What is the Gospel?

 The word "gospel" is derived from old English, which in turn is derived from the Greek work "euangelion". It means simply "good news". 

The gospel is a proclamation of good news, namely:

• Sin has destroyed life and creation.
• Sin is mankind turning away from God and refusing to allow God his rightful position as Ruler over creation.
• But God has a solution. Jesus, who is both God and man, entered the world
• To demonstrate God's heart and character.
• To die on a cross.

In that death, he suffered the penalty for sin, for all mankind, past, present, and future. He offers pardon for sin, if we accept it by faith, and restore God to his rightful, and proper place as Lord, in our hearts and practices. Jesus gives this as a gift, by grace. Grace is God's power, love, and generosity given freely.

This sacrifice, and gift of grace, is effective for reconciling God and man, justifying man for sin -- past, present, and future -- and redeems man back to God. It also brings change into people's lives by changing their hearts, their spiritual DNA, so it conforms with God's heart. People begin to keep God's word, to love, to speak graciously, and to have attitudes that yield peace, joy and hope.

As people turn to God by faith, live by grace, in connection with God through the Holy Spirit, according to God's word, they learn to share the gospel in a winning way. So, grace, faith, and renewed lifestyles begin to multiply. And as people who live by love and grace multiply, it should begin to have an effect on society, and culture. Step one of God's plan to heal racism, poverty, violence, chemical dependence, dishonesty, and corruption is the natural effects of grace, faith, and the Holy Spirit in the heart of God's family interacting, and living together as God designed it to be. Step two is God's family moving out toward the ends of the earth, with the gospel, and the love God plants in their hearts, to be expressed with the help of God's Spirit shining through God's children.

God's Design and Man's Response

 God designed all of life. God designed human beings, a relationship between God and people, and a relationship between people. 

One way of looking at sin: a person thinking, acting, or speaking outside of the design specifications. Moreover, a person could live within the specs, but have the attitude that the Engineer did not make a good design. This person's design was superior to the Engineer's, and this person chooses to live according to their personal design.

Even God's people do not always live by his design specifications.

God's primary spec is love. So, God's people should be especially characterized by love.

Too many of God's people see people living outside of God's specs, and respond with anger.

Love is not happy when people live outside of God's design. Because love wants the best for people, love wants people to embrace God's design. So, love is happy when a person takes a step toward agreement with God's design.

But anger is contrary to patience. Ignoring, or refusing to work for someone else's benefit, is contrary to kindness. Giving up on someone is contrary to hoping all things.

God's people need to agree, and abide in God's design in all matters, and all situations, in thought, internal agreement, and practice.

The First and Second Commands

God’s first commandment is to love God. God’s second command is to love people. I have speculated before that those are God’s priorities.

What if someone says “Some people are terrible. So, I won’t show love to them. But I will still love God.” This could be the rich, the poor, other ethnicities, other religions, other branches of Christianity, criminals, or other segments of society, or cultures.

For a true follower of Jesus, there are a few problems with that. One, Jesus said to love your enemies. Which would seem to imply that everyone is under the same umbrella. Jesus’ followers should love everyone.

But, a bigger problem is that Jesus said that if you love God, you will obey his commandments. So, you can’t keep the first commandment, if you don’t keep the second commandment. And Scripture further says if a person keeps these two commandments, that person is keeping the whole Law.

A follower of Jesus cannot obey the first command, if they are not patient, or kind to other people. If he/she looks down on other people, expects only bad from them, or for them, they are not obeying the first commandment.

The first and second commandments walk together hand in hand. They cannot be separated. To practice one, one must practice both.

God's Wisdom

 In one of Paul's letters, he encourages us to live wisely. Knowledge is having a list of facts. Understanding is grasping the what's, why's and how's. Wisdom is taking knowledge, and understanding, and applying them to situations, that meets the needs, satisfies the situations, or solves the problem. Wisdom could be a ridiculously simple step. Or it could be a long, complex, and obtuse process.

We know God designed, and created, the world. We understand that, in the design, there are laws, principles, and forces in effect that should be agreed to, and followed, to make living pleasant, worthwhile, profitable, and beneficial. Wisdom sees, and walks down a path, that agrees with God's design.

Paul says that, if we are wise, we will know, and understand, God's will. Then we will agree, and follow, it. And he gives four ways to agree and follow.

He begins with "don't get drunk." I do not see Scripture absolutely forbidding alcohol. Jesus created wine. Both the Passover, and the Lord's Supper, have wine included. There are Christian groups, who after witnessing the damage alcohol can produce -- car accidents, addiction, disease, and broken families -- choose a policy of avoidance. One way to solve, what can be a big problem.

But Paul did not say, in this passage, to avoid alcohol. He said do not move to a place where it controls you. Instead, he says we should agree with God, so we are controlled by something else.

A person is controlled by whatever fills them. If they are filled by alcohol, it controls them, and affects how they live. If the Spirit fills them, he controls them, and affects how they live. If alcohol fills them, they bear the fruit of the alcohol. If the Spirit fills them, they bear the fruit of the Spirit.

The second way is to speak Scripture to  one another. If we share Scripture, we have our hearts filled with Scripture. If we fill our hearts with what God says, it must flow from our hearts.

Filling our hearts with Scripture, fills our hearts with God's truth, and leads to godly change from the inside out. Sharing Scripture with others helps fill their hearts God's truth, and leads to godly change from the inside out.

Growth does not come from merely, and only, hearing God's Word. Obeying God's Word is required too.

The third way is to sing in our hearts. If we consider all that God has done for us, is doing for us, and will do for us  (he has chosen us, he has given us life, and new life, he has brought into his family, he loves and blesses us, he made us his heirs, he has forgiven, justified, redeemed, and reconciled us, and this is a short list!), joy and gratitude will be, and should be our response. And celebration of God, his character, and his acts, ought to naturally arise in our hearts.

The fourth way, also, ought to be a natural reaction: giving thanks in everything. I do not think that means we thank God for everything. We should not thank God for what is not his will. (Abortion is not his will. Racial injustice is not his will. Death is not his will. Disunity in his family is not his will.) 

We should be thankful for everything that is his will. And for those situations not in his will, Scripture says he can, and does, use them to promote, advance, complete, and perfect his plans. So, we can be thankful his will is advancing.

Maybe something happens, and we can see something good resulting from something bad. We can be thankful for that something good.

Maybe something happens, and we can only see something bad resulting from something bad. We can be thankful that God will act in it, and his mission will advance from it. And we should return to the third way, and remember all that he has done, is doing, and will do ... and celebrate!

Agreement With Father

Jesus said his food was to do the Father’s will, and to complete the Father’s mission. (personal paraphrase)

He meant that he gained life by living in agreement with the Father. He lived in agreement with the purpose, and design, of the world.

But he also lived in agreement with the Father’s mission. He lived in agreement with what the Father was trying to accomplish in the world. His heart agreed with the Father’s heart.

What was on the Father’s heart? What is on the Father’s heart?

There are a lot of ways to understand the Father’s mission, and the Father’s heart. One way is to say he intends to build, and complete, his family.

There are people, who he has declared to be his children. And he wants them to live as his children. And there are a few different results of this.

One, they act as his children. They choose to live in agreement with God’s design. They choose love as the primary value. And, as they choose, they are changed, and live closer, and closer to how Jesus lived.

Two, they have a self-image as his children. Children are loved, and accepted, for who they are, and what they are. Faults and deficiencies are not ignored. A father’s heart envisions, encourages, and trains the best decisions and lifestyles. But acceptance, and love, are not given on the basis of how completely one accepts the design plan(*) nor how faithfully, thoroughly, and completely one keeps, and practices the design plan.(*)

God declares: I love you. You are my child. I want you with me forever, so that I can demonstrate my love, and favor, top you. But you would live the best life, if you followed my plan as closely as possible.

Three, they have the same heart as the Father. They want what the Father wants. They are motivated by what motivates the Father.

Father wants a family. He wants close relationship with his children. He want his children to have close relationships with one another. And the original plan, it was intended for all mankind, every single person ever born, to be part of that family.

Mankind chose, and continues to choose, to reject relationship with Father. So, mankind is cut off from God.

So, Father planned to bring people back into his family.

And Jesus was born into the world, and chose to go to the Cross, to bring anyone, who gives allegiance to the Father, Son and Spirit, into God’s family.

So, if we have Father’s heart, we will want what he wants. We will want God’s children to walk in agreement with God’s design. We will want God’s children to See themselves as God sees them. (Accepted, loved, and chosen.) And we will want an ever increasing growth in the number of people in God’s family. 

(*) I almost on accident coined a new term: design plan. I am trying to express the life lived in agreement with the Father. “Design” refers to the principles and structures built into the fabric of the world. “Plan” refers to the individual expression of the design. All buildings must deal with gravity, weather, and be suitable for people. But buildings are different: stores, houses,  

God's Plan: Family

God gives grace, because his primary characteristic is love.

God is holy. He cannot live in the presence of sin. He will punish sin, and rebellion.

But God did not create mankind to have law-abiding citizens, faithful followers, or obedient servants. God created mankind to have a family.

There is eternal love, giving, and honor, between Father, Son, and Spirit. Such love, that it could not remain within that circle. So, God expanded the circle.

God created people, so he could include them in the circle of love. And when the first people sinned, rejecting God’s love, his invitation to eternal relationship, to the eternal family, he punished their sin with curses that broke the God-man fellowship, broke man-man fellowship, and allowed evil to be birthed in the world.

But he also began the process of restoration. He offered grace, so mankind could choose to reunite with God’s family, and God’s circle of love.

So, those who accept God’s invitation of restoration, give him allegiance, now stand as his family in the world. We are not just kingdom citizens, followers, soldiers, and servants. We are family. Part of God’s circle of love. And part of that God-impulse to share, and spread, his love over the world.

One writer says that God’s intention for his family is to: live like Jesus, love like Jesus, and leave what Jesus left behind.

What did Jesus leave behind? People who became part of his family, living as he did, loving as he did, and bringing more people into the family. This live-love-leave is part of the new spiritual DNA, the Holy Spirit injects into our being.

We will probably have different places, and different roles, in the family. But we all have responsibility in the live-love-leave continuum to maintain, and increase, God’s family. We all have responsibility in God’s restoration process.

Teach to Obey

Jesus commanded his disciples to:

• Make disciples.
• Baptize them.
• And teach their disciples to obey all of his commands.

Including the command to make disciples, baptize, and teach to obey.

So, if his disciples taught their disciples to obey all he commanded, their disciples would obey by:

• Making disciples.
• Baptizing them.
• And teaching their disciples to obey all of Jesus’ commands.

Including the command to make disciples, baptize, and teach to obey.

So, if the disciples of the disciples taught their disciples to obey all he commanded, their disciples would obey by:

• Making disciples.
• Baptizing them.
• And teaching their disciples to obey all of Jesus’ commands.

And where would this process end?

A New Commandment

After Jesus tells his disciples to remain/abide in him, he tells them to remain/abide in his love. He loves them, just like the Father loves him. But to remain in his love, they need to obey his commands, just as he always obeyed the Father.

And what is his command? To love one another, like he loved them. The command “love your neighbor as yourself” has been around a long time. Jesus called this a new command: “love one another as I have loved you.”

And how did Jesus love? John says, in one of his letters, that Jesus died for the whole world. Not just for the Jews. Not just the religious people.

Jesus died for:

• his betrayer
• his executioner
• the scribes, priest, and Pharisees
• the barbarians
• Muslim extremists
• drug cartels
• the abortion industry
• Biden, Trump, Harris, and Pence
• and, even, Dr. Fauci
• and for his friends

(And, as I sit here, I am remembering names from the news, that represent selfishness, partisanship, unfairness, hypocrisy, and cruelty. And I realize Jesus died for each person, regardless of who they were, what they stood for, and what they did.)

