Growth principle: What Christ wants on the whole is that Jesus-followers bear a full harvest as they intentionally fellowship and serve together in a fruitful community.

In our previous three messages of our series on The fruitful life, God disclosed to us through the words of Jesus the growth principles:

What Christ requests most is that Jesus-followers are connected to him with the kind of intensity that demonstrates the way we live our lives.

What Christ desires is that Jesus-followers can experience the process of becoming more and more like him rather than getting caught up in frenzied spiritual activity.

What Christ cares about mainly is that Jesus-followers throughout periods of unfruitful seasons can purify their motives and redirect their focus toward fulfilled aspirations.

Generally, when we talk about fruitbearing, we think in terms of individuals remaining in Christ and bearing fruit. While this approach is not incorrect, it may be incomplete when considering the fruitful life. Perhaps Jesus-followers bear even greater fruit when they gather together than they do when they walk with God individually. The church must discover the role of community in bearing a rich harvest.

Then just what is meant by community? What is the meaning of Christian community or fellowship? Gossip? Cups of tea? Games in the park? Tours? No. What is being referred to is something of a quite different order and on a quite different level. The early church experienced the fruit of fellowship in Acts 2:42-47…

They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved. (Acts 2:42-47, The Message).

That is fellowship as the New Testament understands it, and there is clearly a world of difference between that and mere social activities.

The Greek word for fellowship [koinonia] comes from a root meaning common or shared. So fellowship means a wonderful harmony, a common participation in something either by giving what we have to the other person or receiving what he or she has. Give and take is the essence of fellowship, and give and take must be the way of fellowship in the common life of the body of Christ.

Christian fellowship is two-dimensional, and it has to be vertical before it can be horizontal. We learned in our last message the truth that we must know the reality of fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ before we can know the reality of fellowship with each other in our common relationship to God. The person who is not in fellowship with the Father and the Son is likened to a branch that is dead and useless in bearing fruit, and so cannot share with Jesus-followers the realities of their fellowship.

The fourth message in our series The Fruitful Life focuses upon one final growth principle:

What Christ wants on the whole is that Jesus-followers bear a full harvest as they intentionally fellowship and serve together in a fruitful community.

How do Jesus-followers bear a full harvest as they intentionally fellowship and serve together in a fruitful community? Viewing ourselves as an integral part of a fruitbearing group doesn’t always come naturally in an individualistic Western culture. The isolated individual is a modern illusion that we’ve all brought into big time. None of us as Jesus-followers exists except in community, literally. We carry the DNA of countless others in every cell. So we are community, perhaps reflecting the way that God is community (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

Interconnected relationships grounded in Christ increase the yield of fruit in our lives. There is a multiplying effect when we’re part of a visible team. When we gather with others in Jesus’ name for any reason, the Lord is present more tangibly. That’s just a fact. Jesus says, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20). We have a more concrete sense of representing Christ in that experience.

For example, as individuals we can do an act of kindness for a single mom, and there is genuine value to and fruit from that act. However, when we bring a single mom to a Mom’s Night Out at church, she sees an entire church mobilizing to serve her. She experiences the atmosphere of love that pervades the evening. It sends a powerful signal that Jesus—whose name, for better or worse, is connected to the church—truly cares for her. That’s a huge fruit multiplier! This example can be carried out in countless ways within the body of Christ.

We might affirm that fruit loves company; in fact, it is multiplied by it!

Jesus says there are two influences that have a marked effect upon producing a harvest in John 15:18-27…

¹⁸ "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I told you: 'Servants are not greater than their master. 'If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ Those who hate me hate my Father as well. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.' ²⁶ "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. ²⁷ And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”

Jesus illustrates two important themes in these verses: the opposition of the world against the church, and the ministry of the Spirit to and through the church. Jesus has been talking about love, but now he is talking about hatred. It seems incredible that anyone would hate Jesus Christ and his people. However, that is exactly what the situation was in Jesus’ day and what it is in our world today. Jesus openly taught his followers that in the midst of bearing a fruitful life, testing would come. It comes in the form of persecution for following Jesus.

The Testing of Bearing Fruit

Jesus-followers can stand together and work in community to withstand our culture’s hatred. This is only possible when we are connected to Christ. This connection is only possible due to the special ministries of the Holy Spirit as seen in the first-century church and seen as well in the twenty-first century body of Christ.

Bearing fruit while living in a hostile world

¹⁸ "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I told you: 'Servants are not greater than their master. 'If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ Those who hate me hate my Father as well. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'

The followers of Jesus are expected to receive the same kind of treatment from the world as had their Master. “Servants are not greater than their masters.” This means that we cannot expect to escape the testing just because Jesus faced it for us. In fact, we will encounter the hard times from the world because we know Jesus. The world’s hatred is one evidence that the disciples are Jesus’ chosen people. They are connected to the vine; they are called to bear fruit even in the midst of hostility. If the world truly knows God, it will love Jesus and his followers. Just living in the world will bring on hostility and hardship. We’re going to face those rotten days.

