An Outlet

John 15:^5&8 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing… When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”

The question is how fruitful have I been? You need to wrestle with this question because a lot is tied to your fruitfulness. God is so big on fruitfulness. It is unbelievable. How fruitful 0have you been? How many people would say because of her, because of him I saw Jesus. Evangelism is a big part of soul winning and I am all for it. You should evangelize and have actual people you lead to Christ. However, when you get to heaven, some people will say to you, ‘I was watching you from a distance and because of how you did business, because of how you carried yourself at work, know my life was changed.’ That is fruitfulness.

John 15:³ “You have already been cleansed (pruned) by the word that I have spoken to you.” (NRSV, emphasis, and words added). Whenever you open yourself to the teachings of Jesus, you are being cleansed and you are being pruned. So, you are going to be more fruitful. You are stepping out of your time with God more fruitful in the Name of Jesus. And it because of the Word Jesus is speaking to you. John 15:⁴ “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” Jesus took the time to show how He is connected to The Vinedresser, to The Father. And how He and The Father’s relationship cannot be severed. Jesus is saying in the same way, the relationship between us and Him cannot be severed.

John 15:⁵ “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (emphasis added). This is Jesus on His way to Gethsemane says, “those who remain in me”; in other words, not everybody will remain in Christ. Apart from Jesus you can do somethings, or you will do average things? Jesus says apart from Him, you and I can do nothing! Wow! So, the branch can only have one vine, but the vine can have many branches. The branch that insists on connecting to multiple vines becomes a disconnected branch because it does not work like that. On earth, there is a local expression of the body of Christ which is the local church. The question is where is your church, where are you planted? You cannot be planted here and there also. It does not work like that; the Church is the body of Christ. You have to be planted somewhere. So, where are you planted?

John 15:⁶ “Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.” This is a very tough reality.

Prayer: Father, in the Name of Jesus, I will be fruitful and multiply, winning souls to God’s Kingdom, thereby glorifying The Father, in Jesus Name. Amen!