Deep Roots Equals Much Fruit (Part 1)
PART 1
June 15th. The long-awaited day was finally upon us. It had been weeks since the topic for YEM Summer Program 2019, “Fruitfulness” was revealed to the YEM leaders, and the foundation of John 15:5 had been laid by President Prince Edmond. It had been weeks of searching the Scriptures, reading and re-reading Scriptures concerning fruitfulness, and weeks of self-examination, to see where I lacked fruit in my life!
Leading up to the program, I read, fasted and prayed; determining to be as focused and prepared as I have ever been, because I believed my labor would not be in vain. I knew that this weekend would be something special for me and that I would certainly leave Empowered and transformed! The leaders meeting on the Thursday was the perfect beginning to the weekend. President Prince ministered a WORD that excited my spirit for what was in store the rest of the weekend. We also edified ourselves in prayer, praying for the manifestation of every spiritual gift that we had. By the end of that night, I thought, if this was the beginning, what would the rest of the weekend be like?
The last day, AKA day Jesus allows those that are truly thirsty to drink (John 7:37-38), was an atmosphere that was fully charged. Expectation filled the arena and I could tell that God really had something for every single individual… and you could bet I was NOT going to miss mine! I learned a lesson that’ll forever leave an indelible mark on me. Just as the Bible describes Stephen, who was called to serve tables, as being filled with the Holy Spirit & faith (Acts 6:2-5), we also, regardless of whatever role God has called us to play in His Kingdom, MUST be filled with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to flow through us. This was evident when after worship (or so we thought) the MC for the night, Asher Plange, went to grab the mic and move the program forward (again, or so we thought). Instead, being led by The Holy Spirit, he led us in worship, into a deeper realm that seemed to break the atmosphere wide open. I don’t know how best to describe it, but those who were there could testify that Heaven had surely kissed the Earth! After this, Pastor Stephen Aryitey of Faith Fellowship Ministries Int’l. gave a Word that contained his usual gems and insight. To summarize his message (at the risk of oversimplifying) in a sentence, he stated that “fruitfulness stems from being “Scripture-ruled and Spirit-led.” In other words, we must pursue becoming fruitful by the instructions God has given us in His Word and by the leading of The Holy Spirit!