Top Ten Things That Tell You it’s Going to be a Rotten Day

10. You wake up face down on the pavement. 9. You call Suicide Prevention and they put you on hold. 8. Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the candles. 7. Your twin sister forgot your birthday. 6. Your car horn goes off accidentally and remains stuck as you follow a group of Hell’s Angels on the freeway. 5. Your boss tells you not to bother to take off your coat. 4. The bird singing outside your window is a buzzard. 3. Your income tax check bounces. 2. You put both contact lenses in the same eye. 1. Your wife says, “Good morning, Bill,” and your name is Bob.

The world is not of love but hatred therefore the world will hate Jesus-followers. We need to clarify for a moment what Jesus means by “the world.” The term is used in Scripture in at least three different ways. It can mean…

the created world (the world was made by him—John 1:10) > the world of humanity (the world that God loves—John 3:16) > the world system apart from God (if anyone loves the world—1 John 2:15-17)

Jesus uses the term the “world system” in this context. He pulls no punches when he tells his followers that their situation in the world will be serious and even dangerous. The progression will move from hatred, to persecution, to ex-communication, and even death.

The world system from a Christian point of view involves all the people, plans, organizations, activities, philosophies, etc. that belong to cultural values without God. These values support lusting of the flesh, lusting of the eyes along with the boastful pride of life. Some of these things may be very cultural; others may be very corrupt; but all of them have their origins in the heart and mind of sinful people and promote what sinful people want to enjoy and accomplish. As Jesus-followers, we must be careful not to love the world or be conformed to the world.

Therefore, there are several reasons why the world system hates Jesus-followers, the ones who believe on Jesus and seek to follow him: we are identified with Christ; the world is spiritually ignorant and blind; and the world will not be honest about it own sin.

Andrew Murray shares a personal perspective regarding life in a hostile world. “First, God brought me here; it is by his will I am in this strait place: in that fact I will rest. Next, he will keep me here in his love, and give me grace to behave as his child. Then, he will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons he intends me to learn, and working in me the grace he means to bestow. Last, in his good time he can bring me out again—how and when he knows. Let me say I am here, (1) By God’s appointment, (2) In God’s keeping, (3) Under God’s training, (4) For God’s time.”

The presence of Christ can bring blessing or curse. I find that the more I learn about Jesus the greater the moral demands that are laid on me. The more I grow in Christ the greater is my sense of responsibility toward others. To turn my back on Jesus at this point is not only sin, but will end in my hating the Christ I disobey, and damaging the work within the body of Christ. But when I joyously respond to Jesus’ call I am blessed, and the church is fulfilled.

Times of testing have always been for the church seasons of fruitbearing. So fruit loves company. Thus the church continues to proclaim and witness because God has brought us here. There is no reason for the church to stumble when the world stokes up the fires of persecution. We should expect trials in the midst of fruitbearing only because Jesus tells us they are coming!

When we encounter hostility what is our response? Evil for evil? Withdrawal? Stubbornness? Or the witness of a victorious, forgiving love?

Bearing fruit while living with a holy witness

²⁶ "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. ²⁷ And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”

For three years, Jesus has been with his followers to protect them from attack; but now he is about to leave them. It is necessary for Jesus to explain why it is important for them that he returns to the Father. Jesus says that God will send his followers the Advocate (variously translated, counselor, comforter, helper] to come alongside them; to be with them through their times of testing and persecution. The Spirit of Truth will witness to the power and truth of Jesus so that Jesus-followers may not falter in their witness.

The major reason is that the Holy Spirit might come to empower the church for life and the bearing of fruit. Also, the ascended Master would be able to intercede for his people at the heavenly throne of grace. The Son and the Holy Spirit work in harmony before the Father to help guide and intercede for the church as they seek to bear fruit in a hostile world. This working together is illustrated in the following example.

The story is told of a young woman, Linda, who was traveling alone up the rutted and rugged highway from Alberta to the Yukon. Linda didn’t know you don’t travel to Whitehorse alone in a rundown Honda Civic, so she set off where only four-wheel drive vehicles normally venture. The first evening she found a room in the mountains near a summit and asked for a 5 A.M. wakeup call so she could get an early start. She couldn’t understand why the clerk looked surprised at that request, but as she awoke to early-morning fog shrouding the mountain tops, she understood. Not wanting to look foolish, she got up and went to breakfast.

Two truckers invited Linda to join them, and since the place was so small, she felt obliged. “Where are you headed?” one of the truckers asked. ‘Whitehorse’ “In that little Civic? No way! This pass is DANGEROUS in weather like this.” “Well, I’m determined to try,” was Linda’s gutsy, if not very informed, response. “Then I guess we’re just going to have to hug you,” the trucker suggested. Linda drew back. “There’s no way I’m going to let you touch me!” “Not like THAT!” the truckers chuckled. “We’ll put one truck in front of you and one in the rear. In that way, we’ll get you through the mountains.”

All that foggy morning Linda followed the two red dots in front of her and had the reassurance of a big escort behind as they made their way safely through the mountains. Caught in the fog in our dangerous passage through life, we need to be “hugged.” With the Son who knows the way and can lead safely ahead of us, and with the Holy Spirit behind, gently encouraging us along, we, too, can pass safely.

The Holy Spirit comes alongside us to help to bear witness of Jesus in our fruitbearing. The Holy Spirit helps us to remember what Jesus has told us. Let’s think for a moment of the perspective of memory: verses from God’s Word learned in childhood come to mind in times of crisis; promises that we have proved true are recalled in another time of critical decision; the assurance of Jesus’ presence wells up through our soul when we stand alone against people or circumstances in this hostile world. We need often to recall some of these occasions of remembering in our lives. This perspective of memory helps us in our fruitbearing.

Do we have what it takes to be a blessing in our church, part of the fruitbearing process that’s yearned for by the Holy Spirit? The patience, the love, the compassion, the tenderness? How are we allowing God to “hug “us as we work together as a company in Christ to bear fruit that will last?

Finding Our Role, Playing Our Part—

At least once a week, pastors all around the world step up to the podium to speak with conviction about faith and life. For some people in the congregation, this is the only picture they get of church. What they may not see each week, however, is the tireless work of the people behind the scenes and in other ministries. A church is much more than a building with a pastor and a pulpit. If fruit loves company, then a church thrives on the ministry roles of the people—everything from property management to food preparation to teaching to calling on the sick.

Fruit multiplies in the church when ministry includes…

the right people

in the right place

for the right reasons

at the right time

In two weeks we are going to embark on a new message series entitled Connection. It’s a series to help Jesus-followers discover their spiritual gifts, personal style, and God-given passion for serving in the body of Christ. Finding our role and playing our part is the secret to the fruitful life. Let’s look forward to what God has to disclose to us from his Word!

In closing, let’s consider the following…

Looking at a bowl of grapes helps us to understand the truth that fruit loves company. God doesn't ask us to produce fruit but to bear fruit. Producing fruit and bearing fruit is not the same process. To produce means to make more. That is not what God asks us to do. God says he wants us to bear fruit. This means we are to carry, uplift and take care of God’s fruit. God is the only one that can produce fruit. Whether we are speaking of the sweet grapes on the vine or new Jesus-followers accepting the sweet Holy Spirit, it is God alone that creates both miracles. Thus, if we are to bear God’s fruit, we should be carrying and caring for ourselves and others that are of the "sweet vine.”

In bearing God’s fruit we should be: reading God's Word daily; being intercessors by praying for others every day; reaching out by practicing kind deeds in Jesus’ name; being a godly example to friends and family in our daily lives; lifting other’s countenance when they are down; encouraging our pastors and leaders, and standing with those who are going through times of testing.

We love vine-ripened grapes. They grow in bunches, and stay on the vine the whole time they are coming to their sweetest form. That is a great picture of how God expects us to become the sweetest and ripest "fruit" for him. As God's “fruit” (servants), as we ripen so should we help the others on the vine to do the same. We can be the "best for picking" that way.

God may "pick" us to serve as a missionary in a foreign land, to be a pastor, to teach a life center for learning class, to mentor others in God’s Word, to be an encouragement to many, to be a prayer warrior or intercessor. We can be ripe for the picking for so many ways to bring God honor and glory. So we are no longer need to concern ourselves of producing fruit for the Lord. We need to just determine to bear (take care of) our own fruit and bear (take care of) others that are around us because fruit loves company. We will ripen, bringing much honor and glory to God when we mature in Christ, bearing lasting fruit.

One of the difficulties of talking about fruitbearing in community is that we not only live in a hostile world, but we also live in a flawed church. Many times we don’t see any fruit. We have all experienced this personally. However, we must not conceive of a relationship with Christ, the True Vine in which we are the only branch. Part of what we receive from Christ is the gift of being part of something bigger than us—a community of fruitbearing branches. Heaven is populated by others, and hell is all about solitary confinement. It makes us think twice about clinging to isolated individualism. The simplicity about fruitbearing is the fact that fruit loves company.Amen!

 DEAR LORD,

 

Help us as we struggle against SIN.  Keep us from the enemy’s condemnation.  Help us to throw off everything that entangles so we can persevere in the race. (Romans 8:1, Hebrews 12:1)

 

Grow our numbers through new converts.  Let the gospel be presented to THE LOST not only through classes and sermons but also with power, the Holy Spirit, and deep conviction.  Teach us to make the most of every opportunity and be the fragrance of Christ to those who are being saved. (Acts 2:47, 1 Thessalonians 1:5, Colossians 4:5, 2 Corinthians 2:15)

 

We eagerly desire the SPIRITUAL GIFTS you’ve given for our common good.  Help us understand the various gifts and how they work.  May we use what we’ve received to serve others and administer grace in love and with renewed passion.  (Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 14:1, 1 Peter 4:10, 2 Timothy 1:6)

 

