How To Be Fruitful

With this post, I will be starting a study on the Fruit of the Spirit. Before we start looking at what elements make up the Fruit of the Spirit, I want us first to consider the topic of being fruitful. It is not enough to know about the Fruit of the Spirit. We want to produce the Fruit of the Spirit. We want to produce an abundance of this Fruit.

I want us to consider what Jesus said about producing spiritual fruit. He gave us some requirements for being fruitful. Then I want to show you how these concepts are echoed in other parts of the New Testament. This will give us a foundation for the lessons to come. I want us to not only understand the Fruit of the Spirit, but also to produce this Fruit in our lives.

In John chapter 15, Jesus speaks about the vine and the branches. In this passage, he gives us three requirements for spiritual fruit. The first is pruning (John 15:1-3). By cutting off what is not required, a branch can become more fruitful.

The second requirement for spiritual fruit is relationship (John 15:4-8). The branch and the vine must be connected. Since Jesus is the vine, we must be connected with him. The closer we are to Jesus, the more spiritual fruit we will produce.

The third requirement is obedience (John 15:9-17). Jesus steps out of the metaphor and discusses love and obedience. However, in verse 16, he mentions that our purpose is to bear fruit. If we are not obeying God, we cannot produce good fruit.