ABIDING IN CHRIST (PART 2) – THE TRUE DISCIPLE OF CHRIST BEARS MUCH FRUIT

Dear Members in Christ,

Abiding in Christ (Part 2) – the true disciple of Christ bears much fruit

How would a child feel when you have to leave them without supervision? The same situation is the kind of setting we see in John chapters 14 to17. The Lord Jesus had told the disciples that He will be taken from them. However, they will not be totally unattended for the Lord Jesus had promised them the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide them, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.” (John 14:16). In the Gospel of John chapter 15, we see the Lord Jesus Christ teaching His disciples that they need to be in close communion with Him in order to be fruitful and effective in their ministry.  

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” John 15:4

It is observed in nature that without the trunk, a branch cannot “bear fruit of itself”. Once a branch is severed from the main trunk, it is separated from its source of nutrients, and will eventually die. You might have seen branches cut off from the plant, once separated, it will very soon wither. This is the lesson that the Lord was teaching the disciples.

A. Abiding in Christ the only way to be fruitful

We must remember always that we can do nothing of ourselves, if we desire to be flourishing spiritually, we must abide in Christ. That means being connected to God in a way which vitalizes our spiritual lives. The Lord Jesus gave this analogy to His disciples in John 15:5:

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5

In the earlier article, we dealt with how important it is to abide in Christ. It means a consistent and regular communion with the Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritual exercises such as personal devotional time, praying and seeking the will of God in your life, submission to God’s will in your service and daily walk are part of the work to cultivate a close walk with the Lord. For a believer, without these exercises, there is no spiritual vitality.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Bible teaches us that a Christian cannot be spiritually vibrant unless he or she abides with the Lord Jesus. A Christian should never presume that everything seems “ok” even if the Bible is never read, prayer hardly breathed, or Christian fellowship is neglected. While life appears “ok” for such a person, the spiritual life of such a one is slowly decaying and withering.

As for those engaged in service for God, we must dispel worldly notions of self-development, training and human effort to build our ministries and our spiritual life. A close spiritual walk with Christ is the only scriptural formula for success in our spiritual life and in the ministry.

B.  For the fruitful, glory to God, for the unfruitful withering and die

There is a consequence to the response of the disciples to the instruction of the Lord. The Lord Jesus gave a stern warning to the disciples that if they do not keep close communion with Christ, they will wither and die. He says “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:6).

The Lord uses the picture of men gathering dry kindling for the fire to teach us that if we do not abide in Him, we will be unfruitful and useless. A commentator had this to say, “This doubtless refers to those who are professors of religion, but who have never known anything of true and real connection with him” (Albert Barnes). What a precarious position to be in! Imagine one who professes and practices the faith, but have no connection with Christ! On the other hand, the Lord Jesus teaches about true disciples, He says,

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” John 15:7,8

Brothers and sisters, when we bear much fruit, we exhibit a Spirit led life. Our lives are characterized by obedience to God, and good works which glorify Christ and the heavenly Father. Obedience to God is the key to continuance in abiding with Christ. It is God’s will that we serve and bear much fruit. Let us seek to exercise a close personal walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, and submit to His will in every aspect of our life and service. May God grant us fruitful lives for His glory. Amen.   

In His Service,
Rev. Lim Seh Beng, Pastor