Longtime readers may remember an article I wrote in 2020 about pruning. It came out of a prophetic word that the Lord had given me on January 1st of that year and as I wrote, I explored how we could embrace the season of pruning that the Church had entered. Embracing it, rather than kicking against the dealings of God would be a much better way to gain all the benefits of the pruning season.
Pruning is a time of loss and I wrote about the need to grieve our losses in a way that honours them. But pruning is also a time for roots to deepen, growing stronger and healthier. I suggested that the root system the Lord wanted to see developed in the Church looked like: humility, the fear of the Lord, compassion, unity, and faith. In hindsight, I feel humility is actually the key to all of these. The Church Fathers called it the virtue of all virtues. It is the virtue that enables us to develop other attributes and character qualities in our lives that please the Lord.
Seasons shift slowly, there is rarely a jolt into a new season, it’s more like a fading in and fading out. I started writing this article on the first day of fall, and since then we’ve had sunny, quite hot, summer-like days and then days of cool rain. Trees are in full autumn colour but I’m still wearing my white beachy runners on occasion. Seasons change slowly, but they do eventually, completely, change. So where are we in respect to the spiritual seasons?
THE SEASON OF PRUNING
Obviously, we walked through a severe season of pruning that was longer and more catastrophic than we could’ve anticipated. It was years of Covid with all its trauma, upheaval, anxiety, and isolation; thankfully that’s done. But before we move on, let’s make sure we scoop up the treasures we gained from that time rather than leaving them lying on the ground in our eagerness to rush into a new season.
The treasures of the pruning season came at great cost, so let’s steward them carefully; for they are incredibly precious. If we have embraced the deep work of God during our pruning season, we have grown in character attributes that, like a healthy root system, can carry the weight and support the increase of branches, leaves, and fruit. If we just endured it, fighting against God all the way or succumbing to self-pity, it’s unlikely we’ve gained much— but even now it’s not too late to repent and allow God to work, redeeming what we experienced.
I’ve already listed some treasures that I feel we’ve gained through the pruning season, you might have a slightly different list. I think we all want to add in the idea of rhythms of rest or Sabbath, for this was certainly a value that God built into so many of us through Covid that we absolutely don’t want to let go of. The rhythm of rest will be vital for us to ensure we don’t go back to some really unhealthy, self-reliant ways from the past. I would encourage you to give all of this some reflection. Take some time with the Lord and ask Him to show you what you and your church community gained through Covid. If you are aware of these, you can intentionally steward them well and not neglect these gifts.
“though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Pet 1:6b,7
A SEASON OF RECOVERY
After Covid, we entered a lengthy season when the pandemic gradually waned and the Church regrouped, took stock, and began to heal. Maybe like me, you had hoped that as soon as Covid was pretty much over, the Church would instantly rebound, filling in the size of our previous footprint, restarting our previous programs. We didn’t. Instead, we needed a season of rest, where we recovered from the shock of our pruning. We needed time to assess the new shape and size of our congregations and notice the health of our leadership, as the stress of Covid pushed many pastors toward burnout.
In this season we started to find our equilibrium again. It was a recovery season and an extremely important time because it proved to us, God’s ability to restore, renew, and revive— no matter how devastating the loss. He is greater than the sadness and loss of the pruning season and as we continue to trust Him, He won’t leave us in that place of weeping (Ps 30:5, Ps 126:5,6).
In the purposes of God, joy does come in the morning. The first-hand experience of God restoring us, is a treasure we can carry into our next season and it will serve us well to strengthen our faith whenever our lives are touched by loss in the future (and they will be). Regardless of how deep our losses have been, the Jesus we have been united to is The Resurrection.
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Pet 5:10,11
But now we are again transitioning into a new time.
A SEASON OF INCREASE
The Lord has been speaking to me for the last six weeks about increase, then this morning again He emphasized this to me and said “The Church is entering a season of fruitfulness.” I immediately remembered the promise He gave us at the beginning of the pruning season, “…every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (Jn 15:2b) More fruit! But what does that mean?
To understand that, we must see fruitfulness from His perspective. What God considers to be fruitful might not look like it from a worldly perspective. We are often impressed with power, flash, and influence. We might immediately go to thoughts of “nickels and noses” (the term that gets used for the increase of church finances and attendance) and while these matter, they clearly weren’t a priority for Jesus as He ministered. The expectations that I had for the Church rebounding to its pre-Covid state needed to be abandoned because God has something much better for us.
I hesitate to define the ways and places that fruitfulness may burst forth in our various settings, because by doing so, inevitably, that box will be too small. I’m sure God has plans to bless and release fruitfulness in ways I’ve never thought of! However, to get our sanctified imagination primed, let’s start by thinking about all the different ways that God might want the Church to be engaged in mission. That could be evangelism, apologetics, good works of service for the needy, works of social justice— all extending the proclamation of the gospel in word and deed.
Then, remembering that growth isn’t always just horizontal, it’s also upward, let’s consider how the Church might grow in its Christlikeness, discipleship, holiness, and devotion. Growth in these areas (and others like them) have the potential to create an internal, heart-level, kingdom transformation that ripples into our horizontal relationships. Imagine, for example, a church begins to really grow in holiness - and a previous chronic problem with gossip dies. Relationships are restored, love grows, hearts are softened… unity flourishes. That’s a type of growth that actually looks like the beginning of revival.
Through the Covid years, many people either pulled back from attending church, changed churches, or reduced their involvement. Even though some taking stock and perhaps changing churches was God’s way of repositioning us and important for our spiritual growth, yet there is a danger when our roots in the local church become loosened. If we no longer feel deeply and relationally connected to our local church, the temptation is to not lean in, but rather stay connected on a convenience basis, attending and engaging when it works for us. We will miss the opportunity for fruitfulness if we stay disengaged from the Body of Christ. But if we choose to lean in, even at a cost, we can fully participate in fruitfulness, and we set an example for others to also engage! A local congregation that is full of highly engaged believers will be a place where God can move in intense and glorious ways.
I believe prophetically, this is an exciting, and perhaps unexpected area where we are about to witness Holy Spirit bringing forth growth— an increase of our level of commitment to the Lord and His Church. Watch for it to particularly manifest with a new wave of men and women who will respond to the Lord’s call and devote their lives to full-time service, entering, into training for ministry. Particularly pastoral ministry.
I won’t elaborate any further, expect to say, watch for growth, watch for fruitfulness in ways you might expect and in ways you wouldn’t naturally consider, for we are in a time of increase!!
Then, as we watch, let’s pray to the Lord of the Harvest who understands the nature of fruitfulness, and ask for great wisdom to serve Him in this season. We want to be able to nurture, shepherd, and protect all the growth that He intends to give us so that there can be wonderful kingdom fruit; fruit that remains. Different spiritual seasons require different types of responses, we want to respond according to this season, not the last one (or two) while we draw from the treasures he’s given us through those really difficult times.
Remember “ … every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Jn 15:2b
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash