The Husbandman is Coming: The Watch Letter

Have you ever picked up an apple or any other fruit that looked good on the outside, but when you bit into it or sliced it open it was rotten, mushy, or discolored on the inside?

These days many companies put layers of wax and other chemicals on the fruit they sell to make it look more pleasing to the eye to boost revenue.

Today's Watch Letter is about fruit. What can be said about our fruit?

Each of us is expected to bear good and uncorrupted fruit by the master husbandman (cultivator/farmer) - God. So, he sends out his inspectors to check our fruit - the Holy Ghost and his word. There is only one way to grow uncorrupted fruit and that's by staying connected to the true vine. Anytime that connection is broken, your fruit will start to decay. God expects us not just to bear fruit but to bear good fruit. It doesn't matter if fruit looks good on the outside, but is not useful and healthy on the inside.

In John 15, Jesus said the following:

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

In Matthew 7, Jesus also said:

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

The other day, I was compelled to take a knife and scrape it over the skin of an apple. As I scraped, layers of wax came off onto the knife. I did this multiple times and the wax just kept coming off.

How many of us are living like that wax? Have we been pretending or posing that our fruit is good, but we know on the inside its fit to be cut down and cast into the fire?

Unfortunately, many of us who profess to love the Lord and live a saved life are just like that wax. We look the part or we want people to think we are bearers of good fruit, but we don't care to be real and spiritually sound on the inside. So, wouldn't that make us wax figures?

You see, the wax they put on fruit doesn't keep it from rotting on the inside. It just helps it to get past inspection and delivered in good condition to be fit to be purchased. But Jesus, the master inspector, sees past the wax. We cannot keep putting on the wax of praising, amening, dressing, and talking like we're saved when our heart, our mind, our spirit, our soul, our imagination, our will, and our conscience are not connected to Jesus, the true vine.

John 15:2 reveals to us the key to how we can remain fruitful before God by staying connected to the true vine. It says: "Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."

Are you willing to be purged (another way of saying pruned)?

Prune means "trim by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, especially to increase fruitfulness and growth."

If a tree or plant gets overgrown or some components of it began to wither or dry up it needs to be pruned to make it healthy and strong again, so that it grows properly and the whole tree or plant is not destroyed or corrupted.

Oftentimes, the reason we can't stay connected to Jesus, the true vine -- so that we may continue to bear good fruit, is that we don't want to be pruned. So, we begin to break off and rot away from Jesus. But when we are pruned, we can be regenerated, reconnected, revitalized, and revived and our growth in him will not be disrupted.

When growers prune their trees and plants they also are training and correcting them on how to grow properly and consistently. So, in the spirit, pruning is chastening. These words are actually listed as synonyms in the dictionary - meaning to refine something to remove excess, pretense, or falsity. These words also mean to cause to be more humble or restrained and to correct.

But this is where our growth stunts when it comes to living for and walking with the Lord: We only want what will give us wax - the shininess of life, but not what will give us substance and spiritual guidance - the healthy meat of the fruit.

The wax is the pumping up and feeling good that we seek at church and from the preacher when we are just pew warmers. We sing a song, hear an encouraging prayer, or hear a word that makes us feel like we are going to prosper. The wax is when you are just coming to church until the pastor helps you out with some money or other financial things to your satisfaction. The wax is just wanting to be respected or admired by others because you profess to be saved or attend church every Sunday. The wax is using the word as a rebuttal to prove someone wrong or control a situation in your favor.

But the meat, the good fruit, is produced by receiving and living each day in the Holy Spirit. Our Pastor Chief Apostle H.C. Gunn has preached consistently that we need the Holy Spirit to teach us, instruct us, and guide us day in and day out, so that we can please and serve the Lord without hindrance and with staying power. Without the Holy Spirit we are deaf, dumb and blind to the things of God. And the word bears it out.

The fruit that God accepts is pruned and cultivated by the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5 tells us that only the Holy Spirit can produce good fruit: which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, etc. Some may say "I do have those things," but if they are not produced by the Holy Spirit but instead from just being a good citizen of the world or "having a good heart" they will corrupt. The Holy Spirit produces everlasting fruit.

And, God is not just looking for good fruit from us as individuals. He is looking for good fruit resulting from our marriages, our sisterly/brotherly relationships, our parent/child relationships, our relationships with our pastors and leaders, and overall from our church body. And this is why chastening/pruning must be received by those who profess to be saved or love the Lord - whether from the Lord, his word, his prophets/pastors/preachers/teachers/apostles, etc.

The Holy Spirit only abides where holiness is found, and we must endure and embrace correction to ensure that the inside of us is a dwelling place fit for God's spirit.

Hebrews 12

6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

As I write this and close out today's post, what just came to my mind to share is that another reason people are lacking good fruit who are in the church body or say that they are "believers" is because they have not received the Holy Spirit, do not care to have the Holy Spirit, have not maintained the Holy Spirit, or they have never truly decided to surrender to Christ but only to profess him. What is in their conversation: Do they sincerely discuss how much they love the Lord? Do they earnestly talk about the influence of the Holy Spirit in their lives and homes? Do they consistently back up the preached and written word? Does their life sincerely testify of Jesus? These are other ways to know them by their fruit.

Chief Apostle Gunn recently mentioned to me how often the wheat and tares will both grow together. The one with real fruit is the one that God accepts, the other just looks the part and will be cast away. We need to check to see if we are the tares.

Matthew 13

24 The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

A few years ago, Chief Apostle Gunn explained that if you are truly walking with God you don't have to show people you are saved by just overt or outward gestures, they will know you are saved because you have the fruit of salvation. He said as soon as you begin to walk with God, the fruit of the Spirit should begin to grow because the word is taking root in you. Have we grown up?

He also shared a vision where God showed him different trees walking toward Jesus with all kinds of beautiful fruit. What if God showed Chief Apostle Gunn that vision because that is what God wanted to see from the church body? It's been two years as of December. What if God, the husbandman, is coming to check our fruit and he finds our fruit unacceptable or he finds us fruitless and not walking unto him?

Matthew 7:19: Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

As Chief Apostle Gunn always reminds us, the Lord is coming. God, some months ago, showed Chief Apostle Gunn a vision where he himself was on the earth, and I believe in this country. What if the Lord is here to inspect our fruit and growth progress beforehand?

James 5:

7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

It's time for us to allow ourselves to be pruned. And to let God prune us - whether directly or through others - we have to trust that he knows what he is doing and knows what is best for us. As the Bible says, it is he that made us and not we ourselves.

This is why today's FORREAL Radio Broadcast message by Chief Apostle Gunn is right on time. Listen to "Trust God" here: https://www.thebodyofchristinc.com/listen-in?wix-music-track-id=7834116597682184&wix-music-comp-id=comp-kjfzbgmx .

Take time to surrender fully to the Lord and pursue his spirit! If you need help, reach out! As long as you are breathing, it's not too late to grow again!