8.30 You were born again of the incorruptible seed to bear fruit to God
Christianity is not joining a religion or joining a church – good as they are. It is about receiving the resurrection life of Christ within us. It is about dying to our old nature, and becoming alive in Christ with a new nature. Last Friday, we talked about nurturing the life of God within us. This is the seed of Jesus and it contains every quality of Jesus.
(1 Peter 1:23)
…having been BORN AGAIN, not of CORRUPTIBLE SEED but INCORRUPTABLE, through the word of God which lives and abides forever…
It is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us. He is our incorruptible seed and we need to nurture this seed and to let is grow. We do not try to live Christianity from the outside. Instead, we live it from the inside depending on this life. We are like a plant. The seed can only grow if it gets the right nutrition in the right environment. It needs water, sunlight and carbon dioxide.
Likewise, we can only grow if we get the right nurturing in the right environment of faith and the Holy Spirit. We nurture it through feeding our faith with the truths of the New Covenant. We find out who we are in Christ and the ministry of Christ in us. We learn to yield to Him, to rest in Him, and to trust Him. We talk to Him in conversations (prayer) and we listen to Him (led by the Spirit). We learn to depend on the power of the Holy Spirit. Over time, this life in us grows. We manifest more of Christ in our lives.
What happens when the plant grows? It will naturally bear fruit. If it doesn’t bear fruit, there is nothing wrong with the seed – the problem is in the environment and the lack of nurturing of the life within. When we live under the system of the law which depends on the performance of the flesh, we bear fruit to death. But when we are under the system of grace through Jesus, we bear fruit to God.
(Romans 7:4-5)
Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should BEAR FRUIT TO GOD. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear FRUIT TO DEATH.
Many people sincerely want to grow spiritually. They are busy with programs and activities on the outside. They try very hard but they feel frustrated. They may grow in Bible knowledge but somewhere deep within, they don’t seem to experience the intimacy they are looking for. Have you been there before? I have and I became burnt-out.
In the New Covenant, we have the seed of Christ in us. We are to nurture this seed within to grow. We are to depend on Christ in us to bear fruit to God. We need to be in the right environment of faith and of the Spirit, and to feed on the truths of the New Covenant. With the right environment and feeding, we will grow spiritually and we bear fruit without trying to.
(1 Peter 1:23)
…having been BORN AGAIN, not of CORRUPTIBLE SEED but INCORRUPTABLE, through the word of God which lives and abides forever…
It is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us. He is our incorruptible seed and we need to nurture this seed and to let is grow. We do not try to live Christianity from the outside. Instead, we live it from the inside depending on this life. We are like a plant. The seed can only grow if it gets the right nutrition in the right environment. It needs water, sunlight and carbon dioxide.
Likewise, we can only grow if we get the right nurturing in the right environment of faith and the Holy Spirit. We nurture it through feeding our faith with the truths of the New Covenant. We find out who we are in Christ and the ministry of Christ in us. We learn to yield to Him, to rest in Him, and to trust Him. We talk to Him in conversations (prayer) and we listen to Him (led by the Spirit). We learn to depend on the power of the Holy Spirit. Over time, this life in us grows. We manifest more of Christ in our lives.
What happens when the plant grows? It will naturally bear fruit. If it doesn’t bear fruit, there is nothing wrong with the seed – the problem is in the environment and the lack of nurturing of the life within. When we live under the system of the law which depends on the performance of the flesh, we bear fruit to death. But when we are under the system of grace through Jesus, we bear fruit to God.
(Romans 7:4-5)
Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should BEAR FRUIT TO GOD. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear FRUIT TO DEATH.
Many people sincerely want to grow spiritually. They are busy with programs and activities on the outside. They try very hard but they feel frustrated. They may grow in Bible knowledge but somewhere deep within, they don’t seem to experience the intimacy they are looking for. Have you been there before? I have and I became burnt-out.
In the New Covenant, we have the seed of Christ in us. We are to nurture this seed within to grow. We are to depend on Christ in us to bear fruit to God. We need to be in the right environment of faith and of the Spirit, and to feed on the truths of the New Covenant. With the right environment and feeding, we will grow spiritually and we bear fruit without trying to.
posted by Joshua Lye @ 1:00 AM
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