Harvest-Minded People: Known by Our Fruit
When I was at UNCW, however brief and half-hearted my time there, a man came on campus one week. He set himself up on the busiest sidewalk, right between the class buildings, where all the students would pass. He’d wait until classes were letting out, and then he’d begin to preach so loudly that you could hear him on either end of campus. His message was forceful and unkind, one of fire and brimstone, condemning homosexuality and rebellious women, yelling at students to read their Bibles and repent, or else.
There was no love in it. There was no gentleness. I remember being angry, as I listened to this man. It seemed as if he was only there to provoke students and stir up unrest. It didn’t seem to me like he was actually concerned about the spiritual wellbeing of anyone - but was just enjoying riling everyone up. I remember standing there in horror, knowing that this man was doing absolutely nothing to turn anyone on to the truth of Christ’s love and that there would be many who would walk away from this man convinced that all Christians shared his viewpoints. The damage that was being done seemed tremendous.
Last year, a religious group made its rounds to the college campuses across North Carolina. I saw it on Facebook from acquaintances at ECU one day, and the next day, I drove to Campbell and saw this same group setting up shop in Buies Creek. About ten or fifteen people stood outside and held signs with graphic pictures of mutilated babies and Bible verses. I sat with many of my classmates and stewed over this group’s presence on campus. We were angry - and it wasn’t that we were angry about the stance on abortion, surely we had varied opinions there - we were angry because of the way the message was being presented. Full of hate and judgment, with no regard for the way these images would make those of us who have had to make the awful gut-wrenching decision to terminate a pregnancy feel.
“The world is not just listening to what we say, they’re looking too - are they seeing in us good fruit or bad?”
We’ve talked a lot over the last few weeks about good fruit, and how Jesus taught that if you wanted to know where someone’s heart was, all you had to do was look at that person’s fruit - the way someone acted on the outside was a really good indication of what things were like on the inside. “You will know them by their fruits,” Jesus said.
In Galatians, Paul gives us a list of some good fruit - the fruit of the spirit. These are qualities that those who love Jesus, those who are truly in tune with the holy spirit, can’t help but exude - things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. This is the stuff the Kingdom of God is made of.
When I think of these two college campus experiences, it’s hard to pick up on any good fruit - and it isn’t even just because I disagree with the theology behind these messages. There are plenty of Christians who hold these same beliefs and do so gracefully. But when I see people yelling in public or yelling on social media, tearing down God’s beloved, leaving destruction and shame in their wake… well, we’ll know them by their fruits won’t we?
“‘You will know them by their fruits,’ Jesus said.”
This is my last harvest post. Forgive me - over the last month I have practically beaten you over the head with this good fruit stuff, but I can think of little else that is as important. The world is not just listening to what we say, they’re looking too - are they seeing in us good fruit or bad?
May our good fruit be unmistakable - always, always, always.
Amen.
