Podcast Summary

Podcast: ONE | A Potter’s House Church
Episode: ACT 1: Follow The Leader (Bear Fruit) - Ebenezer Quaye (Wednesday Bible Study)
Date: December 12, 2025
Speaker: Pastor Ebenezer Quaye
Host(s): ONE | A Potter’s House Church
Theme: Discipleship: Bearing Fruit and the Call to Contagious Spiritual Living

Overview

This episode is the culminating session in a six-week discipleship series focused on “bearing fruit”—living in such a way that others are drawn to Christ. Pastor Ebenezer Quaye centers on John 15 and Matthew 28, inviting the congregation to consider how authentic Christian living naturally multiplies discipleship. The session is interactive and deeply practical, combining biblical exposition with community-building activities to encourage listeners to “scatter seed” in their everyday lives.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Scriptural Foundation for Bearing Fruit

• Anchor Text: John 15:8, 16

  • Jesus calls His disciples to bear much fruit as evidence that they follow Him.
  • “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.”
  • Bearing fruit is not just for our benefit, but to attract others to Jesus.
  • Before asking God for anything (“…that whatever you ask in my name…”), disciples must first commit to bearing fruit.

• Discipleship Assignment:
  “As disciples, as students, we should not be without an assignment. And the assignment that Jesus has put forward… is to bear much fruit.” (05:21)

2. What Is “Bearing Fruit”?

• Definition:
  Living in such an authentic, Spirit-filled way that others are drawn to inquire about the source of your joy, peace, and character.

  • “A disciple bearing fruit is when, as disciples, we go into the world and…just by being who he’s called us to be, more people are drawn to him.” (06:30)

• Example from Life:
  Ebenezer shares about his own journey, including how his wife, then an atheist, was drawn to the faith solely by seeing the transformation in him over time—not through preaching, but through changed behavior.

  “Disciples, we have to be willing to live authentically and openly how Jesus is affecting and changing us. This is how we bear wisdom, fruit.” (12:45)

• Fruit Is For Others:
  “Someone mentioned how when a tree bears fruit, the tree doesn’t eat the fruit. The fruit is for others…” (14:47)

3. Practical Exercise: Connecting Authentically

(19:00–42:00)

• Group Activity Structure:

  • Groups of five. Each shares their name and favorite English word, then expands: uses it in a sentence, then connects it to a memory.
  • Pastoral insight: “...as disciples, we cannot just go forth spewing word and Bible verses that we heard but have not internalized, studied, given meaning to, and lived.” (38:55)

• Purpose:

  • To model how personal connection, authenticity, and storytelling make witness effective.
  • “The seed that we scatter is the Word. And what makes the word effective is how much we know that word and how comfortable we are with that word.” (36:25)

• Boldness and Discomfort:

  • Acknowledges that sharing personal stories can feel uncomfortable, but growth comes from embracing discomfort for the sake of the assignment.
  • “I'm uncomfortable, but I'm still going to share it because it's needed for the assignment at hand. Thank you. That blessed me.” (34:10)

4. Scattering Seed & The Art of Discipleship

• Immersion, Not Coercion:
  Jesus calls followers to “immerse” others in the reality of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20).

  • “Immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach Hakodesh [Holy Spirit]…” (47:13)

• Testimony as Reminder:
  Every opportunity to bear witness reminds us of how far God has brought us and keeps us humble. Humility is the bridge for effective discipleship.

  “Humility is the bridge that allows those who do not know Jesus to make their way towards Jesus through those that they encounter.” (55:17)

• Role of Time in "Bearing Fruit":
  Not our job to measure when fruit appears. Our job is to scatter seed faithfully and let God tend the harvest.

  • “We are not called to measure the time between when the seed is sown versus when the harvest is apparent.” (72:10)

5. Boldness as Mark of a Disciple

• Acts 4:13: Peter and John are recognized as having “been with Jesus” not due to education but boldness and assurance.

  • “When you go forth to make disciples, what allows you to do that is the boldness with which you speak. And that boldness is a characteristic of having been with Jesus.” (75:15)

• Definition of Boldness:
  “Outspokenness, frankness, bluntness, assurance and a bold pattern of speech.” (77:08)

  • Not loud or aggressive, but authentic, confident, and assured because of closeness with Christ.

6. Call to Action & Reflection

• Homework:

  • Reflect on which lesson from the past six weeks challenged you most, and what practical steps you’ve taken.
  • Testify! Identify fruit that this study has produced in your life.
  • Prepare for the next series on the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5).

• Encouragement to Multiply:

  • “My hope and prayer is someone takes this series and it takes fruit and it bears much fruit.” (81:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Misusing John 15:
  “A lot of us tend to skip to that bottom part—whatever you ask the Father in My name, he will give you—and we get real excited…But as you read earlier…it says…the assignment…is to bear much fruit.” (04:23)

• On Impactful Witness:
  “I just lived it…This is how we bear fruit.” (11:58)

• On Seeds and Harvest:
  “The fruit is not for us…the fruit is for others, not only to partake of it, but there’s seeds in the fruit so that more harvest can be brought forward.” (14:45)

• On the Nature of Spiritual Growth:
  “You may be all the church that someone else ever gets to experience.” (59:40)

• On Timing & Patience:
  “We are not called to measure the time between when the seed is sown versus when the harvest is apparent.” (72:10)

• On Boldness:
  “They saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men…they realized that they had been with Jesus.” (75:45)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:54 | Opening, setting the tone for discipleship series wrap-up | | 04:40 | Introduction of John 15, assignment of bearing fruit as disciples | | 06:30 | Explanation of what “bearing fruit” means, personal example (wife drawn by his transformation) | | 12:45 | Fruit is for others, not ourselves | | 19:00 | Group exercise: sharing words, sentences, and memories | | 34:10 | Embracing discomfort for growth and the benefit of testimony | | 36:25 | Importance of internalizing and living the Word before sharing | | 47:13 | The Great Commission (Matthew 28), “immersing” others in God’s reality | | 55:17 | Humility as a bridge to effective discipleship | | 72:10 | Warning against timekeeping and focusing on faithful seed-sowing | | 75:15 | Acts 4 and boldness as evidence of being with Jesus | | 81:55 | Call to take what’s been learned and multiply it |

Final Thoughts

This episode is both instructional and inspirational. Pastor Ebenezer Quaye artfully balances biblical teaching with practical, hands-on exercises, driving home the point that effective discipleship is less about perfection or pressure and more about authenticity, consistency, and the courage to share. The metaphor of “bearing fruit” is unpacked at multiple levels—personal, communal, and missional—and the audience is left equipped and challenged to be bold, humble, and deeply rooted in Christ as they go out to make more disciples.

Recommended Next Steps:

• Reflect on your own transformation through Christ.
• Practice sharing your testimony in small ways.
• Revisit the assigned scriptures (John 15, Galatians 5, Matthew 28, Acts 4).
• Prepare for the next journey into understanding the Fruits of the Spirit.

“As you continue to walk this thing out as a disciple and you continue to study … just be the authentic full version of who you are. Still being perfected... you have to be willing, you have to be obedient. Didn’t say anything about being perfect because all of us are being perfected.” (60:35)