Year 4, Day 235: Acts 2

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Bear Fruit

• Bear Fruit: We bear fruit after we grow.  Bearing fruit is ultimately the goal of abiding and the goal of being called into the Kingdom of God.  However, while bearing fruit is our calling, it is not the end.  We bear fruit so that we can then prune, abide, grow, and bear more fruit in another season.  Bearing fruit is not the end, but rather only a portion of the whole rhythm of life into which God has called us.

What topic would be better in a study after focusing on abiding than bearing fruit?  After all, we abide so that we might draw close to God and be prepared to bear fruit for His kingdom!  Granted, we also bear fruit so that we can abide and grow closer to God.  It is a cyclical rhythm, not a linear progression!

So yesterday we focused on the disciples and their calling to abide and wait for the Holy Spirit.  Now we see them growing and bearing fruit.  The Holy Spirit comes upon them and a powerful demonstration of God’s power is manifested.  People from all over the world hear the disciples speaking in languages that in all reality they couldn’t have known.  Remember, these are fisherman and people like them.  They are scholars who would be world travelers speaking many different languages.  God’s power is put on display indeed!

In the rest of the chapter we also see a very specific example of bearing fruit done through a single man: Peter.  Remember who Peter is.  He is the guy who jumped out of the boat and began to sink.  He is the guy to whom Jesus said, “Get behind me Satan.”  He is the guy who asked all the questions, often had the wrong perspective, and while genuinely desiring to follow Christ he got an awful lot wrong.

But look at what Peter does here.  In this story Peter stands up and takes charge.  He begins to explain things.  He begins to be the person who teaches others.  He is rising up in power and bearing fruit in a new and incredible way.  It is awesome to see.  Peter has taken time to abide and grow, and now he bears great fruit.

But notice something.  Having born fruit, what do we see the disciples doing at the end?  They pause.  The prune.  They go back into their community.  They share among one another.  They abide.  While the focus of this chapter is indeed on the fruit, we do see the full completion of the cycle from bearing fruit back to abiding.

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