Monday, May 02, 2011

Abiding Connecting - V

This metaphor is not about salvation. It is about “fruit.” It is about the life of God moving across our connection with Jesus into our lives and out into the world. Fruit is God’s life in a real, beneficial and life-giving way, flowing through into the world.

Many Christians play with the definition of fruit. Everyone, Christians and non-Christians alike, bear fruit. It is the evidence of their heart, flowing into the world. Christians should have positive fruit. Fruit that gives life and health. Fruit that demonstrates Jesus in an edifying, worship producing, life enhancing way. And there is way too much failure to do this.


New lives coming to Jesus and following Jesus is definitely fruit. And there are people coming. But the first disciples of Jesus had favor with all the people and new disciples were coming daily. Can we say the church in our region of the world is in favor with all the people? Can we say people in our region are coming daily? Can we say the life of Jesus is moving through us they way it should?


No one who is honest would say God’s life flows through him as it should – ie. As it flowed through Jesus. But no one who is honest would say God’s life could not flow move freely through him.


Jesus says in the same way a branch cannot bear fruit unless it remains in the vine, so we cannot bear fruit unless we remain in Jesus. If the connection is our relationship, with Jesus, then remaining is the ongoing, moment by moment expression of that relationship.


So how do we maintain that connection in our daily, moment by moment journey?

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