It was the mother of all annual congregation meetings. The church already struggled with strong personality clashes, but I didn’t make it any better. One congregant stood up and angrily announced that I personally slighted him by not giving him more solos. His rant continued at great length. I just wanted to disappear under a pew. And then I began to get mad. In the parking lot, I angrily confronted a woman who had added further verbal ammunition to the soloist’s fire. In my spirit was a load of rotten fruit.
I WAS NO BETTER THAN MY ENEMY
I was no better than the man who humiliated me. He ran over my life, and I responded by throwing rotten verbal spiritual fruit at the woman in the parking lot.
GOD TIRES OF OUR SPIRITUAL NOISE
God tires of our spiritual noise. Spiritual racket, cacophony, and clamor produced by our hearts when we don’t put Him first? I have noisily imparted my gifts without first offering what matters most: love. Not only love for Him, but for people. The fruit produced when I don’t walk with Christ is rotten.
THINGS JESUS NEVER SAID
Jesus talks about rotten trees that produce rotten fruit. Brant Hanson, in his book “Blessed Are the Misfits,” writes about things Jesus never said regarding trees (religious people) and the fruit they produce: “If it offers powerful-sounding prayer, you can trust it. If the tree leads an awesome ministry, it must be an awesome ministry tree. If it sings great and has a Christian record deal, it’s legit. Take it to the bank.”
BUMP INTO A TREE, SEE WHAT FALLS
Brant continues, “Nope. Jesus said you look at the fruit. That’s what falls out of the tree when you bump into it. What’s “fruit,” then? Not a Christian vocabulary. Not the position someone holds in church culture. Even ‘ministry impact’ is not fruit. Many have reached thousands for Christ, only to be found out as utter frauds. Bump into a tree, and see what falls. Sometimes it’s jealousy, anger, and power plays. Now you see what kind of tree it is.
JESUS’ FRUIT
Jesus was betrayed, abandoned, and publicly humiliated, and while His life was being ripped from Him, He prayed for forgiveness for the very people who were killing Him. He intervened to defend them. Bump into a tree, and see what falls. Sometimes it’s love and self-control. Now you see what kind of tree it is.”
PUT LOVE FIRST
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned but have not love, I gain nothing” (I Corinthians 13:1-3). Have you ever thought God gets tired of our noise? Put love first (and don’t track women down in parking lots).
