SPIRITUAL REPRODUCTION:
From the beginning of the world, God called His people to spiritual reproduction as well as
natural. Adam and Eve were to reproduce both spiritually and physically. God's original plan
was that they were to fill the earth with people created in the image of God who walked in
fellowship with God.
When God raised up the nation of Israel as a people through whom He could demonstrate His
power and plan for the world, He called them to be spiritually reproductive:
Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and
planted it.Thou preparedest room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it
filled the land.The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were
like the goodly cedars. (Psalms 80:8-10)The "vine" which God brought out of Egypt was the nation of Israel. He wanted them to bear
spiritual fruit by revealing the true God to the heathen nations around them. Instead, Israel
became like the heathen. They began to worship idols and wanted a visible human king to reign
over them instead of the invisible King of Kings. Finally, God said of Israel:
Israel is an empty vine... (Hosea 10:1)Because of their spiritual unfruitfulness, Jesus said:
Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and
given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. (Matthew 21:43)Because of Israel's refusal to bear fruit, the Gospel of the Kingdom was extended to the Gentile
nations. From the Gentiles God raised up the church to fulfill His plan of spiritual reproduction
throughout the world.
CHOSEN TO BEAR FRUIT:
As believers, Jesus has chosen us to bear fruit through evangelism of the world:
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye
should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain...
(John 15:16)