Fruitfulness - Part 4
15th September 2012
We've been looking at a biblical metaphor - the individual Christian as a branch of the true vine that is Jesus Christ. And we've seen that Jesus uses this metaphor to teach us that Christians are more fruitful in His service when we live in closer relationship with Him.
In the light of this, I have one last thought on the subject of fruitfulness. It's this:
Christian people find it much easier to stay near to Jesus if they also stay near to each other
Another relevant biblical metaphor is the individual Christian as a member of the body of Christ, which is the church. To stay near Jesus, we must spend time with other members of His church.
1 Corinthians 12:21
The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!"
So:
Hebrews 10:22-25
let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to
cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another...
I see two major tragedies in the contemporary English church:
Firstly, many Christians have been hurt and discouraged by their churches, and are no longer in a local church as a result. A major priority in our churches must surely be to ensure that we don't hurt or discourage anybody, but welcome, love and include everybody who wants to seek God with us.
Secondly, some Christians have begun to think of church attendance as an optional extra, to be fitted into our busy lives when it's convenient to do so. We come when we feel like it, as if our participation in the body of Christ is unimportant - as if the church can get on perfectly well without us. It can't. Part of our responsibility as God's people is to support and encourage each other. But you can't support and encourage your brother or sister if you're not here. Our brothers and sisters need our input, they need the encouragement of us worshipping and praying with them. And we need them.
Please, if your church seems a bit unfriendly, or a bit judgemental, do all you can to be welcoming and hospitable yourself, to change the atmosphere, to to ensure that everyone who comes experiences love.
And if you've come to treat church attendance as something unimportant, think again. The local church is the most important organisation in the world. And you are just as important a part of it as any other Christian.
And if you've been hurt and are no longer a member of a local church, please find one that will love you and include you and value you. There are friendly, welcoming churches around. Find one and join it, and contribute to it, and help it to become more loving, more faithful and more welcoming than it already is.
If you will regularly meet, worship, and pray with your brothers and sisters in Christ, then they will become more fruitful in His service. And so will you.