"Bear fruit in keeping with repentance" is the line that stood out to me this chapter. To bear fruit means, to see active growth in you and seeing God's work done through you. "In keeping with repentance"...Repentance is an ongoing thing. It isn't something you decide once. Repentance means to turn away from, have a change of mind from, choosing to think and live a different way from... SIN.
I remember, even just 5 years ago... I had a drinking problem. I believed in Jesus at the time... have since I was young, but He wasn't the Lord of my life. Those are two different things. I believed that Jesus was God. (But as we have referenced in other studies, James 2:19 says, "Even the demons believe- and shudder!") But I didn't make Him the Lord of my life. The Bible teaches honesty and truth, so when Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved," it doesn't mean say that Jesus is Lord and not truly make Him Lord That's what I was doing. I was saying I was a Christian, but Jesus was merely who I believed in, not Whom I served as King. At the time of my drinking (and porn) problem (among other things) I was sharing the Gospel with my friends. Except I wasn't a great witness, because my life didn't testify to repentance- the decision to turn away from my drunkenness, and it didn't testify to transformation- the power of the Spirit at work as a result of obedience. Repentance is our part- choosing holiness and desiring purity. Transformation is the Spirit's part- abolishing the strongholds we have to sin. It wasn't until I truly made Jesus Lord, and lived out repentance that I was free from drunkenness and porn. Some things take time, I understand that, but if you don't choose to repent, you are also choosing to not invite the Spirit to do the work of His power- the transformation.
So if you don't see fruit- check your repentance. I was wondering why I wasn't seeing good fruit come out of my life, both in me, and through me- and it was because I wasn't "keeping with repentance". This is heavy material. We should not take this lightly, for Matthew 3:10 says, "Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
What kind of fruit are you producing? Where are your roots getting nourishment? How have you seen transformation in your life recently?
~Leanne~
I remember, even just 5 years ago... I had a drinking problem. I believed in Jesus at the time... have since I was young, but He wasn't the Lord of my life. Those are two different things. I believed that Jesus was God. (But as we have referenced in other studies, James 2:19 says, "Even the demons believe- and shudder!") But I didn't make Him the Lord of my life. The Bible teaches honesty and truth, so when Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved," it doesn't mean say that Jesus is Lord and not truly make Him Lord That's what I was doing. I was saying I was a Christian, but Jesus was merely who I believed in, not Whom I served as King. At the time of my drinking (and porn) problem (among other things) I was sharing the Gospel with my friends. Except I wasn't a great witness, because my life didn't testify to repentance- the decision to turn away from my drunkenness, and it didn't testify to transformation- the power of the Spirit at work as a result of obedience. Repentance is our part- choosing holiness and desiring purity. Transformation is the Spirit's part- abolishing the strongholds we have to sin. It wasn't until I truly made Jesus Lord, and lived out repentance that I was free from drunkenness and porn. Some things take time, I understand that, but if you don't choose to repent, you are also choosing to not invite the Spirit to do the work of His power- the transformation.
So if you don't see fruit- check your repentance. I was wondering why I wasn't seeing good fruit come out of my life, both in me, and through me- and it was because I wasn't "keeping with repentance". This is heavy material. We should not take this lightly, for Matthew 3:10 says, "Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
What kind of fruit are you producing? Where are your roots getting nourishment? How have you seen transformation in your life recently?
~Leanne~
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