And how did he love? He was:

• patient              - slow to judge/condemn
• kind                  - acted to benefit
• not arrogant      - did not look down on
• protects             - covers from the storms
• believes            - is committed to
• hopes                - expects the best of, and the best for
• perseveres        - stays the course
• and he provided a bridge to a restored relationship with the Father

It is my opinion, the reason Jesus said that the two greatest commandments were to love God, and love people, was because they were the priorities he wanted us to follow.

It can get a little tricky. To love God, we need to obey him. Part of which is, agreeing that some of what people around hold as good and true, is in reality wrong. God declares that these things are evil, and sinful.

Then, with our next breath, the next tick of the clock, we need to show patience, kindness, forbearance, and respect, to these same people. Especially, since, they are now angry with us for pronouncing God's judgment on what they believe, how they live, and what they value.

And isn't that what the cross shows, and demonstrates?

Connected to the Vine

Jesus introduces a metaphor to describe how life in relationship with him should be like. He says he is the “true vine.” And he says his Father is the “gardener.”

A gardener is the designer, and creator, of the garden. Or vineyard, in this case. He plans it. He executes the plan. He maintains the plan by promoting what works best for the garden – which is measured by what gives the most produce, or most fruit.

A grapevine gives a unique picture of this process. The grapes grow on the branches. The branches grow on the vine. And the vine grows from the root. The system is connected. For it to work, all the parts need to remain connected to each other. To gain fruit, each part of the “chain” is dependent on one another. Jesus, as the vine, is faithfully connected to the root. God’s family, as the branches, need to remain connected to Jesus.

It is God’s design, and intention, that his family bear fruit. But they are unable to bear fruit, unless the maintain connection to the vine.

How is the connection maintained? How do we remain/abide in Christ?

We can talk about disciplines. Reading the scriptures. Prayer. Attending church. I don’t want to give the impression that a disciplined practice of these thing is, in some way, not valuable. But, people can, and do, treat this things as boxes on a list. But relationship is more than check-boxes. The exercise of disciplines does not guarantee continued connection. “Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks.” Connection to the vine needs to be moment by moment.

If we consider moment-by-moment prayer to be identical to disciplined prayer, then it is impossible to do. Human beings cannot to practiced disciplined prayer every single moment of the day. The disciplines – reading, praying, and fellowship – are important and valuable. But they lose moment by moment value. Yet, God wants us to practice moment-by-moment prayer. God wants both. Both keep us connected to the vine.

As I said, moment-by-moment prayer cannot be viewed like disciplined prayer, or prayer meeting prayer. One way of viewing moment-by-moment prayer is frequent one-line prayers. One thank you. One petition for action, blessing, or revival.

A focused long time of prayer – one hour, two hours, etc. – is valuable. But 5000 one-second prayers are also valuable. What is necessary to start this type of prayer is some means to interrupt yourself.

Some time ago, I was give a small wooden cross. It was intended to be carried around in a pants pocket. It has spent most of the time sitting in a drawer. But for the last month, I have been carrying it with me. Each time, I put my hand in a pocket, I feel the cross, and I am reminded to offer short, one sentence prayers.

I know I am praying more. I wouldn’t be surprised if the duration has doubled. And I am being reminded of God’s presence with me.

I am sure this is not the only method to interrupt yourself, to regain focus on God’s presence. But it is one example I have used recently.

Anxious?

In one of Paul's letters to the church, he urges the church to not be anxious about anything.

Like many words, the is a picture behind the word "anxious." The picture is one of being pulled in two directions. When we become anxious, we are often caught up in what-if's and maybe's. "What if this happens? What if that happens? Maybe I should do this? Maybe I should do that?" And , of course, the all encompassing: "What do I do now?"

We are currently living through a time of great anxiety. "What if I get sick? What if I lose my job? How will I pay my bills?"

God doesn't say to ignore your problems. He says to focus on your problems with him. 

