Few people ask “Will God Cut Me Off?”
Will God cut me off? What a question! Not many people ask this question openly. For 1 reason — they thought they know the answer. They believe God will if they are not a diligent Christian. Why are they so sure? Because that’s the way people on earth reason things out:
- Anyone who has been in the working world will know that when we do not deliver results, we will lose our job. In many large organisations, if you are a CEO or a sales director and you do not meet the target revenue for 2 or 3 quarters in a year, you will soon be asked to leave the company.
- So, for many of us, we interpret John 15:2 where Jesus said that our Heavenly Father cuts off every branch that bears no fruit to mean that if we do not bring people to Christ, we are bearing no fruits and we will be cut off!
I Got this WRONG Understanding All my life!
I grew up in a Christian ministry that emphasized a lot on evangelism. So I thought that the Parable of the Sower was Jesus telling us to choose to be a diligent Christian, i.e., work hard on evangelism and discipling others, lest as in John15:2. In fact if I do not evangelise, my immediate thought was like in the working world– if I do not meet the numbers, if I do not bring people to Christ, then I am considered not bearing fruit, my heart will be so guilty and fearful that this question “Will God cut me off?” kept ringing in my mind.
Key Message In Parable of the Sower
It was only recently when the Holy Spirit gave me the understanding of John 15 and the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 that I realised that Jesus was saying the same thing in the two scripture, that is, to abide in Him. When we abide in Him, we will be fruitful. When we do not spend time with God, we will achieve NOTHING. In the Parable of the Sower, the seeds could deepen its roots and draw nutrients and grow and bear fruits when there are good soil, plenty of good soil. So Jesus was telling us to abide in Him.
The key message in the Parable of the Sower is not about we using our own effort to be fruitful — working hard in evangelising, meeting the target number of people who prayed to receive Christ, leading bible study groups and attending prayer meetings. All these are self effort. It is the way the world define fruitfulness, not God’s way. God’s way is that fruitfulness come from Him. When we deepen our roots in Him, He will bring about in us that compassion Jesus had for people and the drive to want to reach out to people to help them know Jesus. Evangelism is therefore a fruit, a result from our walk with God.
Evangelism is a fruit, not the source of fruitfulness
I used to think that in the Parable of the Sower, if I choose to be a diligent Christian, diligently evangelising and disciplining then God will make me fruitful in evangelism and I will be storing up treasure in heaven. However, now I realise that it is not through my hard work that people received Christ. It is God who draw that person to Jesus. On what basis do I say this? In John 15:16, Jesus said that it is He who chose us, not we chose Him. In John 6:44, Jesus said that no one can come to Him unless our Heavenly Father enabled him. In Matthew 13:11, Jesus said that not all are permitted to know the secrets of the Kingdom of heaven. Base on all these verses, know that we are just the reaper that reaps the harvest. It is God who enable one to understand the gospel and want to receive Jesus. It is not our effort. Evangelism is therefore a fruit that God enabled through us.
Since evangelism is a fruit, then, notice that seeds do not grow and bear fruits when we add fruits to the seeds. So how can we become fruitful when we focus our effort on the fruits –using our effort to do things for God — evangelising, attending prayer meetings, leading groups, etc. Evangelism is not the source of our fruitfulness. We should therefore focus our effort on spending time with God, drawing nourishments from Him. Then God will cause us to be fruitful.
Fruitfulness is not limited to Evangelism
Evangelism is a fruit that result from our walk with God. As we spend time with Him, as we experience His goodness, very naturally, we are talking about God because He is everything in our lives. However, fruitfulness is not limited to just evangelism. When we abide in Jesus, He will cause us to prosper in everything we do. Just like the way God prosper Joseph even in the slavery and in the prison.
Look at Psalm 1:2-3:
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
A similar scripture in Jeremiah 17:7-8
7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
Hence, we will be fruitful, in every aspect of our life. God will cause us to prosper and to succeed in everything we do when we spend time with Him.
Will God cut me off?
When we spend time with God, there is no way where we will not bear fruit. We may have to wait for the season to come, but we will bear fruits. Whether it is in evangelism, or ministering to a friend, or being a good mother to our children, or succeeding in our career, God will make us prosper, like the way He prosper Joseph. We will bear fruits in our seasons. No reason for God to cut us off as long as we are walking closely with Jesus and bearing fruits in our life.
Indulge in God
Hence, my friend, do not live in the fear that if you do not do this or that for God, He is going to fire you like your boss would. The mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven is that God will provide you all you need to succeed. It is different from the world that removes you when you cannot produce results. So, instead of trying to use your own effort to produce fruits and be anxious, indulge yourself in the presence of God. Rest in Him. Remember the story of Mary and Martha? Martha was trying to do so many things. However, Jesus commented that Mary chose the better portion, that is to spend time with Jesus.
