Fake Fruit
By Cory Cleveland
One morning I awoke from a disturbing dream, and immediately fell to my knees to pray.
After prayer, I woke my wife to tell her this dream and it goes a little like this:
I was floating from house to house watching people get ready for church. They were putting on
fake trees, and these trees had all kinds of fruit on them. Some of the trees had apples and
oranges on the same tree. And some even had grapes and bananas on one tree. They were
wiping down the leaves and brushing off dust; oiling them down to make them look good.
The dream jumps to various scenes where the same people are walking into churches, grocery
stores, shopping malls and gas stations. I was watching these people come and pull from their
trees and eat from the fruit that was hanging from the limbs. I saw them eat from these trees and not even realize that the fruit was fake! They could not tell from the taste, texture, smell and even the meat of the fruit that it was fake.
Yet again the dream skips to the homes of these people- sitting there unfulfilled. I saw some
sitting in poverty, in family dysfunction; some were holding their stomach still hungry. They
were empty- having nothing to fill them with the necessary strength to be able to stand in their
situations and circumstances.
In the dream, I began to laugh at these people; saying to myself, "You should have known better. Don't you know what real fruit taste, smells, and feels like?"
And suddenly it hit me- and this is was the disturbing part of the dream. Some people have never tasted real fruit! Some people have never partaken of the fruitful words that come from an anointed worship team, usher, leader in children’s church, nursery leader, pastor or other
ministries. What some Christians take for granted; some people have never had! God help your
people! Matthew 5:17-20 states, "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears
bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
We have all worn a fake face before- the "fake it 'til you make it" type of idea. And this dream
made me examine myself, to make sure I was not doing this to people. It is one thing to be fake
to yourself; but letting people eat fake fruit from your fake trees is reckless. You're not giving
people the real sustenance they need. We should build real roots and bear real fruit so we can
give them what they need. And then where can we direct people to find what they really need?
To the One who sits at the right-hand of God. His name is Jesus!
John 15:4-5 NKJV
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in
Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
After prayer, I woke my wife to tell her this dream and it goes a little like this:
I was floating from house to house watching people get ready for church. They were putting on
fake trees, and these trees had all kinds of fruit on them. Some of the trees had apples and
oranges on the same tree. And some even had grapes and bananas on one tree. They were
wiping down the leaves and brushing off dust; oiling them down to make them look good.
The dream jumps to various scenes where the same people are walking into churches, grocery
stores, shopping malls and gas stations. I was watching these people come and pull from their
trees and eat from the fruit that was hanging from the limbs. I saw them eat from these trees and not even realize that the fruit was fake! They could not tell from the taste, texture, smell and even the meat of the fruit that it was fake.
Yet again the dream skips to the homes of these people- sitting there unfulfilled. I saw some
sitting in poverty, in family dysfunction; some were holding their stomach still hungry. They
were empty- having nothing to fill them with the necessary strength to be able to stand in their
situations and circumstances.
In the dream, I began to laugh at these people; saying to myself, "You should have known better. Don't you know what real fruit taste, smells, and feels like?"
And suddenly it hit me- and this is was the disturbing part of the dream. Some people have never tasted real fruit! Some people have never partaken of the fruitful words that come from an anointed worship team, usher, leader in children’s church, nursery leader, pastor or other
ministries. What some Christians take for granted; some people have never had! God help your
people! Matthew 5:17-20 states, "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears
bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
We have all worn a fake face before- the "fake it 'til you make it" type of idea. And this dream
made me examine myself, to make sure I was not doing this to people. It is one thing to be fake
to yourself; but letting people eat fake fruit from your fake trees is reckless. You're not giving
people the real sustenance they need. We should build real roots and bear real fruit so we can
give them what they need. And then where can we direct people to find what they really need?
To the One who sits at the right-hand of God. His name is Jesus!
John 15:4-5 NKJV
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in
Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
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