Focus your hearts and minds on the Father. Bring your needs, concerns, wants, and problems to him. Communicate them to him thoroughly. But, bring them with thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving because:

• He loves you.
• He is for you.
• He is active on your behalf.
• He knows your needs and concerns.
• He is concerned, and active, to meet them.

He is not saying be thankful for the problem. The reality is -- life is not just your problem. There is always something to give thanks for. Sometimes, we need to forget the problem for a couple of seconds, and look for the good that's still out there.

Grace

Jesus died on the Cross to satisfy God's justice. So, by faith, we receive the verdict of the Eternal Judge: guilty, but pardoned, because the crime has already been paid for.

And by faith, we stand in grace.

If we are pulled over for speeding, mercy is the policeman does not give us a ticket. Grace is not only does he not give us a ticket, but he pulls his wallet, and gives us $40 to have dinner on him.

If we are pulled over for speeding, and taken before a judge. Justification is the judge saying" "Yeah, you were speeding, but the fine is already paid for." Grace is the judge pulling out his wallet, and giving us $40 to have dinner on him.

God does not just forgive our sins. He brings us into his family. He makes us his heirs. He prepares a place for us in his eternal kingdom. He gives us his presence. He plants new spiritual DNA in our being, so we will be forever changed. God insures that whenever something bad happens in our lives, good will result from it.

Having given our allegiance to Jesus, we are given lives of grace.

Thanksgiving in the Storm

Scripture provides an historical narrative of the Twelve, and the Apostle Paul, after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. It relates the expansion of the church amid persecution and opposition.

After a long journey, sharing the gospel, Paul returns to Jerusalem. The leaders in Jerusalem convince him to complete a Jewish ceremony, to demonstrate to his Jewish countrymen, that he honors the Law, and the ways of his Jewish ancestors. While doing this, some Jews see him, and start a riot, because of his involvement with the gentiles.

The Romans arrest him. This starts a series of trials before Roman authorities. Paul remains in prison for several years. And finally, they put him on a boat for a trial before Caesar.

While sailing to Rome, they get caught in an especially violent storm. The crew throw cargo and gear overboard in an attempt to keep them afloat. No one is eating or sleeping.

In the middle of all this, Paul tells everyone, that his God revealed to him that he would make it to Rome, the boat would be destroyed, but that everyone with him -- crew, captain, Roman soldiers, and other prisoners -- would survive. He encourages them to eat to maintain their strength. Then, in front of everyone, he gives thanks.

A lot of bad stuff had happened to Paul, but he take time to recognize, and appreciate, all the good that God did, and planned to do.

Over the last year, I have been reminded a number of times of the power of giving thanks. I do not negate reality. I do not overlook bad things. I do not romanticize life. But I do recognize that God is still active in the world. God still pursues people in love. God still has power, and authority, to extract good out of calamity. As a matter of fact, he promises that he would do just that.

God commands us to give thanks in every situation. That doesn't mean for every situation. Does God want us to thank him for a pandemic that has disrupted every facet of life, put thousand in the hospital, and killed thousands more? I don't think so.

I do think God wants us to develop a mind set, an attitude, and a perspective of thankfulness. To be alert to see, and recognize, the good happening all around us.

God's word is going out. People are being saved, and baptized, in downtown Minneapolis, and on the beaches of California. God's word is being proclaimed in Africa, Asia, and everywhere else, with positive effect. As a grandfather, I am witnessing the growth, and development of my grandchildren. There are still sunny days, and rainbows. There are still board games with friends. (Maybe people sit a little further apart, but they are still playing.)

I do not want to minimize any tragedy people experience. I grieve for lost jobs, and businesses, accidents, and injustices. But locking onto those things breeds discouragement, and saps the strength to pursue God's invitation to life.

I am encouraging us to begin peeking through the cracks, to see and embrace the good that God still gives birth to, in this world. Thanksgiving is a response of faith, receiving what God gives, agreeing with his work, and walking into his life, with joy and peace in our hearts.

