Fruit
Have you ever had two pieces of fruit that look identical in their makeup but one tasted wonderful and the other was terrible?
Jesus talks about these kinds of fruit in His great sermon when he warns us about the danger of false teachers. Here’s what He says in Matthew 7:15-20 –
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
Not only does Jesus warn us about the false prophets, but he also tells us how they are to be identified; by their fruit. But what is fruit, exactly? In short, it is their character. But the tricky thing about a person’s character is, how do you know their character?
There’s no easy way. In order to know a person’s character, we have to observe the person. Sure, some character can be identified in what they teach, but that is such a small part of a person.
If all that a person used to judge my character was my teaching, they might believe that I’m close to perfect because I teach God’s perfect Word. However, if they follow me around a couple of months, and observe all of my words and deeds, they’ll get a lot better picture of who I am.
For this reason, I don’t endorse many preachers that I don’t know. I may hear them on the radio, read their books and even quote things they say at times, but do I really know them? No. I only see a small part of them in their teaching. I don’t automatically assume the worst about them, but I also don’t automatically assume the best about them either.
The point is this – to know a kind of fruit a person produces, what their character truly is, you have to get to know them. Do that before making assumptions for good or ill and especially do that before you give them your trust.
I’m loving the fruit this church is producing this summer! Keep up the good work! God is being glorified by your actions.
Wes LeFlore (918) 607-8489 or huskerwes1@gmail.com
