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Fruit Inspectors

We Are To Know Them By Their Fruit

SYNOPSIS: Our calling as ambassadors for Christ is to compel people to righteousness, but we are to do so without being self-righteous and moralistic. If we fail at that, truly our judgmentalism becomes a turn-off to everyone—sinners, saints, and even God himself. And while we have failed at that on occasion, past failure is no reason to abdicate a role that is critical to both the purity of the church and the salvation of the lost—fruit inspection. And a good place to start is by inspecting your own spiritual fruit–both internal (character) and external (works) kingdom produce! That in itself will most definitely keep you from being judgmental.

Ambassadors for Christ

Moments With God // Matthew 7:16

You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

When I was growing up, I remember hearing the pastor of our church, who happened to be my dad, exhort our small congregation with these words of wisdom: “The Bible says we’re not supposed to judge other people, but it doesn’t say we shouldn’t be inspecting their fruit.” In light of what Jesus taught here in Matthew 7, that pastor was standing on solid theological ground.

Now the world has used Jesus’ words in verse 1, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged” as a sledgehammer against Christians who take a stand on the cultural issues of our day, but Jesus never intended his words to intimidate believers into moral silence. The truth is, we have been called to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) both to wayward Christians as well as lost people who are headed for a Christless eternity. Who better to stand on the wall as a moral and spiritual watchman than an authentic Christ-follower?

Our calling as ambassadors for Christ is to compel people to righteousness, but we are to do so without being self-righteous and moralistic. If we fail at that, truly our judgmentalism becomes a turn-off to everyone—sinners, saints, and even God himself. And while we have failed at that on occasion, past failure is no reason to abdicate a role that is critical to both the purity of the church and the salvation of the lost.

Now as it relates to Matthew 7, what we need to understand is that when Jesus spoke against judging in verses 1-8, he was specifically taking a stand against what had become the national pastime in Israel: evaluating the spirituality of others by their outward observance of the Mosaic law and their acts of religious piety. The fact is, Jesus said in verses 21-23 that there will be those who were pretty good at being religious and who will be able to claim an amazing record of good deeds but will still be refused entrance into the eternal kingdom when they stand before God. Thinking religious piety was their meal ticket to heaven, they will be shocked and dismayed to discover that their good deeds didn’t get them “in” with God—only grace can do that.

So in that regard, we are not to be judgmental, as the Jews had become. We are, however, to evaluate the spiritual quality of those who claim to know Christ by inspecting the fruit being produced from their lives. We are to “know them by their fruit.” What is “knowable” fruit in the life of a Christian?

  • The fruit of repentance: John the Baptist called attention to that in Matthew 3:8. This is the first fruit we can observe in a God-honoring life—a complete turnaround from sinful patterns to the pursuit of God’s righteousness.
  • The fruit of abiding: Jesus addressed this in John 15, saying that when a believer is fundamentally connected to him, abiding in the True Vine, there will be much fruit that brings great joy to the believer and much glory to God the Father.
  • The fruit of giving: In Romans 15:14-29 Paul speaks of the fruit that comes when we financially resource God’s work: redeemed souls and relieved suffering.
  • The fruit of the Spirit: The most revealing fruit of authentic faith and growth in Christ is the fruit the indwelling Spirit produces in the believer—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
  • The fruit of the light: Ephesians 5:8-12 speaks of observable fruit in a believer that consists of goodness, righteousness, and truth.
  • The fruit of praise: Our lips are to offer up the sacrifice of praise that glorifies God through Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 13:14-16)

For sure, we must avoid the spiritual pitfall of becoming judgmental. Nothing destroys Kingdom life and blocks Kingdom growth quite like that. Nothing sullies God’s reputation more on Planet Earth than self-righteous pain in the neck busybody believers sticking their opinion into everybody’s business. But if we are going to protect God’s family from false believers and fake teachers, if we are going to exhort and admonish one another on toward growth in grace and the character of Christ, and if we are going to call a lost world to a loving God, we can’t shy away from inspecting the fruit once in a while.

And a good place to start is by inspecting your own! That in itself will most definitely keep you from being judgmental.

