Evergrowing Fruitfulness
Written by Brigitta Tedja
#harvestseries
Watch the sermon here
Our newly ordained Pastor Dion declared this year as the Year of Harvest, not declaring it as the Year of the Rabbit according to the Chinese zodiac signs, because God’s people are not part of the world system. God is outside of time and He sees the end from the beginning. God has a plan for each one of us according to Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for peace and not for accidents, to give you a hopeful future.”
With a theme of harvest, understand that it takes a community because harvest is a laborious but joyful time and season. It is an expected time after working together day in and day out. Harvest is not just the work of man but understanding the time and season of God. It is an ordained time and season—sowing at the right time and reaping at the right time. Understand the time and season of God so that we can prosper. This year, let us prioritize our lives because all the things we prayed for through the years will come to fruition at this time. There needs to be a priority adjustment to be made as harvest comes. We must put things in the right order on what is important to God and things that will bless you this year. Harvest is a collective effort, not a one-man-show. We are believing for two kinds of harvests; a harvest of souls and a harvest of resources. God wants to harvest the thing that He loves. During harvest time, do not lose sight of what is number one and only focus on the external harvest. God is saying for us to remain fruitful.
John 15:16a MEV “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.”
John 15:1-4, MEV “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that bears no fruit, He takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean through the word which I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, neither can you, unless you remain in Me.”
The promise of God is that if you remain with Him, you will be fruitful, but pruning needs to take place. Pruning is cutting off the dead things in your life. Pastor Dion provided the difference between pruning and shearing. Both involve cutting but they are different. Shearing focuses on the aesthetics, only on the outside, like the manicured plants that look like animals in a cemetery garden in Tulcan, Ecuador. Pruning is different, it focuses on the well-being of the plant and for its fruitfulness, not on the aesthetics.
Pruning Definition: Trim a tree, shrub, or bush by cutting away dead branches
Cutting overgrown branches or stems, especially to increase fruitfulness and growth
Our Father is the Vine Dresser. A vine undergoes one of the most extreme pruning processes. Jesus purposely chose His Father as the Vine Dresser and we are His branches. In order to produce fruit and good wine every year, the vine cannot remain the same. Originally a vine grows on the ground, and because of that, bacteria on the ground can curb the vine from producing good fruits. Those who are not fruitful, he cuts off and lifts up. If you want to produce good fruit continually, it must be lifted up off the ground. God will take your life off the ground so that you will flourish and thrive.
Wine entrepreneurs cannot obtain fruit within a year’s time. Pastor Dion provided a graphic illustrating a year’s work to cut off the buds that are close to the ground and only the ones on the top remain. It takes a year to lift it off the ground in order to produce one potential branch. In Year 2, the whole process starts again due to many challenges. Vine dressers are patient. After 2000+ years, there are no modernized process and it is all done by hand by the vine dressers and his/her shears—there are no short-cuts. You may feel that your life is not there yet, but your heavenly Father is patiently working you with His hands knowing your potential. Those who do not bear fruit, God lifts up, not cut. In Year 3, we see more buds, leaves, and space is measured to ensure room for growth. It is systematically done. In Year 4, we see fruit but pruning occurs. In Year 5, there are even more fruit but God continues to prune us to produce an even more increasing fruit.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for peace and not for accidents, to give you a hopeful future.”
Many times, when we were doing bad things in the world and then got saved, we felt like we are not close to becoming like Jesus yet. God expects harvest but He also understands your season. He will prune you. He sees you in the pruning season and sees that you will produce many fruits. God has a long-term plan for you. He is patient with you and will allow you to face difficult times to prune you for your growth and fruitfulness in your future. Like in parenting, parents do not do things to be liked by their children, they plan for their children’s future, setting them up for success. Whom God loves; He will correct. Whom He sees will be fruitful; He will prune.
“Growth follows the knife.” — Unknown Proverb
Pastor Dion shared how he was enthusiastic after receiving Jesus and offered himself to be the keyboard player. He stated he was not passable as a keyboardist but was open to learn. He wanted to serve because God is so real but he was pruned many times. There were seasons God allowed him to serve out of God’s willingness to see his heart but through different seasons, God would prune it and take things away. He stopped playing the keyboard and set up chairs for church. He got “promoted” due to his faithfulness and he was able to pray people in the bus. As you grow, God will prune things to check your motivation and your heart. Just as children grow, we grow as well.
Spur Pruning
Spurs and canes refer to the portions of one-year-old wood that is retained when pruning. Spurs are shorter and contain fewer buds than canes. A cordon is a long arm, usually trained along a wire, from where fruits develop. Spur pruning with grapes is normally implemented with cordon training which is a horizontal extension of the trunk 2+ years running along the fruit wires. Spurs originate along the length of the cordon. Normally there would be many buds coming out of different areas in your lives. For you to have maximized fruitfulness, God is organizing and hand-dressing you. God is pruning you so that you can produce maximum fruit.
Why Pruning?
1. To Maintain the Health of a Plant by the Removal of Damage, Disease, or Death
Two words important in pruning: Removal and Limiting (Focusing)
Removal of damage, disease, death: If you want to be fruitful in life, you need to let go of sin. Jesus chose us knowing that we were sinners and He will begin dealing with sins from past seasons or secret sins at this time. Because God wants us to be more fruitful, He will begin dealing with you and cleansing you from sin. Self-pruning will be less painful than when God prunes you. Deal with the branches that deal with sin. You cannot grow unless the branches that are diseased are cut off because the rot can spread to the branches if you do not. Sins that are not dealt with will bring you decay and cut you off from Christ. Cut them off now so that you can become more fruitful. This is limiting to increase quality.
Romans 12:1-2 MEV “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
2. To Create Room for Growth
Pruning is removing crossed or overcrowded branches so more air and light can come in to produce fruit. This is not about sin but other habits or hobbies that are overcrowding the good branches interfering you from leading more productive lives. It becomes a competition. It takes 4 years to have 10 branches per tree. This could mean being in too many ministries. You can have many fruits, but they may be small or sour because they are not at their best so that God cannot enjoy them. To bear much fruit, you must be connected to the Vine. It does not have to be sin to completely distract you from the call of God in your life.
1 Corinthians 10:23-24 NIV “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.”
Matthew 6:33 ESV “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and ALL these things will be added to you.”
3. To Increase the Quality of Fruits
2 Timothy 2:20-21 NIV “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.”
Whoever has a desire to cleanse yourselves, God will use you for a good purpose.
IT IS A CHOICE.
“Growth follows the knife.” — Unknown Proverb
Prayer Points:
Pray for new hunger and a new fire to rise in the heart of God’s people
No more cycle of lukewarmness
Declare the grace of God to descend upon us like the liberal rain we experienced in California
Pray to be connected and grafted into the Vine
Pray to prioritize and place things in order
Pray to allow for God to prune you
Cut off sin, bad habits, those things competing with God
Identify the damage, disease, death
Create room for growth
Pray to bear good fruit and remain fruitful
Pray to seek God FIRST and ALL will be added
Pray to be intentional and make the choice to follow Him daily
Pray to live and not to die before we accomplish our calling