"I Pray That"

There are several places in Scripture where the writer says “I pray that”. Since, I have just read a modern writer’s encourage people to pray the Scripture, I wonder if these I-pray-that’s should be our starting points?

The first, I-pray-that, that occurs to me, Paul prays for the Holy Spirit to empower our human core. God sends his innate power, that created the world, that raised Jesus from the dead, through his Spirit into our hearts.

Why? So, we can walk on water? Or raise the dead? Not in this particular passage.

Paul prays for the Spirit to transform our inner core, so that Christ may dwell there.

The world is in rebellion toward God. It has an anti-God attitude. We need power to go contrary to the world, to choose to return to God. We need power to re-connect, and live our relationship with him.

So, we can likewise pray for the Spirit to work in our lives, and in the lives of others:

• To pursue our relationship with Father, Son, and Spirit.
• To grow in that relationship – in understanding, and increased connection. (Remember the parable of the grapevine.)
• To give allegiance to Jesus.

But wait! There’s more!

He prays for all God’s family to have power to understand the full extent of God’s love. We have accepted God’s love, and God’s version of life, by giving him our allegiance. We have established our lives in his love. Now, we need to grow in our understanding of it, by our experience of it.

This experience is o huge, that only a fraction of testimonies, and descriptions, of it would swamp the internet. It is seen spanning the miraculous to the mundane. From maternal self-sacrifice, to canine loyalty, otherworldly sunsets, plain old kindness, and miraculous healings. God’s love is present, and expressed, through all those things.

Paul says he prays for God’s power to manifest itself in people, so they could move into relationship with God, and to awaken to God’ ever present, personal, individual, and all powerful love, and its manifold expressions.

Alignment

We recently looked at Jesus’ parable of the grapevine. And, even more recently, I found myself asking a question about it. Why did Jesus spend quite a bit of time encouraging the disciples to keep connected? Because he knew there would be a tendency in people to become unconnected.

Jesus said our connection with him would result in: fruit, an increase in our partnership with him, an increase in our relationship with him, and an increase in joy. Can we say we see these things in abundance in the family of God? Could the reason for their lack be a lack of connection?

I don’t consider this a matter of a person’s eternal destiny. Lack of connection does not mean that God throws these people out of the family. It is a matter of daily, moment by moment, relationship. I have relatives I have not seen, or talked to, in years. Obviously, there is not much connection. I cannot benefit from any relationship with them. In the case of relationship with Jesus, he is saying there is tremendous benefit by remaining connected.

We can become disconnected in several ways. Sin and disobedience is obvious. Letting our schedules rule us is another. We can also let different attitudes block him from areas in our lives. We connect with our church lives, but we act independently with our jobs, our families, or our politics.

God rules all of life. We need to get all of our lives aligned with God’s Word and God’s Spirit.

One person calls this a process of aligning and enforcing. Aligning is allowing God to rule in our lives. When we gave him our allegiance, we gave him permission to rule. But on a practical daily basis, we rebel. Perhaps not with overt sin. Perhaps with a passive resistance, not giving him access to our home life, our entertainment, our vacations, our sex life, or what we allow into our heads – movies, TV, or reading. We may continue to find in our lives that we need to get aligned with God’s heart. Perhaps the same thing will need to get aligned many times. 

Enforcing is proclaiming, or asserting, what is true – that is, according to God’s word – about an area.  You may have a relationship that is broken, with fights and disagreements, mutual disrespect, and mistreatments. What is God’s message to us about that? What does he say about disagreements, taking revenge, forgiveness, and love? What do we say about them? Who is right? 

Probably misalignment generates more disconnection than overt sin. We may need a daily practice of aligning with God. That is, we may need to agree with hm, that he rules all of our lives, and what that rule should look like, according to God’s word.

Give Thanks

Jesus is about to feed 5000 people with a small boy’s lunch. And he gives thanks.

Jesus is about to raise Lazarus from the dead. And he gives thanks.

Paul encourages God’s family to seek God in all situations with prayer, petition, and thanksgiving.

