John 15: Disciple’s Charge

Disciple’s General Charge: Vine & Branches

Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes so that it may bear more fruit.”

We, as disciples, are designed to bear fruit–which is more disciples as seen in Matthew 28:18-20 and Matthew 10:24-39. If we are bearing fruit, God will “prune” us so that we may be more fruitful, but those of us who are not producing fruit will become stagnant and die. If we are obeying God’s commands, this will never happen.

“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

This chunk is simply getting across the fact that we cannot do the work of discipleship apart from God–it simply doesn’t work. What tree branch can bear fruit if it is not connected to the trunk of the tree? God does the work–we are just the branches.

“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”

The price of not being fruitful–not obeying the command given–is death. If we are not part of the tree, if we are a severed branch, we do not receive the nutrients we need and will dry up. What happens to dry branches? They’re burned–thrown away. Produce fruit. Love God by obeying His commands and remaining in His presence.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”

What’s the fruit? Making disciples and spreading the Word of God to all nations. This glorifies God, and God’s glory is our sole purpose. It is why we were created, to glorify God.

“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full.”

Disciple’s Charge to Eachother

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.”

This is part of discipleship–that we love one another. Acts 2:42-47 talks about this in great detail. They shared everything. They sacrificially served each other. Jesus washed feet (the nastiest part of the body in that day), and died for us all. We are to love each other in the same way: serving each other, and even dying for each other.

“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have eard from My father I have made known to you.”

We, as disciples, as friends of Jesus. Sweet deal!

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”

Christians, we did not get here on our own. We did not come to Jesus on our own. The Bible in John 6:44a “No one can come to Me (Jesus) unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” We have been chosen–we have been called, and we have been called to and for a purpose: glorifying God and making disciples. Jesus “appointed you that you would go and bear fruit.”

“This is what I command you, that you love one another.”

Disciple’s Charge to the World

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; of they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

Christians, this is not an easy life. Jesus never told us that life would be easy. People don’t want to believe that there is only one God. People don’t want to crawl out of the pit of their pleasure and sins. People don’t want to be told that they will go to hell if they do not follow Christ–some of you probably don’t want to hear that. Jesus says in Matthew, “I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (This does not mean that we are saved by works, which is addressed in another article).

“But all things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.”

We will be persecuted for the sole purpose of our faith–we are persecuted for His name.

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without cause.’

To be perfectly honest, I do not fully understand what Jesus was saying here. I think what He is saying is that through Him–through what Jesus did–the entire world has the opportunity to turn away from their sin and to be washed, but the world does not wish to turn away, so they hate God.

“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”

The Helper is the Holy Spirit–He gives us power to witness, or “testify.” This is the culmination of all of discipleship. We bear fruit through Him–the Holy Spirit. We love one another and will be persecuted, but we will be given the power to testify and to hold firm by Him–the Holy Spirit.

The Letter

Father,

              When I was a child, I rebelled against you. I was rejected, condemned and judged by your people, so I ran to a place where I found acceptance. I ran so far from you that I began to believe that there was no hope for my soul. While in the bottom of the pit I had fallen into, sitting in my own darkness, I soaked myself with hatred and anger caused by the pain and suffering inflicted by my own hands. Satan was my master, Nocturne was my demon and pure, unconstrained, relentless evil was my god. I hated you. I wished to destroy you and all of your creation.

But…

              Because of your blood, Jesus. Because you died for my rebellion. Because of your unending love for me, Yahweh spread out His arms, dipped His hands into the depths of the darkness, took hold of my heart, squeezed the darkness from it while I was still in it and ripped me from the hell that I had created.

So…

              I come before you, with my mind, body and soul, for it is all I have to give. I thank you, Father, that my life is enough for you. That I do not have to do anything but follow you. I praise you, Adonai, for saving me from the pain, suffering, hurt, hatred, anger, evil, darkness and death of my hell. I praise you for giving my soul hope and my life meaning. You alone are my Elohim (Mighty God), Adonai (My Lord and Master), Jehovah-Rapha (The Lord Who Heals), Jehovah (The Self-Existent One), El Shaddai (The All-Sufficient One) and friend.

