The fourth and final reason we go through seasons of change is because God wants the ministry of Christ to increase in our lives. Jesus said in John 15:8, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
The fruit I believe Jesus is talking about in this scripture is not only the fruit of the Spirit, but also the fruit of being a witness for God. There are two reasons God wants us to bear much fruit. First, it brings glory to our Father in heaven. Nothing demonstrates the reality of God’s love and power like a person who has been converted to Him.
Second, fruit is evidence that someone is a disciple of Jesus. People filled with God’s Spirit model a different behavior than people who are not. God’s Spirit manifests love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in those who follow Him (Galatians 5:22-23). Also, the Spirit of God empowers people to witness for him (Acts 1:8). A proof that God is empowering someone is the fact that people are coming to know Jesus through their witness.
Since God desires that we bear much fruit, we are either being cut off or pruned to bear even more fruit. Jesus said in John 15:1-2, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (2) He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
On a vine, a useless branch is cut off by the vine dresser so the other branches can bear more fruit. I have observed this phenomenon in church life also. Quite often, it is seasons of change that spark this pruning process in a local church. In times of change, people who have not been fruitful usually end up leaving, while those who have been fruitful get promoted to new levels of leadership. Bearing good fruit is always a qualifier for promotion in God’s work.
It is important to note the difference between pruning and splitting in a local church. Prune means cutting away that which is dead and not being fruitful. Split means to remove by breaking, separating, or dividing, especially through discord, strife or quarreling.
Pruning is a work done by God that helps the church become healthier for effective work and growth. Splitting is a work done by people and it always causes the church to be less effective and shrink in size. We must not confuse the work of the Spirit with the work of the flesh, and we should never use Biblical terminology to justify our dissension.
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