John 15:1-17 I am The True Vine
You will not get a more clear more simple view of the church's role in the world. Or your role in the world for that matter.
Jesus is a vine and if we are "in Him", we are branches to that vine. If we are not bearing fruit, we will be taken away. If we bear fruit we will be pruned.
That kind of hurts doesn't it? You will surely either be cut off or cut back. Sounds like fun to me!
I think that we bearers of the Grace message struggle with this passage. We would hate to think that something is actually required of us. Well here it is. No clearer message.
We must bear fruit.
Good news! A branch of a vine does not face each morning thinking "I must bear fruit". A branch produces fruit because of the life coming from the vine flowing through it.
A good branch has lots of life flowing through it and therefore produces good fruit.
So we don't concentrate on bearing fruit. We concentrate on connecting to the vine in such a manner that lots of life giving power flows through us.
When the pruning shears come, an come they will, hang on and rejoice because that allows for life to be focused on the fruit bearing part of us and will not be drained by the deadwood.
This is where the works message goes awry. We shouldn't have to count our steps on the Sabbath. We shouldn't have to check our account to see if we gave 10%. We shouldn't have to count the notches in our belt for each soul that has been won to the kingdom.
If we are connected to the vine, we will produce fruit.
Fruit shows up in the oddest places. In Pioneer park on a Sunday passing out food to the homeless. In American Fork on a Saturday morning passing out boxes of food to the needy. In the local coffee shop sharing a cup of coffee with an hurting person.
You know Jesus could have done this whole thing differently. It could really be about the numbers. It could be about the steps. It could be about the rituals. For sure that would be easier to keep track of.
In verse 17 He explains. "These commands I give you so you will love one another". It all boils down to that. Loving each other.
If we are counting steps, balancing our tithes, counting coup, we are not loving each other.
Clean, simple, effective, exciting, that is the purpose of the church.
Be blessed!
Jesus is a vine and if we are "in Him", we are branches to that vine. If we are not bearing fruit, we will be taken away. If we bear fruit we will be pruned.
That kind of hurts doesn't it? You will surely either be cut off or cut back. Sounds like fun to me!
I think that we bearers of the Grace message struggle with this passage. We would hate to think that something is actually required of us. Well here it is. No clearer message.
We must bear fruit.
Good news! A branch of a vine does not face each morning thinking "I must bear fruit". A branch produces fruit because of the life coming from the vine flowing through it.
A good branch has lots of life flowing through it and therefore produces good fruit.
So we don't concentrate on bearing fruit. We concentrate on connecting to the vine in such a manner that lots of life giving power flows through us.
When the pruning shears come, an come they will, hang on and rejoice because that allows for life to be focused on the fruit bearing part of us and will not be drained by the deadwood.
This is where the works message goes awry. We shouldn't have to count our steps on the Sabbath. We shouldn't have to check our account to see if we gave 10%. We shouldn't have to count the notches in our belt for each soul that has been won to the kingdom.
If we are connected to the vine, we will produce fruit.
Fruit shows up in the oddest places. In Pioneer park on a Sunday passing out food to the homeless. In American Fork on a Saturday morning passing out boxes of food to the needy. In the local coffee shop sharing a cup of coffee with an hurting person.
You know Jesus could have done this whole thing differently. It could really be about the numbers. It could be about the steps. It could be about the rituals. For sure that would be easier to keep track of.
In verse 17 He explains. "These commands I give you so you will love one another". It all boils down to that. Loving each other.
If we are counting steps, balancing our tithes, counting coup, we are not loving each other.
Clean, simple, effective, exciting, that is the purpose of the church.
Be blessed!
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