“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:8
Most have heard the idiom, ‘the proof's in the pudding’. I suppose this would mean, we will know what’s in it when we taste it. I guess sayings like this have been around because people and things are not always what they appear to be. Sadly, the same is true of some Christians. Jesus said in John 13:35, ‘All men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ I John 2:3 says, ‘We know that we have come to know Him IF we keep His commands’ - the poof’s in the pudding. Bearing much (good) fruit, not only brings God glory, it says something about our walk with Christ - that we do, in fact, walk with Christ. We do this if we…
MAKE A CONNECTION…
“You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” John 15:3
We cannot make a connection with God unless we come into union with what God’s Word says. His Word points out our sin and our need for Jesus, the one who cleanses us from our sin. Our agreement with Him is the initial connection we make with God. We reject the ways of the world (ignore sin) and religion (fix it yourself) and accept His ways (grace and humility). This ‘grafts’ us into the branch. Once grafted in, we start to produce fruit. The fruit we produce is clean (good) because of His Word.
…AND STAY CONNECTED.
“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…” John 15:4-5
Fruit comes from the branch (us), but only if it is attached to the vine (Jesus). In this way, Jesus receives the glory, who in turn gives it to the vine-dresser (the father). In this symbiotic relationship, we are fed by Him - and then by us, the world is fed, for Him. The fruit we produce opens the eyes of people to the possibility of God in their life. For this fruit to be evident, we must remain in Him. We do this through God’s word, prayer and then by following the voice of the Spirit. Doing these guarantee good fruit.
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7
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