It's The Fruit
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples.
“As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. 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.
“I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father. You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. This is what I command you: Love one another.
Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples.
“As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. 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.
“I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father. You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. This is what I command you: Love one another.
-John 15:1-17
I had a dream about the fruit. The message I got, was that the fruit is the program. We're supposed to be bearing the fruit and living in fruitfulness.
It's the fruit!
Yes, first for Christians is Christ. We find Christ. Christ finds us and we get saved.
We begin living the Christian life, which is life in union with Christ. And his fruit flows through us. That is what a Christian is.
The interesting thing about the fruit from God that he wants to bring in our lives, is that we do make it. We produce fruit only by being in union with Christ.
What John 15 is saying, is that the life does not work, unless we abide in Christ. The key verse, to me, is verse 4, that says, "Remain in me and I in you". He is calling each one of us to a mutual relationship with him.
The mutuality of our union with Christ, is that it goes in both directions. He is in us and we are in him. It is not one or the other, but both.
We will only bear fruit if we abide in him. If we do not abide in him, then what? We have no fruit.
The fruit is the manifestation of Christ's life in our lives. This is what a Christian is, a person who is abiding in Christ.
The fruit that comes from being in union with Christ, is what makes the Christian life. We are mistaken if we think that it's knowledge or gifts that is what the life of Christ is all about. Knowledge and giftedness come after the fruit.
And the fruit begins with love, loving people out of Christ's love in us. This is the life of Christ in his followers
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| Photo: pixabay |
It's the fruit!
Yes, first for Christians is Christ. We find Christ. Christ finds us and we get saved.
We begin living the Christian life, which is life in union with Christ. And his fruit flows through us. That is what a Christian is.
The interesting thing about the fruit from God that he wants to bring in our lives, is that we do make it. We produce fruit only by being in union with Christ.
What John 15 is saying, is that the life does not work, unless we abide in Christ. The key verse, to me, is verse 4, that says, "Remain in me and I in you". He is calling each one of us to a mutual relationship with him.
The mutuality of our union with Christ, is that it goes in both directions. He is in us and we are in him. It is not one or the other, but both.
We will only bear fruit if we abide in him. If we do not abide in him, then what? We have no fruit.
The fruit is the manifestation of Christ's life in our lives. This is what a Christian is, a person who is abiding in Christ.
The fruit that comes from being in union with Christ, is what makes the Christian life. We are mistaken if we think that it's knowledge or gifts that is what the life of Christ is all about. Knowledge and giftedness come after the fruit.
And the fruit begins with love, loving people out of Christ's love in us. This is the life of Christ in his followers
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