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property of the author and may not be reproduced by any
means without the written consent of Paul K. Weigel, © January 2000-2011.
A
Journey In The
Wilderness
Page
8/9 Becoming
Fruitful
The
Scriptures document many instances of God’s discipline, purging
and sanctifying process in preparation for ministry. They are examples
for us of how God calls us and then prepares us before we are
commissioned into service. In the most recent years, there have been
many prophetic words proclaiming that God is raising up an army. This
is the “call”. The process of sanctification is the
“boot camp” of preparation which precedes it.
Part of our
makeup as human beings is to find a purpose for our life. God made us
this way so He could fulfill us with His purpose and thereby bring
pleasure to us, and glory to Him. It is part of His plan for His Body.
As a member of the Body of Christ, every person has a unique place of
service. We were reborn into this new life which is characterized by
abundant fruitfulness, to bear fruit. It is not our efforts which
produce fruitfulness but rather, fruitfulness is the work of the Holy
Spirit. Our calling to service to Jesus is not necessarily some
physical activity (although it often is), rather, it is a spiritual
cooperation with the Holy Spirit to produce fruitfulness not only in
others’ lives, but first and foremost in our own lives.
Our North American concept of fruitfulness is not necessarily
God’s concept of fruitfulness. We may have visions of preaching
to a football stadium of people or praying for the sick. We may have
thoughts of successful ministry through business and giving millions of
dollars to the work of the Kingdom. All of these things may be a result
of fruitfulness. This, however, is not the essence of fruitfulness, but
rather the manifestation of it. Fruitfulness is the acquisition of the
treasure of the Kingdom. Receiving life from the Holy Spirit and
surrendering to His pruning will produce the fruit of the Kingdom of
God which is our first service to Him. Therefore, this process of
sanctification is for every Believer. Every person who confesses Christ
as Lord and Saviour is destined for sanctification, purging, and
preparation to reign forever with Him. We are commanded to be fruitful
by abiding in the ongoing flow of life and sanctification of Jesus
(Matt. 15:1-8). It is His work in us which produces the fruit, and it
is the fruit which is our ministry to God. Outward signs of ministry
may not necessarily be fruitfulness since Jesus warned about doing the
work of the Kingdom out of an impure motive. These can be dead works
which do not flow out of the life we draw from Christ.
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