REPORT ALERT - Part 2: Fruitfulness

God Wants Us to Be Fruitful

Jesus says in John 15:

v. 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... 

v.8 - By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be my disciples...

v.16 - You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name he may give you. 

It's clear here that God is interested in fruitfulness. He wants you and I to be fruitful in the areas of responsibility and purpose that we have been assigned.

How to be Fruitful

Good stewards are always…

Awake and Alert to know and respond to seasons, purpose, requirements, expectations, patterns, timeline, deliverables, current and projected status of resources etc. Glean from those with more experience, and remain prayerful and watchful without fear. Fear paralyses; love empowers.

Learning
Understand your subject thoroughly. The more you learn, the better you can get at doing something. Then, you should teach others how to do it too so you can multiply yourself in others

Efficient Effort

Get the right thing done via the best strategy, and use of resources, time and effort. Always receive God’s counsel for the best way in everything

Ready and prepared

If you are alert, you will know what is coming up ahead. Prepare ahead for expected upcoming requirements, increases in demand etc. We aren’t omniscient therefore be sensitive to God’s nudges.

Terrifically excellent

Do everything at the best possible standard with your available resources and ability. Be able to balance ideals with practicality. All this requires wisdom, and is gets better with experience. Completing tasks with excellence honours God and opens doors but you can’t generate excellence out of yourself; ask for God’s guidance, seek His favour, obey His statues & principles.

The More Excellent Way

This is a good start but there is a game changer that can take the above and make it super-effective. It will take your ability to bear much fruit to a supernatural level that is the "more excellent way" (1 Cor 12:1): LOVE.

Jesus said, "He who abides in me and in Him bears much fruit" (John 15:5). How do you abide in Him?

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:15-16 

How do we abide in love?

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandment and abide in His love... this is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15: 10, 12

 This generation has relegated love to either a soppy, cotton-candy emotion, or a sexually charged drive when nothing could be further from the truth. The love that God defines in His Word is a determined, long term commitment despite the odds, difficulties and hurts; it is sacrifice of self for the benefit of others; it is a power that changed the world. In the beautiful prose and rhythm of the New King James Version, this is how it is defined:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 1 Cor 13: 4-8a 

In a situation where you want to have a burst of anger and say something rude, love is the decision to speak kindly instead. Every time you feel selfish but you choose to put a colleagues needs above your own, that's love. If you are consistently making these sorts of decisions, you're abiding in love. And love has a way of making good results in any situation.

In terms of stewardship, if you choose to operate with love (the way/strategy), because of love (motivation, drive), and through Love (God's, not ours because ours doesn't last!), you will bear much fruit, fruit that will remain.

Here's to a abundantly fruitful harvest in the times to come!

For more on this topic, check out our MixCloud playlist by searching for 'covenantyouth'.

Camp 2012 S5: Loving Obedience =>Christlikeness =>Power

Loving Obedience => Christlikeness => Power  - Melissa Yong
Camp 2012: The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me, Session 5

Acts 19:13-17 gives an arresting account that goes like this:

Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying,
"We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches."
Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?"
The the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of Jesus was magnified.

Bear in mind that the Bible is not just a bunch of made up stories - it inclues historical accounts of events that actually happened, many having being verified by contemporary historians, manuscripts and archaeological findings.

This passage tells us something that is very key to living and demonstrating the power of God: we must resemble Jesus. How do we get there? First of all, you need to understand that the nature of Jesus Christ was birthed into you when you accepted Him as Lord and Saviour; you are ABLE to be like Him! Next is obedience.

Loving Obedience
There are different levels of obedience: there is reluctant obedience, dutiful obedience, and obedience borne of love for the Lord and the desire to make Him smile. We all need to start somewhere but we all need to come to the point of loving obedience: we obey because we genuinely choose and want to.

Obedience isn't just about keeping the 10 commandments; it is about keeping the heart of God's law, surrendering our own right to do what we want in order to live the way God has commanded. The one thing that ties the whole of His commandments together is love: love for God compels us to live sanctified lives dedicated for His purpose, not ours. This will in turn be demonstrated by love for others

A lifestyle of consistent obedience to God transforms us into Christ's likeness.

The Reason Why
Why does it have to be the progression from obedience to Christlikeness before we can wield the kind of power that Jesus had, that the disciples had? Because: 1) it is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God (Zech 4:6), 2) we are not of this world.


The power of God is not in effort, nor in intent. It is by His Spirit that people are transformed, made whole, relationships and lives restored. It is also by His Spirit that our new nature - that provides the access to God's power through identity as children of God, and through legal right as co-heirs with Christ - was created.

If we want any hope of operating in His power, we cannot live contrary to its nature - otherwise, we just get in the way of what God wants to do. The nature of the power of God is the nature of God himself: love, justice, truth, righteousness, meekness - and the list goes on. Jesus' Name is powerful but just wielding His Name like the seven sons of Sceva is not enough. The person who is submitted under authority has the authority of the person they are submitted to.

It is the difference between being one of James Packer's innumerable employees, and being his best friend or executive associate. The employee cannot say 'I know James Packer' or act in his interests with as much authority as his best friend or executive associates.

In the same way, many Christians know ABOUT God but have not made the time to know Him intimately and carry His presence. Many Christians haven't consciously experienced the leading of the Holy Spirit in everyday life. How can we expect to see miracles everyday, face demons and display the Kingdom of Heaven if we don't really know it or its King ourselves?

The Purpose
The purpose of power is not for self-fulfillment, but for fulfilling the desire of our King to find and restore the lost, needy and hurting. He calls it 'reaping the harvest'. There are so many out there who need to be brought into His Kingdom in order for them to experience the fullness of life He meant for them to have. He has called you and I to bring in the harvest.

Let's commit to consistently and purposefully laying down the right to govern our own lives in order to bring it under the authority of Jesus Christ. As we do this, we will find that His unbounded power is waiting to be unleashed on the works of Satan and bring restoration to a hurting world.