Your relationship with the Lord determines the fruit of your life. Bearing good fruit is not the result of our effort but staying connected to Jesus, the source of our fruitfulness. Unfortunately, some choose not to follow or connect with Jesus, producing bad fruit. What kind of fruit is your life producing? The good news is if you don’t like what you find, you can turn to Jesus to transform you.
Matthew 7:18A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. [1]
The Kingdom of Light vs the Kingdom of Darkness
Jesus speaks of two kingdoms. The thief is satan, ruler of the dark kingdom, and the other is Jesus, our Savior and ruler of the Kingdom of Light. John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.[2] The fruit of satan is stealing, killing, and destroying. The fruit of Jesus is abundant life. Followers of satan produce his kind of fruit, and followers of Jesus make His kind of fruit.
Fruit of Rebellion
In our story, Stephen, full of God’s grace, power, and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, spoke to the religious leaders truthfully. During this conversation, Stephen clarified the fruit of their rebellion against God.
Acts 8:9These patriarchs (sons of Jacob) were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles.[3]
Acts 8:39But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt.[4]
Acts 8:51You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! 52 Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. 53 You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.[5]
God Desires We Bear Good Fruit
When we begin our relationship with God, He sets us on a new path of Godly fruit and hope. This life path transforms us in the present and leads to heaven itself. The hope we have in Jesus as our Savior teaches us to grow in the fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! [6]
To learn more about the fruit of your life, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/light-in-persecution
[1.3-6] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 10:10). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.