Seen

Our Lord calls us to fruitfulness, and that involves not only inward spiritual growth, but outward spiritual action.  We are saved through faith and our works flow from what Christ has done and is
doing in our hearts. Jesus taught in John 15:
15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

It is really astounding, isn't it?  The Son of the Creator of the universe has designated us to be His friends.  He brings us into a relationship with Himself through salvation, a relationship that His based on His sacrificial, unconditional love for us.  As we love Him and experience more of Him in our lives through surrender, we can see the fruit of the Spirit produced through us - people will hopefully be able to see through us that we belong to Him.

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The apostle Paul was prepared to proclaim His faith in Christ and to allow Christ's love to flow to
others, no matter what their background may be. In Romans 1, we see these verses:
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.
14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.
15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Those of us who are likely in the second half of our lives, perhaps in the Baby Boomer or even the Baby Buster generations, who are devoted to Christ, can certainly keep an eye on those who follow behind - the Millennials and Generation Z.  Gen Z contains today's teens and young adults.

And, there are some trends among young people that can be encouraging, according to a new Pew Research Center study upon which ChristianHeadlines.com reported recently.

As the headline suggests, almost 6 out of 10 evangelical teens say that they talk about their faith with their classmates on a regular basis.  This is a subset of the overall sample, in which 2 out of 3 teens say they never or rarely discuss religion with their friends.

The Christian Headlines article also says:

The poll of 1,800 teenagers (ages 13 to 17) found that 53 percent of teens say they regularly see classmates wearing jewelry or clothing with religious messages, and another 39 percent say they regularly see fellow students praying before a sporting event.

And, about a quarter of those surveyed said that it's "common" to see someone invited to a religious event, like a youth group or a worship service.  Pew also noted that one out of 10 evangelical teens believe they have experienced bullying as a result of their faith.

It seems as if students gravitate toward those who share their religious faith.  The Pew summary also notes that:

• About three-quarters of all religiously affiliated teens (78%) report that at least some of their friends share their religion. A smaller proportion (60%) of all religiously unaffiliated teens say they have friends who identify – like they do – as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular. Indeed, 19% of unaffiliated teens say that none of their friends are religiously unaffiliated, and an additional 19% say that “hardly any” of their friends share their lack of religious affiliation.

The index measured five different types of religious expressions: wearing religious clothing or jewelry, praying before a sporting event, inviting other students to youth groups or services, praying before eating lunch, and reading religious scripture during the school day. Interestingly enough, according to Pew, "8% of teens in public schools say they commonly see all five (3%) or four out of five (5%)."

With regard to personal participation in these activities, Pew relates that about half of the students surveyed do not participate in any of those five activities.  Around 3-in-10 or less of those who are "religiously affiliated" participate in at least one of them.

Public participation can be an expression of private faith.  Some are bold, others are reserved.  But, there can be some outward signs of the inward work of Christ that are not necessarily these five expressions Pew identified.

I do want to establish - we can display the fruit of the Spirit, and that production comes from the inward work of Christ.  Certainly, we can manufacture actions that look good or even great; we can act like a good Christian, but ultimately, the true, lasting fruit flows from that relationship with the living God who lives in us.

Pew identifies some activities that are certainly good, even godly, and could indicate a relationship with Christ.  We know that He desires to express outward signs through us; some that come to mind include: love, a willingness to serve others, the ability to communicate His truth, and the affirmation of Christ in our lives.  We can possess the attitude of not being ashamed of the gospel and being motivated to proclaim to whom we belong.