              It is my prayer that you continue to guide me through this life, standing with me during every situation, both good and bad, all the way back home to your Kingdom in Heaven.

                                                                                                            Blessed be Your glorious name,

                                                                                                                                          Your Son

Attributes of God

Attributes of God
Have you ever wondered about God’s true nature? A breakdown of His character, as revealed in the Bible, can be discovered.

The Meaning
God is a word that means different things to different people. What enters our minds when we think about God is considered to be the most important thing about us.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was present originally with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without him was not one thing made that has come into being.” (Gospel of John 1:1-3)

Characteristics

Wisdom
“Wisdom is the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve these ends by the most perfect means.” (Dr. Fred R. Johnson, Ph.D.)

Infinitude
Infinitude impacts all of the others, and since God is infinite, everything else about Him must also be infinite.

Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the application of His other attributes of being all-knowing and all-powerful. Sovereignty makes Him absolutely free to do what He knows to be best.

Holiness
Holiness is what sets God apart from all other created beings, which is pure and righteous in all the universe.

Trinity
The Trinity consists of The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all called God, given worship as God, exist eternally, and are involved in doing things only God could do.

Omniscience
Omniscience means all-knowing, which means God knows everything, and His knowledge is infinite.

Faithfulness
God’s Faithfulness guarantees everything that He has promised will come to pass. His faithfulness guarantees this fact, which has Jesus confirmed.

A Continuing Study

Love
Love simply means that God holds the well-being of others as His primary concern.

Omnipotence
Omnipotence means all-powerful, and since God is infinite and possesses power, He possesses infinite power.

Self-Existence
Self-Existence means God has no beginning or end; He just exists. Nothing else in all the universe is self-caused.

Self-Sufficiency
God is Self-Sufficient. He does not need our help with anything, but because of His grace and love, He allows us to be a part of advancing His plan on earth and being a blessing to others. We are the ones who change, but never God.

Justice
The Bible says that God is just, but it is His character that defines what being just really is. His justice is needed to be satisfied, but He took care of it for all who will believe in Jesus.

Immutability
It is why the Bible says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” This simply means that God never changes.

Mercy
“Mercy is the attribute of God which disposes Him to be actively compassionate.” Since God’s justice is satisfied in Jesus, He is free to show mercy to all those who have chosen to follow Him.

Eternal
God always has been and will forever be, because God dwells in eternity. It is why God can see the end from the beginning, and why He is never surprised by anything.

Goodness
Goodness is why He bestows all the blessing He does on His followers. God’s actions define what goodness is, and we can easily see it in the way Jesus related to the people around Him.

Gracious
God enjoys giving great gifts to those who love Him, even when they do not deserve it.  Jesus Christ is the channel through which His grace moves.

Omnipresence
Omnipresence means “always present.” Since God is infinite, His being knows no boundaries. This is certainly a comforting truth for all who follow Jesus.

The Conclusion
By learning the attributes of God, you may praise God for who He really is and for how each of His attributes impacts your life in a positive way.

The Meaning of Life

An Ageless Search
What is the meaning of life? This is one of the most frequently asked questions by all of humanity since the beginning of time. It is a question naturally asked by people because they have the ability to make choices about life. The question would appear to be difficult to answer and different for every individual depending on their circumstances. It is the ultimate search for truth and purpose in life; the reason we were born, wake up everyday and exist.

The Truth
Although people have struggled for the purpose of their existence throughout history, the answer for the meaning of life is relatively simple and the same for everyone; it is to love God by choosing to have a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.

How to Move Forward
Once you understand the meaning of life, the next step is choosing to follow God’s plan for your life.  God made you for a specific purpose; however, before you can fulfill that purpose, you need to establish a relationship with God.

How to Fulfill Your Mission
The challenge to the meaning of life is being faithful to the calling of God and being dedicated to fulfilling the purpose that He created you for by accomplishing your life mission. The Holy Bible addresses these issues clearly to give people answers about how to lead their life in every circumstance, from poor to rich, from health to illness, from strong to weak, and from spiritual to sinful. Everybody has limiting circumstances, but God gives people this ultimate life instruction book called the Bible to help them understand how to make the right choices throughout their changing life. Learn about what God wants for you and submit to His plan for a life of fulfilling significance.