What must we
do to bear spiritual fruit? Pastors, churches and individual Christians are constantly searching for the right strategies for success in their ministries. Yet our production-driven culture has led us to ask the wrong question. The Bible repeatedly points us back to a deeper issue: who must I
be? Contradiction, hypocrisy and neglect of our hidden lives too often choke off any fruit that God would bring forth. The flesh compels us to work to bear fruit. But just the opposite is true: it is our works that make us barren. We so easily compartmentalize and isolate inconsistencies in our hidden lives and think that we can still move forward in God's service. As a result, much of what we "
do" for God is unnecessary, unproductive and unfruitful. For God brings forth His fruit not in those who
do, but in those who
are.Â
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Inside
The Hidden Life:
- Spiritual and secular views of fruitfulness
- Setting Priorities
- Gaining spiritual guidance to inform practical decisions
- De-cluttering our schedules
- Common misconceptions about our true identities
- Secular strategies we use to achieve spiritual objectives
- Essentials of personal financial management
- The high priority of controlling our speech
- Keeping our lives free from bitterness
- Relating to God as a friend rather than as a system
- Hypocrisy in the hidden life
- Principles of righteous judgment
- Taking the right risks
- The critical decisions God watches
