Hint: It has nothing to do with becoming more "religious"
Have you ever known something to be true, dismissing it for the sake of thinking you already understand it, but then a certain moment hits, you have a grand epiphany, and you realize before that moment, you had missed the point entirely? Jesus's disciples experienced these confounding moments often, and as His disciples, we can expect to have similar moments. In fact, I had one this week regarding the topic of spiritual fruit that hit me right between the eyes, and I couldn't believe I missed something so simple, yet so profound--for YEARS. I discovered this revelation when an old thought-pattern reared its ugly head again, but this time, it came up against truth, and in comparison to the truth, this thought-pattern looked pitiful and I could cast it down immediately. This is what the word says we should do with thoughts that raise themselves against the knowledge of God--taking every vain imagination captive into obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). It's part of true repentance when we can change our mind on a matter, because when we think differently, we can walk differently, and you best believe that even after 10 years of serving God, He's still breaking things off and exposing things in me that I didn't even know were there!
Therefore, what I have to offer you is not a step-by-step program or protocol for serving God. We can't apply formulas to relationships, and neither should we apply one to our relationship with Christ. What I do have to offer is the water that will help you nurture your relationship with Him and to help you identify those things that hinder your growth and keep you from loving Him rightly.
The Angel of Fruit: A Dream
While we can't necessarily point to the Bible for "angels of fruit," we know angels are real, that they visit people, they're diverse, and they carry messages that confirm things the Lord has already said. In this dream several years ago, I met two angels, and my life was never quite the same after this encounter. There was revelation too deep for words, and one thing that I was shown I didn't understand fully until, well--now.
This dream started out with me in my room alone. I saw myself worshiping the Lord and writing Him letters, even though to this day, I can't remember what I wrote in this dream. Suddenly, two angels appeared in my room, wearing business outfits (for some reason, I sometimes see angels in business attire in my dreams). One looked very professional, wearing a suit and tie, and the other wore a more casual outfit wearing a button-up and slacks, but they were both far from average. They radiated the presence of God. I thought "Wow... this is probably the quickest response to prayer I've ever received!" One finally spoke and said "What you prayed touched the heart of God, and we're here to deliver the answer." I was stunned. I couldn't believe what was happening. Then, they both laid their hands on me and began to impart something to me. It felt like lightning was going through my body--so powerful it felt like I might die. It was painful, but I knew it was necessary in order to steward well what the Lord wanted to give me, so I grit my teeth and bore the pain.
The scene changed, and suddenly, I was in the air flying with these two. The sky was peach orange, as if it was sunrise. Then, the angel in the business-casual outfit began to speak. He introduced himself and the other, saying that he was the one that oversaw blessing, and the other angel was the one that oversaw fruit. It was the angel of blessing that did most of the talking, and the angel of fruit didn't speak as much. He was much more serious, and when he did speak, it was truth that cut you to the heart. It was almost offensive, but you knew it was something you needed to hear. It was in this moment that I understood the word of God more than I ever have. I have never had such clarity before; not even being awake. I was asleep, yet more awake then I've ever been! Then, the angel of blessing told me something that I still think about to this day. He said that the reason the angel of fruit was so blunt is because the truth, spoken in purity, affects the quality of the fruit being produced in believers; there can be NO lies mixed in--no mixture--or else the fruit will not remain.
What is "Fruit" According to the Bible?
Paul had to explain what "fruit" was to a group of people called the Galatians, who had a great many disputes about what following Christ was supposed to look like, getting down to the nitty-gritty of the Law, even the practice of circumcision. Paul essentially says, "It doesn't matter!" and asks them a string of rhetorical questions like "Does He who supplies you with His [marvelous Holy] Spirit and works miracles among you, do it as a result of the works of the Law [which you perform], or because you [believe confidently in the message which you] heard with faith?" (Galatians 3:5).
In trying to follow the Law perfectly, it actually distracted them from following Christ, who alone fulfilled the Law. They trusted in their own works to give them right-standing before the Father, and didn't fully put their trust in Him who imputes right-standing (righteousness) through His own work. It's called "the Law of sin and death" for a reason: the Law imputes sin, and the fruit, or "wages" of sin is death, and the more we measure ourselves in accordance to the Law, the more sin and death we produce. However, Paul tells us that if we are in Christ, then "the Law of the Spirit of Life has set us free from the Law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2), and under this new Law administered by His Spirit, we can expect to produce the fruit of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" if we are letting ourselves be led by His Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
In Galatians, Paul drives a nail right through religion that says producing fruit looks like "doing more for God," "becoming better," or out-performing the guy next to you who doesn't look like he's doing as many religious activities. Such is a work of vanity and unbelief, because it operates from the lie that says "What Christ accomplished wasn't enough, therefore, I need to make up the difference," and in that, there is no love, no joy, and certainly no peace. It's a fruit produced with mixture, and it will rot. However, when we let Christ truly reign in our hearts, then the question of "Am I making the mark?" disappears, and fruit that grows from truth becomes the natural outflow of our relationship with Him.
How is Fruit Produced?
Going back to what the angel showed me, let's now compare it to what Jesus says about producing fruit in John 15: "I am the true Vine, and My Father is the vine-dresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit]... Abide in Me, and I [will abide] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers and dies; and they gather such branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be My [true] disciples."
Here, the great mystery is solved of how we can be the most productive in our walk with Jesus and can prove ourselves to be "true disciples." If you still believe the answer lies in going on more mission trips, attending more conferences, or joining your church's leadership team, then you might want to read that passage again.
Just the other day, I caught myself falling into this very mindset. I thought, "Man, I need to get it together and be more involved in ministry. I feel like I'm not producing any fruit. I need to be doing more for God!" Immediately, He said "Abide in Me, and you'll produce much fruit." It silenced me because it reminded me that it's spending quality time with the Man Jesus that causes me to produce fruit, and that fruit isn't the works of God, but the characteristics of God that I begin to manifest, and any good work I accomplish is the result of God's character being formed in me through an abiding relationship in His presence. It all starts with His presence and us listening to His voice. We must abide!
I hope you also noticed that I highlighted the phrase "my words." This part shows that not only do we abide in Him, but He abides in His people, and if He abides in us, His words are in us as well. You can't separate Jesus from His words, because He is the Word (John 1:1) and Jesus says His words are truth (John 17:17) and He is the Truth (John 14:6). Jesus also said this His words are spirit and life (John 6:63). So if we are under the Law of the Spirit of Life, and we're abiding in Him and He in us, then His word in us is going to produce the kind of fruit the angel told me about--fruit created with truth--from the Truth Himself--and this will be the fruit that remains forever and doesn't return to Him void.
I hope you can walk away from this post feeling less religious and more assured that the more time you spend loving Christ with your heart and life, the less time you spend trying to avoid sin. It's simple. John makes it clear: "This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us" (1 John 3:23-24).
For the Glory of God,
The Secret Girl
*Disclaimer: I saw angels in my dream, but that does NOT mean you should call upon angels or worship them. They listen to God, not us, and are fellow servants*
Further Reading:
John 14-17
All of Galatians, really
1 John
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