The Missing Cross to Purity


A True Follower Shows Fruit
John 15:8

Text in Light Blue or bold Light Blue can be "clicked" for backup in scripture or detail in writings.

Bring forth fruits proper for repentance.
Matt 3:8

When you bear [produce or bring forth] much fruit,
My Father is honored and glorified,
and you show that you are truly my disciples [true followers].
John 15:8

Either make the tree good, and its fruit good;
or else make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt;
for the tree is known by its fruit.
 Mat 12:33

Every tree that does not bear good fruit
is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Mat 7:19

Are you a true follower of Christ? It is not enough to just say you believe in Jesus.If you believe in Jesus, then you believe enough to do what he commanded: his first and principal command throughout his ministry being, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand;" and the evidence of repentance is to bring forth fruit. Mat 3:8

George Fox was often approached by people pleading that they were saved because they believed in Jesus.
Fox's response to them was: where is the evidence of your belief?
The evidence of a true believer is to produce much fruit.
Jesus himself said: The evidence of belief of a true follower is to produce much fruit, John 15:8

You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Mat 7:16-20

Paul explained the bad fruit, (fruit of the flesh) versus the good fruit, (fruit of the Spirit):

Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit. Mat 12:33 .
From the Word of the Lord within: "A good tree is a holy tree."
"Be holy; for I am holy." 1 Pet 1:15-16
Jesus said, "Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Mat 7:19

"Bring forth fruit proper for repentance." Mat 3:8
To produce good fruit, (which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, etc.), you must free yourself from sexual immorality (including adultery and fornication), impurity, lust, idolatry (including covetousness), sorcery, hatred, arguments, jealousy, anger, ambition, divisiveness, factions, envy, drunkenness, revelry (partying), etc.

So, you must crucify your sinful nature to produce good fruit.

In the Bible, Jesus tells us five times we must take up the cross daily and follow (obey) him:
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
And whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Luke 9:23,14:27
Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh [sinful nature] with its passions and desires [lusts and affections]. Gal 5:24
So, a true follower is one who has crucified their sinful nature and produced fruit.

For the axe is already laid at the root of the trees,
so that every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Luke 3:9
We are all trees with corrupt fruit to start; but we must be changed to produce good fruit. Today's Christianity would have you simply label the bad tree good, still producing corrupt fruit; but such trees will be cut down and sent to the fire, regardless of the label on them.

From the Word of the Lord within:

For of this you can be sure, that
no sexually immoral, or impure, or covetous person, who is an idolater,
has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no man deceive you with empty words.
For because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Eph 5:5-6

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
And whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Luke 9:23,14:27
So, a true disciple is one who has crucified their sinful nature and produced fruit.
A disciple is one who follows the Master; to follow is to obey the Master.

The sinful nature and the fruit of the flesh includes: sexual immorality, uncleanness, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talking, jesting, profanity, adultery, lack of restraint, sorcery, hatred, arguments, jealousies, rage, selfish ambition, divisiveness, envies, murders, drunkenness, revelries (partying), evil thoughts, fornications, wickedness, deceit, blasphemy, pride, anger, boasting, flattery, immodesty, immorality, and foolishness. Any of these disqualify any man from heaven.

A man innocent of all the above fruits of the flesh is in full compliance with the rigid requirements of salvation stated in the scriptures: be perfect as the Father is perfect, Mat 5:48; be righteous as He is righteous, 1 John 3:7-10; be merciful as He is merciful, Luke 6:36; become pure as He is pure, 1 John 3:3; as he who has called you is holy, so you be holy in all manner of conduct, 1 Pet 1:15; walk as he walked, 1 John 2:6; as he is, so are we in this present world, 1 John 4:17 . There is no flexibility and no equivocation in any of these stated requirements.

Paul tells us that to live we must kill the deeds of the body through the Spirit:

The only way to rid yourself of the fruit of the flesh (bad fruit) and produce the fruit of the Spirit (good fruit) is the way of the cross; the only way to the kingdom of heaven is the way of the cross; the only way to salvation is the way of the cross; the only way to avoid being banned from heaven (if you die still sinning), is the way of the cross.

Even Adolph Hitler said Jesus was his Lord and Savior. But he had no fruit. He was not a true follower. The Roman Catholic priests that killed 9,000,000 people for witchcraft in the Middle Ages said they were believers; they were baptized, prayed every day, took communion, and read the scriptures frequently. They were very holy murderers, because they had no fruit — only BIG thorns; they were not true followers.

