Advocate I
John 16:7 “…I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counsellor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you].” (AMP].
If you had the option of physically having Jesus with you everywhere you go, be your friend, solving your problems, and returning to the sender all the arrows fired at you. Or having the Holy Ghost with you, which will you choose? Most people will want Jesus with them physically. Read the rest of this entry
His Comfort
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (NKJV]
John 16:2 “For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God.” So, what is it about being expelled from the synagogue and why does it have such a stronghold on the Jews? For us, when we think about it is like someone being expelled or excommunicated from church. Read the rest of this entry
Staying Power
John 16:1 “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith.”
We cannot thank God enough for the transformation we are experiencing through His Word and our study in the Book of John. God is not done with us yet. If you could ask God one question right now, what will it be? Our anchor text for the next few days is John 16:1-33 [please read]. Read the rest of this entry
The Purpose
Eph. 6:18 “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”
John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Read the rest of this entry
Relevant
Ex. 3:13-14 “But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.”
I read this and wondered, Moses why not just ask, “What is Your Name? I want to know Your Name.” Instead of narrating this long epistle about people asking and not knowing what to tell them. Do you know His Name, Moses, are you not interested in knowing His Name? Read the rest of this entry
I AM!
John 15:8 “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”
You have to be fruitful! The mark of a true disciple in Jesus is fruitfulness. John 15:8 “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” (emphasis added). Not just glory, but great glory. Read the rest of this entry
Bear Fruit
John 15:7&16 “But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! …You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”
When you are fruitful, Jesus says, you will be extremely powerful. “…so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” Whatever means whatever. Also, note that the phrase “using my name” is not just about appending the Name of Jesus to a statement or rounding up prayers with Read the rest of this entry
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. Read the rest of this entry
The Crux
Gen.1:27-28 “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over …every living thing…”
Today we are looking at three areas of fruitfulness and the first area of fruitfulness for a believer is, the Character of the believer, the fruit of The Spirit. Gal.5:22-23 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Read the rest of this entry
Faithful = Fruitful
Luke 16:10 “If you’re faithful in small-scale matters, you’ll be faithful with far bigger responsibilities. If you’re crooked in small responsibilities, you’ll be no different in bigger things” (Voice).
Fruitfulness is a big deal with God. If as a Christian, you do not bear fruit, Jesus says, there is a question mark somewhere. The challenge I have seen with Church folk is people want to be fruitful in their minds, that is, people have a mental ascent. They agree to fruitfulness, they like to be fruitful, but Read the rest of this entry
