Researching the WT-CD on John 15:8 yielded these selected comments in chronological order:
9/1/52 WT
p. 534 Maturity Essential to IncreaseAdditionally and inseparably linked with bearing witness is the result, namely, the increase in the number of those who respond and also become disciples. That is all part of the fruitage, the ingathering of believers into the organization, just as established believers were the fruitage of the apostle’s labors.
11/1/54 WT
pp. 659-660 The Fruitage of the SpiritSo, then, since each variety of seed produces its own kind, and since we ourselves came to a knowledge of the truth through someone else’s preaching of the Kingdom message, then it follows that the fruitage that we must produce is that of bearing witness to yet others of that same message and thus help to multiply the Kingdom interests.
12/1/56 WT
p. 729 Productive WitnessingNote he said "much fruit." This forcefully draws to our attention that Jehovah requires us to be productive witnesses, accomplishing much through preaching, locating persons of good will, feeding them and bringing them to maturity so that they likewise will see their privilege of bearing Kingdom fruit.
5/1/58 WT
pp. 282-283 Living Up to the NameEach congregation and each individual who shares in Jehovah’s service would do well to stop and ask, ‘Can I point to a fruitage of praise-producing dedicated ministers as evidence of a ministry productive of praise to Jehovah?’ Paul could, and he said: "You are shown to be a letter of Christ written by us as ministers, inscribed not with ink but with spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets, but on fleshly tablets, on hearts." (2 Cor. 3:3) If we have no such letter of recommendation, then instead of continuing to perform a ministry that is in this respect unproductive, we would do well to analyze ourselves and our service to see wherein improvement may be made.
Christ Jesus showed what else makes one’s service well pleasing in the sight of God. "My Father is glorified in this, that you keep bearing much fruit and prove yourselves my disciples." (John 15:8) Merely sowing seed is not the same as bearing fruit. That seed of truth must be watered and cultivated and grow into a productive plant in order to bear fruit. If as a result of our ministry the seed of truth does take root and is cared for until it too grows into a fruit-producing plant, then our ministry glorifies Jehovah because it produces more praisers.
4/1/58 WT
p. 204 Man—Free and ResponsibleAdditionally, every Christian has the responsibility to bear fruit, even as Jesus showed. (John 15:2) Among such fruitage is "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control." That includes helping our Christian brothers to the extent we have opportunity and means. We may not be like the priest and the Levite who tried to brush off their responsibility to the traveler who had been beaten and robbed by walking on the other side of the street. Rather, we must be like the good Samaritan who went out of his way to help the one in distress.
9/1/60 WT
p. 537 Awake Worshipers in the Time of the EndHe brings forth in his life fruitage of Christian qualities, referred to at John 15:8, and which brings glory to the Father. He is consistent in offering "to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips which make public declaration to his name." (Heb. 13:15) This results in more persons hearing the good news and becoming dedicated Christians, heartwarming letters of recommendation testifying to the fruitfulness of the ministry in which we participate as "God’s fellow workers."
9/1/64 WT
p. 532 Let the Spirit’s Fruitage Make Over Your PersonalityJesus in his illustration of the vine and the branches particularly emphasized this overriding purpose for bearing more of the spirit’s fruitage, saying: "My Father is glorified in this, that you keep bearing much fruit and prove yourselves my disciples."—John 15:8.
So keep on letting the spirit’s fruitage make over your personality. Keep on bearing much fruitage. Keep on proving that you are a true footstep follower of Christ Jesus and an imitator of his lovely personality.
1/1/76 WT
p. 31 Questions from ReadersBearing fruit would involve their manifesting the qualities that he, Jesus, had displayed. By abiding in union with him they could cultivate the fruitage of the spirit.
12/15/78 WT
p. 22 The Kind of Fruit Bearing That Glorifies GodJudgment and justice, mercy, faithfulness, righteousness, the keeping and not a twisting of God’s Law were part of the fruit that Jehovah looked for from the typical "vineyard" of Israel. To be consistent, should he look for fruit different from all that to be on the "branches" of his "true vine"? Not at all! The fruit that He desires as an adornment of those "branches" is Christlike qualities of personality. But there is more to the fruit than an idle personality.
The unchanging God does not want either such kind of fruit on the "branches" of his "true vine," Jesus Christ. So the spiritual Israelites of the Kingdom class must keep themselves morally clean. They must not commit spiritual adultery by making friends with this world.
Their being no part of this world by keeping away from its politics and conflicts is the expression of the fruit of cleanness and stainlessness from this world.
8/15/83 WT
p. 23 United Fruit BearersWhile the "other sheep" are not branches of the Abrahamic-covenant "olive tree" or of "the true vine," Christ Jesus, they must prove themselves to be Christ’s disciples. Like all the anointed Christian "branches," they must "keep bearing much fruit." This they do by producing Christlike qualities of the new personality, including "the fruitage of the spirit."
8/1/01 WT p. 16 Make Your Advancement Manifest
(John 15:8) Both by the fruitage of the spirit and by the Kingdom fruitage of their ministry, the disciples brought glory to Jehovah
Today, Jehovah’s blessing is upon his people as they engage in a global spiritual harvest. For a number of years now, about 300,000 new ones every year