Paul encourages God’s family to be thankful in everything, not for everything. If we were thankful for everything, then we should be thankful for every evil, heinous thing that ever happens. Every atrocity. Every act of cruelty. All selfishness and sin.

God designed, and created, the world, so he would have a love relationship with people. The primary characteristic of relationship with God with people was intended to be love. That was God’s heart. Hatred, and evil, were not in the plans. We do not need to be thankful for COVID, economic disruption, loneliness, business failures, or any other fall out.

But we ought to be thankful.

Giving thanks can just be part of the formula, when we pray. But looking at Scripture, I think God intends it to be more. Thanksgiving is intended to be a reorientation, and a refocus, on God’s nature, character, and resources. Giving thanks should have an effect on our hearts. Which should, in turn, affect our perspectives. Which should, in turn, affect our actions.

What we do would be different, if we recognized God wanted a relationship with us, loved us, because we are his children, was always paying attention to us, was always listening to us, and always taking action for us.

Giving thanks ought to remind us of all of this, and what god has done for us already, and therefore, what he is willing, and able, to do. And if we are reminded about who God is, and what he has done, we ought to have confidence to move forward with whatever is happening, because God is moving with us.

The Vine and the Branches

On a grapevine, fruit grows on the branches. It is on the branches that life occurs. That which is valuable, or desirable, happens. The purpose for all the work in having a grapevine grows on the branches.

But, if a branch is severed from the vines, it dries out, gets brittle, and it is impossible to grow fruit. The branch can only produce fruit, if it is connected to the vine.

Water, and nutrients, are absorbed from the ground by the roots, and flow to the branches through the vine. It is the connection that activates any value of the branch.

When we gave our allegiance to Jesus, we became part of God’s family, and we were grafted into the vine. The material of the vine, and the material of the branch fuse together. Life can flow easily to the branch.

The branch can produce fruit, which is valuable and desirable. Or the branch can produce growth that waster the life, or produces bad fruit. That’s why the farmer gives active care, removing the bad fruit, and unproductive growth.

Of course, this vine-branch connection is figurative. What is really involved is the connection between people. A person’s allegiance connects him to the vine, but a person’s practice defines the nature of that connection. We can give our allegiance, but not necessarily live out that allegiance.

The vine (Jesus) wants the connection to be a vast river flowing into the branch, with each cluster of grapes requiring a semi to carry it. That type of “production” is extremely rare, to say the least.

Jesus urges us to maintain a state of connection. What that is, is not necessarily defined in this story. Of course, he does seem to comment on it. And his entire ministry is an almost perpetual lesson about connectivity to the Father.

Mankind was designed for this. The human spirit’s main fuel is relationship (connectivity) with God. God designed, and created, the world, so he could have a love relationship with the world, just like his love relationship within the God-head.

We know how that worked. Mankind rejected a relationship with God, thinking they were getting something better. And that rejection released all that is wrong, and evil, in the world.

And God’s message: “Come back! Re-connect!” And many have returned, and re-connected. And the connection, along with (according to Jesus) an active remembrance of what he said, will produce semi loads of fruit.

We remember what Jesus said, because if we practice what Jesus said, the connection works. Many have given allegiance, but they are not obedient to Jesus’ words.

If we are honest, no one is completely obedient. And many follow man-made systems, believing they are following Jesus. But, the God-head is living and active. Father, Son, and Spirit pursue a relationship with each of their children, providing daily communication. And persona; guidance and direction. There are many things that God give direction on that are similar. (All plants need water.) But many things are different, (Harvesting tomatoes and wheat are different.)

And we need to hear all of Jesus’s words to us. Words that are common to all. And words that are specific to us. And we need to obey them all. It is the obedience that maintains, and improves, the connection, brings life, and bears fruit.

The Farmer

It all begins with an idea in the farmer’s mind. Then, it is location, location, location. Wheat, and corn, are generally planted in flat areas. Grapes, and coffee, are often planted on the sides of hills, or mountains.

