my “first love” for God, repentance is required.  The same is true for families, growth groups, ministry teams, committees, councils, and churches!  Corporate (group) repentance is required when a group sins.

Take for example Jesus’ letters to the seven churches in Revelation (2:1-3:22).  As the Great “Pastor” (Shepherd), Jesus commends the churches for their faithfulness, but condemns their sinfulness where they have failed in their calling and mission.  The Lord calls each of those churches to repentance.  He does not fail to warn them of the impending doom if they fail to repent and return, but he always holds out to them the forgiving love of God.

Here are Jesus’ condemnations to the five churches:

• Ephesus–departed from “first love”
• Pergamum–theological compromise
• Thyatira–moral compromise
• Sardis–spiritual deadness
• Laodecia–apathy, complacency, and apostasy

Interestingly, the strongest threat to the offenders  concerns not their sin (condition) or their sins (actions) but their reluctance to repent!  (See for example 2:20-24.)

Individuals can depart from God and sin; so can groups and churches.  God’s call is the same:  Repent and return to me!  How do groups or churches repent?  The same way an individual does:  humble themselves, prayer, seeking God’s face, and turning from wicked ways (2 Chron. 7:14).

Groups and churches have to get honest with themselves and God admitting that they have left their “first love” and turned toward sin.  Authentic and genuine corporate prayer characterize the group or church earnestly seeking God’s presence with a contrite spirit and a broken heart.  A group or church must turn away from sin:  tearing down “idols” or “sacred cows;” getting rid of traditions and empty rituals; selling property or material things; making restitution for a wrong committed; reconciling with others; and accepting those God has accepted.

Prayerfully consider these questions about our church then ask them of your family, growth group, ministry team, committee, council:

• Can you identify any way our church has departed from God?  (e.g. prayerlessness, empty ritual and tradition, spiritual deadness, immorality, apathy, complacency)
• Are there “idols” we…as a church…need to tear down?  ”Sacred cows” we should sacrifice? (e.g. program, money, place, past)
• Have we ever deliberately disobeyed God? (e.g. mistreated staff member, discriminated against people, neglected to reconcile and make restitution)
• Have we…as a church…ever experienced God’s forgiveness?  Does it need to be?

[Click here to listen to Psalm 51, the classic prayer of repentance written by King David.]

God Calls His People to Repent (Wednesday)

“Return to me and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.  (Malachi 3:7)

Sin is serious!  We must treat our sin with seriousness, in the same way we would treat a serious wound.

Imagine being involved in an accident in which you suffered a major compound fracture to your leg.  Broken bones and severe bleeding threatened your life.  Is it thinkable that you would tell those administering first aid to you, “Don’t worry about it!  Just get me home and I can get some rest”?  No!  Your wound is life-threatening.  The seriousness of the wound demands a serious response.  It’s a matter of life and death.

Our sin is a serious, life-threatening wound…a matter of life or death!  It demands a serious response:  repentance!  Repentance is not feeling sorry about your sin.  Repentance is not reforming your behavior.  Repentance is not doing some religious activity or repeating a ritual.  Repentance is returning to a love relationship with God! Once the love relationship is established everything else follows.

Repentance involves a change in four areas that begins in the soul and shows itself in action:

1. Change Your Mind–Admit your sin and agree with God’s assessment of your heart condition!   No excuses or rationalizations!  Nothing short of “I have sinned” is genuine repentance.  Repentance means that your thoughts shift away from falsehood toward the truth that is revealed in Scripture:  anything less than the character and conduct of Jesus Christ is sin.

2. Change Your Heart–Grieve over your sin…a godly sorrow…that comes from a broken and contrite heart.  Your sin is so serious that Jesus died to redeem you and to atone for your sins.  Genuine repentance grieves over the consequences of sin.  Sin begins with a shift of heart, when you leave your first love.  Repentance requires that you return to your first love.  That return begins with godly sorrow.

3. Change Your Will–Turn away from sin…it’s your choice.  Instead of flirting with temptation, flee from it!  Repentance requires radically putting away your sin, getting rid of any idols of the heart, tearing down any strongholds, and removing yourself from tempting situations.  That means that you have to make some choices.  Surrender your will to God.  Ask him to change your desires and he will help you make the choices necessary for putting away sin.

4. Change Your Actions–Return to God’s way of living.  When you’ve experienced an authentic change of mind, heart, and will–when you’ve returned to your love relationship with God–you will obey him.  Repentance is completed when it demonstrates itself in a new way of living.

Ask God to guide you through the changes necessary for repentance.  Pray that the Spirit would convict you of your…

• sin–any shift away from your first love
• idols–”gods” that you worship as a substitute for God
• sins–attitudes or actions that fall short of God’s standard
• strongholds–habits of sin you cling to

Agree with the Spirit’s conviction and confess your sin (change of mind).

Grieve over the condition of your heart (change of heart).

Choose to lay aside even the appearance of evil (change of will).

Commit to living in the energy of the Holy Spirit (change of actions).

[Click here to listen to Psalm 51, the classic prayer of repentance written by King David and listen for each of these four areas of change.]

Fasting as a Spiritual Discipline

Discipline! Just say the word and it brings to mind images of being punished as a child, drilled by a military sergeant, or driven by a sports trainer. Who in their right mind would sign-up for “discipline”?

Well, sincere “disciples” would sign-up for “discipline” not because of punishment and not because of a particular affinity for being drilled or trained. No…disciples may not care for these things…but an authentic disciple appreciates the results! Think about it…the child learns when punishment is appropriately applied; a soldier learns skills and routines when drilled. An athlete develops fitness and ability when trained. As disciples of Jesus Christ, discipline helps us learn obedience, teaches us skills and routines, and grows spiritual fitness and ability. The results are worth the discipline.

I like to think of “spiritual disciplines” as “holy habits”—skills, abilities, and routines that contribute to our love relationship with God. Among the “holy habits” is the oft neglected discipline of fasting. Simply put, fasting is “abstaining from food for spiritual purposes” though fasting can apply to abstaining from ANY thing that keeps us from spiritual growth (e.g. work, computer, TV, etc.). There are many types of fasting from food—full, absolute, partial—but the following principles apply to all types of fasting:

• Fasting is for the purpose of centering our lives in God.
• Fasting is an outward habit designed to cultivate an inward and spiritual reality.
• Fasting reveals the “idols” that control us and reminds us that God…not food…sustains us.
• Fasting from food is for feasting on God through Scripture and prayer.
• Fasting is a private matter between an individual and God.
• Fasting is NOT an obligation but a voluntary means of submitting oneself to God.

As we go through this week of “repentance” we look forward with anticipation to this Sunday’s “Day of Atonement” whose observance includes the only biblically commanded fast. While we are not obligated to obey this command associated with the ceremonial law, I’ve challenged you to consider humbling yourself before the Lord through fasting. If you choose to do so, let me recommend that you do the following:

• Don’t fast if you are not physically healthy!
• Start with a partial fast—don’t eat two consecutive meals (e.g. breakfast and lunch)
• Drink water or if desired fresh fruit juices and monitor the inner attitude of your heart throughout the day
• As you become aware of your body’s hunger, inwardly engage in prayer, praise, song, and worship
• Devote the time you would normally use eating to meditation and prayer
• Ask God to convict you of sin and to reveal areas of needed attention
• Seek God’s presence in humility and repentance.

Like all disciplines, start small and slowly. Focus on the purpose and the results. Let the “holy habit” of fasting teach you, shape you, and guide you into new experiences of God’s grace and love.

Hungering and thirsting,

Scott Corwin, Pastor