In the October 10, 1972, edition of The Sumter Daily Item, the newspaper of my hometown, Sumter, South Carolina, there is a picture that I love. It is a picture of my grandfather, Leon “Rosie” Richardson, holding a large pear in his right hand while he looks down proudly at  it. In his left hand, he is holding a writing pen beside the pear to grant the viewer perspective on just how big the pear is.

The caption is headlined “A-Pears To Be Big” and reads as follows:

Leon Richardson displays whopping Bartlette pear he grew on his land. The king-sized fruit weighed in at 2¼ pounds, about the average, says Richardson, of most of the pears he grows.

Again, I love this picture! My granddad looks so happy, so proud, and, knowing him as I did, I can just tell he is absolutely delighted with himself and his giant pear! I will say that after discussing that picture with my brother, Condy, we both are a wee-bit skeptical about his claim that 2¼ pounds was “about the average” size of the pears on that tree. And that skepticism is for one reason: My brothers and I used to climb in that tree and I have eaten many of those pears and unless something pretty amazing happened between October 1972 and May 1974 (the year I was born), those things were not, on average, that size!

Regardless, it is all great fun, and it is a great picture, and it brings back wonderful memories!

It is also an image steeped in New Testament imagery, for the image of fruit-bearing appears not-infrequently in the pages of scripture. And, indeed, the image of producing the fruit of the Kingdom appears in scripture as well.

To speak of fruit in the biblical sense is to speak of that which we are to produce and to speak of the kinds of lives that we are to live. It is to speak, in other words, of the impact of the Kingdom of God on the church, on our lives together, and on the results of our walking with Jesus.

The church is to do Kingdom work.

In Colossians 4, Paul provides a list of those who worked alongside and helped him. In doing so, he used an interesting phrase.

¹⁰ Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), ¹¹ and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.

James Dunn points out that Paul’s usage of the phrase “my fellow workers for the kingdom of God” “is quite unusual.” He further notes that the phrase should be seen as referring to “advancing God’s purpose and the prospect of His rule.”[1]

Douglas Moo writes that “Paul might be thinking of the future consummation of the kingdom: these men are working to ‘bring about’ (eis) the kingdom of God.” He then points out, however, that “Paul refers to the present, ‘inaugurated’ kingdom more often than is sometimes recognized; and this is probably the meaning here.”[2] Other respected commentators disagree, noting that the meaning should be seen as eschatological. In this sense, perhaps it means that Paul and his workers are seeking that worldwide proclamation of the Kingdom that is necessary for Christ’s return, as Jesus said in Matthew 24.

¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Regardless, this linking of Christian service to the Kingdom of God is vitally important. “Fellow workers for the kingdom of God” is a way of envisioning the work of the church that opens up new avenues of understanding. We bear witness and we work “for the Kingdom of God,” that is, to see the Kingdom and the interests of the King advance in the world!

Immediately following our passage, Paul will go on to acknowledge three more co-workers, these have Greek names: Epaphras, Luke, and Demas. And so, Paul’s co-workers for the Kingdom are both Jewish and Greek in ethnicity. Craig Keener points out something that we might miss in this list of names.

That Paul sent greetings from Jewish and Gentile workers engaged in spiritual ministry together would have struck ancient readers as far more profound than most modern readers can guess.[3]

This work “for the Kingdom of God” therefore transcends ethnic categories. The church is truly a diverse body of believers from the world over. Such is the nature of the Kingdom! Its citizens are from the nations of the world.

And what is this Kingdom work?

I agree with Eric Swanson and Sam Williams who, in their book To Transform a City, write that kingdom work “involves two aspects”:

• introducing people to the King (Jesus) and
• bringing Jesus’ perspective, his values, and his generative structures into the world in which we live.

That is well said. I further agree with their argument that:

In a broader sense, we would like to suggest that anytime we are involved in making this world more reflective of God’s coming kingdom (Rev. 11:15) and are redeeming something that was lost or broken because of the fall, we are involved, to some degree, in kingdom work…Those involved in rebuilding, restoring, and renewing the city are, in this broader sense, doing kingdom work.

            Whenever we are involved in correcting and making right social ills, seeking to address injustice, and fighting against the wrongs of this fallen world because they are an affront to the character of God, we are involved in kingdom work. Anytime we are involved in healing the sick, preventing an illness, or building a hospital, this too is kingdom work. Anytime we are caring for children as Jesus did, this is kingdom work. The peacemakers of the world and those who work toward forgiveness and reconciliation, in this broader sense, are involved in kingdom work.[4]

Here again we see how a healthy and robust doctrine of the Kingdom of God de-individualizes the Christian life. The Christian life is not merely you, alone, by yourself, seeking to do good. No, the Christian life involves shared Kingdom work. We are co-laborers together working to call people to faith in King Jesus and to advance the Kingdom in the world.

I ask you: Do you see yourself as engaged in Kingdom work? Do you see yourself as laboring “for the Kingdom”? This is indeed the right way of thinking about the Christian life! This is the way forward.

The church is to produce Kingdom fruit.