We desire to be pure and obedient so our love for each other will be sincere and from the heart.  Give us a spirit of UNITYso we glorify you with one heart and voice.  Help us accept one another in love. (1 Peter 1:22, Romans 15:5-7, Colossians 3:14)

 

May we sow generously into our church without reluctance or compulsion.  Make grace abound so we have the FINANCES we need to do every good work you’ve assigned us.  Make us rich in ways that result in generosity on our part so you will be praised. (2 Corinthians 9:6-11)

 

Remind us that doing good and sharing with others is a pleasing sacrifice to you.  Keep us OUTWARDLY FOCUSED so we don’t become self-absorbed.  Enable us to meet people wherever they have a need. (Hebrews 13:16, Philippians 2:4, Jude 1:22-23)

 

May THE HURTING come to know you as “the God Who Sees” them.  Comfort them so they will have a ministry of comfort to others. (Genesis 16:13, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

 

Make us a house of PRAYER.  We want to pray continually with thanksgiving.  Let there be prayer among us that is powerful and effective. (Mark 11:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, James 5:16)

  

Show us ways we grieve, quench, or resist Your Holy Spirit.  Help us keep in step with you as we live by you so that YOUR FRUIT is produced in us.  Reign in us so we experience your freedom. (Ephesians 4:30, 1 Thessalonians 5:19, Acts 7:51, Galatians 5:22-25, 2 Corinthians 3:17)

 

REVIVE US so we burn hot for you.  Give us singleness of heart and action so we always honor you and follow your precepts.  Open our minds to your Word so our hearts burn within us. (Revelation 3:14-18, Jeremiah 32:39, Psalm 111:10, Luke 24:32,45)

Growth Principle: What Christ cares about mainly is that Jesus-followers throughout periods of unfruitful seasons can purify their motives and redirect their focus toward fulfilled aspirations.

In the first two messages of our series on The fruitful life, God disclosed to us through the words of Jesus the growth principles:

What Christ requests most is that Jesus-followers are connected to him with the kind of intensity that demonstrates the way we live our lives.

What Christ desires is that Jesus-followers can experience the process of becoming more and more like him rather than getting caught up in frenzied spiritual activity.

Tears stream down his red cheeks, and his chin quivers. “I feel like a failure,” he stammers. “Did I waste those years of service and training? I’m wondering if God really called me into ministry after all. Things just aren’t working out the way I planned.” This young man is experiencing a period of barrenness languished in a low-level administrative job, frustrated because his potential remains untapped, his gifts dormant. The rejections are siphoning off his confidence. “I just want someone to want me,” he laments.

The branches appear bare to the Bible teacher who has taught for years without noticeable life change among his learners. To the woman whose recent attempts at evangelism encountered a chilly reception. To the mentor who met weekly with a young man for six months, only to see his protégé leave the church and shuck his commitment to Christ. To the young mother whose speaking ministry was curtailed by the birth of a Down’s syndrome child.

I’m no stranger to disillusionment in ministry. For 37 years I’ve served the Lord in a variety of roles: youth director, Christian education pastor, minister of camping, senior pastor-teacher, and writer. Not every position has panned out as I’d hoped. I’ve faced slow periods of growth. I’ve wanted to throw in the towel when I didn’t see results. I’ve compared myself unfavorably to more popular educators and envied pastors whose success eclipses mine. I’ve turned to Scripture to keep me going and give me perspective. I’ve identified with biblical characters like Moses, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. During these times, God held these servants accountable for delivering the message, not for how the people responded to it. God is more interested in how faithfully we carry out an assignment than with its results. What I’ve learned has encouraged, sustained and enriched me during seasons when my branches seemed bare.

Discouragement over periods of barrenness in the Lord’s service affects laypersons as well as vocational workers. In John 15, Jesus identifies his followers as branches who are expected to bear fruit. It’s unsettling when the branches are bare, when there are no visible results from our labor for God’s kingdom.

Though times of apparent barrenness in ministry may be painful, we can bear fruit in our lives. As Alan Nelson observes in Embracing Brokenness, “Pain doesn’t seem quite so bad when it appears to serve a purpose.”We can come to realize that God is still at work during times of drought, using the dry times to deepen our spiritual maturity or to prepare us for greater usefulness in the future. An unfruitful phase in ministry also weans us from relying on the accomplishments for our significance. We tend to feel good about ourselves only when others compliment our serving. We can slip too easily into loving the Lord’s work more than the Lord. In fact, we must affirm the following mindset:

“The work we do for God must never diminish the work of God in us.”

The third message in our series The Fruitful Life focuses upon another growth principle:

What Christ cares about mainly is that Jesus-followers throughout periods of unfruitful seasons can purify their motives and redirect their focus toward fulfilled aspirations.

How do Jesus-followers purify their motives and redirect their focus toward fulfilled aspirations? This message will help to sustain Jesus-followers during unfruitful seasons. It will help us understand that God’s call is to be faithful rather than successful. We must continuously use the measure of our connectedness in Christ to the guidelines of his Word as the real standard of “fruitbearing,” not some more supposedly tangible or glamorous scale.

