Bearing Fruit: What Happens When God's People Grow

by Robby Gallaty

Why are so many Christians stagnant in their faith? Why do we often live as though the gospel stops at the moment of conversion? The good news of Jesus doesn’t stop the moment we get saved. In fact, salvation is only the beginning of God’s work in our lives. We often view salvation as the ending point; it’s really the beginning point. The gospel of Jesus doesn’t only justify us; it sanctifies us. When we receive the Holy Spirit at salvation, an incredible work begins to happen in we begin to bear fruit. When we are firmly planted in the gospel and committed to growing in Christ, He produces in us the fruits of the Spirit, the marks of a true Christian. In Bearing Fruit , Robby Gallaty walks us through the life of the Christian. Biblical, intentional, and practical, Bearing Fruit points our hearts to the gracious God who called us, justified us, and is now sanctifying us by the work of his Holy Spirit.

Genres: Discipleship, Christian

144 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2017

Reviews

[Johnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bearing Fruit: What Happens When God’s People Grow is the latest book by author/pastor Robby Gallaty. Robby is the Senior Pastor of Long Holly Baptist Church in Hendersonville, TN and has become a leading voice for discipleship within Christian circles. This book is the third and final book in a series which began in 2013 with Growing Up: How to Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples followed by Firmly Planted: How to Cultivate a Faith Rooted in Christ in 2015.
In Bearing Fruit, the author attempts to work through the concept of sanctification, defined by Gallaty as the “process whereby Christ lives His life through us.” He states that the entire process is God’s doing from start to finish but when it happens, God brings forth fruit. All of us should strive to be fruit bearers.
But what is that fruit? That is the question that Gallaty attempts to explore in this book by going to the seven places in the New Testament where the word “fruit” is located. He then explores the following: The Fruit of Repentance, Fruit of Ministry; Fruit of Sanctification, Fruit of Righteousness; Fruit of Good Works; The Fruit of the Spirit; and The Fruit of Praise.
I found this book to be a powerful read, especially when you put it up aside the other books in this series. This will be an excellent discipleship tool that can be used in a small discipleship group setting. It would be helpful to go through this book with what Gallaty has called a “D-Group: a gender-exclusive, closed group of three to six people who meet weekly. He does a great job of really going deep in each of these areas. If you are like me, you will be underlining quotes along the way. This book is full of repeatable material that can benefit believers in their walk with Christ.
I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.

[Christopher Humphrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Bearing Fruit: What Happens When God's People Grow" by Robby Gallaty is a fine book for what it is; however, in my opinion it is simply not all it could be. This book is the thrird volume in the triad of discipleship books written by Gallaty. Taken together, they seem to be a progression of books that one would use with a new believer in a discipleship relationship. At that, they are extremely basic.

So, how could they be improved? First, I would suggest a heavier hand be exerted by an experienced editor. This book (although this is the best of the 3, perhaps) is slightly disorganized and a bit all over the place. Second, I would omit many of the personal stories and focus more on the text of Scripture, for only those words are inspired by God. Third, I would re-think the scope and sequence of what is covered from book 1 to book 3 and make sure the progression makes sense. One gets the impression that these 3 books were not adequately mapped-out at the beginning, and so they have a "throw everything in" kind of feel,

These books were quite expensive for what they were, and although expense should not be the primary motivator, there are many better resources available to accomplish the same thing in a more substantive and organized way. There is value to these books, but in a "good, better, best" evaluation, I would simply place this book and the other 2 in the "good" category. Happy reading!

[Deborah Flora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here’s a concept about the fruit of the spirits that I really liked from this book.
Robby Gallaty divides the fruits into three categories.
Love, Joy, Peace = Habits of the Mind
Patience, Kindness, Goodness = Virtuous Deeds Expressed to Others
Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control = the General Conduct of the Believer

I really liked these three categories. Robby then gives a paragraph to intentionally speak a little deeper about each of the fruits we want to bear in our lives.

