“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” (John 15:8)

When we talk about being fruit bearers, we recognize that there is One vine (Christ) and One way of defining fruit (the word). What we may overlook is how different each of the branches are. While we are all part of the One vine, and bear fruit, we are still unique individuals. For this we look at another metaphor, the parts of the body.

“For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it” (1Cor 12:14-26). Another passage on this topic is in Romans 12:4-8, “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office.”

From these two passages we learn that each of us is individual fruit bearers attached to the One vine, who is Christ. He is the source of our nourishment and growth, and we each have differing abilities from which we bear fruit (cf. Matt 25:14-30). We have differing roles, functions, and abilities for “…the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph 4:12-13). These differences work together for the building up of the body.

One of the ways we can bear fruit is through personal evangelism. Our differences (not in the political sense of unity in diversity–which celebrates plurality itself, with less insistence on a single unifying purpose) give the church the greatest ability to reach the most people. Because of our differing interests, abilities, and spheres of influence, we are able to reach people with the gospel that others in the congregation may never meet. From my experience, some folks respond better to those who have similar backgrounds than to those who come from different ones.

Being one in Christ fuses many hearts into one purpose.

Agape
spencer