Jesus continues his ongoing instruction on the allegory of the vine to illustrate the mystical union between himself and his friends in John 15:9-17…

⁹ "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.”

These verses describe the result from this intimate relationship with Christ: overflowing joy in union with outpouring love. Jesus gave them peace (John 14:27); now he gives them joy! Jesus loves them with the very love of God. To remain in Christ is to remain also in this great love of God. The overflowing joy united with outpouring love we receive in Christ purifies our motives for ministry and redirects our focus toward fulfilled aspirations. Overflowing joy leads to outpouring love in the community of faith. Love is its central characteristic, a love that will risk itself for one’s friend. Love is linked to obedience in Christ.

The Signs of Bearing Fruit

Jesus’ words move from remaining and fruitfbearing to the flow of love. From the nature and process of bearing fruit, we now turn to the signs of bearing fruit. Even when the branches are bare, it is God’s love, the kind that we see in Jesus that comes through the indwelling Christ into our lives. We live it out in our daily relationships with others. It’s the only discipline of faith that will help us redirect our focus toward fulfilled aspirations.

Love is the sign that we are bearing fruit that will last.

The priority of love purifies our motives

⁹ "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

The priority of love numbers three as evidenced in the following sequence: the Father loves the Son; the Son loves the believer; the believer is to love other believers. This sequence of love is not an external arrangement, but an internal, personal relationship. Jesus defines this union between his Father and his disciples, gives it content and substance, by this “triad of love.” The Son loves the disciples as the Father loves him. This is the love that has sought them out, called them into life, and which now holds them and sends them out into the world to continue the Father’s mission.

It is a mystery and challenge to our earthbound way of thinking that the nearer Jesus came to the cross the more joy became a part of his vocabulary. How strange this sounds to affluent, comfort-seeking Americans who confuse joy with happiness. The more deeply we enter into a loving, obedient union with Jesus the more “complete” will be our joy, like the melody that comes out of the creative discipline and struggle of artists who give themselves to the instruments.

The Greek word agape (love) seems to have been virtually a Christian invention—a new word for a new thing (apart from about twenty occurrences in the Greek version of the Old Testament, it is almost non-existent before the New Testament). Agape draws its meaning directly from the revelation of God in Christ. It is not a form of natural affection, however, intense, but a supernatural fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). It is a matter of will rather than feeling (for Christians must love even those they dislike—Matt. 5:44-48). It is the basic element in Christlikeness.

So this love is not a vague, sentimental feeling that comes and goes, but a tough reality that purifies our motives. It is always revealed in obedience. The Son shares in and shows forth his Father’s love by absolute obedience to all his commands, which takes him now to the cross. The disciples can only remain in the love of Jesus, then, if they keep his commandments. Love and obedience are two sides of the same reality.

The proof of love redirects our focus

¹³ “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

The proof of love numbers two as seen in the following succession: Jesus will lay down his life; and Jesus calls them friends, not servants. Jesus calls his followers to enter into another mystery; the mystery of his own death. These followers have heard Jesus say the Good Shepherd “lays down his life” for the sheep (John 10:11). So they have a new focus when living in relationship with one another. They are to lay down their lives for one another. They are not only to lay down their lives in physical death if need be, but in a caring openness for one another that reveals Jesus.

Jesus opens the way for this new kind of relationship by calling them “friends,” not “servants.” His love has broken down the wall which separates the master from the slave, the rich from the poor, the one who comes first from the one who comes last. And in the end, the “greater love” of his death will completely liberate them so they can give themselves with abandon as “friend.”

On one occasion, Peppermint Patty said to Marcie: “I’d like to read this book, Marcie, but I’m kind of afraid. I had a grandfather who didn’t think much of reading.” She continued by saying, “He always said that if you read too many books, your head would fall off.” Marcie responds, “you start the first chapter, and I’ll hold onto your head!” Friends hold on to one another; we let them hold on to us so that we will all save face by facing the future as people who are willing to lay down our lives for one another.

Let’s note the following definition of friendship…

By friendship you mean the greatest love, the greatest usefulness, the most open communication, the noblest sufferings, the severest truth, the heartiest counsel, and the greatest union of minds of which brave men and women are capable. -- Jeremy Taylor.

It is a joy to experience the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts, nor measure words, but to pour them all out just as they are. This intimacy of friendship is likened to the relationship Jesus desires with us. Jesus filters the good and bad together knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.

The promise of love fulfills our aspirations

¹⁶ “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.”

The promise of love numbers two as exemplified in the following progression: Our branches will bear lasting fruit; and our prayers will be answered. Jesus has chosen his followers to go and bear fruit; to continue his mission in the world. The initiative is his, not theirs. He has appointed them, trained them, and prepared them to go and bear fruit that will last. The word appointed is the same verb Jesus uses when he speaks of laying down his life. It is his death then that will empower these disciples to carry out their work in his name.

