Grace for Increase: Fruitfulness III

Grace for Increase: Fruitfulness III

1 Corinthians 3:6 - 7

This message is a continuation of a series on the requirements for fruitfulness.

Many are seeking opportunities, and ministry and daily provisions. The grace of God provides it all. Grace is a divine escort with all the provisions for the journey of life. Paul often prayed that the grace of God be with God’s people (Romans 16:20, 24; 1 Corinthians 16:23; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 6:18; Philippians 4:23; Colossians 4:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:18; 1 Timothy 6:21; 2 Timothy 4:22; Titus 3:15; Philippians 1:25; Hebrews 13:25).

Fruitfulness requires Grace

When a farmer sows seed in good soil and waters it, a process of growth and fruitfulness follows. The process is a gift from God. The Apostle Paul acknowledged in his ministry that even though he planted and Apollos watered both their effort was nothing. What mattered was achieving the intended result of planting and watering which is increase or harvest. Paul therefore needed two kinds of grace. First, he needed grace to be able to do his part to plant. Second, he needed grace in the form of God’s essential part to bring about increase. 

You can acquire educational qualifications, competencies and capital, and implement the seven steps from a good book and the three or five keys from a sermon you heard.  Through it all and at the end you need the God factor. That divine work of grace for increase. God opens the doors. The earth and its fullness belong to Him and He cares for you.

Adam lost Grace

Grace is what Adam and Eve lost in the Garden of Eden when they sinned. They fell from grace. They realized they were naked because they had lost their grace covering. They experienced shame and fear. They had chosen a path of earning, feeding and fending for their own wellbeing in place of relying on God’s unmerited favor and enablement.  It does not come as a surprise God announced Adam would live from the sweat of his labor. Sadly, he had chosen hard labor in place of rest.  With grace, he needed no sweat to care for all earthly creation and naming all animals.  Without grace, he had to sweat in toil to feed just himself. Hard labor causes worry night and day.

Grace is a place of rest in His embrace. The part that remains for us is easy because His burden is light. Our labor is simply to surrender to God and to share the grace that we have received. Its not to earn favor and salvation, freedom, life, grace, etc which we already have. Grace empowers us for our race to serve God by faithfully sharing what we received freely from Him.  Faithfulness in service to fellow man is for what we will be rewarded.

It must be noted that even though Adam and Eve lost grace, God remained gracious. He still loved them. He looked for them in garden. He promised their restoration and provided a way for their redemption. They still had physical life from God and enjoyed His resources. That is God’s nature that sends rain on the righteousness as well as the wicked.

Grace is a place of rest that came with Christ (John 1:17). Grace is a place of right standing (1 Peter 5:12) with God.  Grace means God in your place to lift you to His place. A position in Christ not a performance.  A place of approval. A place where you can have what Christ died to give you. A place where revelation is received and faith works. A place where undeserved favor is evident. A place where blessings can locate you. A place where spiritual reality manifests.  A place of God/Christ consciousness. A transition from standing on sand to firm ground. From silence to song, and shouts of joy.

Christ came with Grace

Jesus came to restore what the first Adam lost. He came to restore and build on it to fulfill Gods dream of a world filled with the knowledge of God as waters cover the sea. In Christ, grace has once again clothed Humanity. You know longer have to walk naked. Where you were naked because of sin, he graced your life again. Grace is God adorning beautifully our mouths, our strength, and our ministry.

>>Grace liberates. God invites you to enter His rest. Where you were sweating for bread Christ taught, pray ‘Our Father… give us our daily bread.’ He sets free from living by human effort and performance. We no longer need to try to earn righteousness and a living by our works.  We no longer have to carry life burdens and look as if carrying the whole world. Our faces can now show joy and peace in our lives in place of marks of hard labor. Jesus shed sweat like drops of blood in Gethsemane so you do not have to sweat for your living. Jesus was alone in Gethsemane so that you will not be alone when you face your Gethsemane. Jesus did not call a legion of angels on the cross so you could call them on your cross. He descended to hell so that your hell will fail to hold you.  He received stripes so you can receive your healing. He died so you will live.  He wore a crown of thorns so that you can wear one of gold. He suffered in tattered garments so you can wear robes of righteousness by grace.

