Good Works and God’s Answer

By Michael Griego on January 16, 2026 • ( 0 )

Are good works and acts of service real or manufactured Christianity? I took my question directly to God in earnest prayer. He answered me on Highway 280.

Several years ago, I was driving home from a Mega church leadership meeting after questioning my fellow elders and church pastors on the topic of good works, service, and missions.

I delicately challenged these as potentially “feel-good activities.”

The Problem
As these topics all fell under the broad category of “Deployment” – the third and final pillar in our church strategic framework that included “Evangelism” and “Discipleship” – I was genuinely struggling with what seemed to me like “feel-good Christianity” based on well-intended church and community service activities and programs.

At that time, I was observing a common and encouraged church “deployment” activity of sending Christians out on local or international “mission trips.” These programs included trips to the inner-city to feed and serve the homeless, to Mexico to build houses and support local church youth programs, even to South America and parts of Africa and Eastern Europe to support various local church and parachurch initiatives.

Certainly, these are all very good programs and very powerful experiences for those who participated at both ends of the mission effort. I and my own children participated in these programs over several years.

Nothing wrong there.

The problem is that I found that the proactive push to “sign up” and participate in various well-designed church ministry activities and outreach programs to be potentially a works-based effort, good works indeed but, to me, a bit of manufactured Christianity. Deployment had to be about more than organized good works.

Something seemed off.

My Question To God
That evening with the church leaders, the head pastor tried to answer my question by saying that true deployment sprang from the heart, was not forced, but exuded from the believer. Still not completely satisfied, while I drove home that night on Highway 280, I took my question directly to God in earnest prayer:

“Lord, I’m confused, what does ‘deployment’ really mean – what do you want your people to really do?”

Then a very odd thing happened as I was driving. The words “Parable of the Sower” popped into my mind. There was no sound, just the words in thought.

I was confused. What did this have to do with my question?

Then an even more bizarre thing happened next. Within the time it took to drive another mile, the words “John 15” popped into my mind. Now I knew something was up because up to that point the whole “I am the Vine” passage in John 15 was a passage that did not resonate with me at all as I’d heard it so often I was somewhat numb to it.

Yet now I was excited to get home and look up these 2 Bible passages.

God’s Answer
I excitedly rushed into the house and went right into my office and looked up the Parable of the Sower (see Luke 8, Matthew 13 and Mark 4). The Sower is God, the seed is the Word of God. The 4 ground types and outcomes are those who hear the gospel message and respond based on their heart/life condition.

Path – seed gets eaten by the birds
Rocks – seed sprouts but withers with no moisture
Thorns – seed sprouts but is choked by thorny weeds
Good Soil – seed sprouts and yields a bountiful crop a hundred-fold.

Jesus explains that:

“the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (Luke 8:15)

I then flipped over to John 15 and the “I am the true vine” passage:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:1-5)

Christ is the vine, God the Father is the vine grower. We the people of the church are the branches. God removes branches and prunes productive branches so that they may bear more fruit. There is no fruit bearing unless one abides (connected in relationship) with the Vine (Christ). Apart from that connection there is no fruit. No matter what the works.

So, deployment, without a connected relationship with Christ is good, but not God-led or Spirit-led fruit producing.

My Summary Takeaway
The answer was now explicitly clear to me. How I missed it was somewhat baffling to me but overshadowed by an awestruck respect for the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit actually available to us if and when we seek It.

I’d summarize the combined lesson as this:

We are to be fertile soil so roots can grow deep and be richly nourished (Parable of the Sower). And we are to abide, be connected to the Vine, who is Jesus (I AM the Vine), our source of nourishment, fuel, power, strength, and peace; our direct connection to God now available to each of us who believe.

When we are connected to the Vine, we yield bountiful fruit a hundredfold, directed by Him, not of our own works, whatever they may be. God is the Sower and the Master in the vineyard. We merely respond and He does the pruning and the soil tending. We’re just to stay as good fertile soil and connected to Him/Jesus, the Vine, via prayer, the Word, and fellowship with others in the field with us.

He does the fruit-producing; we’re the pass-through vessels, used for His good purposes, be they whatever individual or church and community service activities and programs to which He leads us.

As for the church, it’s all in the fruit, not the activity. The church is to present and teach the Word of God, develop and equip the saints as deeply abiding disciples of Christ. The rest is on God. His Spirit sends out and deploys for specific purposes – His purposes. Through our Christ-abiding and surrendered hearts, minds and souls we are led to produce good fruit for the Kingdom. Nothing forced, not of our own good intentions. It’s the obedient and fruit-bearing Church in the hands of the Master Vinegrower.

Yes, this profound and meaningful answer also took away the mystery of life for me. No longer am I duty or action bound; rather, I am free to ask, seek, and respond to God’s prompting and direction through the Holy Spirit. But I need to stay connected and obedient. Otherwise my “good works” or “service” may only be of me, not of God.

Now I know the key to real life living and multiplied fruit production.

Lasting Implications
I’ve learned in the years since then that God is relentless in His love and pursuit of us. It is odd and mysterious, and wonderfully amazing nevertheless. Like a good Father, He doesn’t throw in the towel and abandon us in our distractions and entanglements.

Even in our struggles with questions and surrendering faith.

God is in it for the long haul. He patiently waits and gives us full freedom in response to His call, love, gifts and blessings. Of course, for our own sake, the sooner the better. And better late than never.

And even if it takes a lifetime for the roots to take hold deep and firm and produce a crop yield “thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold,” the holy result is richly blessed.

Are you bearing fruit in Spirit-led deployment?
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“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.” – John 15:8