John 15:1-8 The Vine and the Branches

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 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. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 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.

“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. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

“… bear much fruit”

Imagine two sets of parents chatting around the coffee table talking about their young families. Dad number one jumps into a deep subject with his guests… “I tell you what I want for my son and daughter – I want them to underachieve. I’d love to see them excel at laziness. If they could make it through life and have no impact on anyone I would be thrilled!” The mom from the second couple interjects, “I feel the same way; the safest way for our two sons to move through adolescence and into adulthood is to attempt as little as possible. I’d hate for them to discover a cure for cancer or better the lives of the community around them. What a disaster that would be! I certainly don’t want them to be fulfilled, just safe.”

ABSURD!!! What parent would ever say such a thing! Imagine what kind of young adult would be produced from this type of parental atmosphere!?

Now imagine God, who is YOUR heavenly Father – what do you think His thoughts toward you are? He (God) tells us! “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11). As a “Parent,” God wisely knows that the more “fruitful” we are, the more joyful we’ll be. In addition, He knows that our lives will snowball with glorious momentum around Him as we “bear much fruit,” because we will be pleasing the very One toward whom our greatest affection is both owed and deserved. If you are online right now, I dare you to watch the following video clip:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA_uwWPE6lQ.

On day 10, you categorized the four types of fruit that can come out of the life of a believer. One of those types was our witness – sharing and reproducing our faith into the lives of others. Consider the following verse in light of why God wants us to bear much fruit…

Philemon 1:6 “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.”

What happens to a believer who shares his/her faith actively?

Conversely, a person who never shares his/her faith might lack…?

Why do you think God wants to bear much fruit through our lives as we remain in Christ? (Does God need us to bear fruit for Him?)