>>Grace can be wasted by ignorance.   We now need to saturate ourselves with God’s word to change our thinking (Galatians 2:21) Grace liberates but can be frustrated by doubt and continued efforts to earn God’s love (Galatians 2:21). We should not fall from grace again (Galatians 5:4). God is not compelled to act favorably by your actions. In any case, your works can never be perfect enough. Our performance would never be enough to earn divine acceptance anyway. A ‘my labor’ mindset hinders Gods working. Nothing can qualify you for anything from God. God is not giving you favor based on your performance but based on His performance.

>>Grace can be abused by being perceived as a license for ungodliness (Jude 1:4). Grace is not a license for continuing to sin (Romans 6:1)  Grace says no to ungodliness and worldly lusts (Titus 2:11- 12). Grace is a spiritual magnetic force that pulls you closer to God. Grace is God’s property and works best in close relationship with God. . If you desire God’s grace love Christ (Romans 5:2).

>>Grace is available. Grace is God’s unmerited favor based on the finished work of Christ. God’s grace takes away guilt and shame. It gives forgiveness, freedom and peace. Grace can be obtained by boldly coming to God based only on His merit of Christ’s blood (Hebrews 4:16). Grace seeks those marked by the blood of Christ.  The word of God carries grace. More word more grace.  The Holy Spirit brings grace. Prayer of faith receives grace. Unity among brethren facilitates grace. Praise houses grace. Grace is given to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).  Humility acknowledges God’s grace. It takes humility to acknowledge as Paul that ‘by the grace of God I am what I am’ (1 Corinthians 15:10). You did not choose this life but this Life chose you. God apprehended you (John 15:16). That is why we do not sing ‘how great I am’ but ‘how great thou art’.

Anything you receive from God is by grace. We were saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 4:37; 14:3; 15:1; 18:27; Romans 3:24; 11:6; Galatians 2:21; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 2:11; 3:7).   Grace is all that you need. Faith is the human side of grace. Grace is the God side of faith. ‘For this cause it is of faith that it may be according to grace… (Romans 4:16)’. Grace is what you need from God for faith to work. And faith is what God needs from man for grace to work. Grace is therefore useless without faith. Faith is useless without grace. Grace is Gods hand extending unmerited favor to humanity and faith is man’s hand receiving undeserved favor from God. Fruit is found where grace and faith meet.  Grace is a gift from God. Grace was however very costly but thank God, Christ paid for it in full on the cross. As taught, GRACE is God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.

Grace is stewarded and cultivated so that one grows in it. Desire to grow and be strengthened in grace (2 Peter 3:18; 2 Timothy 2:1; Hebrews 12:15). Righteous is no longer what you call yourself or how you perform but who you are. If someone calls himself a king when he is not, he will remain in whatever is his status. BUT if someone is a king, no matter how loudly he is labeled the least it does not change the fact. We are God’s righteousness in Christ Jesus called to bear increasing fruit. The earlier we acknowledge who we are and live as such the better.

God would not let Naomi change her name.  Naomi means “Pleasant,” or “Delightful.”  In the book of Ruth grace kept Naomi from becoming Mara even though she was calling herself as Mara, which means “Bitter.”  She had done this because she was angry with God for her sons and husband dying. The very next verse following the renaming, God still called her Naomi (Ruth 1:22). In fact, He calls her Naomi throughout the rest of the book of Ruth. God still loved and cared for her.

Message by Dr. Kurai Chitima.

Faith Ministries – Johannesburg Faith Life Center.

Ground and First Floors Sunset Bay Building,

204B Bram Fischer drive,

Randburg, Johannesburg, South Africa