And as we labor “for the Kingdom,” so we are privileged to see the fruit of the labor. Perhaps not always and sometimes, seemingly, not often, but we know and are sometimes allowed to see how Kingdom labor brings about Kingdom fruit.

This idea of Kingdom fruit comes from the words of Jesus in Matthew 21.

⁴³ Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.

Followers of Jesus are to be about Kingdom work, and our primary Kingdom work is the production of Kingdom fruit. The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, commenting on Matthew 21:43, says that “Jesus…warned of the necessity of bearing fruit that was compatible with citizenship in the kingdom of God.”[5]

That fruit is our very lives. Our lives must be compatible with citizenship in the Kingdom of God!

Campbell Morgan helpfully defined “the fruit of the Kingdom” as “influenc[ing] the age, creating in it the recognition of, and approximation to, the government of God.”[6] This definition is consistent with our earlier definition of the Kingdom of God as the reign and rule of God that has broken into the world in Jesus, is continuing to break into the world in the lives of the followers of Jesus, and will break definitively and triumphantly into the world with the second coming of Jesus!

We are to be fruit-bearers!

I have here an article from Plantura magazine entitled “Strangest fruits: some of the weirdest fruits in the world.” And, indeed, some of these are very weird! Like:

• Horned melon/kiwano: “Cucumis metuliferushas lots of common names including horned melon, kiwano, spiked melon, horned cucumber and even cuke-asauraus.”
• Durian: “Durian is known for its particularly pungent odour. It originates from south-east Asia, where passengers are strictly forbidden from carrying it on public transport because of its smell!”
• Buddha’s hand: “Buddha’s hand belongs to the citrus family. The finger-like segments that lead to the core of the fruit are what gave rise to its name. In China and Japan, it is mainly used as a room freshener.”
• Snake fruit: “The fruit of the salak palm is mainly grown on two Indonesian islands – Sumatra and Java. This unusual fruit owes its name to its reddish brown, snake-like skin—it even has scales!”[7]

I hear these descriptions and I look at the pictures of these fruits and I try to imagine somebody from the other side of the world offering me one of these. I am not saying I would not eat these fruits. I am saying, however, that it would take me a minute. They are too strange looking and, seemingly, some of them would be too strange smelling for me to just jump right in! I would have questions, to put it mildly!

Odd fruit from another kingdom, if you will, would give me pause. But perhaps I could be convinced to try it. And perhaps I might even love it!

It strikes me that this is the position that the church finds itself in. We are offering to a skeptical public the strange fruit of the Kingdom of God to which it is not acclimated! This fruit we offer is going to look and sound and feel and smell and taste strange at first, but offer it we must, and we are happy to do so.

Why? Because of two facts:

1. The fruit of the world is toxic and kills all who eat it.
2. The fruit of the Kingdom of God is life-giving and brings health and joy and peace.

And why is that? Because it is grown by Jesus Himself! Jesus gives us what we need for life.

What is this strange fruit that the church, that followers of Jesus, offers the world? Paul gives us his famous list in Galatians 5.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

We give the world the fruit of our own transformed lives, manifested in the attributes mentioned above. Our lives are salt and light and fruit to the world! When we manifest and incarnate and display these fruits of the Spirit, the world is truly offered an alternative to what it knows!

So many people know that list, but they fail to go on to verse 24. Watch:

²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Ah! But this too is fruit, is it not? The fruit of repentance, the fruit of humility, the fruit of letting go of the bitter fruit that kills us: “the flesh with its passions and desires.”

This is the fruit of the Kingdom!

And this fruit of repentance is hard for the world. Sometimes it is still hard for the church. For it appears, at first sight, off-putting. It appears hard and bitter at first. We do not naturally want the fruit called repentance. We want something sweet! We want something pleasing! Anything but the fruit called repentance.

But something happens when we are willing to bite into this strange fruit. When we do so, we find Christ Himself waiting for us! The bitter gives way to sweet and the sweet gives way to life now and eternal. Hear Paul again:

²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

We get to “belong to Christ Jesus.” Repentance is the fruit by which we come to the King, Jesus! And when we come to Him, He takes up residence in our hearts and begins His mighty work!

Church, it is wonderful privilege to be engaged in Kingdom work, to help produce Kingdom fruit!

We need this.

The world needs this.

This is the way of the Kingdom!

This is the way of our King!

 

[1] Dunn, James D.G. The Epistles to the Colossians and Philemon. The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Editors I. Howard Marshall, W. Ward Gasque, and Donald A. Hagner. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996), p.279–280.

[2] Moo, Douglas J. The Letters to the Colossians and Philemon. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. General Editor D.A. Carson. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008), p.343.

[3] Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (IVP Bible Background Commentary Set) (p. 579). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

[4] https://www.google.com/books/edition/To_Transform_a_City/CvhcD0OoIJMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22 kingdom%20work%22&pg=PT86&printsec=frontcover

[5] Brand, Chad, Gen. Ed. “Fruit.” Holman Illustrated Bible Dictrionary. (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2015), p.597.

[6] Morgan, George Campbell. The Parables of the Kingdom. (New York, NY: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1907), p.56–57.

[7] https://plantura.garden/uk/green-living/unusual-plants/strangest-fruits