Growing with Jesus

Growing with Jesus and Grapes

I love fruit and have many favorites. Grapes are one of the best! A few years ago, I planted two grape vines from cuttings. I thought I had hit the jackpot because the grapevine really took off, growing along the trellis. My enthusiasm grew, when I began to find the grapes growing in bunches. But I was disappointed with the result; undersized grapes, with little sweetness. I thought if I watered the vine more, I would get better grapes. Instead I got mold on the grapes from too much watering. I have made other rookie mistakes as well and sadly never grew sweet grapes.

Recently, I visited my cousin Elaine and her husband Peter Lammonby near Toodyay. They gave me some tips on growing nicer fruit. Elaine explained a couple of things that I will try next year. She also gave me a sample of their sultana grapes, and they were very tasty and sweet. One thing that Elaine explained, was the necessity of pruning back the branches that do not have any fruit growing. Fruitless branches take too much goodness away from the developing grapes. Jesus, in John 15, used his knowledge of growing grapes to teach about discipleship. (Take time to read John 15:1-17.)

Discipleship and Grapes

Jesus, in His illustration from the vineyard on discipleship, explains that He is the true Vine and His Father is the Gardener. We are the branches of the vine. He states the obvious when He says that we, the branches, must remain in Him, the Vine, and He must remain in us. Without this connection, we cannot produce fruit. In fact, Jesus says that: ‘Apart from Him we can do nothing.’ John 15:5 Life as a follower of Jesus only exists with an intimate, unbroken relationship with Him. This is what counts!

It is easy to make a profession of faith. Jesus wants us, as His followers, to produce fruit that aligns with our profession of our faith in Him.

We cannot bear fruit of ourselves. We must choose to believe and to remain in Jesus or we will be cut off. The importance of remaining spiritually united with Jesus, in a life-sustaining relationship, is the key to discipleship. This is not a passive experience, but an ongoing mission that will lead to fruit-bearing.

Staying Connected to Jesus

The focus of life is not on fruit, but rather on staying connected to Jesus. Ellen White puts a real focus on the importance of making Jesus Christ the centre of our lives.

“The life of Christ in you produces the same fruits as in Him. Living in Christ, adhering to Christ, supported by Christ, drawing nourishment from Christ, you bear fruit after the similitude of Christ.” Desire of Ages p 677

The focus on Jesus and experiencing His love gives us a clear pattern on how to love one another. Love is not only experienced but the fruit of this is seen in our relationship with others. Love and obedience to Jesus Christ, and His words, are really the fruit of our connection to Him. The purpose of fruit is to glorify God the Father. It is not about us. When people see us reflect Jesus, the world is blessed. This draws a clear focus on what God has done, and is doing in our lives. Love is the essential ingredient in our relationship with Jesus, with people, and in the fulfillment of our mission in the world. When the relationship to the vine and the gardener are maintained, fruit will be the inevitable result.

Pruning our Lives

Just the other day I cut one of the branches from my grape vine and just left it there. Within a few hours, it was wilting. After a few days it was dried up and dead. This illustrates for me the importance of staying connected to Jesus. As a believer I need His ongoing influence and strength to keep me alive in faith. Time spent reading His word, meditating on His thoughts, and praying with an open honest heart, helps me stay alive in Jesus.

The illustration that Jesus uses if a branch does not produce fruit is also a challenge which I need to think about. It is easier to focus on myself rather than wanting to glorify God. However, I might find myself cut off as a branch that is fruitless. Just as Jesus words keep the relationship with Him, they can also be used to prune the vine. If we focus on Jesus and His words, they can unify us as a church, and remove those who don’t want to live in line with His teaching.

This sounds harsh, but we can trust the Father who prunes in love, and Jesus words, which challenge us in love. They will prune us as individuals and as a church community. This is not the work of the pastor, or the Conference President. We we would prune the wrong branches, this is the work that happens when we stay connected to Jesus Christ. This is not a causal relationship that is on-and-off. Abiding in Christ is a consistent receiving of His Spirit and surrender in the service of Jesus. This year I invite you to make the commitment to have that vital connection to Jesus (the Discipleship team have bible reading guides focusing on the Gospels). Let Jesus change you, and me, and prune where He needs to. Allow the fruit of love and obedience to bring glory to God, and bless the families and community around us.