KEEP IN STEP pt 6
One more Year!
God wants us to THRIVE and Not just survive.
Colossians 1:9-11 (NLTSE) “So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
A fruitful church is a:
– Praying Church that Pray’s accurately (House of Prayer:- Worship / Word / Godly Values
Know God’s WILL: (Soul Winners / Disciples / Making and Impact)
WISDOM & Understanding
V10 “Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.”
- The Apostles understood it’s God’s WILL that His Body (the Church) would be
V11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,”
Strength / Endurance / Patience & Joy
How do we become fruitful and how do we remain fruitful
Our 10inOne promise is all about Thriving getting Better & Better (it’s for everyone) been fruitful in our lives, our ministry and therefore in our community and Nation!
John 15:1-2 NKJV ““I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 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.”
John 15:3-4 NKJV “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 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.”
John 15:5-6 NKJV “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. 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.
- Fruit mentioned once but it’s not just fruit it’s “MUCH FRUIT” & the dangerous outcome of not been fruitful!
John 15:7-8 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. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
- God promises to meet your needs, but here once you are a fruit bearer He starts to talk about your “DESIRE’S” been fulfilled!
- MUCH FRUIT (in these verses He not only talks about quality it also quantity!
The key is clearly to STAY CONNECTED TO THE VINE let His GRACE nourish you so you STAND IN FAITH AND BECOME PRODUCTIVE.
Luke 13:6-9 NIV “Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ””
GOD IS CLEARLY EXPECTING FRUIT!
What does this look like?
He expects—
- Their hearts to yield the fruits of holy graces.
- Their lips to yield the fruit of thanksgiving and praise.
- The fruits of obedience in the life.
- The fruits of usefulness, by the employment of their powers and talents in His service.
- Next year speaks of-HOPE… A promise of something BETTER!
D=DELIGHT:- Cultivate your heart so that it desires the things of God more than anything else… (your faith igniting a fresh passion for JESUS)! Create the right spiritual Atmosphere of your heart (nutrients) (Psalm 1 & Psalm 37) Delighting in the Lord, means putting Him first in your life been pliable and making a commitment to bear fruit by been a soul-winner & desciple-maker.
Your heart (Mark 4)
– Wayside (hard) heart (satan steals immediately)
– Stony (rocky) heart (glad but no root or perseverance)
– Thorny (cares, deceit & lusts) choke the Word
– Good (surrendered, sincere & persevering) go all the way (committed)
Isaiah 58:13 NKJV ““If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words,”
I=INTENTIONAL (Faith & action)
II Kings 3:16-18 NKJV “And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’ For thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.’ And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.”
Put ACTION to your words About Loving God & Loving people…. Become relational take your next step… It takes FAITH to see things happen in the Kingdom & FAITH doesn’t operate in the comfort zone, you need to STEP OUT…. Be Strategic (bless, show kindness & wait for Holy Spirit)
G=GRACE (delight & rest)
The biblical meaning of “fallen from grace”
Galatians 5:4-6 NKJV “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.”
“Fruit.”—ALL through Scripture we see men compared to trees and their work to fruit.
The three kinds of works (fruit) to consider:-
- Good works, when the tree, having been made good, bears good fruit after its own kind.
- Dead works, such as have a good outward appearance, but are not the genuine outgrowth of the renewed man—fruit, but rather by the effort of our own human nature and ambition.
- Wicked works, produced by corrupt trees (men) whose hearts are evil and they bears fruit accordingly.
Luke 13:8-9 NIV “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ”” “If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ””
NB: I’ll DIG it & I’ll DUNG it & let’s see if it PRODUCES NEXT YEAR…
DUNG it:-
- TESTING & TRIALS
James 1:2-5 NKJV
- PRUNING & GROOMING
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.”
In both gardening and spiritual terms, planting and harvesting are exciting seasons. Planting is the start of an adventure, and harvesting is the product of hard work. It’s easy to celebrate new beginnings and hard-earned completions—but one thing that’s not as much fun?
The pruning process.
Who wants to acknowledge what’s dead and unproductive in their lives? Who wants to trim back what’s already blooming—leaving you smaller, awkward, and feeling extra weak?
But pruning is exactly what we need to keep producing fruit.
Jesus mentions two separate actions in this process—cutting off what’s dead and pruning fruit. Cutting out what’s dead makes sense. It’s extra weight, it’s unproductive, it’s blocking sunlight, and it’s stealing good energy from branches that could thrive. But without proper context, pruning fruit feels backwards.
However, the purpose of pruning isn’t to disable something, but to revitalize it.
If a branch is weak or diseased, it could not only damage itself, but the surrounding trees as well. Without pruning, both the tree and the life surrounding it can never reach full potential.
Pruning creates room for more growth.
Pruning stimulates production.
Pruning keeps the plant or person strong.
God is a good Gardener. He wouldn’t be a good Gardener if He left you to yourself— overgrown, ineffective, and full of dysfunction. But He cares for those He loves. He cuts off what’s dead for your benefit. He lovingly trims back ineffective things in your life to make way for more fruit.
You can trust God with your life because He cares about who you are and who you can become.
So what “dead branches” are you dragging around? Is it possible that God is pruning you for future growth? Take a few moments and talk to God about any areas in your life that you recognize need to change.
I Peter 1:6-9 NKJV “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.”
- DEVOTION & PERSEVERANCE
Acts 2:42 NIV “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
KJV says, continued steadfastly To be earnest, persevere and be constantly diligent….
There needs to be a greater level of commitment in our lives.
This means you don’t quit when it gets tough…
You never abandon your position of limitless confidence in Christ Jesus!
John 15:16 NKJV “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.”