Take A Moment: Do a little fruit inspection in your own life today. Is there visible fruit in the areas the New Testament calls you to fruitfulness? The fruit of repentance—Matthew 3:8, the fruit of abiding—John 15:5-8, the fruit of giving—Romans 15:14-29, the fruit of the Spirit—Galatians 5:22-23, the fruit of the light—Ephesians 5:8-12, and the fruit of praise—Hebrews 13:14-16.

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Control Your Rudder, Brudder!

Loose Lips Really Do Sink Ships

SYNOPSIS: This will be your toughest assignment today, but hands down, the most important. It could be that relationships will be helped or hindered based on your success. It might be that witnessing opportunities will appear or disappear commensurate with your mastery of the mission. It is likely that the door to greater opportunity will open or shut depending on how well you do. It might even be that your destiny will rise or fall relative to your ability to gain the upper hand in this task. I am talking, of course, about the use or misuse of the words you speak today! The direction your life takes will be determined by how well you control your tongue.

Control your mouth

Moments With God // Proverbs 15:1

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

This will be the toughest assignment you will have today, but hands down, it is the most important. It could be that relationships will be helped or hindered based on your success. It might be that witnessing opportunities will appear or disappear commensurate with your mastery of the mission. It is likely that the door to greater opportunity will open or shut depending on how well you do. It might even be that your destiny will rise or fall relative to your ability to gain the upper hand in this task.

I am talking, of course, about the use or misuse of the words you speak today! Your tongue is, in reality, the rudder to the ship of your life, and the direction you take will be determined by how well you control it. Seriously, brother and sister, tame your tongue or you are likely to shipwreck your life sooner or later! If you think I am overstating the power of your words, take a moment to read James 3 and Matthew 12:33-37. If you doubt me now, you won’t then:

For sure, perfectly controlling your speech is tough work, but the payoff will be immense. Think about the personal power of the one whose tongue has been brought under control by the Spirit-formed heart:

  • Conflict is diffused! Proverbs 15:1says, “A gentle answer turns away anger while harsh words fuels the fire.” Proverbs 15:18 tells us, “A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.”
  • Knowledge is distributed! Proverbs 15:2 says, “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of a fool gushes folly.” Proverbs 15:7 reminds us, “The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools”, while Proverbs 15:14 follows with, “The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.”
  • Life is dispensed! Proverbs 15:4 says, “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverb 15:30 offers this reminder: “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.”

Just think, if you can control your rudder today, and develop a track record of rudder control, then you can initiate peace, instill knowledge and instigate life! Now that kind of personal impact is worth the effort!

Take A Moment: If you work next to someone, give that person permission to remind you every time you utter a negative, harsh, coarse or foolish word. Agree to pay them $5.00 for every infraction. If you work alone, ask the Holy Spirit to be your accountability partner…and Just pay me the $5.00 every time you blow it. And if you’re tempted to fudge the results, remember, the Spirit knows!

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Depressed? Practice Hope!

The Sure Path to Emotional Balance

SYNOPSIS: Depressed? Practice hope! How? Start by dwelling on the love and kindness that God has for you. Dwell on all the things he has done for you for which you are grateful. Dwell on all the promises he has made to you in Scripture. Dwell on the promise of heaven. Basically, just do some reverse worrying. What do you do when you are worried? You dwell on the negative. So just turn that around and dwell on the positive truth of God’s Word. Do that—practice hope—and watch it “rock your world.”

Practice Hope

Moments With God // Psalm 42:11

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

I am not a mental health expert, so don’t go throwing away your meds if you are under the care of a medical professional. And please don’t take this as the final word on clinical depression. So with that caveat out of the way, let me just say that I think the authors of this psalm, the sons of Korah, David’s worship team, are on to something.

And since we believe this sacred book, the Bible, is God’s perfect revelation of himself and his will for mankind, then let’s lean into it as our only rule of faith and practice, perfect in all it affirms. Let’s treat it as we should—as the first, highest, and best authority by which we will live our lives!

So when it comes to the ups and downs that we commonly experience in our daily existence, this psalm reminds us that the sure path to emotional balance and inner joy is to practice hope. The psalmist says, “put your hope in God.” The Apostle Paul said it a bit differently—but he had the same thing in mind: Put on…hope.” (I Thessalonians 5:8)

Practice hope! How? Start by dwelling on the love and kindness that God has for you. Dwell on all the things he has done for you for which you are grateful. Dwell on all the promises he has made to you in Scripture. Dwell on the promise of heaven. Basically, just do some reverse worrying. What do you do when you are worried? You dwell on the negative. So just turn that around and dwell on the truth of God’s Word. Do that—practice hope—and watch it “rock your world.”

