The Fruit Bearing Life by Pastor Tony Vis

“If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5b)

What does that mean?  What is this fruitful life that Jesus speaks of?

It is many things, I think.

A fruitful life is a life that attracts other people to the Way of Jesus.

A fruitful life is one that "wins friends and influences people" for Jesus.

A fruitful life may be a parent whose children are attracted to the Way of Jesus because of what they have seen in Dad or Mom or both. 

A fruitful life may be a Sunday School teacher or youth leader or mentor for whom the task comes hard, but who has a heart that is warm and loving so that youth and children sense they are cared for and have value.  They see Jesus in that teacher or youth worker or mentor and are drawn to the way of Jesus.

A fruitful life may spend time on a regular basis at a downtown mission or a youth shelter or a meal site for the hungry or building a Habit for Humanity home - all of these ways to bless others in the name of Jesus, letting “your light so shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

A fruitful Christ-follower may be a bricklayer, a teacher a plumber, a carpenter, a doctor, a lawyer, a coach, a business executive, a truck driver or - you name it - one who never steps into a pulpit to preach, but whose life mirrors for all to see the qualities of Christ's  character ... qualities such as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,  faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Gal 5:22-23) 

A fruitful Christian may be anyone of us following Jesus ... serving Jesus ... living for Jesus ...loving others in the name of Jesus right where we are day by day by day.

A preacher of another generation wrote:

"Jesus chose us to be advertisements.  The only way to spread Christianity is to be Christian.  The only way to bring others into the Christian faith is to show them the fruit of the Christian life.  Jesus sends us out, not to argue others into Christianity, still less to threaten them into it, not to talk about Christianity, but to attract others into Christianity, so to live it that the fruits of it may be so wonderful that others may desire them for themselves." (William Barclay)

We who are followers of Jesus would do well to remember the old cliché that our "actions will always speak louder than our words." 

What we say will always be punctuated by and given credibility by what we do and who we are.

The person who "remains in Christ" as the branch is united to the vine and is dependent  upon it, drawing life from it ... the person who is consistently in touch with Christ through prayer and worship, Bible study and service ...  the person whose character and personality, lifestyle and values are constantly being formed and re-formed by Jesus Christ ... that is the person who will "bear much fruit" naturally and simply.

Others will be attracted to Jesus through such a life, a life that "remains in Christ," walks with Christ, and mirrors the character of Christ.  To the glory of God!