Fake Fruit on Dead Trees

“Fake fruit on a dead tree”, is a phrase my pastor, Bro. Bradley Petrey, recently used in a sermon. It describes the look some folks try to portray in Christian circles. I told him, “I do not like the condition it describes but I loved the phraseology.”

Jesus used something similar when He said, “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. / A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (Matt. 7:17-18 NKJV).

The fruit depends on the tree. Said another way, the tree determines the fruit.

The Bible plainly says that people who do not have a relationship with Jesus are spiritually dead. “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1 NKJV). So going with our original analogy, if they are not true believers and followers of Jesus, then they are dead trees.

So why would dead trees (spiritually dead people) want to hang fake fruit on their dead branches? I am sure there are a few more categories but let’s look at four.

Innocently Ignorant
Many may be innocently ignorant of true salvation. The teaching/preaching they have heard has been centered on performance or social issues more than salvation by grace through faith. They are just trying to do what they have perceived as necessary.

Wounded Birds
Some of the fake fruit I have seen over the years has been insecure people trying to make themselves acceptable to the group. They did not have a deceptive agenda to mislead the church like a false prophet. They just wanted to fit in. Maybe they were wounded birds. They had developed self-protection habits to avoid being ostracized or scorned. They not only need Jesus but also deliverance from low self-esteem or self-loathing.

People-Pleasers
There is nothing wrong with being liked if it is in a balanced fashion. Yet, there is a form of narcissism that puts on a front just to be glorified or esteemed. There are surely some of these folks sitting in pews who hung fake fruit so they could look like living trees resulting in a lot of ‘at-a-boys’.

Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
I think it is rare that a deceptive individual with evil intentions enters a faith community to deceive. Most so-called false prophets are themselves deceived. Who would best lead people on a wrong course than one who is deceived? I think a deceived person is harder to correct than an ignorant person.

So how do we propagate living trees who bear real fruit?

The first step is to believe, teach and preach the true Gospel. It is simply: 1) Man is inherently spiritually dead in his sin without Christ. In this sinful state man is alienated from God and eternally doomed. 2) Jesus Christ being perfectly righteous died on a cross to be the one-time sacrifice for man’s sin. 3) He was resurrected from the dead manifesting His victory over death and hell. 4) Those who believe and place their faith in Jesus Christ, the crucified and resurrected Savior, receive salvation, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and eternal life.

The second step is to disciple Christians to live as followers of Christ submitting to the leading of Holy Spirit. The result of a genuine response to the true Gospel is a spiritually alive person. This true believer is a living tree in our ongoing analogy. The real fruit on living trees is a result of the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within the yielded disciple. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, / gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23 NKJV).

Believe and follow Jesus. Know and obey the Word of God. Listen and submit to the Holy Spirit. Worship and pray. Live and work in a faith community. Do these things consistently and the fruit will be supernaturally produced. This fruit from living trees will be delicious and life-giving, bearing seed that reproduces more living trees.

Yours on the Journey,

Harry L. Whitt