This book isn’t very big or thick, but I enjoyed it and the thoughts and motivations it stirred up in my life.
Chapter 6 contains a couple of pages on Patient Endurance and they resonated with my heart since steadfastness has been one of my focuses this year. Dealing with pain over the last several years with my back, sciatic and foot has also taught me about patient endurance.
Right on the heels of this passage are a few paragraphs on Joyful Gratitude and I loved this inspiration as well.

The book also has a five-day Bible reading plan that will take a year, laid out in the back of it if you like to implement tools and study helps such as this.

I was given this book to review and all opinions are my own.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all of Robby Gallaty's books on discipleship, this one is filled with practical application of discipleship methods built solidly upon the Word of God. This book can be used a curriculum for discipling a new believer, as a guide for establishing a group of disciplers, or a refresher for those who are in the discipleship pipeline of their church. Each chapter is a lesson and focuses on a key aspect of understanding the Christian walk. It is a short, concise, and efficient book that is both informative and entertaining.

[Russell Threet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read what Robby Gallaty writes because he writes on my level. His information is solid, his doctrine is biblical, and his communication style is engaging. Bearing Fruit is not different. In fact, this is my favorite Gallaty book so far. It speaks plainly but in a challenging way to Christians and lays out what it looks like to live the life of a fruitful Christian. This third volume in the Growing Up series is the crown jewel. of the series.

[Alan Rathbun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to help me do a thorough study on fruit and fruitfulness. While it brought to light the many different ways “fruit” is used in Scripture, it did not explain well what those uses meant. Even though he mentions clearly in a couple of places that we need the Holy Spirit to produce fruit, the book often felt like a call to “get your act together and do better.” I also felt that a lot of the illustrations were random and didn’t help with clarifying what was being taught.

[Bill Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good

This is the third of the series and is also good. I believe it would be helpful if he ever makes another addition to have questions to consider but it was also very good.

[Courtney Bach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my least favorite in the series, but an important message. We read this as the last step of our DGroup and as the book says, now is the time to act, the time to move, time to go (just in a lot of words and repetitively).

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

BEARING FRUIT by pastor Robby Gallaty is part of a trio of books by books published by B&H Publishing Group on the topic of discipleship (the other two titles being Growing Up and Firmly Planted --- also published by B&H Publishing). This particular title focuses on the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22,23. But rather than an in-depth exposition of each of the fruits mentioned in that passage, Gallaty probes a more extensive exposition of the allegory of fruit as compared to the evidences of the life of God that should be evident in the lives of Christians.

The author wants to show that sanctification --- the process on Earth where the believer cooperates with the action and leading of the Holy Spirit to become more like Christ --- is a natural growth function of life as a new creature in Christ. Just as a human baby would be treated as ill and nutritionally comprised if he did not learn to eat and digest adult food, and to grow physically, emotionally and mentally; so too a Christian is expected to display spiritual maturity and the evident inner changes wrought by the Holy Spirit as time goes on. As Gallaty writes, "Believers are expected to sanctify themselves in the Lord through the strength and power of the Spirit within each of us. We walk in the Spirit…when we allow God to work in us and to work through us." And the evidences of that work and sanctification [growth] are the fruits of character and attitude called the "fruits of the Spirit" in Galatians 5.

The author makes a very good point in showing that the term "fruit" is actually used in several places in the New Testament outside of the passage in Galatians, and so a number of chapters are taken up with examining those passages and their meaning to the overall topic of spiritual growth and sanctification. After delving into a thorough explanation of the idea of abiding in Christ, the next chapters look at fruits of repentance, ministry, sanctification, righteousness, good works, love-joy-peace and others in Galatians 5; and finally, the fruit of praise. Writing in a clear and humble manner, Gallaty displays keen insights into both human behavior and psychology, as well as the truths of Scripture and church history to encourage believers to pursue a lifetime and lifestyle of growth by learning to yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and keep in step with Him on a daily basis. A quick read, but with much spiritual nourishment to be gained in less than 200 pages. Recommended especially for lay leaders and those who wish to become "disciples who make disciples."