The Evidence of Discipleship

Spiritual fruit doesn’t grow overnight. You don’t go into your backyard, pull up a chair in front of your peach tree, and then wait for the peaches to grow. (You could, but you wouldn’t see anything.) However, if you were to set up a camera with time-lapse photography, you would see dramatic growth over a period of time.

Jesus said, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:8 NKJV). If you are truly a disciple of Jesus, then you will have spiritual fruit in your life. That means results. It means evidence. One of the first things we do as Christians is produce what Jesus called “fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8 NKJV).

For example, maybe your friend says, “Let’s go get a drink after work.”

“I don’t do that anymore.”

“What? You don’t do that anymore? What’s wrong with you?”

“It isn’t what’s wrong with me; it’s what’s right with me,” you say. “Christ has come into my life.”

People know you by the fruit of your repentance. You stopped doing some things and started doing godly things instead. That intrigues them and also perplexes them. As disciples of Jesus, we should be known by our repentance.

A change in your conduct is spiritual fruit. Galatians 5:22–23 says, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (NKJV).

Giving praise and thanks to God is a way of bearing fruit. We are told in Hebrews 13:15, “By Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (NKJV). When we sing praises to God, that is bringing forth fruit.

Can people see spiritual fruit in your life?