READ: Leviticus 19:23-25
And IN THE FIFTH YEAR SHALL YE EAT OF THE FRUIT THEREOF, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 19:25
God expects fruits within five years. There are some fruits that are borne only after five years. Just like Chinese bamboo, many churches develop properly only after five years of being planted in the ground. After planting the Chinese bamboo in the ground, you need to water and fertilize it for five years. All through the five years, you will see nothing at all for all your labour. The bamboo shoot does not even come out of the ground within the first five years. However, in the fifth year the Chinese bamboo will break through the ground, and in six weeks it will grow to over ninety feet tall. Indeed, without faith you will stop watering the Chinese bamboo. If at any time you stop watering the bamboo during the five years, it will die in the ground and you will have no fruit. The Chinese bamboo is a revelation of fruit you can bear only after five years.
There are fruits you can expect to see only after five years. There will be little to see after one year, two years or even three years.
Indeed, a certain kind of church growth is only seen after five years. You will see certain fruits only after five years of ministry. Many pastors develop in their ministries only after five years of real ministry. Perhaps, there is a major leap forward in your ministry every five years.
“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3).