The Fruitful ChristianPart 4 Fruitful in Every Work

Text: Colossians 1:1-13

Memory Verse: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23
Meekness, temperance:
against such there is no lawGal.5:22-23
Recap: So far we have learnt that (1) God is gloried when we bear
fruit (being productive, efcacious, protable etc). (2) We need to
plant in order to bear fruit The Word of God is the Seed, our heart is
the Soil (which determines our level of fruitfulness & needs to be
cultivated through repentance, fellowship with the Lord & obedience)
(3) We reap what we plant (we can sow to the esh or the Spirit).
Today, we shall look in how God wants us to be fruitful in every
good work i.e. being protable in every aspect of life.
I. Fruitfulness in your mind (thoughts, emotions) Read:
Rom.12:1-3.
A Living Sacrice
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Godthis is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what Gods will ishis good, pleasing and perfect will.
Humble Service in the Body of Christ
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you
ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has
distributed to each of you.
Practical sense
1 John 2:1516
Do Not Love the World
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father
is not in him. 16 For all that is in the worldthe desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and
pride of lifeis not from the Father but is from the world.
How can believers NOT be conformed to the world? By being transformed by the renewing of our
minds. We do this primarily through the power of Gods Word to transform us. We need to hear
(Romans 10:17), read (Revelation 1:3), study (Acts 17:11), memorize (Psalm 119:9-11), and meditate
on (Psalm 1:2-3) Scripture. The Word of God, ministered in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, is the only
power on earth that can transform us from worldliness to true spirituality.
What kind of fruit does your mind produce? Remember, the mind is
the production unit of every action you take. If you can think right[in
line with Gods Word], then you can live a good & very positively
productive life. HOW? A. Phil.4:6-9[MSG] - Don't fret or worry.
Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your
worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you
know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for
good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens
when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
8-
9 Summing it
all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by lling your minds and
meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling,
graciousthe best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things
to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from
me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who
makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent
harmonies [v.8 NLT] - Fix your thoughts on what is true, and
honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think
about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. B. Eph.3:16-19 -
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you
with inner strength through his Spirit.
17
Then Christ will make his
home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down
into Gods love and keep you strong.
18
And may you have the power
to understand, as all Gods people should, how wide, how long, how
high, and how deep his love is.
19
May you experience the love of
Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be
made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from
God. . Phil.1:9-10 - I pray that your love will keep on growing and
that you will fully know and understand
10
how to make the right
choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns.
And until that day,
11
Jesus Christ will keep you busy doing good
deeds that bring glory and praise to God. Read: Col.1:6,9-12 NOTE:
Prayer, Bible Study & meditation, and constant effort to control what
goes in, stays in & comes out of your thoughts are essential to being
fruitful in your mind.
II. Fruitfulness in your actions & relationships When your mind is
right, your actions will be right. Consciously let your actions be
guided by Gal.5:22b-23[AMP] love, joy (gladness), peace, patience
(an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence),
faithfulness,
23
Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-
restraint, continence). Eph.5:1-7 - Imitate God, therefore, in
everything you do, because you are his dear children.
2
Live a life
lled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and
offered himself as a sacrice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
3
Let
there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such
sins have no place among Gods people.
4
Obscene stories, foolish
talk, and coarse jokesthese are not for you. Instead, let there be
thankfulness to God.
5
You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or
greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a
greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
6
Dont be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger
of God will fall on all who disobey him.
7
Dont participate in the things
these people do.

Eph.4:20b-32 - But that isnt what you learned
about Christ.
21
Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned
the truth that comes from him,
22
throw off your old sinful nature and
your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.
23
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
24
Put on
your new nature, created to be like Godtruly righteous and holy.
25
So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbours the truth, for we are all
parts of the same body.
26
And dont sin by letting anger control you.
Dont let the sun go down while you are still angry,
27
for anger gives
a foothold to the devil.
28
If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use
your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in
need.
29
Dont use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be
good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to
those who hear them. 30 And do not bring sorrow to Gods Holy Spirit
by the way you live
31
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh
words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behaviour.
32
Instead,
be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as
God through Christ has forgiven you. Always ask yourself : What
would Jesus do in this situation?