THE PROCESS OF GROWTH



First of all, we must understand that ‘growth’ in the things of the Lord does not automatically come to every created being. Just because you exist does NOT mean you will turn into the man or woman of God He desires you to be! There is a PRUNING PROCESS that MUST take place in order for you to become “all” God wants you to be. Now, to “prune”means: to weed out unwanted or unnecessary things.


John 15:1-8 (NKJV) "I AM THE TRUE VINE, AND MY FATHER IS THE VINEDRESSER. 2 "EVERY BRANCH IN ME THAT DOES NOT BEAR FRUIT HE TAKES AWAY; AND EVERY BRANCH THAT BEARS FRUIT HE PRUNES, THAT IT MAY BEAR MORE FRUIT. 3 "YOU ARE ALREADY CLEAN BECAUSE OF THE WORD WHICH I HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU. 4 "ABIDE IN ME, AND I IN YOU. AS THE BRANCH CANNOT BEAR FRUIT OF ITSELF, UNLESS IT ABIDES IN THE VINE, NEITHER CAN YOU, UNLESS YOU ABIDE IN ME. 5 "I AM THE VINE, YOU ARE THE BRANCHES. HE WHO ABIDES IN ME, AND I IN HIM, BEARS MUCH FRUIT; FOR WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING. 6 "IF ANYONE DOES NOT ABIDE IN ME, HE IS CAST OUT AS A BRANCH AND IS WITHERED; AND THEY GATHER THEM AND THROW THEM INTO THE FIRE, AND THEY ARE BURNED. 7 "IF YOU ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, YOU WILL ASK WHAT YOU DESIRE, AND IT SHALL BE DONE FOR YOU. 8 "BY THIS MY FATHER IS GLORIFIED, THAT YOU BEAR MUCH FRUIT; SO YOU WILL BE MY DISCIPLES.



The Word of God is very clear here: His intention for His people is fruitfulness! His foremost concern isn’t your personal happiness or comfort. His primary concern is that you be fruitful!

Fruitfulness is literally guaranteed to true branches. Jesus is literally saying: “As you’re joined to Me - the Life-Source - the Life-giving ‘sap’ of the Vine flows into you. That means you’ve GOT to be fruitful! He expects fruit; more fruit; even MUCH fruit from His branches!


So...............

WHAT IS FRUIT?

Look at Galatians 5:22-23 “... THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONGSUFFERING, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, 23 GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL....”

The ‘fruit’, then, is the personal qualities of Jesus, Himself, flowing out from within us. The “Gifts of the Spirit” correspond to the works of Christ. The “fruits of the Spirit” are the virtues

of Christ. They show His excellence, goodness, mercy, and genuineness. When the qualities of our Lord Jesus become increasingly evident in our lives, we are being fruitful! And you will increase in measure in this area as you grow in love with Jesus. It’s inescapable! If you display the Joy of the Lord, it inevitably spreads and infects others with that same joy!

2 Peter 1:8-10 (NKJV) FOR IF THESE THINGS ARE YOURS AND ABOUND, YOU WILL BE NEITHER BARREN NOR UNFRUITFUL IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 9 FOR HE WHO LACKS THESE THINGS IS SHORTSIGHTED, EVEN TO BLINDNESS, AND HAS FORGOTTEN THAT HE WAS CLEANSED FROM HIS OLD SINS. 10 THEREFORE, BRETHREN, BE EVEN MORE DILIGENT TO MAKE YOUR CALL AND ELECTION SURE, FOR IF YOU DO THESE THINGS YOU WILL NEVER STUMBLE;

Bottom Line: THE LIFE THAT SHOWCASES THE VIRTUES OF JESUS WILL IMPACT THE WORLD PROFOUNDLY!!


THE PROCESS:

Jesus did not say we would PRODUCE fruit. He said we will BEAR fruit! GOD is The ‘Producer”. HE brings out the fruit in us. All we do is stay connected to the Vine! Sometimes the greatest work is done IN you when you’re not even aware of it; because when we really learn to abide in Him, we don’t hinder the work of the Spirit. We just move in the flow!

 

Fruit must be developed. You can’t just have a Pastor “lay hands” on you and suddenly you have total Self-Control!! That’s sort of like “INSTANT PUDDING”.......you get immediate results without dealing with an enduring process. That’s such an American concept!! We want EVERYTHING accelerated, beautiful, better-than-all-the-rest RIGHT NOW!!!


Rather, we’re sort of like grape-vines. The cultivation of grapes is very hard work. Grape vines require constant, strenuous care. And many forces are at work to inhibit fruit-bearing: insects, weather, disease, animals, soil depletion, etc.


The Christian ALSO faces enemies of fruitfulness: Satan, persecution, the cares of the world, sin and the flesh.

There is a procedure God uses to produce great fruitfulness in His people. It’s called:


THE PRUNING PROCESS.

John 15:2 (NKJV) "EVERY BRANCH IN ME THAT DOES NOT BEAR FRUIT HE TAKES AWAY; AND EVERY BRANCH THAT BEARS FRUIT HE PRUNES, THAT IT MAY BEAR MORE FRUIT.