Like Jesus’ disciples, we have aspirations to be useful in our work for God. In fact, the three greatest needs we long for in life are: the need for love; the need for purpose; and the need for hope. The promise of Jesus’ love, along with the appointment to serve, fulfills these aspirations, even during the unfruitful seasons.

Jesus reminds his followers that there is no mission, no fruitbearing, without prayer in his name. This is no hit-and-miss surface asking, but a life of intercession for the mission in union with Jesus. His aspirations then become his followers’ aspirations. The form of prayer is not important, but the function of prayer is crucial.

The story is told of three men—a pastor, a priest, and a rabbi—who were discussing the proper form of prayer. While they were sharing together, a telephone repairman heard the conversation thirty-feet above them. The pastor said “the best way to pray is standing with arms lifted up to God.” The priest said “the proper form to pray is bowing the knees before God.” The rabbi said “the customary approach to praying is lying face down on the ground before God.” The telephone repairman shouted down by saying, “Hey, you guys, I never prayed harder than the time I was hanging upside down from a telephone pole!”

Checklist for Fruitbearing--

When we seek to bear fruit, we should enjoy the good feeling we get. If we also receive the praise of others, we should relish that too. But we must always keep our focus on Jesus and the people we’re helping; not on what we hope to gain.

Paul writes to the believers in Ephesus with the following words…

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to

do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

--Ephesians 2:10

So as God’s handiwork, we depend on Jesus for everything as the branch does on the vine. We show our “good works” by the following signs of bearing fruit: We will…

harbor the inner joy of Jesus

embrace Jesus’ love in our hearts

desire to carry on Jesus’ instructions

foster friendships for Jesus and his people

know the power of prayer

To be sure, not every Jesus-follower who remains in Christ will have all these blessings in the same degree at the same time. But these signs of fruitbearing will be present in some measure, even during the unfruitful seasons. They will he strong enough to be evident (to ourselves at least, if not always to others). And they should be increasing to the degrees of fruitbearing: fruit; more fruit and much fruit.

Since baseball is still in season, let’s consider the following heart-warming story as we bring this message to a close. This story will help us unite Christ’s overflowing joy with outpouring love. What would we do? We make the choice! We don’t listen for a punch line; their isn’t one. But we listen anyway. A question to all of us is: Would we have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: "When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?" The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe, that when a child like Shay comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child." Then he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and, getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the outfield. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and turned and threw the ball on a high arc to right field, far beyond the reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"

By the time Shay rounded first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases toward home. Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay, run home!" Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team. "That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world."

When the branches are bare, it’s reassuring to know that we can still honor God with our faithfulness. We can allow overflowing joy to be united with outpouring love. We can still allow love to purify our motives and redirect our focus toward fulfilled aspirations. We rest in the realization that God is responsible for the results, and we ask God to accomplish what we cannot. We remember that it’s too soon to measure the effectiveness of current service, especially in view of God’s promises of eternal dividends. Even when the branches are bare, we’re discovering that being connected to Christ alone is enough. Amen!

Growth principle: What Christ requests most is that Jesus-followers are connected to him with the kind of intensity that demonstrates the way we live our lives. Introduction-- What will we be remembered for?

The fruitful life for a Jesus-follower is all about our connection to Christ. At the end of our lives, the most important thing for which we will be remembered is how connected we were to Jesus Christ. The legacy we leave behind on planet earth will be a direct result of the quality of the connection in our lives. Nothing of lasting value happens outside of our union with Christ. We must notice the word, “lasting.” That’s the operative term.

Lasting values and lawn mowing values. There are many valuable ways to spend our time. Before we moved to our townhouse, it was my responsibility to be the gardener in our previous house. I would mow my grass most Fridays. It was a valuable use of my time. The Fridays that I would skip mowing the lawn reinforced this value. When the lawn grew so tall that my kids [along with the neighborhood kids] would play ‘hide and go seek’ in the thick stuff, I was reminded that mowing the lawn was an important thing to do. My value for lawn mowing increased. So I did it. It had some value in life. However, mowing my law, washing my car, or any other chore doesn’t have lasting value. There’s nothing eternal about earthly things.

Eternal values are the things that last. The ones that really matter after our time on earth is done. And these lasting values flow directly from Christ. We can’t do much of lasting value on our own. In fact, Jesus says…

“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 15:5

It must be our conviction as Jesus-followers that our connection to Jesus enables, empowers, and energizes us to do things of lasting value. No other connection counts like this connection. We know some people who are pretty well connected. In fact, a few of them are what we would call “name-droppers.” These are the people who continually work into conversations what famous person they happened to be talking to earlier. They try to make these name-dropping times very causal. But having connections really does help in life. Who we know is so important in finding work and getting what we what that we are naturally envious of people with better connections, and we work hard to develop better connections ourselves.

However, when the end of life arrives, it won’t matter how well we knew our pastor, how much we knew about Bible stories, how much we attended church, or what important Christian people were our friends. When the end comes, it’s all about our connection to Christ. Jesus is the only name we can drop to get into heaven.

