Not An Original Thought In Mah Head!

The other day I was talking with one of the greatest thinkers in the Pentecostal Movement of Today, a great man of God ,one who like myself,  is not the least bit controversial, Bro. Steve Pixler. As per  usual the very CONCEPTS he shared with me have filled me with so many thoughts and ideas and UNDERSTANDINGS that I just have to dumb it all down to MY level and see if I can't share some of them with you.........

 I NEVER WOULD HAVE ANSWERED THIS QUESTION THE RIGHT WAY but here goes........

Q.)  WHAT IS THE FRUIT OF THE APPLE TREE SUPPOSED TO BE?

 Of course *I* being the thickheaded man that I tend to be would have blurted out
" APPLES!" (I mean EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT!!!!)

 But that is NOT the fruit of the apple tree, not REALLY you see the FRUIT of the apple tree was never intended by God to be just APPLES but rather ..... (wait for it...wait for it.......)

 MORE APPLE TREES!!!!!!!!

 (I mean THE CONCEPT JUST BLOWS ME AWAY!)

I have watched again and again as when someone starts to show the potential to be an APPLE TREE rather than just another APPLE IN THE BASKET the tendency of some  is to whip out the "AXE" and do every thing in their power to CHOP IT DOWN! (Which leads me to THIS question.... ARE THEY CRAZY? Shades of Athaliah!)

 I am so incredibly encouraged to see a shift away from focussing on CHURCH GROWTH to CHURCH HEALTH! A shift away from HOW MANY APPLES DO I HAVE IN MY BASKET to HOW MANY APPLE ****TREES**** HAVE I PRODUCED????

  Because the REALITY IS that HEALTHY CHURCHES ARE FRUITFUL CHURCHES!   The Miracle of the Two Fish and Five Loaves of bread was GREAT But I wonder ...... what was better? To eat the Fish and the Bread HOT OFF THE GRILL or to have to dine on the REMNANTS three days later?

 Keep the cold fish and stale bread..... keep the apples slowly rotting in their baskets.... I'm not interested in just  producing apples,  Lord, GIVE ME APPLE TREES!!!!!!!!