Want Fruit?: By Tim Kernan

“No branch can produce fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine… If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown in the fire and burned… As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands and remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15: 4-12 (Abridged)

What an incredible illustration Jesus has given us! Even a child could understand the powerful message: If you obey my command to love one another then you will be fruitful. It of course makes sense that a group of people who are truly loving one another will be fruitful. Who doesn’t want to be around a group of people who truly love one another? The patience, kindness, encouragement, thoughtfulness, and forgiveness would attract people who are seeking God like starving people to an incredible feast! In fact, Christ told us that it was “by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13: 35.

Of course we are not just talking about a principle of physics here, we are talking about a supernatural promise from God that He will find a way to make us fruitful, even under arduous & austere circumstances.

One example of such a group in the bible is of course the early mighty men around David:

David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brother and fathers household heard about it, they went down to him there. All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him. 1 Samuel 22:1-2

This passage shows us that it’s really only those who “give up everything” (Luke 14: 33); who have what it takes to go to the cave of Adullam. The wealthy and content didn’t seem to make their way down there. Instead, it was those who had counted the cost that sat around the fire with David; a leader who seems to have spent most of his time crying, writing psalms and loving the company of people surrounding him. He accepted them where they were at, he gave them another chance and they loved him for it.

If you think love is embarrassing, unmanly, or cheesy would you tell that to 400 mighty men? Love is not easy or silly. It takes hard work and its very needed…

When forgiveness and love break our heart they don’t produce laziness and complacency; those are the offspring of hopelessness. In fact, as we will see a little further down, they drove the Kingdom forward fearlessly.

As a church today are we taking hold of this promise of God with both hands? Are we taking one another where we are at and loving one another like God? The insidious evil of discord, dissent, factions, bitterness, harshness, rage and anger will always seek to disconnect us from the vine and make us wither in fruitlessness. We need to be scared straight about the danger of fruitlessness. Jesus warns that such branches will be thrown into the fire to be destroyed.

Let us renew our pledge to always have vision for one another, forgiveness and a deep desire to spur one another on in the standard of discipleship that Christ has demanded!

Is our disappointment, discouragement and lack of vision for others bringing them down? Or are we calling people to repentance and administering grace (Ephesians 3:2) to create more disciples like Paul to advance the Kingdom in the modern mission field?

In 1 Corinthians 15:9-11 Paul says: “For I am the least of the apostles and not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me…”

Its time to take hold of the promise of love and the power of grace to spur the church on to the standards of discipleship and the abundance of fruit! For if we fail to do so, the conquest of all nations will be put off on yet another generation. Let’s not let that happen.

Love,

Tim