Don’t believe that will work? Well, let me give you just one example of how hope can change you. Suppose you were to receive a phone call later today from an old friend who enthusiastically says, “Friend, I have good news. You can take a 7-day trip to Hawaii with my company that won’t cost you a dime. We have room for two more…but here’s the catch: we leave tomorrow evening at 9:00 PM. The boss is taking us on his private jet, and we’ll be staying at his beachfront villa in Maui.” You tell him you’ll call him right back, and the minute you get off the phone, you and your spouse, who was listening in, start thinking and planning. Out comes the pen and paper, and you begin to prioritize what you need to do to make this happen. Then you call the friend back and tell him you’re in.

If that were to happen, I guarantee that you would then begin to ruthlessly align your life over the next 24 hours to pull off that all-expenses paid trip to paradise. You might say that the hope of Hawaii tomorrow changed the way you lived today.

There’s something even better and more permanent than Hawaii. It’s called heaven. So why don’t you live like you are going there tomorrow—every day! Here’s the deal: You’ll be amazed at how hitching your hope to the promise of heaven (or the love of God, or the blessings of salvation, or any other truth of God’s Word) will change everything you experience today—even your emotions.

Practice hope!

Take A Moment: So why don’t you give it a try! As the psalm says, “Hope thou in God!”

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Get Your Mess On!

There Is Opportunity In Your Chaos

SYNOPSIS: Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, was no doubt a very orderly, strategic person. Just look at the details of the Temple that he designed and built. It was grand beyond description. He was a man of great planning and execution, but he had also come to understand that surprises and messes and interruptions were not only to be expected in life, they often became life’s little serendipities. The unexpected pleasures and great discoveries in life are often unplanned, even when we guard our lives so tightly trying to prevent them. But “it” happens! Or as Solomon would say, “When the bull is not in the barn, it stays nice ‘n’ tidy, but if you want a cash crop, you got to put up with a stinky stall.”

Get Your Mess On

Moments With God // Proverbs 14:4

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.

You have heard it said, “A clean desk is the sign of a sick mind.” That came from a brilliant theologian by the name of Garfield. So if Garfield said it, it has to be true, right?

Of course, most of us neat and orderly Type A personalities would say to that one, “put the cat back in the bag.” But, reluctantly and grudgingly, I have to admit that there is a truth hidden in Garfield’s reasoning. Maybe he’d just read Proverbs 14:4—my paraphrase,

When the bull is not in the barn, it stays nice ‘n’ tidy,
but if you want a cash crop, you got to put up with a stinky stall.

Yeah, Garfield, life gets messy!

As much as some of us would like to control everything that goes on in and around our lives, keeping things as neat, orderly, and sterile as an operating room, we can’t. Sometimes things happen beyond our control.

Have you noticed that life spilling out beyond the boundaries seems to be the rule rather than the exception?

So, what is Solomon saying? Forget about order? Don’t sweat staying within the borders? Don’t worry about the details? I don’t think so. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, was no doubt a very orderly, strategic person. Just look at the details of the Temple that he designed and built. It was grand beyond description. Solomon was a man of great planning and execution. But he had also come to understand that surprises and messes and interruptions were not only to be expected in life, but they often became life’s little serendipities. The unexpected pleasures and great discoveries in life are often unplanned, even when we guard our lives so tightly trying to prevent them. But, “it” happens!

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul would say it this way: “For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) So instead of ruthlessly trying to eliminate the unexpected and strategically avoiding the out-of-bounds in our lives, Solomon says we should embrace them as necessary to a fruitful, joyful life.

  • A consistently clean room means the child has gone away to college.
  • A marriage without heartache means that a husband and wife no longer share the same bathroom.
  • A ministry that doesn’t have to clean up the after-effects of sin means a church without people.
  • A life without relational disappointment means love never ventured.
  • A perfect world means you’ve lived in the safety of suburbia so long that you’ve forgotten the opportunities God has for you to change a lost and hurting world.

Life gets messy! So why not jump in with both feet and enjoy the mess. Get your mess on! Get involved. Get your hands dirty. Be useful. It won’t hurt you! In fact, you might find an unanticipated dimension of life that leads to incredible fulfillment.