This series encompasses four messages. The growth principle of this first message in our series on “The Fruitful Life” is…

What Christ requests most is that Jesus-followers are connected to him with the kind of intensity that demonstrates the way we live our lives.There is a story told of a young college girl who was sharing a meal with Albert Einstein. In the course of their conversation at a dinner party, Albert Einstein’s young neighbor asked the white-haired scientist, “What are you actually by profession?” “I devote myself to the study of physics,” Einstein replied. The girl looked at him in astonishment. “You mean to say you study physics at your age?” she exclaimed. “I finished mine a year ago.”When it comes to being connected with Christ, it is likened to Einstein’s devotion to the study of physics. It’s more than just a curriculum to pursue; it’s a commitment to personify. We don’t just know about Christ, we live our lives in such a way that we are connected to him with the kind of intensity that takes a lifetime to demonstrate.

Healthy things grow and produce. It is as natural for Jesus-followers who are connected to Christ as it is in nature to bear fruit. So how do we get there? How do ordinary Jesus-followers get connected to Christ in such a way that lasting fruit is a constant part of our lives?

The Nature of Bearing Fruit

The branch of a vine depends on the vine for its very life: its nature, quality, character, growth and fruit. Half off, it suffers; clean off, it is helpless. So with Christ and the Jesus-follower.

Jesus assures his closest followers that he alone can extend to them the fullness of life in John 15:1-4…

¹ "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² 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. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ 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.”

This passage concludes the seventh and last of the “I AM” statements of Christ recorded in the Gospel of John. The picture of Jesus-followers as branches reveals both our privileges, and our responsibilities in being connected with Christ.

As branches, we have the privilege of sharing Jesus’ life, and the responsibility of remaining in connection with him. The cultivation of vineyards was important to the life and economy of Israel. A golden vine even adorned Herod’s temple. When Jesus uses this image, he is not introducing something new; it is familiar to every Jew.

Jesus employs four elements in this allegory that we must understand if we are to be connected to Christ in such a way that lasting fruit is a constant part of our lives:

A Glossary for Fruit BearingThe Vine = the Lord Jesus Christ as the True VineThe Branches =the Jesus-followers as part of the Vine

The Gardener = the Father who works in caring for the Vine

The Fruit = the ministry or byproduct of the Vine

These words from Jesus to his disciples spotlight on our connection with Christ as Jesus-followers in at least two ways:

Bearing fruit while remaining under the knife¹ "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² 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.”Jesus-followers rely on the Father’s care, protection and action.

Jesus is the True Vine or “original of which all other vines are a copy.” The present Vine is Jesus, and the past vine is Israel. Jesus is the true, faithful Vine; Israel is the false, faithless vine (see Isaiah 5:2). The Vine and the branches is the symbolism of having a living relationship with Christ and belonging to him. Of itself, a branch is weak and useless. It is good for either bearing or burning, but not for building. The branch cannot produce its own life; it must draw that life from the vine. It is our communion with Christ through the Spirit that makes possible the bearing of the fruit.

God is the gardener who is in charge of caring for the vines. The Father prunes the branches so that they will produce more fruit. The gardener prunes the branches in two ways: he gently lifts and cuts away dead wood that can breed disease and insects; and he tenderly gathers and cuts away living tissue so that the life of the vine will not be so dissipated that the quality of the crop will be jeopardized. In fact, the gardener will even cut away whole bunches of grapes so that the rest of the crop will be of higher quality. God desires both the fruit of quantity and quality from the branches.

The greatest judgment God could bring to Jesus-followers would be to let us alone, let us have our own way. Because God loves us, he “prunes” us and encourages us to bear more fruit for his glory. If the branches could speak, they would say “ouch!” They would confess that the pruning process hurts; but they would also rejoice that they will be able to produce more and better fruit.

Bearing fruit while remaining in the vine³ “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ 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.”

Jesus-followers rely on Jesus’ care for everything in life.

When Jesus-followers depend on Jesus for everything as the branch does on the vine, we will constantly bear his words in mind. We will have his love in our hearts. Many of the images of Christ and the Jesus-follower given in Scripture emphasize this important concept of dependence—union and communion:

the body and its members (1 Corinthians 12);

the bride and the Bridegroom (Ephesians 5:25-33);

the sheep and the Shepherd (John 10).

The key word in staying connected with Christ is remain.Some translations make use of the word abide.It is used four times in these verses. What does it mean to “remain”?

Remain =“to keep in fellowship with Christ; to experience a living communionwith Christ so that his life can work in and through us to produce fruit.”I remember the first summer I came home from college. I immediately took off my shoes and lay down on the living room carpet as I entered my house. I got up and then relaxed some more in our big recliner. Then I walked down the hall into my room. Everything was ready for me just as I left it nine months before. For me, I was remaining in my home. I was experiencing a living communion. More importantly, I renewed my relationship with my family. I was relaxed, revived, and refreshed to be home. This is the relationship we need as Jesus-followers. We need to maintain a living communion with Christ regularly. In fact, everyday we need to rest in Christ, be a home, and gain our strength for the day in our connection with Christ.

