Gary Hall
I was raised as a Roman Catholic and intended to become a priest after I left school, but the Lord had other plans for me. In 1973, at the age of 17, I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour at the headquarters of the Liverpool City Mission. This immediately caused problems regarding my family. My mother and father were against what they called my "change of religion". The situation came to a climax when I arrive home one evening from a Christian friend's house only to be met by my father on the doorstep with the words, "You don't live here anymore". So at the age of 18 I would have been homeless but for the kindness of friends. One cannot rely on the goodness of others for too long, so I decided to move into a local boarding house. What I saw and experienced there cannot be written here. Eventually, after spending time living rough and in the Salvation Army hostel, I found my own apartment. I had fallen away from the Lord for two years at this time. My thoughts went back to my childhood desire to become a Roman Catholic priest. I made enquiries and found that the only real option for me was to become a monk in the Franciscan Order. The Saturday before I was due to leave for the monastery in Guildford, Surrey, I pleaded with the Lord, asking, "Lord, is it your will that I should become a monk like St. Francis?" That evening I attended a tent meeting in a local park. A preacher from Northern Ireland, Derrick Bingham, was teaching from the book of Nehemiah. During the service the preacher turned to my direction (there were about 500 people present) and said, God does not want you to become a monk like St. Francis of Assisi." Here was my answer from the Lord. From that moment I made a complete break from the Catholic Church and have come to see it as the biggest cult that this world knows. In 1979 I joined a church, The Mission, in the neighbourhood where I was living. From the moment I walked through the door of that small building I knew that I was home. The godly lifestyle and inspired teaching of Pastor Charles Bolton (promoted to glory 12 December 2003) and his wife brought me back to my first love for Christ. The church had no young people, but I never once felt that I was out of place. These people obviously loved the Lord. In my desire to reach others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ I began to give leaflets out in Liverpool City Centre. Many a Saturday afternoon was spent witnessing to those willing to stop and listen. On one Saturday in late Autumn 1979 I was approached by a girl with an Irish accent. She asked if I was a Christian and where the church I attended was located. The next morning the same girl was found at The Mission. To cut a short story shorter, six months later on March 29 1980, we were married by Pastor Bolton at The Mission. Margaret, my wife, also comes from a Catholic background, but was soundly converted to Christ and from the errors of Rome whilst visiting relatives in New York in the summer of 1979. (You may find her personal testimony one day on these pages.) In 1986 Pastor Bolton retired from the ministry at The Mission. The leadership of the church was handed over to me. To be very honest I did not fully understand what this would entail, but the Lord has been good and has led me each step of the way. Through the Lord's power we have been used to reach many hundreds of people, though our fellowship is actually small in number. In 1988 we changed the name of the church to Living Word. I am convinced that God is about to pour out His Spirit in revival one last time before the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ (see my article on Revival on this site). This revival will not come via the charismatic movement, it will not come from Toronto or Pensacola, it will not come from the ecumenical movement or the so-called Churches Together - these movements are bankrupt of the truth and the Spirit of God. This final revival will come as a result of the true believers in Christ Jesus getting right with Him. The revival will include a return to the Authorised King James Bible. My great desire is to see people coming to know Jesus as Saviour and Lord, to see backsliders returning, and to see the church of Christ revived. Though I have many failings I love the Lord Jesus Christ with all of my heart. I am willing to serve Him wherever and whenever He sees fit. The word of God is the delight of my life for I'm still amazed after all these years just how fresh and new The Holy Bible is each day!
View all articles by Gary Hall“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:1-22).
Introduction
The more we discuss the topic of holiness and sanctification greater is the desire to become more effective and useful to God. If we are honest with ourselves, most of the time our lives are dry and we do not really accomplish much for God. In our text the Lord Jesus Christ speaks of the results of fruitfulness and the consequences of the lack of it. Our study today should cause us to question and examine ourselves in the light of Scripture. Did you notice the connection between sanctification and fruit-bearing in verses 3 and 4? Good fruit does not grow on rotten branches, “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven” (Matthew 7:17-21).
Fruitlessness
“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit … If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (:2,6).
Fruitlessness is caused by not abiding in Christ and being obedient to His word. We stop being fruitful the moment we back away from our “first love” (Revelation 2:4), and live according to the standards of the world. Many try to recover this lost ground by becoming religious and humanitarian [good works], but the fruit of everlasting life has never grown on these branches. In verse 4 Jesus makes it clear that we must not allow anything or anyone to separate us from our relationship with Him, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me,” also “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (John 15:16).
Pruning
“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit … If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (:2,6).
The word “purgeth” [to prune] means to “make pure.” Can we not see the sense in what Jesus is saying here? Those who believe are purged from sin’s defilement so that they can “bring forth more fruit.” It is faith in the word of God that cleanses the true follower of Christ, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (:3), but those who will not “abide” in Him whither, die and are cast away. Pruning produces more fruit, but casting away and burning is an unrecoverable situation.
We have a whole Bible to read and study, and every word of it has the power to cleanse the soul and prepare it for fruitfulness in the Lord’s service.
More fruit
“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit … Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (:2, 4-5).
We must constantly “abide” in the Lord if we are to bear fruit for His glory. Unless we remain in His presence there can never be any fruitfulness in our lives, instead we will be shallow and dry. Most believers are content to have a stagnant and mundane form of Christianity, but very few have any desire for the abundant life … “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
How do we tarry with Christ? Read verse 3 again, for that is the answer the Lord gave us to this question. We “abide” in Him through reading and meditating upon His word. United with obedience and prayer this “abiding” makes the believer fit to produce fruit. This is a daily commitment to Him is a part of what said in Mark 8:34, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” We can accomplish nothing without Him; therefore He must be the source and energy of our lives.
Fruitfulness is the result of a plant growing in well-watered soil. We can find no greater place to nourish our souls that in God’s word. Peter said to the Lord, “To whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).
Much fruit
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (:7-8).
Fruitlessness ought to lead to fruitfulness in a believer who desires to grow in the Lord. Fruitfulness is not as easy to achieve as fruitlessness. Fruitful Christians are continually pruned by the Lord as they seek to live by His word. Despite rough times, even in apparent draught, they are always growing closer to the Lord. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:1-3) and “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon” (Psalm 92:12).
The Vine supports and sustains the branches. From Him comes all that is needed to produce a fruitful life. Branches that have fallen from the Vine are no longer part of Christ and cannot produce fruit for Him. Unless, through repentance, the Lord grafts them in again, there will be nothing but barrenness. Obedience is the key to a fruitful life. This obedience includes the willingness to allow God to prune us back at times. Look at what grows on branches that the Lord prunes, answered prayer (:7), the privilege of bringing God glory (8), assurance of His love (:9-10), and the fullness of joy (:11). True disciples of Christ are fruit-bearers.
Conclusion
God is glorified when a believer produces fruit. Fruitlessness is actually robbing God of this glory. Fruitlessness is the automatic result of disobedience and faithlessness. No matter what the world throws at us, we can assure our hearts that Christ is in us and we in Him if we are committed to truly following Him. Do we desire to be fruitful? Let us then use the means the Lord has provided to that end.
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