Why Most American Christians Resemble Jesus’ ‘Barren Fig Tree’ by DON BRITTON for Charisma News
“When He saw a fig tree by the road, He went to it but found nothing on it except leaves. He said to it, ‘Let no fruit ever grow on you again.’ Immediately the fig tree withered away” (Matt. 21:19).
Today most American Christians are barren of godly fruit but only have attractive leaves on their trees. There is a great misunderstanding concerning the difference in bearing the fruit of God versus going to church or being involved in religious activities.
Jesus said that a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. So how can this be, since none of us are perfect all of the time? If a good man or woman (a good tree) happens to sin and quickly repents of that sin, confesses his sins to God and to others, makes everything right with those who were wronged and restores anything needed to correct the situation, then that is good fruit, and his tree is certainly good with good fruit.
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Being a good tree that bears good fruit is not about always being perfect, but is about how you handle your faults and sins. If anyone claims to be a good tree (to belong to Jesus) but doesn’t repent quickly when stumbling in a sin and is unwilling to humble himself and confess his sins to God and to others, then he is a bad tree. Nor does he make anything right with others he may have wronged, then he is a bad tree. Or if he does not forgive from the heart those who have wronged him, then he is a bad tree.
If Jesus passes by you to get some fruit off your tree, will He only find leaves? Leaves are things like church attendance, paying tithes, singing at worship service, supporting missionaries, teaching Sunday school, preaching, prophesying, speaking in tongues, and so on. Leaves are not fruit. Fruit is the fruit of the Spirit, that which looks like Jesus; fruit like love, joy, humility, patience, forgiveness, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, diligence, being a seeker of God, being an obedient son of God, living in repentance of sin, overcoming the world and so on.