Just remember what God did with a whole lot of chaos. (Gen 1:2)

Take A Moment: Make a list of five things that are irritating you at the moment. Now, beside each one, write a sentence-prayer expressing gratitude to God for how he is going to use these “messes” to bring about good in your life.

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Why Go On a Mission Trip?

Be The Change That Changes You

Why should you go on a mission trip? It’s the best way to discover Jesus’ heart for a lost world…and his will for your life.

Why go on a mission trip?

Listen to the emotion in his words as he talks to us about lost people in Matthew 9:

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:36-38)

When you and I hear Jesus’ appeal, we’re obligated to pray, “Lord, send me.” That’s how the prophet Isaiah responded to God’s call:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isa 6:8)

God is still looking for “Lord-send-me” people to go to the ends of the earth with the Good News. His heart still bleeds with compassion for unreached souls who are harassed, helpless, and hopeless.

I’ve found that the best way to take Jesus’ heart as your own is to go on a missions trip…a gospel plunge in the under-served world to share, show, and spread the Good News of Jesus.

Years ago, on a trip to Africa with my eighty-four-year-old spiritual mentor, God dislocated my heart for the lost world.

Since then, we’ve taken other pastors, and they say “It’s made me a better pastor back home.” We’ve taken auto-mechanics to train others how to make a living repairing cars, they say, “I never knew God could use my job to do missions. We’ve taken doctors, dentists, nurses, carpenters, electricians, students who say, “it’s made me a better Christian.”

If you’re a pastor, we invite you to take a trip with us. It’ll not only transform you, the change in you will transform your church. If you’re a Christ-follower, go with us on a trip. You can be the change that changes you.

Like me, you’ll go as a citizen of your nation but return as a missionary to God’s world.

Get into the harvest—it’s ripe. You’ll make a difference. You’ll be changed. And you’ll make Jesus do a happy dance! Really! In Luke 10, Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples. They came back bursting with excitement for what God did through them. And we’re told,

“Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I praise you, Father.’” (Luke 10:21)

Now get this: the Greek word suggests that Jesus was “shouting and leaping with joy.” So yes, when you get into the harvest, and in some capacity serve as a conduit for the gospel—I don’t mean this irreverently—Jesus does a happy dance!

Check out our mission trip opportunities … let’s be the change that changes us… and makes Jesus pretty happy too!

This is how we change the world!

You Are Invited!

Learn More | Apply Today

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You Can Trust The Shepherd

God Alone Satisfies

SYNOPSIS: Given the track record of the Shepherd’s goodness, why would we ever harden our hearts to the Good Shepherd’s voice? It doesn’t make sense, does it? And yet that is precisely what we do when we wander off on our own or want things that aren’t good for sheep or worry over stuff that the Shepherd has under his control (which is everything, by the way). I hate to admit it, but sometimes I am just a dumb sheep—and I have a feeling that you are, too.

Trust the Shepherd

Moments With God // Psalm 95:6-7

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…

Sheep. Not the brightest animal on the planet. In fact, some would call them downright dumb. They are defenseless, too. They have nothing within themselves to fight off their enemies. And not only are they dumb and defenseless, but precisely because they are dumb and defenseless, they are totally dependent on the goodness of the shepherd.

Sheep. That’s what we are. And from the description above, perhaps that is exactly why the writers of Scripture chose this particular animal from among all the animals on the planet to describe the people of God. Not bright enough, not strong enough, not sufficient enough to survive apart from the goodness of the Shepherd.

Yes, we are the flock under his care. And that is a good thing because the care of our Good Shepherd has always been sufficient. There has never been a time when the Shepherd has not led us to green pastures or kept us on the safe path or stood guard over us through the night watch or preserved us from the attack of the enemy or brought us through the valley of the shadow of death. In fact, the Shepherd is so good that he even laid down his life to provide eternal life for dumb, defenseless, and dependent sheep like us. There has never been a time when the Good Shepherd has not been more than sufficient for us, nor will there ever be.

So then, given the record of the Shepherd’s goodness, why would we ever harden our hearts to the Good Shepherd’s voice? It doesn’t make sense, does it? And yet that is precisely what we do when we wander off on our own or want things that aren’t good for sheep or worry over stuff that the Shepherd has under his control (which is everything, by the way). I hate to admit it, but sometimes I am just a dumb sheep—and I have a feeling that you are, too.