If we are not seeking to produce fruit, our belief and faith is dead. As James said, faith without works is dead.
Jesus said, Truly, Truly, I say to you , everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. John 8:34.
If you are a slave to sin, sin is your master; and Jesus can't be your Lord because you cannot serve two masters.
The principal work of a believer is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, which is within you and around you, as evidenced by fruit — the fruit of the Spirit — love, peace, joy, goodness, etc.
It is never too late to start producing the fruit of righteousness, making Jesus your true Lord and Master.

Jesus said: The Word of God [the words you hear Jesus speak to you, not the Bible ] is the seed. And that [seed] which fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go forth and are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word, [the Living Word, Christ, speaking to you, not the Bible] keep it in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with perseverance. Luke 8:14-15. People had heard him speak to them, but were distracted from persevering in further listening by the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life; therefore not producing fruit to righteousness. But some did bring forth fruit to perfection with perseverance .

The fruit of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness is quietness and confident trust forever. Isaiah 32:17

Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he [my Father] takes away, and every branch that produces fruit, he [my Father] purges it, so that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15:1-3 . (God scourges and disciplines us before we become sons. Heb 12:5-8 )

Jesus said: Because narrow is the gate and compressed is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it. "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Mat 7:14-16 . (If your teacher and preacher doesn't have this love, gentleness, self-control, kindness, peace, faith, goodness, and joy, you are being misled into the ditch and into captivity by a false prophet; this same test can be applied to false christians.)

Even so, every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Matthew 7:17-18 . Whoever is born of God does not commit sin, for his seed [Christ] remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 1 John 3:9

Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Mat 7:19

Therefore by their fruit you shall know them. Mat 7:20

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light [the Spirit] in all goodness, righteousness and truth, proves what is acceptable to the Lord. Eph 5:8-10

Jesus said: When you bear [produce or bring forth] much fruit, my Father is honored and glorified,
and you show that you are truly my disciples [true followers]. John 15:8

So How do we produce fruit? Bring forth fruits proper for repentance. Mat 3:7-9

and

Jesus said: Abide [dwell, remain] in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine; neither can you, unless you abide in me. John 15:4. I am the vine, you are the branches.
If a man abides in Me, and I in him, he produces much fruit: (love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control), for without me you can do nothing. John 15:5
If a man does not abide in Me, he is thrown out like a branch, which withers; these branches are gathered up, cast into the fire, and are burned. John 15:6

Whoever abides in him does not sin; whoever sins has not seen Him or known Him. 1 John 3:6 . To abide in Him, is to live in Him: to be in union with Him. You cannot be still sinning and know God or see God.

Works without our loving obedience to God's commands count for nothing . 1 Cor 13:3
To produce fruit, is to have obeyed many, many of God's commands to you. Faith must be evidenced by obedient works of love for God, which is obedience to the promptings of the Spirit of God's direction; such is the love of God. The first works of love for God are: a) to wait in humble silence as you listen and watch for His commands, and b) then to obey His spoken commands that you hear to repent from the sins He reveals in your heart. Notice! Paul agrees with James , who wrote, "faith without works is dead," James 2:20-24. But he who practices truth comes to the light, so that his deeds may be shown to have been produced (formed and powered) through God." John 3:21 ; such works are the only works that survive passing through the fire, which every man must go through.

Studying the Bible only tells us what we must achieve and avoid. To know the truth, you have to be taught by Jesus himself, personally, about himself. His living words must abide in you. To abide in Christ, is to live in Him and his Light, in his presence, in his living word, (not read the Bible).

To abide in Him, is to live in Him: to be in union with Him. We go to him and sit as we wait on him in humble silence; and then we listen for him to speak to us and watch for what he shows us. When the Light appears, we spend time in the Light. His living Word penetrates us, separating spirit from soul, and the Light cleanses us by the blood of Jesus. As we repent, we are changed and receive more of His Spirit. As we receive more of his Spirit, he abides or remains in us too. We become the possessors of Christ, not just professors.

