People of the Spirit: Fruitful and Gifted

All sorts of ideas capture our imaginations when we hear the word church. This series of posts is written to help us reimagine Church based on how it is imagined and described throughout the New Testament.

The Bible envisions the Church as a people of the Spirit. However, this means different things to different people. For many, “spiritual” brings to mind moving experiences in dark, crowded rooms amidst exquisite lighting, music, and speaking. Others imagine personal growth and development taking place on a picturesque mountainside. But, the New Testament imagines something much different – a spiritual life that is primarily relational rather than individual.

Fruitfulness. Fruitfulness is a major concept in the New Testament. Jesus can hardly get away from it. Paul repeatedly reminds his readers that we will all stand before God one day and be judged based on our fruit – how we lived our lives (2 Corinthians 5:10). In his letter to the Galatians, Paul describes what that fruit can look like and what we can expect as the Holy Spirit works in and through us:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…

Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

In other words, the Holy Spirit intersects our lives as we relate to each other. Spiritual life isn’t about emotional experiences, personal development, or heightened morality. A genuine spiritual life is about living in relationship with others marked by these spiritual characteristics.

Giftedness. A number of passages in the New Testament also address the ways that the Holy Spirit “transcends human ability and transforms human inability” (Scot McKnight, Open to the Spirit). In other words, as a people of the Spirit, we are gifted beyond our natural abilities as we learn to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestations of the Spirit for the common good.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

Again in this passage, the spiritual life is imagined not as an individual matter, but a life together and on behalf of one another in which we are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Reimagining Church. The Church is neither a building, a program, an organization, nor individual spiritual persons. The Church is people living in relationship to one another that is characterized and empowered by the Holy Spirit for the common good.

Fruit? No fruit?

As I was reading this morning, I was once again struck by Jesus’ story of the sower in Mark 4:1-20. This passage seems to grab ahold of me every time I read it.

Two main points stand out in this parable. First, Jesus categorizes people into two simple categories in this story: those who bear fruit in response to God’s word and those who don’t. That’s it. Simple enough. On a personal note, let me say here how thankful I am for God’s grace. I am blown away both by God’s invitation to be a fruitful person in his kingdom and by his goodness in loving me through what often feels like a very marginally fruitful life.

Second, in his explanation to the disciples, Jesus offers three general areas that prevent us from being fruitful in response to God’s word. If you’re at all interested in living a fruitful life, these are worth noting:

  1. Distractions, negligence, apathy. The word is presented and/or heard, but that’s it. It goes nowhere. Satan takes the seed of God’s word away without the hearer even noticing. End of story. Obviously, if we realized the treasure of God’s word, we wouldn’t allow the devil (who is so inferior to God they’re not comparable) to take it from us. But as long as we’re distracted, negligent, or apathetic, God’s word can be stolen from us without a fight. Look for this to happen in any case where God’s word has little perceived value to the hearer.
  2. Outward pressure. As soon as we experience any pushback from our family or friends, our extended “neighbors”, or our surrounding culture, we cave. We fall away. The word has no bearing and bears no fruit in us.
  3. Inward desires. Maybe we genuinely value God’s word. Maybe we are strong enough to withstand the onslaught of the world around us. What still remains to be seen is what we want the most. What happens if God’s word runs contrary to our own wants and desires and dreams. What then? Jesus warns that for many, inward desires will render us unfruitful regarding God’s word to us.

So there you have it – God’s word to you from Mark 4. Now it’s your story. It’s a story still unfolding. The question for each of us: How will we emerge from within it?