Chosen For This

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you,
that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.        

John 15:16

We were chosen by Jesus to be his followers; to do His will.  We are chosen to do complete the assignment given us by Jesus.  Jesus left all believers with an assignment.  Some call it the great commission.  We are to reach the world with the good news of Jesus Christ.  

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19-20

Until the day Jesus returns, this assignment is to be carried out.  Just as God established a cycle of harvest in the natural world, He established a cycle of reproduction in the spiritual world. Each believer is to teach the Gospel to others who in turn will also reproduce by teaching others. Just as the natural cycle of seed-time and harvest is unending, so is the cycle of spiritual harvest.

When Adam and Eve were created by God, the first command He gave them was to be "fruitful" and multiply in the natural world:

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.  Genesis 1:28

In the natural world, God set a cycle of continuous reproduction:

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.  Genesis 8:22

From the beginning of the world, God called His people to spiritual reproduction as well as natural. Adam and Eve were to reproduce both spiritually and physically. God's original plan was that they were to fill the earth with people created in the image of God who walked in fellowship with God.

When God raised up the nation of Israel as a people through whom He could demonstrate His power and plan for the world, He called them to be spiritually reproductive:

Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.  Thou preparedest room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.  Psalms 80:8-10

The "vine" which God brought out of Egypt was the nation of Israel. He wanted them to bear spiritual fruit by revealing the true God to the heathen nations around them. Instead, Israel became like the heathen. They began to worship idols and wanted a visible human king to reign over them instead of the invisible King of kings. Finally, God said of Israel:

Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.  Hosea 10:1

Because of their spiritual unfruitfulness, Jesus said:

Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.  Matthew 21:43

Because of Israel's refusal to bear fruit, the Gospel of the Kingdom was extended to the Gentile nations. From the Gentiles, God raised up the church to fulfill His plan of spiritual reproduction throughout the world.

As believers, Jesus has chosen us to bear fruit through evangelism of the world:

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.            John 15:16

His last command to His followers was one of spiritual reproduction:

Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.  Mark 16:15

He challenged His disciples with a great vision of spiritual harvest:

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.  And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.  John 4:35-36

King Solomon said:

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.  Proverbs 11:30

The power of the Holy Spirit enables believers to be spiritually fruitful through evangelism:

But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  Acts 1:8

The method of spiritual reproduction is given to us:

And the thing that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.   2 Timothy 2:2

We are to witness God everywhere we go 

Our witnessing should be energized and fortified by the Holy Spirit where with we are able to produce more fruit; believers in God.  Our life should be sterling examples of Jesus.  The world should not see blemishes, spots, wrinkles or any other thing that would cause them to not want to taste of the goodness of God!  

(Bible Studies)

04/09/14
02/26/16
03/29/17
12/12/18
12/23/19

04/21/22