It is a cross to a man's will to sit in humble silence to wait on God, listening, and watching, while struggling to keep his mind from wandering; it is a cross to a man's will to obey what he is commanded and taught by the Holy Spirit; this is the cross of which you must deny yourself and pick it up every day, to then follow Jesus. To obey his voice is to follow Jesus. This is how to do what you have prayed for a thousand times: thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven . You cannot be his disciple unless you pick up your cross daily and follow his orders. Salvation is only received by those who follow the lamb wherever he goes — who obey completely the voice of the Lord, in whatever he commands. Do not be discouraged if you don't hear for some time. Even your waiting is to your credit: Let your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, in proportion to our waiting and hoping on you. Psalms 33:22

We start by waiting on God daily for one hour each day, preferably in the early morning before you begin your day. As we receive his words and revelations, our hunger for more of his revelations increases, motivating us to spend more and more time every day waiting on Him; until finally, we are waiting on Him continually, even while going through our normal day's activities:

For more understanding on the necessity of learning in silence,
see George Fox's outstanding writing on Why Silence ? (also on the side bar)

How do we repent?

To start, John the Baptist said:
Think differently; change your mind, regretting your sins and changing your conduct. Mat 3:2
Bring forth fruits proper for repentance. Mat 3:8
He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.
[Give to the poor, share from your excess with those who are without the necessities of life.]
Do not collect any more than you are required to. [Be honest in all your dealings]
Don't take money from anyone by force, nor accuse anyone falsely; and be content with your wages.
[Don't oppress people or accuse anyone falsely, don't lie, don't want more, don't complain.] Luke 3:10-14

Jesus said: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Mat 4:17
Click here to see all the New Testament references to repentance.

How do we know from what else to repent?

How do we access the grace of God to teach us what to deny ?

Jesus says: Whoever comes to Me, and listens to my spoken words [not the Bible - his living voice] and does [practices, obeys] them, .. is like a man ..who built a house securely.. on a rock. Luke 6:47-8 . As many as I love, I chastise [reprove, discipline]. Be zealous therefore, and repent. Rev 3:19. So we go to him, by being silent and listening; not reading, not talking, not praying, just quietly listening, and thinking his name — which gives us access to the power of God; and when he tells us to do something, like repent, we do it and obey.

We keep quiet to hear him because he said, Pray, but do not babble repetitiously as the heathen do, thinking that by their many words they will be heard. Do not be like them for your Father knows the things you need, even before you ask him. Mat 6:7-8

The words we hear are words of eternal life, not the words we read or hear read from of the Bible.
The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life-giving. John 6:63
Take heed therefore how you hear. For whoever has will be given more; and whoever does not have, from him shall be taken even that which he seems to have. Luke 8:18
Remember therefore what you have you received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. Rev 3:2-3
Jesus came so he could destroy the devil and his works [sin] in us — if we let him.
For this purpose the Son of God is revealed [in us], that he might destroy [in us] the works [sin] of the devil. 1 John 3:8

A prominent Early Quaker, William Penn, founder of the Pennsylvania, in his Introduction to George Fox's Journal states:

Repentance from dead works to serve the living God consists of three operations:
1) to be shown the sin within you, (your habit, your error, or your desire to sin)
2) to realize it and to have a godly sorrow for it, and
3) a change for the future, (repentance).

Repentance is the natural result of people turning to the inward light and word:
for by the light comes sight of the sin
with the sight of the sin, you realize your error and wrongness with a sorrow for it; and
with realization and sorrow about the sin revealed by the light,
results in you changing your conduct in life from that time onward — repentance .

Such repentance leads to justification; that is, forgiveness of past sins through Christ, the sole propitiation; and the sanctification or cleansing of the soul from the defiling nature and habits of sin. This justification is complete by: 1) comprehending both justification from the guilt of the sins that are past, as if they had never been committed, through the love and mercy of God in Christ Jesus; and 2) and the person being made inwardly just through the cleansing and sanctifying power and spirit of Christ revealed in the soul, which is commonly called sanctification.

This leads to the prize of the high calling to all true Christians: perfection from sin ,* according to the scriptures of truth, which testifies perfection to be the end of Christ's coming, and the nature of his kingdom, and for which his spirit was and is given. But this is a not perfection in wisdom and glory in this life, or from natural infirmities or death, as some have with a weak or ill mind imagined and insinuated. This is a redeemed state, regeneration, or the new birth; and unless this work is known, there is no inheriting the kingdom of God.

* A permanent, everlasting perfection, that protects you from ever sinning again.

See How to Benefit from the Changing Power of God for more information.

Here are all the verses in the New Testament that refer to producing fruit to righteousness and holiness.

See How to Benefit from the Changing Power of God for more information.

This web site's purpose is to show how to become
free from sin
by benefiting from the changing power of God through the cross,
which leads to union with God in his Kingdom.