You will know them by their fruit
I once visited a men’s fellowship meeting at a church out in the inland empire where there were many men of God gathered under the heading of iron sharpening iron. I was unaware of a jacket I had put on that had marijuana leaves on it. One of the men told me it was shameful that I would wear such an item of clothing in a church setting. He judged me by my clothing so I was declared as disrespectful to the Lord and the Lord’s house where we were gathered. I thought for a second that he knew the work that I do for the Lord consistently which to me is daily, perhaps he would not think of me in that light but his mind was made up and I was a bad guy.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits, you will know them.”
We are going through some terrorful times where you can’t be certain that what we think we are seeing or witnessing is not what is truly happening. It is becoming more difficult to know what is truthful compared to all the lies, half-truths, conspiracy theories, they-says, and the like. Some mix in just enough truth with their lies that you fall for the o-ki-doke. As God-fearing people where do you turn to for truth? This scriptural passage makes it clear. Everything that glitters is not gold. Everything that is shining is not the light of truth. Do not be deceived by the tricks of the deceiver.
Could it be that we must abide in the word of God, so the Word is what reveals the truth from lies? Once filled with the Word of God you are filled with the Spirit of God and it is God indwelling on the inside of you that sets you free from deceit. I must admit there are some very convincing fakes in this world that are very convincing and deceitful. I remember back in my early days working as a musician here in the LA area where there was a group of males dressed in drag that if you saw them walking down the street you would not know they were men. Likewise, men and women are standing in the pulpits preaching the word and inwardly they are unrighteous wolves using the pulpit to enrich themselves. How can we know when there are so many great imposters parading as something they are not? It is not what goes on or in a person but what comes out.
Just because you can dress up a pig and put lipstick on it, it is still a pig. A dirty man can put clean clothes on his body but the body unless cleaned first is still a dirty man. A wolf can put on sheep’s clothing, but it is still a ravenous wolf under the clothing. When I want to pick and eat an apple I do not go to a fig tree seeking to find an apple. I do not go to thornbushes to find figs to eat. God made a way for His children to see and know the truth and the truth makes you free from the wiles of the devil and all his schemes.
Jesus told His believers the following: “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
That means if we abide in the Lord and keep His word in our hearts and on our tongues by way of confessing Christ Lord it is He that sets the record for us. God will not be mocked by man or beast. When we place our reliance, our trust, and our faith in God it is He who shines the light of truth revealing what is truth and what is not. The key here is to lean not upon your logic and understanding but instead trust in and upon the Lord. Easier said than done because I am certain people are sitting in church many Sundays saying Lord, Lord and He will tell them He never knew them. I was once one of them because I said that I was a believer but my actions showed anything but. I claimed to be a follower of Christ but when things got tight I would hire myself out to wicked people to take care of my financial needs. I did not trust in the Lord to care for me so I did what I could to take care of my situation. If I waddled in sin to get what I wanted what does that make me? If you are doing sinful things you are a sinner. Full stop!
As I have matured in my faith and continued to fill myself on the word of God I find myself being fooled much less these days because now I know how to look for the fruit and not at the shiny objects that were intentionally placed before me to deceive me. Having the indwelling Holy Spirit in me guards me and protects me from the flaming arrows intended to take me out. Although my mind can be fooled my heart filled with the Holy Spirit cannot. If I see a man with dirty clothes on feeding the poor and helping those who cannot help themselves I am not deceived by what he is wearing.
It seems to be part of our nature to judge one another based on outward things rather than the rich fruit that may be inside. You never know that when you are making such judgment about people it could be a visiting angel of the Lord you are treating that way. Christ said what you did to the least of my people you do likewise to Him. Regardless of the person you encounter, wouldn’t it be prudent or even wise to treat them as one of God’s visiting angels? If you learn to treat everyone as though they are one of God’s creations you would be wise because everyone on this planet was created by the one and only Creator therefore they are God’s own even though they might not honor God. Perhaps it is not the God is judging but how you treat others He is judging you.
I deal with a lot of young people and the jacket I was wearing would often attract the youth to me so I would have a chance to let my fruit reveal to them who I was and spread the good news of the gospel with them. That gentleman who judged me would probably wear an outfit that would not attract a young man to engage in conversation. I had a chance to witness to an unbeliever and the other guy did not. Since our charge is to spread the gospel truth throughout the land who do you suppose Christ preferred?
When I am allowed to engage with anyone I try to let my fruit reveal who I am. I use the fruit of the Spirit to engage with everyone which is undeniable. I use love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness and self-control. That is what they see oozing from me and what they respond to. I get a chance to witness.
If the spirit of the Lord is in you that is what will come out of you. If you plant the word of God deep in your heart, that will come out of you. Even if you study the word daily and put it in your mind it will come out of you through memory. You will know the person by the fruit that comes out of them, albeit through works, deeds, acts of kindness, brotherly love, and the like. Christ said that if you show love to one another others would know that you are His disciples. My question to you is, what kinds of fruit are you producing? What do you suppose people see when they encounter you? It is all about the fruit. Selah!