GROWING A HEALTHY CHURCH Pt 5

Healthy Churches Produce Good Fruit

Throughout the Bible, “fruit” is a good indicator of those who are truly believers in Jesus. In order to see the health of a tree, you have but to look at the fruit. It doesn’t matter the amount of fruit trees you have. What matters is they produce good fruit.
Healthy churches are passionate about producing good fruit. They build processes and structures that create environments for a healthy orchard. They make hard decisions when production is down. Everything they do ultimately leads people to become fully devoted followers of Christ.
Healthy churches are full of people who have been transformed through the power of God and are living out His purpose. They’re full of people who exemplify Christ both inside and outside the church. They’re full of people who are bearing the fruit of the Spirit more than the fruit of the flesh. Healthy churches produce good fruit.
Churches can get caught up in everything but producing good fruit, but today’s reading is a great reminder: it is by our fruit that people will know we follow Jesus. It is only by our connection with Jesus that we will produce good and lasting fruit. As you read today’s Scripture, ask yourself about the fruit production in your life and in your church. Allow God’s Word to remind you that as we are all called to bear good fruit.

Scriptures:

Matthew 7:16-19 KJV
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

​ John 15:1-5 KJV
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 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 more 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 ye can do nothing.

John 15:8 KJV
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

John 15:16 KJV
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

2 Peter 1:5-9 KJV
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Galatians 5:19-23
​Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.