JOHN 15:5
“I am The Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
What is a fruitbearer? A person who testifies about God's redeeming grace through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. If only one person receives Christ into their hearts through my actions, then I am a fruitbearer. It might not look like my little branches are heavy with fruit, but if that one person shares Jesus with another person, then that new person is added to my fruitfulness. And I want to be fruitful. Which means I'm not going to stop sharing the love of God in Christ with everyone.
Proverbs 11:31 tells us, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." I want to be a soulwinner for Jesus. I want to tell you that once I lived a selfish, self-centered life; living only for the moment and the thrill. Once I thought I was living the good life, but it was only a shadow life. For the good life is only available through Jesus reckoning on the cross, through the blood He shed for us: He atoned for our sins, that we who believe would be forgiven when we repented. And repentance is an absolute must.
When Jesus began to preach the gospel, His first words were, "Repent, and be baptized." (Matthew 4:17) That same message came to and through each of His disciples. For example Peter states in Acts 2:38 "Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in The Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of The Holy Spirit."
What is this gospel message which we are compelled to share with everyone we interact with? Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son, given to the world to save each person in it, if they would believe that He is Lord and follow in His ways. (John 3:16-18). Repentance is to make a conscious decision to deliberately stop living a sinful life and learn to live a holy life according to God's Word.
To be baptized in water is to make a public confession of the faith we are now professing; speaking aloud the Word of faith which is in us. (Romans 10:8-11). To be baptized in The Holy Spirit is to understand that without The Spirit living in us as well, it is impossible for us to live a righteous and holy life that we must endeavor to live after receiving Christ into our hearts. We need both baptisms.
Even now, I urge you, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, please come to Jesus today. Your soul is in immortal danger, for the soul exists forever: some will exist in hell and after hell is destroyed the lost souls will exist in an eternal lake of fire from which there is no escape. Some souls will exist in heaven, in the eternal presence of God forever and ever, praising God and singing with the angels. But the decision must be made this side of eternity. There are no do-overs after we die.