This remaining in Christ certainly involves the Word of God and the confession of sin so that nothing hinders our communion with Christ. This remaining relationship is natural to the branch and the vine, but it must be cultivated in the Christian life. It is not automatic. Remaining in Christ demands worship, meditation on God’s Word, prayer, sacrifice, and service—but what a joyful experience it is!

A young woman taught swimming lessons in her own backyard pool. She always left the line up separating the deep from the shallow until her students were familiar with the pool. After a week of lessons and the children were swimming, she knew they were ready for the deeper level. To acclimate them to this, she would take down the line separating the two levels. Usually, this would make the students very nervous. This was shown by one boy in particular when he remarked, "Miss Tahnee, please put the line back up...the deep water is getting into the shallow water!"

We laugh at this illustration, but are we no different in our relationship with Christ? Our Father may challenge us to a newer level of growth by urging us out of our comfort zone. And we cry, "But Father, the deep water is getting into the shallow water!"

One we have begun to cultivate deep water—this limitless connection with Christ as Jesus-followers, we have no desire to return to the shallow life of the careless Christian. In fact, we will bear fruit. It takes time and cultivation to produce fruit; a good crop does not mature overnight. We must remember that the branches do not eat the fruit: other do. We are not producing fruit to please ourselves but to serve others. Christ feeds us so we should be the kind of Jesus-followers who “feed” others by our words and our works. The lips of the righteous feed many (Proverbs 10:21).

A vine produces fruit that is visible to touch and taste. So what is the fruit visible to touch and taste that the Jesus-follower can bear? Actually the question ought to be phrased in the plural: What are fruits which a Jesus-follower can bear?

One, a developing Christian character is fruit. If the goal of the Christian life may be stated as Christlikeness, then surely every trait developed in us that reflects Christ’s character must be fruit that is very pleasing to him.

Two, right character will result in right conduct, and as we live a life of good works we produce fruit.

Three, right conduct will also result in right conversation, as we may bear fruit with our lips by giving praise to God and thankfully confessing His name.

Four, those who come to Christ through our witness are fruit. Paul longed to go to Rome to have some fruit from his ministry there.

Five, we bear fruit when we give money. Paul designated the collection of money for the poorer saints in Jerusalem as fruit. Too, when he thanked the Philippians for their financial support of his ministry, he said that their act of giving brought fruit to their account.

So as branches in the Vine, we have the privilege of remaining in Christ, and the responsibility of bearing fruit in Christ. We must remember: the product of bearing fruit includes the process of pruning—as we grow, things in our lives which are unhelpful will be cut away, sometimes painfully. So a true branch, united with the vine, will bear fruit.

Keeping in close touch—

How can we tell when we are “remaining in Christ?” Is there a special feeling? Sometimes there is, but most often there is not the warm fuzzy feeling. When a vine is producing fruit, the grapes are full, colorful and pleasing to the taste. The test is in the tasting! Our connection with Christ will determine the nature of our fruit. Jesus is our living example of one who completely humbled himself before the Father. Jesus was willing to die on a cross so that he would become the life flow for every believer. The reason we spotlight our touch on Jesus is because Jesus relied on his Father’s care, security, and shelter. Jesus produced fruit in his life through his nourishment with the Father. Jesus lived in his Father’s love so he could pass on his Father’s teaching.

So there are a number of questions that will help us determine if our fruit has flavor—

In our experience, what are the chief safeguards against losing touch with Jesus?

getting quiet with him each day?

learning to claim his promises?

not taking on too much?

nourishing others by looking out for their needs?

apologizing to people when at fault?

taking care about use of leisure?In closing, we can consider the following story of the two fruit trees:A farmer once planted two fruit trees on opposite sides of his property. The one he planted to provide a hedge to hide the unsightly view of an old landfill; the other to provide shade to rest under near a cool mountain stream which ran down beside his fields. As the two trees grew, both began to flower and bear fruit.One day the farmer decided to gather the fruit from the tree nearest his house. It was the tree the farmer used to provide a hedge from the landfill. As he brought the fruit inside the house, he noticed that it was a little deformed. The symmetry of the fruit was not very good, but still the fruit looked edible. Later that evening, while sitting on his porch, the farmer took one of the pieces of fruit for a snack. Biting into the fruit, he found it to be extremely bitter, and completely inedible. Casting the fruit aside he looked across the field to the other tree over by the mountain stream. After walking across the field, the farmer took a piece of the fruit from the other tree and bit into it. The farmer found the fruit to be sweet and delicious so he gathered several more pieces of fruit and took them to the house.

The fruit was greatly affected by the nutrition of the root. Just as the tree grew by the landfill to be bitter, and the tree by the stream produced sweet fruit, so Jesus-followers have a choice. We can either put down our roots into the soil of the landfill of fleshly pursuits, or into the cool refreshing stream of the person of Jesus Christ. We must understand that the root bears the fruit. The fruit of the Christian is the outward evidence of the inward connection.

When it comes to living the fruitful life, in essence: “No root, no fruit.” Amen!