You can tell a tree by its fruit… Being a Christian is not about getting or living your best life, but living your life best - to live fulfilling everything God intended for you - loving Him, self and others; in bearing the fruit if His life is in you; get to do the good works prepared in advance for you to do. This is what it is to be effective in Christ, to do the work of the kingdom - to believe in and on Jesus, everything that is, Jesus.
2Peter 1:1-11
He has given… make every effort… you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord
Always bringing it back to Jesus - seeing that our “making every effort to add” is about building upon our faith, our belief, our ongoing believing
Matthew 7:13-29
The work of the kingdom, the will of the Father, is to believe on the one who has been sent - to know Him, more and more - the work is to believe, to continue in belief is to make every effort to add to our faith… the knowledge of, the knowing, Him
Matt 7:21 “Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of the Father who is in heaven”
This statement is not meant to scare, but affirm, to be sure we are
In Jesus, by faith and believing
Our works reflect Jesus in us and being further formed in us
That is that we are believing more and more
Not just believing in
But believing on - that each encounter with God, in Jesus, furthers my
Faith and believing not only that He is, but that He does
Knowing Him more and more
Confidence and assurance grows more and more
Bearing Jesus’ person
But, what of the miracles?? Aren’t they “fruit”? God can do anything through whom He wishes - He used a donkey! It is not any supposed miracle that proves one is in the will of God, but the character and nature, the humble submission, the continued growth on an upward trajectory that shows the fruit of being in and “doing the will of the Father who is in heaven.” (see also; 1Cor 13:1-3)
It’s not doing, but believing… with an ongoing, growing belief
But they said “Lord, Lord” Romans 6:12; Acts 2:21 “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (I call upon (on my behalf) the name of the Lord, i. e. to invoke, adore, worship, the Lord)
What is the work of the Kingdom, “the will of the Father”? John 6:28-29
“Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’”
What is “believing”? “Calling upon”? What is this “fruit” that Jesus speaks of?
The fruit of believing is calling, the fruit of the calling is the righteousness of God being formed in a person, me and you, the fruit of righteousness is more effective and productive believing - as we grow in the knowledge of Him - (Romans 8:18,28-30; Gal 5:22-23; 2Peter 3:18; John 17:3; Phil 3:7-14; Ps 73:25; Jer 9:23; Col 1:9-11)
1Corinthians - the righteousness of Jesus making me (Eph 2:8-10)
Galatians 5:22-23 the fruits of the Spirit coming from me
The love of God growing in me - of Him, for Him and others
Matthew 22:37-40 - God's right and just command to love
1John 4:10 - this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, loves us
Romans 5:5 - to aid and ensure our being able to love as God’s children should love - He has given us love having poured it into our hearts by His Spirit
John 14:15 - and our loving response is to trust and obey His love and loving commands
Galatians 5:6 (1Jn 4:17) - the only thing that then matters - our faith, belief, our continued, ongoing, believing in and on the one who was sent - expressing itself with and in love
1Corinthians 13:4-7 - this is what love, as expressed by the Spirit to us and through us, looks like
That fruit is the righteousness which IS the Person of Jesus being formed in us that we would be conformed to Him - and this more and more, as we believe, more and more - and that is love and growing in that love.
Phil 1:9-11 9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
“His divine power has given us everything we need for LIFE AND GODLINESS in our knowledge of God”
That we might “participate in the divine nature…”
Having been given everything we need, our responsibility is to make every effort to add, or, build, an effective, productive, fruit-bearing, life in and of Christ so that we will be effective in that knowledge of God… bearing the fruit of that “knowledge”, doing the will of Father, the work of the Kingdom - to believe in the One who was sent and everything about Him.
“Therefore, whoever hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man…”
So it is ours to build, but what are we building? And with what are we building? How are we building and to what end?
It seems the first block with which we build, be right here:
Matthew 5:1-3 “Blessed are the poor… yours is the kingdom of God
John 6:29
But there is work to be done - and we grow by making every effort to add to our (given) faith… to build, according to Jesus and His wise and loving word.
This journey is going to take us all over through the scriptures to get glimpses of God’s work and intentions
