Matthew 21:19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then He said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.

Most theologians agree that in the above verse Jesus is illustrating religion without substance. From a distance things look pretty good but when you get up-close there is little or no fruit. How are we doing today in this area?

In our culture the church is often thought of more as a political movement than a spiritual one. George Barna suggests that much of the church today is more concerned with numerical growth than spiritual depth. The result of this is a kind of Christianity that is a mile wide and a quarter of an inch deep. How are we going to turn this around?

1. Adopt __________________ that lights up (Matt 5:14-16)

2. Live a life that demands an _________________ (Acts 16:23-30)

                                                                            Saint Francis

Life Implication:

John 12:47 "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.

We need to "be" Jesus to a dying world. As followers of Christ we need to look for opportunities everywhere we go to display our Lord’s love and kindness to those we encounter. No matter who they are or what we may think of them it is our mandate to respond as Jesus would.

Jesus did not come to judge others and neither should we.

Gal. 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

On a scale of 1(imposing my faith) to 10 (exposing my faith), where do I fall? Explain. What are some practical things I can do to improve in this area?