Fruitful | John 15
John 15
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Chapter Notables:
Parable of the Vine and the Branches - verses 1-17
The way the world will treat believers and disciples - verses 18-25
Jesus begins His discourse about the Holy Spirit - verses 26-27
Bearing Fruit | Lemuel Ayudtud
Can you imagine a farmer planting his seeds and expecting nothing in return? What’s worse than putting in time, effort, or even money into some thing you expect a return from, and nothing ever becomes it? Imagine putting in your blood, sweat and tears to something or someone hoping for some type of response and you get nothing back in return? It’s the worst!
God had called every believer to be fruit bearing. He has with His Spirit so that He can turn our barren lands into fruitful fields. He has planted in us His gift expecting a return.
Let’s not fool ourselves, God desires returns from His investments in us. Jesus said that every branch that does not bear fruit, the Father takes away; while every branch that produces fruit is pruned to produce more fruit. Let’s consider the weight and blessing of that directive.
The great thing about it is that Jesus said that all we have to do is to abide in Him to bear fruit. He said if we abide in Him, He’ll abide in us and the outcome will be fruitfulness. The fact is, He said that us being fruitful is how the Father is glorified.
The whole chapter of John 15 pretty much pivots on God being in us to bear fruit. If we consider it, then He’s not in us just to make us all feel euphoric and joyful or to increase our faith. He placed those in us so that we can bear fruit from them. Joy, peace, love, grace, faith, among other things proceeds from the Father’s planting in us—not just so we can be confident and be secured and His love, it’s so that we can reproduce and increase in those virtues and character.
Let’s make it plain, living for God and serving Him is not just for appearances. He expects something from us. He has invested in us the full investment of Calvary and of the Holy Spirit. Those are powerful investments. How beautiful is that? He didn’t invest this in animals or in things; He invested in us.
In life there is no investor who invests their wealth or substance in companies or service that they feel won’t give them a return back. They will not put their moneys into these businesses without believing in their capacity to double or triple or quadruple their investments. In likeness, God sees us as having the most incredible potential. If God was a businessman, we’d be corporations or businesses that He believes can multiply or duplicate His invested assets.
Let’s consider that for a minute.
When God looks at you and me, He doesn’t see a failure or someone that will flop or that will not produce. What He sees in us is a fruit producing tree. I believe He sees us as active and vibrant, productive vessels, not some 2-bit company worth nothing. Why? It’s not because of our talents or gifting or abilities or our education or drive; He believes in us because He invested His Holy Spirit and He knows that the Spirit will return the investment He had deposited.
So what’s the issue with some of us? Why are some of us unfruitful? Why are some of us just spectators? Why are some of us inactive or just onlooking and unfruitful? And how can we change that, if so is the case?
Abide in Him.
Jesus said the branch cannot bear fruit of itself. We are incapable of providing or producing spiritual fruits on our own. He is the nutrients, the source or the impetus for the branch bearing fruit. Therefore if there’s any desire in us to submit to God present ourselves to Him as fruitful branches, we must determine to submit to the grace of and the leading of God to abide in Him. If we don’t abide in Him, we are hopeless in bearing any fruit. Without Him we can’t do nothing. No matter how talented and gifted, those things are not enough to bear spiritual fruits. You and I need to dwell with Him.Abide in His Word.
Jesus said if we keep His commandments, we will abide in His love. If we abide in His love as we keep his commandments, we can ask him anything and it shall be done for us. Having the word of God in our lives is reflected in God showing up wherever we may be. We have a connection with Him, knowing that He hears us because we have heard Him through His word. Abiding or dwelling in God’s word, reading the Bible, spending time to hear His voice in prayer and consecration will help us understand His commandments and precepts. This is a prerequisite for fruitful living.
Love others as He loves us.
I don’t think we could ever measure fruitfulness apart from our lives extending to others. Allowing God to lead us and teach us how to love people produces fruit that the world can see and “taste”. Jesus said to them, “The world will know that you are my disciples, that you have love one for another.” What a great visible example of a fruitful life lived for Jesus: a life that is dedicated to loving and serving others.
So what does bearing fruit look like? Simply put: bearing fruit is …
Seeing lives change through our connections with them: from people who distance themselves from God to people who inquire and desire to know Him.
It is revealed by a submitted spirit to God that produces a life that is an example for others to follow. A life lived in humility, forgiveness and grace. Not easily provoked, not motivated by the flesh, honoring others. submitted to God-called leadership, and persevering in times of disappointments and offenses.
From Jesus parable of the seed, we understand that the seed cannot bear fruit unless it dies, so bearing fruit is a denial of self, in service to others. We can’t expect to be fruitful without being comfortable carrying someone else’s burdens, dying to ourselves (pleasures, wants and ease), and taking up our cross to follow Jesus—willing do bear the weights of others’ heaviness in prayer and in deed.
It is a life that multiplies itself in others, leading souls to Christ. A life partnered with the commission of Jesus to seek and save the lost. A life committed to making disciples by being one—where we can wrap our arms around people’s necks in gratitude that God used us to bring the lost back to Him.
A nice looking branch is not enough. A branch that dances with the wind is not enough. A branch filled with leaves and flowers is not enough. All of those things are well and good and tells us that life is in it; but fruit not looks is what God is looking for. (Jesus once cursed a tree that looked great but did not bear fruit, making it whither from its root. Check out my blog on Mark 11 where Jesus cursed the tree here.)
Let me push a little bit: let’s not think that God has given us the gifts or the fruits of His spirit so that we can look good taking a seat, or to listen or sing some worship song, or to hear a message preached, or to raise our hands or even shout “Hallelujah” (hopefully not just for us to look or sound the part). If from a heart of worship, those are good for personal worship, but God has given us His Spirit beyond that. It’s so that we can change the world around us.
At the crux of fruitfulness is love for people. If you read the chapter over and over again, a theme will rise up: the love of God will lead us to love others and our love for others will bear fruit.
The world will hate us, it will not like our stance on declaring there’s only one way to God, through Christ Jesus. But our task is not for the world to love us, our task is for us to love the people of the world so that they may see Jesus. So if you’re hated by people, know that they hated Jesus first. And the answer is not hating people back—it’s loving people more.
Lord, thank You for Your great love for me. Thank You for Your great grace that leads me to walk in that love. Lord, give me the grace to dwell in Your love. Help me to abide in You and let Your words abide in me. Give me a love for Your word and give me a desire to be fruitful before You. Not on my own making or on my own power, but through You dwelling in me, creating in a life of fruitfulness. I reject passivity in my approach to Your mission. I reject the lack of activity when it comes to reaching people for You. I reject my personal desires for comfort in exchange of Your directives. Stir me not to be a bystander, just watching others bear fruit. Help me, God, to be active in participating in Your work, by bringing others to You by allowing You to use me for them. In Your name Jesus I pray, amen.
