Page 4 - April 2018 - Truth & Tidings

The Fruitfulness of This Garden How sad the assembly where the wall
– “Pleasant Fruits” (4:13) of separation is down. Anybody and
anything may find its way in – the pastor,
This garden is exotic. The fruits and to emulate the sects; sharing pulpits with
spices are not local, but from far-flung denominational churches; reception on the
shores and foreign climes. The fruit and backburner, and people accepted with no
fragrance of a local assembly does not questions asked about morality or sound-
derive from a local or natural source. Our ness of doctrine. Entertainment becomes
priestly exercise is from above. “I create more acceptable than the Bible-reading or
the fruit of the lips,” says our God. The ministry meeting. Usually, the focus be-
believers’ spiritual sacrifices are remind- comes skewed to pander to young people.
ers of the exotic shores of glory and are Musical instruments multiply, choral sing-
derived from the Holy Spirit. The world ing takes over from prayer, praise, and
fails to recognize their value and their worship. Inter-church games are played
preciousness to God. on weekends instead of engaging in tract-
This garden must be cultivated. It re- bands and open-air testimony. There is a
quires constant time and attention. The general dumbing down of standards of be-
concept of husbandry conjures up an im- havior, speech, and dress to accommodate
age of hard work; labor that causes perspi- and to appeal to the unsaved. They must
ration and raises a sweat. The assembly is not be made to feel different or uncomfort-
no place for shirkers, but for workers, and able among the believers!
on a spiritual plane, not merely a physical
level. Cleaning, decorating, and repairing “Then I saw and considered it well: I
the hall are necessary, and time must also looked upon it and received instruction”
be spent preparing for worship, prayer, (Prov 24:32, KJV). Oh, that we might learn
ministry, Bible-study, overseership, visita- salutary lessons from seeing the garden of
tion, and hospitality. the assembly being reduced from spiritual
Proverbs 24 gives us a timely warn- fruitfulness to a “back to nature” condition,
ing about what happens when a garden before it is too late.
is neglected through idleness and sloth, “Thy plants are an orchard of pomegran-
when the wall is breached, allowing wild ates, with pleasant fruits … with all the
animals, vandals, etc., to enter and spoil the chief spices” (v13, KJV). “Thy sprouts,”
garden. We do not read of fruits and spices, better than “thy plants,” conveys the ideas
or even vines in this garden. Instead, we of life, energy, and vitality; three words
have the results of the curse: thorns and which should describe every assembly!
nettles. The weeds encroach and the wall “A paradise of pomegranates,” is how
is breached. Everything goes “back to JND translates this. Pomegranates were
nature.” one of the fruits which the spies brought

100 TRUTH kTidings April 2018