Last week we looked at Ezekiel’s image of a useless vine. We found the questions posed by God in chapter 15 to be breathtaking. They cut to the quick and lay bare the heart. God is asking His people to remember the purpose of a vine.
What is the purpose of a vine? It is to bear fruit. Is there any other purpose for a vine? The answer given is, “no.” Unlike an oak tree, we are told a vine’s worth is dependent upon the quality of its fruit. It has no other redemptive purpose. No one cultivates vines to harvest the wood. In fact, as the parable reminds us, the only good one can obtain from a fruitless vine is fuel for a fire.
We concluded last time that all of this is significant and quite shocking because how does Israel see herself? Routinely, she is likened to a vine that God planted with the aim of gathering fruit. In other words, God’s people see themselves as God’s choice vineyard! But what is the Gardner’s assessment? We are told Jacob’s descendants have become fruitless. And consequently, like a barren plant, they are good for nothing but fuel for the fire.
This raises two pivotal questions. What is the reason for the bareness of God’s people? And what is the consequence for the nation? Verse 8 gives the answer to both. It reads: “And I will make the land desolate, because they have acted faithlessly, declares the Lord God.” Notice there is a cause and effect relationship. Desolation in the land and faithlessness on the part of God’s people are linked in the providence of God.
Interestingly enough, this same connection is made in the New Testament. In John 15, Jesus picks up the theme of a choice vineyard and equates the believer’s faith as abiding in Him and faithlessness as a fruitless branch. We are told Christians are the branches and Jesus is the Vine. To be found fruitless, is to be considered barren, making a person good for nothing but fuel for the fire (15:6).
“Bearing fruit is the call of God upon every believer’s life!”
I personally do not know a sincere Christian that wants to be useless. But given the fact that the church is a mixed community, and we are prone to lose our first love, it may be good in these desolate times to ponder what it means to be fruitful – what it means in other words to have a living union with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Let’s consider five common characteristics.
First, a fruitful Christian winsomely proclaims and leads others to Christ (See Romans 1:13; Proverbs 11:30; Mark 1:17; John 4:35; 2 Corinthians 5:20). The ministry of proclaiming and leading others to Christ has many facets to it, but all (not some) who are in Christ have the responsibility of sowing seeds and being ambassadors of His gospel of grace, even if we don’t have the privilege of participating in the reaping.
Second, the Bible tells us that a fruitful Christian lovingly helps others grow in Christ (See Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:11-16; Colossians 1:28; Titus 2:1-15; Hebrews 10:24; James 3:1). Leading others to Christ is the first step in making disciples. Once a Christian is grafted into the Vine by faith, he or she must be discipled and taught all the teachings of Jesus. Helping others in this transformation process is essential, not an option.
Third, a fruitful Christian who abides in Christ and shares his or her life with others will produce the fruit of personal holiness (See Romans 6:22; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Galatians 5:22-23). Like a ripening ear of corn, the Spirit through faith fills and adds girth to the soul. Specifically, through daily repentance and dependence upon the Lord, the Spirit produces peace, joy, patience, kindness, humility, love, steadfastness, and joy.
Fourth, the Bible tells us that a fruitful Christian shares what he or she possesses (See Acts 2:44-45; Romans 15:28; 1 John 3:17). We have all been made stewards of God’s resources (See Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 17:7-10; 19:12-27), and have been given the responsibility of investing it in his eternal work by caring for the needs of others.
Fifth, a fruitful Christian abides in Christ for the sake of reconciling all people to God and each other (See Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 15:11; Ezekiel 16:49; Luke 14:13; Romans 12:20; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; John 15:12, 17:20; James 1:27). A Christian bearing fruit will enter into the suffering of the oppressed and poor, not dismiss it or excuse it. He or she will follow Christ’s example and pray the church becomes one. Christ’s desire is not Asian-Americans here and Latinos there, Afro-Americans here and Anglo-Americans somewhere else. A fruit bearing Christian longs for nothing less than complete unity in the body of Christ, for there is only one vineyard and one Vinedresser.
There are many more characteristics of a fruitful Christian. But the point the Bible is making is that for a vineyard to flourish, (and by extension the world to flourish) each individual branch has to respond to the attention of the Vinedresser, which means not all branches will respond alike. There will be some that seek to yield to Christ more than others. Thus when the great harvest day arrives, it will be revealed that each of us has produced a different-sized crop. And yes, that day will also reveal why fire is the only reward of a useless branch.
No fruit. Some fruit. More fruit. Much fruit. Which are you producing? If the land is desolate, and I think we all would agree that it is, shouldn’t this be the big question that weighs heavy on our hearts as Christians? Isn’t this the big lesson of the parable of the Ten Virgins (See Matthew 25)? They never took care of the lamp (basket) they were given. The Bridegroom arrives, finds it empty, and even says that he does not know them because they never cared about the Bridegroom and that is why they are unprepared now.
Bruce Wilkerson, founder and president of “Walk Thru the Bible,” says in his book Secrets of the Vine, that he has asked audiences all over the world how they would describe the “fruitfulness” of Christians today. They consistently conclude that about half of all people who identify as “Christians” bear very little or no fruit, a third bear some fruit, (ten percent bear more fruit), and only five percent bear a lot of fruit.
Friends, bearing fruit is the call of God upon every believer’s life. It is our destiny (Romans 7:4). So let me encourage you to do the hard thing. Not the conformist thing. Turn your gaze inward. Not outward (Matthew 7:5). Take time to ponder the characteristics of a fruitful Christian and then ask the Holy Spirit, “How full is my basket?” And then be prepared to let go of all the things that stand in the way of His life-giving sap, like: our pride of heritage, our security in our cultural identity, our comfort in our color, and our unwillingness to surrender and obey all the teachings of Christ (John 15:9). Abiding in Christ is all about intimacy with God. You won’t be disappointed with the results!