This procedure redirects and channels growth so that the Lord will garner a greater harvest. You see: we are the created! God can do anything He chooses to with us. Thankfully, He has chosen us as His own precious possession; and He gave us life - in the first place! And we have the amazing opportunity to live forever IF we yield to the pruning process!


Now, in a typical season, a vine will produce from 40 to 60 ‘canes’ - or limbs. If all the canes are left on the vine and allowed to produce the following year, the vine won’t be able to support them. The fruit will fall off prematurely, or it’ll be small and sour - or in other words: useless! So, the vine-dresser prunes ‘50-or-so’ canes back to just five! The dead branches are removed, and the living branches are trimmed back.


TOO BUSY:

A lush plant isn’t necessarily a fruitful plant. Just because a plant has a great deal of beautiful green leaves, and grows huge doesn’t mean it will produce fruit. In fact, all the nutrients will go into the plant, itself, and it won’t produce at all IF you don’t do the necessary cut-backs that cause fruit production! Likewise - a growing ministry proliferates branches. They add programs, seldom cut back – just keep on adding! In truth, you CAN get too busy! Sometimes the Lord comes in and says, “It’s time to slow down.....cut back.” Likewise, individuals have to be aware and not become so busy, they’re no earthly good! You know, you’re so good at your ministry, you’re asked by another ministry to help them out. And we get so excited that the Lord is actually using us, we agree to help!! BEWARE!!! Be SURE you hear God tell you to do what you’ve agreed to do. Be faithful to listen to HIS voice saying, “Please spend some time with Me today.” Why? Because, in His Mercy, He just might have to come and cut away some branches so that we’re again useful! YOU CAN GET TOO BUSY!


PAIN:

Pruning hurts! “God – You’re killing me!”.............Listen: one definition of pruning is described as “ORGANIZED DESTRUCTION.” And it’s true – sometimes a pruned vine looks butchered. Likewise, you might look at a dear saint going through the pruning process and say, “Man, they must be AWFUL!! Surely, if they were living ‘right’, all this ‘stuff’ wouldn’t be happening to them!!”

Consider the possibility that what’s going on MIGHT be the hand of the Father pruning His branch as HE SEES FIT! We don’t have the ‘right’ to make judgment calls!!! We only know what we “see” with our eyes. God looks on the heart!


TRAINING:

Hebrews 12:11 (NKJV) NOW NO CHASTENING (pruning) SEEMS TO BE JOYFUL FOR THE PRESENT, BUT PAINFUL; NEVERTHELESS, AFTERWARD IT YIELDS THE PEACEABLE FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS TO THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINED BY IT.

Listen: even though some things can be ‘taught’, other things require training! Sometimes God wants to do something in us that can’t be imparted by giving us a “principle” to learn. SOME THINGS IN GOD MUST BE WALKED THROUGH! Experience trains you! And “experience” isn’t something we can do for ourselves. God must do the pruning!


THE ALTERNATIVE:

Isaiah 5:1-6 (NKJV) NOW LET ME SING TO MY WELL-BELOVED A SONG OF MY BELOVED REGARDING HIS VINEYARD: MY WELL-BELOVED HAS A VINEYARD ON A VERY FRUITFUL HILL. 2 HE DUG IT UP AND CLEARED OUT ITS STONES, AND PLANTED IT WITH THE CHOICEST VINE. HE BUILT A TOWER IN ITS MIDST, AND ALSO MADE A WINEPRESS IN IT; SO HE EXPECTED IT TO BRING FORTH GOOD GRAPES, BUT IT BROUGHT FORTH WILD GRAPES. 3 "AND NOW, O INHABITANTS OF JERUSALEM AND MEN OF JUDAH, JUDGE, PLEASE, BETWEEN ME AND MY VINEYARD. 4 WHAT MORE COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO MY VINEYARD THAT I HAVE NOT DONE IN IT? WHY THEN, WHEN I EXPECTED IT TO BRING FORTH GOOD GRAPES, DID IT BRING FORTH WILD GRAPES? 5 AND NOW, PLEASE LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I WILL DO TO MY VINEYARD: I WILL TAKE AWAY ITS HEDGE, AND IT SHALL BE BURNED; AND BREAK DOWN ITS WALL, AND IT SHALL BE TRAMPLED DOWN. 6 I WILL LAY IT WASTE; IT SHALL NOT BE PRUNED OR DUG, BUT THERE SHALL COME UP BRIERS AND THORNS. I WILL ALSO COMMAND THE CLOUDS THAT THEY RAIN NO RAIN ON IT."

Listen: when you absolutely REFUSE to allow God to prune - or train - you, He will respect that decision! But be sure of this: WHEN GOD STOPS PRUNING, IT’S A SIGN OF JUDGMENT!

The consequence is desolation. So we say, “Lord, even though it hurts, don’t stop pruning us!”


So..................

HOW DO WE SURVIVE:

Well - the ‘Key’ is this: ABIDE IN CHRIST! I’m not saying follow the strict guide-lines from someone else’s “ideals”. I’m saying that to abide in Christ is a posture (a model; attitude) of the heart that is maintained 24-hours a day!


Again - and finally, tonight:

John 15:7 (NKJV) "IF YOU ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, YOU WILL ASK WHAT YOU DESIRE, AND IT SHALL BE DONE FOR YOU.