This study was first taught on April 30, 2013

Topic: The Essence of the Holy Spirit In Our Lives (4)

(use the audio to study)

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Background
Last week, we laid the background for the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, as believers in Christ, so that we can bear the kind of fruit God intended from the beginning, at creation. Using the parable of the Vineyard Owner and the Unfruitful Fig Tree in Luke 13:6-9, we saw that God’s purpose from the beginning of time has been for man to be fruitful, multiply after his kind, and exercise dominion over His creation, including the devil and his demons. Unfortunately, this was not to be, because of Adam’s fall and the corruption of all men born of Adam.

So, to bring man back to the place He had originally planned, God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus, to come and redeem and sanctify man through His blood. Anyone thus redeemed becomes capable of possessing the nature of Christ, and is then able to produce the kind of fruit that God wants; as a result, dominion can be exercised over the devil and his cohorts! The redeemed man is planted by God in His courts (the Church), so that he can produce after his kind, which is the life of Christ or the fruit of the Spirit. And this is only achieved, when the Holy Spirit does all that is needful to make us fruitful, so that God can come and get fruit whenever He wants.

The challenge has always been that when God comes to the Church for fruit with which to put the devil to flight, as He did with Job, He finds them unfruitful, and His purpose, sadly delayed. God is then left with no choice but to cut the unfruitful Christian away, and cast him into the fire, which is hell. However, the Holy Spirit, Who is our Advocate, makes intercessions on our behalf before God and asks for more time for the unfruitful Christian to be given special attention, after which God is then free to do whatever He wants. We concluded by noting that there is a process of progression in the growth of a believer in Christ, if he is to be fruitful, as is the case with productive trees—first, the sprouting of the tender stalk with its leaves; then, the budding of fruit; and then, the mature fruit. It is our prayer that all that the Holy Spirit puts into making us fruitful will come to fruition, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scripture Text(s)
Mark 4:26-28
Tonight, we shall see the growth process for the believer in Christ, which is a product of the work of grace through the Holy Spirit, and the yieldedness of the believer to the Holy Spirit’s operation in him. It is our prayer that a rebellious heart will be far away from us, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
The progression in the growth of the believer in Christ, as overseen by the Holy Spirit, is based primarily on whether or not he was planted by God. Once that aspect is taken care of, the growth process should take place normally, except where the believer does not yield to the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 13:19-23; Psalm 1:1-3; 92:13-14; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Psalm 127:1; Isaiah 37:31-32; Ephesians 3:17; Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Peter 2:1-2; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3; Hebrews 5:12-14; 6:1-3; John 14:26; 16:13; Ephesians 4:11-16; Acts 2:41-42; 6:1-4; Titus 2:11-14.

Conclusion
If the believer in Christ is going to be fruitful, a critical aspect needs to be dealt with from the outset. Having been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, the redeemed must be planted by God in the most appropriate ‘soil’, that is, an appropriate local church assembly, where he will receive nourishment and grow. Insisting on attending a particular church because it is close to your home or because it is where your friends attend will not cut it. Although a person may begin by attending church on such premise, it is clear that God will soon move him and plant him where he is going to benefit the most for the purpose of fruitfulness. This is what the bible refers to as baptism into One body, by the Holy Spirit. It is only when God, through the Holy Spirit, plants a person that he is truly established, taking root downward in the ‘soil nutrient’ of God’s love, and bearing the fruit of the Spirit upward, which is characterized as a result, by the God-kind-of-love for all men.

Once the matter of planting has been successfully dealt with, the next issue is with the growth of the planted Christian. The growth of the Christian which results in fruitfulness is based on him imbibing sound Christian teachings. Initially, these teachings will take the form of the fundamental principles of Christ, namely; repentance from dead works, faith toward God, teachings about baptisms, of laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. These foundational teachings are the milk of the word of God which helps to prepare the Christian for strong meat, characterized by deeper teachings of the word of God. It is such indepth teaching, when imbibed and put to practice, that makes a Christian to begin to bear fruit. The early apostles realized the essence of growth through sound doctrine, and refused to let ‘serving tables’ distract them from their primary assignment, which is to teach the undiluted word of God. Indeed, when the Lord Jesus gave gifts to men, it was for this very purpose—to bring the body of Christ to the place of perfection; the place of fruitfulness. All these teachings are the teachings of the Holy Spirit through the servants of God; hence, it produces the result of fruitfulness.

We see that the Holy Spirit is not a passive spectator, but a very active participant, Who is involved in every stage of the fruit-bearing process. The questions for you tonight are: (a) “Have you allowed the Holy Spirit to plant you where He wants?” (b) “Are you teachable?” and, (c) “Are you responding positively to the Holy Spirit’s teachings, either directly, or through His appointed ministers?”

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