THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES, PART VII.

THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES, PART VII.

John 15 : 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should (might) go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should (might) remain; that what ever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it you.

From this we know, if we did not know it before, that it is Jesus who chooses his disciples. He did then and we may trust that it is no different today.

A disciple is a follower, a student of the Master, so that wherever the Master goes, he may impart his truth, his ways and his character in his disciples.

Likewise, in Matt.28:19 we are commanded to go and make disciples, which implies that mature believers disciple those whom the Lord is adding to the Church.

What this verse is telling us, is that we who are mature in the Lord, must baptize, must immerse young Christians as well as our children in the doctrine of who the Father is, who the Son is and who the Holy Spirit is, teaching them to observe all the things that I have told you.

What made Christians ever assume that this has something to do with water??

The twelve disciples that followed Jesus in their travels found themselves in all kinds of different situations, from a bucking boat in a storm on a lake to mocking Pharasees in the temple.

Likewise, you and I find ourselves in all kinds of situations every day and Jesus is as present with us in spirit as he was present physically with Peter and John and all the rest of them. And for us the same purpose applies, that he may impart his ways in us.

We, his disciples learn of his ways by means of our teachers, disciplers if you will, and when the Holy Spirit makes it real to us in our spirit, God’s truth becomes part of our being.

In that way the things we believe about our relationship with God in our mind, become a reality in our hearts, when we see and experience these truths in our everyday lives.

….. and appointed you that you might go and bear fruit …..

Notice immediately that it does not say: “produce fruit”, entirely in keeping with earlier statements in this chapter that, when we abide in him and his words abide in us, that we will bear much fruit.

Now, what is fruit?

My teacher has taught me this about fruit and I believe it without reservation:

Fruit is the life of Jesus Christ, expressed in and through the daily lives of believers.

Gal.2:20 teaches that I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

When the divine life that is in us comes to expression, when the life and character of Jesus is displayed in us and through us, it is the fruit that the Vine produces in the branches.

It is the love, compassion and patience that Jesus displayed in his life on earth.

As grapes define the character and the quality of the vine on which they grow, even so does the fruit that believers bear, display the character and the quality of the Vine which is Jesus Christ.

One question now is : how does this fruit come to be expressed, what does it look like?

The very next verse, verse 17 says: “These things I command you, that you love one another”, a repeat of what he said just a minute ago in verse 12.

I believe this has special significance.

So what would be the fruit of his Son’s love expressed through his body, the church?

Significantly, Jesus does not say here, I command you to love God first and foremost.

Many times Jesus gives variations of the same message: a new commandment ….. that you would love one another.

In John 8:31 Jesus says to “those Jews who believed in him”: If you continue in my word, then you are truly my disciples.

Jesus implores his disciples to love each other “as I have loved you”, (John 15:12).

Loving one another on a continuing basis is the hallmark of a disciple of Jesus.

It is also the hallmark of such a person that the love of the Father is resident in him/her and conversely that our love for the Father is a present reality.

In Gal. 5:22 the first fruit of the Spirit mentioned is love, that also is not without purpose.

Love is the principal fruit, love is the principal attribute of the character of God.

When love is manifested in the child of God, then all the other fruit is present as well.

Love is the catalyst, when it is present, joy, peace, longsuffering, faith and all the others must follow.

That is why love is held to be greater than hope and faith in I Cor.13:13.

The fruit that the Vine desires to see in us the branches is that we would love one another.

To demonstrate the importance of the foregoing, ask yourself:

How do I experience the love of Jesus in my everyday life? It is one thing to believe that Jesus loves me, it is quite another to experience his love in a tangible way.

The only way that we experience that kind of love is in the love that others express towards us.

And others experience his love in the way that I conduct myself towards them in my daily activities.

In II Cor. 5;20 we read that (in effect) we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us on Christ’s behalf to be reconciled to Him.

Because He, (the Father) made Him, (the Son), who was sinless, to be sin for us,(so) that we (sinners) might be righteous, justified before the Father in Jesus Christ.

(My free translation.)

And, ultimately, that is why Jesus repeats over and over again that we, his disciples would love one another, even as he loved us to the extend that he sacrificed his life for us.

….. Continue in my Word ……. Keep on loving one another ….. Then you are my disciples indeed.

And that brings us to the last part of John 15:16, ….. that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

Whatever you ask ….. anything you ask concerning bearing fruit, he will give it to you.

Wisdom is knowledge properly applied.

To apply the wisdom of God’s Word is more than we are capable of in our own strength and ability.

It takes the ministry of the Holy Spirit in us to make the Word of God a reality in us.

What it takes on our part is desire and time.

Jas.1:5 says that if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally, and without reproach, and it shall be given him.

Or Prov. 2:1-5 is excellent advice for those of us who are serious about displaying the fruit of the Vine which is Christ:

“My son, if you will receive my words, and hide my commandments with you,

So that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding,

Yes, if you cry out for knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding,

If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasure,

Then will you understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom, out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous”.

That wisdom (the application of truth from God’s Word) is available to every believer who takes the message of Prov.2:1-5 to heart.

….. Whatever you ask of the Father in my name, (when it concerns the expression of His Life in us and through us) he will most assuredly give it to any one of His children.

This is the final installment on the topic “The Vine and the Branches”.

May you all experience the Life of our Savior Jesus Christ in the New Year.

St.Thomas,Nov.’10. Simon VanderKooy.