Proof
Read John 15:1-17.
At our last parsonage, we had a grapevine. Well, it was a vine anyway. In the ten years we lived there, it never produced a single grape. One year, we had a little bit of hope, as there were these small round green things, no bigger than a small pebble, but then they withered and disappeared. That's why I say I'm not sure it was really a grapevine. It was all vine and no grapes. And though it did provide nice decoration along our fence, it never actually did what it was intended to do.
That vine, Jesus would say, could be compared to a lot of folks who are good church members or attenders, but are not necessarily disciples. On his last night with his closest friends, Jesus is sharing his heart. He's covering the final matters he wants to make sure they know. He even says he has now shared everything he learned from his Father, everything these disciples need to know. But as he has said before, they mustn't think too highly of themselves. Just because they hung around with Jesus doesn't make them better than others. It doesn't even prove their discipleship. The only thing that will prove their authenticity as followers of Jesus is if they produce fruit.
My grapevine did not produce fruit. Therefore, it wasn't a real grapevine. It was just a pretty green vine.
Disciples that simply believe in Jesus but don't produce fruit, don't make the world more loving, don't love others and don't follow Jesus' commands aren't disciples as Jesus defines them. Perhaps they believe with their heads and not with their hearts and lives.
Some would say that miracles are evidence of a person's faith. Or that answered prayers are evidence. Or people brought into the church. Or any number of other characteristics we might list. But Jesus wouldn't agree with any of those. Only those who produce fruit—who work to make the world more like his kingdom—are those who are disciples.
This is a sobering word, but it's meant to be an activating world. I couldn't seem to do anything to make my vines produce grapes. But I can do something to make my life produce fruit. I can listen to Jesus and follow his commands.
"You are my friends if you do what I command...This is my command: Love each other" (John 15:14, 17).
At our last parsonage, we had a grapevine. Well, it was a vine anyway. In the ten years we lived there, it never produced a single grape. One year, we had a little bit of hope, as there were these small round green things, no bigger than a small pebble, but then they withered and disappeared. That's why I say I'm not sure it was really a grapevine. It was all vine and no grapes. And though it did provide nice decoration along our fence, it never actually did what it was intended to do.
That vine, Jesus would say, could be compared to a lot of folks who are good church members or attenders, but are not necessarily disciples. On his last night with his closest friends, Jesus is sharing his heart. He's covering the final matters he wants to make sure they know. He even says he has now shared everything he learned from his Father, everything these disciples need to know. But as he has said before, they mustn't think too highly of themselves. Just because they hung around with Jesus doesn't make them better than others. It doesn't even prove their discipleship. The only thing that will prove their authenticity as followers of Jesus is if they produce fruit.
My grapevine did not produce fruit. Therefore, it wasn't a real grapevine. It was just a pretty green vine.
Disciples that simply believe in Jesus but don't produce fruit, don't make the world more loving, don't love others and don't follow Jesus' commands aren't disciples as Jesus defines them. Perhaps they believe with their heads and not with their hearts and lives.
Some would say that miracles are evidence of a person's faith. Or that answered prayers are evidence. Or people brought into the church. Or any number of other characteristics we might list. But Jesus wouldn't agree with any of those. Only those who produce fruit—who work to make the world more like his kingdom—are those who are disciples.
This is a sobering word, but it's meant to be an activating world. I couldn't seem to do anything to make my vines produce grapes. But I can do something to make my life produce fruit. I can listen to Jesus and follow his commands.
"You are my friends if you do what I command...This is my command: Love each other" (John 15:14, 17).
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