Tuesday of the week, I preached to a group of preachers in a preacher’s fellowship over in Decatur, GA. We had a wonderful time of fellowship and a delicious meal prepared by the ladies at the host church. The main reason of the day was the preaching. Preachers need preaching too. There was a young missionary who spoke before I preached. He mentioned both of these words, faithful and fruitful, in his sermon. It seems the Spirit of the Lord brings thoughts and ideas to our minds, at least a preacher, when others are unpacking the Word of God. It is now Friday. Four days now, I have been thinking about those two words. Which one would be the wisest choice? By themselves, each word can be dangerous or a blessing. It is my contention that the Christian needs both. Throughout the Bible both of these traits are celebrated, often in tandem.
1. Faithfulness: What does that word mean? I think it means that the person has the characteristics of being steadfast, they are loyal to a fault, unwavering in their love and commitment to Christ and the Word of God. The faithfulness of God is always on display for our example. Deuteronomy 7:9, “Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;” Because we are to be followers (walk in his footsteps) of the Lord Jesus, we also should be faithful to the Lord, to our fellow believers, to the church, and the kingdom of God. Matthew 25:14-30 is a parable about what some servants did with talents (money) their master gave them to invest. To one he gave five talents, to another he gave two, and to one servant he gave one. Having a talent has come to mean, over the last two thousand years, the gifts and abilities we possess as well as the monetary. The master had left for a long time and then returns. He now wants a reckoning, an account of what they did with the talents (25:19). The first was commended for doubling his. “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful in a few things, I will make thee ruler of many things: enter into the joy of thy lord” (25:21). Likewise, the servant with two talents was praised for doubling his talents (25:23). These two men had been faithful in the investments and now were receiving praise. Did you notice that their faithfulness in the right investments yielded much fruit? But the last servant was neither faithful or fruitful. He didn’t invest his talent, he buried it (25:25). He wasn’t faithful to his task and he certainly wasn’t fruitful. He is called “wicked and slothful” in the passage.
2. Fruitfulness: Matthew again gives us a wonderful insight into our thought for today. Matthew 13:1-9 is the parable of the Sower and the seed. This Sower was scattering seed in a field. He was trying to get the seed to as many places as possible for a maximum crop. But some of the seed fell on the hard path people walked on, some fell on stoney ground, some seed fell among thorns. But there was one place that turned out to be just right, the good ground. The seed that had fallen on top of the first three didn’t produce anything permanent. However, the seed which fell on the good ground brought forth fruit (13:8). The Sower had been faithful and now his faithful work was bearing fruit. What was it that made the difference? The soil. The receptivity of the soil makes all the difference. Why is it that two friends can listen to the same sermon and come away with two totally different outcomes? It is the soil of the heart. Why is it that two Christians can read the same passage and come away with two different actions? It is the soil of the heart. When believer’s hearts are in tune with the Lord, the fruits of the Holy Spirit begin to be manifest or made known in their lives. What are the fruits of the Spirit? Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Do you have both in your life? I love it when God’s people are faithful as the day is long in attending church on the Lord’s Day. But are you being fruitful? You may think “I am having the things in Galatians 5 in my life.” That’s good, but that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Think with me for a moment. What does an apple tree produce? Is it strawberries? No, it is apples. Genesis tells us that everything reproduces after its kind. I believe that the fruit of a Christian ought to be other Christians. How many people do you witness to during your week? I had breakfast with a man just yesterday. He shared his method of witnessing. He goes to a certain store that has a wonderful breakfast down in the Athens area. He sits outside; there are no inside tables. Strikes up a conversation with any that sit down nearby on the bench/tables. He brings the Lord into the little talk and shares the gospel. I thought that was wonderful. We certainly should have the fruits of the Spirit, but they should also include people who have met the Lord because of our testimony and words. Let’s not make faithfulness and fruitfulness an “either or; one or the other.” Let’s try and have both in our lives so when the Lord returns, He’ll say “well done, thy good and faithful servant” because we have been fruitful.