Subscription Lists

We are in John Chapter 15, where Jesus Christ is saying, “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. I am the vine and you are the branches. We have been thinking of how God the Father comes with His hoe to remove those things which make unnecessary demands upon our time – those things which tend to draw us away from being totally committed to Jesus Christ. Let them go easily. Do not struggle, and don’t look back ever, wishing you had held on to them.

The Father also comes with His pruning knife and He cuts us back, and He cuts us down to size – and that can be sore and painful. But, the Father does it with only one aim in mind and that is – to produce more fruit – and to produce much fruit.

These are solemn words of Jesus. He is talking of branches who used to be in the vine – but who did not remain – and we do not always know the reason. In one sense they may still be around – but of no use to anyone – out of office – out of their calling – worthless – isolated from the others – on their own – and apart from those who are continuing to grow. They are severed from Christ and ready for burning! Yes, this is Jesus Christ speaking.

So often Jesus refers to remaining – continuing to be connected – receiving the sap of love and strength and power – and when we are in this situation look what happens. There is fruit – prayers are answered – we bring glory to God – love flows – and My joy will be in you. How do we continue in His joy and love? It seems almost impossible. It condenses down to this one word again – obedience.

When people are struggling spiritually, usually there is something they do not want to obey. Usually there is some commandment against which they are rebelling. There is something they are fighting, and it is the wrong fight.

Have we not found over these past years that there are probably only three basic problems – being regular at worship and participating with sincerity and joy and willingly and not out of duty – obedience to Jesus and His Word – and giving and serving as God’s Word guides and indicates.

When we deal with these, the result will be “nothing but joy”, and that joy will be the joy of Jesus and will have little to do with what is going on around us. Part of the joyous experience might include persecution, and we do not have to look far away to see how that has suddenly increased in the Church of Jesus Christ.

Some people battle with these basics for 20 or 30 or 40 years – which if they were dealt with in their first month or so of their coming to Christ, an awful lot of trouble and anxiety and battling could have been avoided.

It is one of the lessons we learn from the Rich Young Ruler. Pay the man. If that is what you ask for Jesus, there you are! If that is what you demand and expect of me, here you are. We deal with it, and that is that issue over for ever.

Jesus Christ is teaching these disciples lessons the world can never accept – pruning – unity – abiding and remaining – obedience – refusing to allow anything else to compete with commitment to Jesus Christ – being determined that nothing and no one will keep me away from Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Church of Jesus Christ.

These disciples learned all these lessons very early on – almost immediately. They had no choice, and we see in their ministries, love and joy and suffering.

There will be other problems and Jesus goes on to speak about some of them, but these are not problems of our making. These are problems and issues and battles which may appear because we are following Jesus Christ, but we can face them and confront them with love and joy and peace.

Jesus goes on to speak about loving one another. Now Jesus, have You not done that part of the teaching? Is John just repeating words spoken in the Upper Room? No – because it is hard at times – because some of us are not very lovable – yet Jesus says love one another. Jesus gives us no choice. In the Church of Jesus Christ this is not optional, and we see in the book of Acts, and in the letters, how hard these very ordinary men and women found it. And sometimes we do not learn the lesson first time round.

Union with Jesus Christ includes union with one another, now.

As branches in the vine, we are to be properly trained, or else we become twisted and interfering and hampering and preventing the growth of fruit.

We have to guard our thinking from becoming twisted, and making excuses can be a sign of twisted thinking. We see that in Luke Chapter 14 and verses 18 to 20. Now, do look at the passage as well as understanding exactly what Jesus is teaching us in John Chapter 15.

"'Christ in You...'" from Dale Krebbs

Longing For God