My Muse in line with 'B's message.
I have felt to reinforce the message from Sunday as this is vital for your journey with Jesus and your relationship with the Father. If you have time can I encourage you to have a read and reflect on what God has revealed and confirmed from Sunday. So as we think about and apply the teaching of Jesus which ‘B’ bought to us Sunday, it’s important to understand that this is not about how you become a Christian, it’s about how you live as a Christian, it’s about your life lived as a true believer in and follower of Jesus Christ Himself – the I AM. The purpose of the passage, I think, is to show us how dependent on the vine the branches are. And I think that we can hear it and see it as we read this passage: the branch, which is us as believers, are completely dependent upon the vine, which is Christ. The vine and branches have a life giving and life receiving connection. What we’re seeing here is the relationship that true believers in and followers of Christ, have with Christ. He gives life and believers grow. But something else is also clear – believers have no power in and of themselves to do what’s required of them by God. Verse 5 makes that clear when Jesus says, for apart from Me you can do nothing. We can't live this life in isolation. Think of it. What’s a branch without a vine? Dead stick. ‘B’ bought out a key word in our passage that helps us see this life giving connection between vine and branches. Note the word abide. Jesus says in verse 4, Abide in me, and I in you. We see the word abide 5 times in these 6 verses, and 6 more times through verse 16. Note that abiding is all about the believer in Christ. It’s about something only believers have with Christ. So when you hear abide in these verses think fellowship. The true believer abides in Christ, or has fellowship with, Christ. And we must abide with Christ because we are completely dependent on the vine, Jesus Christ. And we must abide with Christ because our purpose is to glorify God now, while we are living here on earth. And note this abiding is a spiritual connection. The disciples would see Jesus Christ ascend to heaven, physically leaving them. But He would not be disconnecting them from the vine. They would still be connected – they would still be in Christ. All true believers in Jesus Christ have the helper, the Holy Spirit, the indwelling presence of God Himself. But also note that Jesus is also telling the disciples that they are to stay connected to Christ. And that’s the fellowship that we’re to seek in Christ. And that abiding with Christ, in one word is obedience, and that obedient walk with Christ, which is empowered by the Holy Spirit is where fruit in the believer’s life is produced. But know that there’s no fruit without the vine. We don’t produce the fruit, but by the work of the Spirit and the Word as we remain faithful to Christ and abide with Him, God produces the fruit of the Spirit in us, if we are His children. Our abiding in, or staying connected to the vine is our primary aim. Not producing fruit. Fruit in the believers life is an identifying characteristic of the one who is a follower of Christ. Fruit is how other believers know when they are seeing a true brother or sister in Christ. Fruit is how the world knows that our faith is real and not just talk. And just as healthy plants produce healthy fruit. So healthy Christians produce healthy fruit. But an unhealthy plant means little fruit and a poor quality of fruit, if signs of fruit exist at all. So here’s the point of what Jesus is teaching and what ‘B’ bought out on Sunday. Those who abide in Christ, those who seek fellowship with Christ, will bear fruit. And what that fruit looks like will vary and will likely be of many different sorts. Because I think God’s Word makes clear that, in the life of a believer there will be several kinds of fruit. Like in Galatians 5:22-23 where we see the fruit of the Spirit. So for example, a Godly and Christ-like character is fruit. Faithful and cheerful serving is fruit. Leading others to Christ is fruit. Faithful and cheerful Christian giving is fruit. Doing your work for God’s glory, even work done for a secular employer, is fruit. And there are others. But in all that, it is a fundamental truth that those who stay connected to the vine will grow, and flourish, and produce healthy, obvious fruit. And that fruit in a believer’s life points to the health of the relationship with Christ. On the other hand, the branch that doesn’t stay connected to the vine, the believer that does not abide in Christ, the one that does not stay in close fellowship with Christ, does not produce good fruit, and withers spiritual. If we are in Christ we are branches connected to the vine, which is Christ, and our priority is not to do more for Christ, it’s stay connected to Christ, and it’s obvious from the text that when we stay connected to Christ, He does more with us. The priority for us is not production, it is by God’s grace, fellowship with Christ. And when we nurture a healthy abiding with and fellowship with Christ, fruit will be abundant. We don’t make fruit, God does – it’s Christ at work in us that produces fruit. That’s what we hear in verse 5. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Know this that God is at work, growing the faithful, pruning the faithful, producing fruit in the faithful, fruit that’s for our good and fruit that brings Him glory. May you rest in and remain in Christ May we see the fruit of your abiding relationship with Christ Jesus After reading open up this link and reflect, pray and worship the one whom we are to remain in. Christ is enough - Hillsong https://youtu.be/0fZ-tBR7LJ0 Aroha from your friend and fellow branch JD
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AuthorPastor JD Drower Archives
May 2017
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