In the first article on “Bearing Much Fruit” the discussion was centered on fruit bearing by individuals and how our focus has changed over the years. We discussed the difference in fishing with a net and fishing with a reel and rod or some other specialized equipment designed to catch a certain kind of fish. Are we gladly receiving anything our net produces or are we rejecting all that doesn’t meet our expectations? It is high time that today’s church faces that question squarely and makes sure that it goes back to the Biblical way of fishing for men.
If the Apostle Paul were to come back and attend the average church today, what would he think? Would he recognize what we do in worship as being remotely akin to what the Christians of his day saw as the proper way to worship and serve? Or, would he feel that he was in another world where things had been modified to the point that he would wonder if he was in true worship at all.
The people of Paul’s day actually had to pay a price to be a Christian. It was not easy and fun, much less entertaining. They had to risk everything they ever knew in order to identify with the Lord and worship Him. Jews, especially, had to accept the fact that in order to be a Christian they had to be willing to give up everything they had ever known. They would lose their families, their way of making a living and their friends. They became social pariahs.
In today’s world, especially in the United States, we have a Christianity which is far removed from that which was initially founded. In Paul’s day they were coming together for the purpose of worshipping the Lord. It was a dangerous business to identify with the Christians of those days. Many of the people had witnessed what happened in Jerusalem when He was crucified. They remembered the resurrection and the ascension. The people were closely attached to these things and it drove them to worship Jesus. They also came together in homes and other venues instead of elaborate edifices designed more for entertainment than anything else. A main part of the early church’s function was taking care of each other, especially the widows and orphans. They functioned as a spiritual body to follow the directions of the Holy Spirit.
In this modern day, it costs us nothing to be a Christian. No one is threatening us or at least we have not been threatened until more recently. The church has had almost no constraints put on it. Preachers have been free to preach the Gospel which would put them in jail in many countries. Things are changing rapidly and persecution is coming but in our environment in the United States we have been unconstrained in our worship. But, I think that this freedom has produced a carelessness that is slowly destroying the vision of what the Church is suppose to be and what it is suppose to do. The church is being slowly secularized and therefore it is losing its identity. It is become more like what we want it to be instead of what God intended it to be. If Paul saw the way entertainment, which is modeled after the world is affecting the church, he would be aghast. If he saw the way politics and the public attitude toward religion was mollifying the church and her message, he would be aghast. If he heard the drivel that is being preached in the pulpits of our churches today, he would be aghast. We have simply bent over backwards to make sure that we don’t offend anyone. And, the pastors of today are therefore not preaching a Gospel which will save but one which will not offend. Jesus said that the Gospel will be offensive to the world. The church of today is now trying not to hurt the world’s feelings so that it can be popular and draw a large crowd who will give lots of money.
I heard a well-known preacher a few days ago. He was expounding on “planning” and he had drawn together some scriptures from here and there to formulate a sermon on making plans. Now, I agree that planning is important but with so much of the Bible that is available to be preached to the saving of souls, why preach on planning? Subjects concerning money, finances, friends and how to be popular and actualize one’s self are vastly popular but in-depth preaching and teaching of the Bible is a rarity in most churches. It might offend someone and heaven knows, we can’t be accused of that!
Why are we not “bearing much fruit” as Jesus says? Could it possible be that we are not abiding in Him like we should? I am not “down” on the church but I am “down” on what is happening to her. Churches have turned inward and spend more thought and time on themselves than on serving the Lord and others the way the Lord intended. Outreach is being abandoned to a great degree and being replaced with “inreach.” This will not produce a church which is “bearing much fruit.” Every indicator which points to life and growth is witnessing against us in these times. Sunday School is down in the SBC as well as is worship attendance. A huge number of our churches have abandoned the evening worship service. Christians should value any opportunity to worship the God who holds eternity in His Hands. Christians should also read the scripture where the writer of Hebrews tells us something very valuable. In Hebrews 10:25, God tells us….”Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as ye see the day approaching..” People think that once on Sunday is enough to worship God. True Christians will crave the worship of Almighty God and His Son Jesus. Baptisms are woefully lagging and they point to spiritual growth and the salvation of souls. Giving is down and that indicates the dedication of the people to being obedient to the Lord. People are robbing God and don’t care, (Malachi 3: 7-12). How can we expect God to prosper the church as long as those who make up the church are robbing Him?
Friends, what is all boils down to is that we are not “abiding in the vine” as we should. Our vitality is waning. Our influence on society is waning. Our witness in this world is more one of self-fulfillment that it is a witness to the saving of souls.
Some will disagree with me on what I have said. Well then, justify for me what is happening to the modern form of Christianity with the words of Jesus when He said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.” I feel I must point out that the word “abideth” means a continuous action. It does not mean to abide for a while and then you can do as you wish. It is a continuous action that, according to Him, should always be active in the Christian’s life and in the life of their church. So, remember this: Abiding in Jesus (the vine) is necessary for Bearing Much Fruit.
Wm. F. Harrell…3-22-2023