But today is a new day, and you have a fresh reminder of the goodness and sufficiency of the Good Shepherd. So listen to his voice and follow his command, for he will lead you to that place where sheep do best.

Where is that? I don’t know—I am just a sheep, too. But the Shepherd knows, so just listen and follow.

Take A Moment: Tell the Shepherd everything that is worrying you or that you are wanting today. Then leave it with him and exercise trust!

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Keep Hope Alive

Biblical Hope Enables You To Not Only Endure, But To Victoriously Overcome

SYNOPSIS: Biblical hope is not just a vague and lofty concept; it’s actually a very practical thing. Just like a football player puts on his helmet for the game, or a soldier puts on his helmet for battle, we’ve got to put on the helmet of hope, particularly the hope of our salvation because it is what enables us to endure life’s battles and come out victorious at the end of the day. That’s called practicing hope. So how can you literally put hope on as a helmet? First, quit being passive about hope. Hope is not just going to happen for you, you’ve got to practice it. Second, develop patterns of thinking that are founded in hope. The fact is, there are not only ways of thinking that will kill hope, there are ways of thinking that produce hope.

Keep Hope Alive

Moments With God // Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Hope is an incredible motivator in life, a powerful sustainer of love, and arguably, it is the most effective instigator of spiritual growth. On the other hand, the loss of hope is arguably the greatest devastator of life a human being can experience. That’s how profoundly powerful hope is. Speaking of the power of hope, Martin Luther King, Jr. said,

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

He is absolutely right: we must never lose infinite hope. The Contemporary English Version translates Proverbs 13:12 this way: “Not getting what you want can make you feel sick, but a wish that comes true is a life-giving tree.” That’s so true, isn’t it? Hope is that powerful.

We’ve all been there—the loss of a job, the breakup of a relationship, the crushing of a dream—it takes your legs right out from under you. It tempts you to give up, shrink back, curl up in a ball and just quit on life. There is no pain quite like the loss of hope.

But when you have hope you can survive and actually thrive through just about anything. When hope is stoked, even when what you’re hoping for is still a far-off expectation, suddenly there is energy, drive, focus, and patient endurance.

That’s how powerful hope is, and that’s why we got to practice it. Huh? Practice hope? Yeah, that’s what the Bible says. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 says we’ve got to exercise hopefulness…we’ve got to practice being hopeful…we’ve go to put on hope:

But since we belong to the day let us be sober and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and, for a helmet, the hope of salvation.

You see, hope is not just some vague and lofty concept; it’s actually a very practical thing. Just like a football player puts on his helmet for the game, or a soldier puts on his helmet for battle, we’ve got to put on the helmet of hope, particularly the hope of our salvation because it is what enables us to endure life’s battles and come out victorious at the end of the day.

So how can you literally put hope on as a helmet? First, quit being passive about hope. Hope is not just going to happen for you, you’ve got to practice it. Then second, develop and nurture patterns of thinking that are founded in hope. The fact is, there are not only ways of thinking that will kill hope, there are ways of thinking that produce hope.

Let me illustrate: Suppose you were to receive a phone call today from an old friend who enthusiastically says, “Friend, I have good news. You can take a 7-day trip to Hawaii with my company that won’t cost you a dime. We have room for two more…but here’s the catch: we leave tomorrow evening at 9:00 PM. The boss is taking us on his private jet, and we’ll be staying at his beachfront villa in Maui.”

You say you’ll call him right back, and the minute you get off the phone, you and your spouse, who was listening in, start thinking and planning. Out comes the pen and paper, and you begin to prioritize what you need to do to make this happen. Then you call the friend back, and tell him you’re in.

Now here’s the deal: I’ll guarantee that you will begin to ruthlessly align your life over the next 24 hours to pull this off. Am I right? You see, the hope of Hawaii tomorrow will change the way you live today.

There’s something even better and more permanent that Hawaii. It’s called heaven. The most important hope of all—the hope of your salvation—is promising you a better tomorrow. So, start aligning your life today for eternity with Jesus—and be ruthless about it—and watch what hope will do for you!

Take A Moment: For the next seven days, right before you go to sleep and then again when you first wake up, think about what heaven will be like. That’s practicing hope.