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A Fruitful Church – Part 2

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. Colossians 1:6

Many churches justify their lack of growth by saying, 'God hasn't called us to be fruitful, just faithful.' Actually, God expects both! Being 'fruitful' involves fulfilling the great commission to win the world. Being 'faithful' means accomplishing as much as possible with the resources and talents He's given you. That's why comparing churches is a mistake. Success isn't being larger than some other church; it's bearing as much fruit as possible, given your gifts, opportunities and potential. Christ doesn't expect you to produce more fruit than you can, but He does expect you to produce all that you can by His power. And that's a lot more than most of us think is possible! If we're not breaking new ground in our ministry then it's not requiring that we use our faith, and if our ministry doesn't require any faith then we're not being faithful.

Are we being faithful to God's Word if we keep communicating it in an out-dated style that fails to reach people or insist on doing ministry in a way that's comfortable for us, even though it doesn't produce any results? Too many of us are orthodox in our beliefs, but unfaithful to Christ because we refuse to change programs, methods, styles of worship, or even locations in order to reach a lost world for Him. Vance Havner used to say: 'A church can be straight as a gun barrel doctrinally, and just as empty spiritually.' We must be willing to say with unreserved commitment, 'We'll do whatever it takes to reach people for Christ.'

Prayer
Heavenly Father, keep the fire in my belly to always be seeking the lost who do not know about your Love, Mercy, and Compassion. Amen