The Spirit Behind the Fruit (Colossians 1)

Hello, my faithful few! Today, we are starting the Book of Colossians, written by the Apostle Paul. Per usual, Paul began his letter by greeting the believers at Colosse and praying God’s grace and peace upon them. I want to focus on just a few verses today from this text, and tie in a few other scriptures as well. Paul wrote,

“Because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew of the grace of God in truth.”

(Colossians 1:5-6)

And verse 10 reads:

“That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work …” 

Fruit. Let’s talk about fruit. Paul says that the gospel was preached to the believers at Colosse and as a result, fruit was produced. He also encouraged them to walk, or live, worthy of God so that we may be fruitful by our works. When the Word of God goes forth, it is likened to seeds that land in the ears of those who hear.

In Matthew 13, Jesus told us that at times, the seed lands on good ground … and sometimes it does not. Sometimes, the cares of this world, the lack of roots in God, or Satan himself steals the good seed or Word of God from us; therefore, it never grows or produces fruit.

But for those who hear the Word and it transforms their living, thinking, and being– those people are good soil on which the gospel grows. In so many words, the Colossians were good ground because they heard the word and produced fruit because of it.

Jesus also said in Matthew 13 that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, “but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” (v.31-32) When our faith in God is planted, it grows and provides shelter, comfort, and nourishment for others. For example, if you are a faithful believer, people may come to you for comfort, prayers, advice, or edification.

People are drawn to God’s people for safety and shelter just as a bird is drawn to a tree for refuge. The branches of your faith provide a haven for others. The fruit of your faith produces sweet nourishment for those in need. Proverbs 16:24 says “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”

The fruit of your lips, your encouraging words to others, is sweet and fattening to their sick souls. Your faith in Christ provides shelter, comfort, and sweet fruit to others. Genuine believers, those who are good soil, are no different than the most lush and abundant fruit trees. Just like fruitful trees, believers provide substance to those near them.

Yet, trees do not attain their nourishment from their branches or their own fruit. Their fruit is for the birds, mammals, and critters near them. Likewise, our faith is for those around us. Our fruit feeds others but it is not necessarily what feeds us.

We are fed much like the trees are– by light and water. And Jesus is both. In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” and in John 4, when Christ spoke to the Samaritan woman He said He was living water. Our faith receives its nourishment from the Light and the Living Water that is Christ Jesus. We are maintained and well fed by our King.

The Gospel of Jesus has the amazing ability to be planted as a small seed, and yet grow large enough to produce shelter, food, and comfort for others. It, quite frankly, leaves me in awe. It is wonderful, supernatural, and nothing short of divine.

I thank God that I have had the opportunity to eat the fruit from other people’s fruit trees. Those who came before me provided comfort and encouragement in their branches– my mom, my grandmothers and grandfather. Former and current pastors, teachers, singers, and ministers of the gospel, as well as many other brothers and sisters in the faith– I have benefited from their faith. I thank God for them!

“For a tree is known by its fruit,” says the Lord in Matthew 12:33. But fruit is much more than our works. It’s more than our teaching, preaching, singing, and encouraging. Because I’ve witnessed many preachers preach the truth, but live lies. I’ve heard singers sing sweet melodic praises about the truth of God, but use that same voice to speak ill of others through gossip and slander.

Fruit is much more than what we produce with our hands and words. Our fruit will be judged not merely by our works but by our spirit. Remember what Christ said in Matthew 7:22, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you …”

It’s not about the fruit alone. If it were, those who did all these great works of casting our demons, prophesying, and the likes wouldn’t have been denied by Jesus. The fruit of our faith should be birthed from the fruits of the Spirit. Paul also wrote about this in Galatians.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

(Galatians 5:22-23)

When work flows from our hands and mouths, it should come from a spirit that possesses these qualities. But it is possible for God-related work to come from people without these characteristics. Paul wrote that the works of the flesh are: “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like.”

People can produce fruit that is good for the spirit of others while operating in their flesh. Paul mentioned this in Philippians 1. Men were preaching the gospel with selfish ambition, a fleshly desire. The same minister who can preach truth to a soul that ends up in heaven can themselves end up in hell because they produced fruit with an unfruitful spirit.

So, reader, please … let’s be aware of this. Our faith is a divine thing. It starts as a seed, planted by others, and has the capacity to grow and provide food, shelter, and comfort for others. But if that fruit is not yielded from a spirit that possesses the characteristics of God, the fruit would have served others well … but would have amounted to nothing for us.

May our fruit be produced from a fruitful spirit, richly nourished by the love, light, and water that is Jesus Christ. When we and our works are judged in the end, may Jesus say that He knows us, not merely because of the fruit, but because of the spirit behind the fruit.

May God bless you and keep you. Until next time, take care.

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Sincerely,

Quin Arrington