Then, the soil must be prepared. We think of plowing the soil, so seed, and roots, can penetrate easily. But, in mountainous areas of Asia, they plant rice. Terraces are carved out of the mountain, and appropriate soil is hauled in, and dumped on the terraces. In one place in the Philippines, an irrigation system was built, bringing water from the rain forest on top of the mountains.

Then, the seed must be planted. Grain is scattered. Some vegetables are plant with three, or four, seeds in a mound. In the colony of Plymouth, the Indians taught the Pilgrims to plant corn, using three seeds, and one fish, per mound.

Then, there is the ongoing care of watering, weeding, and fertilizing. Water, and fertilizer, provide necessary nutrients for the health and growth if the plants. Weeding removes things that hinder the health and growth if the plants.

Finally, there is reaping. There are a number of techniques, from using combines to harvest wheat, to handpicking tomatoes, and clusters of grapes.

God has designed all mankind. He is all-wise, so he must be at the beginning of all Kingdom works. Our part is to move in agreement with him.

We can seek him to hear his plans, so we know which way to move. We can seek him, and ask him, to move. We can be alert for open people, who may become doorways to bring the gospel to families, and communities.

He prepares the land for sowing, and reaping. He prepares it for each crop. Each work has common features. (All plants need water.) But, each work is unique. He will introduce, or allow, different things to provoke discontent with the status quo, and urge a search for meaning, and significance. (COVID ?)

He finds good soil, and plants his word. Some germinate quickly, and fruit is produced soon. Some move more slowly. God, the master farmer, is not concerned about time, or work, because his eye is on the harvest.

And the harvest is not grain, vegetables, or fruit. It is the hearts, and souls, of people. It is the family, that he is building.

The Grapevine

Right before he went to the Cross, Jesus introduced a metaphor to his disciples. God’s family is like a grapevine.

Father is the farmer. He prepared the ground, planted the seed, and cares for the plants. He weeds, waters, and fertilizes.

Jesus is the vine. He is the means of supplying life, nutrients, and energy to the rest of the plant. The branches grow, because they are connected to the vine.

God’s family are the branches. The branches are where fruit is produced. Fruit is produced, because the branches are connected to the vine. The quality of the connection matters too. If the branch is clinging to the vine by one, scrawny strand, almost breaking off, not much life can flow to it.

The purpose of the grapevine is to produce grapes. Fruit is the whole point to have a grapevine.

Fruit is essentially the effects of God’s family in the world. Because the fruit is connected to the branches, and the branches are connected to the vine, the fruit should have the nature of the vine in it. In other words, the fruit should have the nature, and the character, of Jesus.

Jesus walked perfectly with the Father. As branches, we will walk with the Father, not perfectly, because of sin. Be we should walk with Father in increasing perfection.

Jesus walked in perfect obedience to Father, in perfect love, and complete faith. So, his life showed the world, who God is, and what he is like. By his words and deeds, he moved people to desire to know God like he did, and choose to follow God like he did.

And this life, that was in Jesus, not only should be in us, it is in us. When we gave allegiance to Jesus, we were connected to the vine. The sap of the Holy Spirit is flowing into us, and, in some measure, out of us.

To give a simple definition: the process of growth, and sanctification, is a process of enabling, and allowing, the Holy spirit to flow through us, and in us, more freely, and easily. To connect us to the vine, securely, and truly, without hindrances, to allow the sap of the Holy Spirit complete, and undisturbed access to every last molecule of our lives.

There are experiences that hinder our ability to receive. They warp our view of God, his abilities, his love, and his intentions. Some of these are abusive. Some if these are honest presentations of what someone thought was the truth, but was a misunderstanding of God’s intentions, filtered through their own experiences.

That is why we need to remain connected. This is why, we need to continue to seek Father, to renew relationship, to obey more completely, to be open to Father’s input. He will cause life to flow, where it is needed most, to bring growth, perfection, and a greater impact in the world.

Transformation

In one place, Paul urges us to be transformed, and transformation comes from the renewing of the mind. The word for “mind” in the original language come from the word for “knowledge.” Meaning, Paul is specifically saying we need to change our “knower”. I have spoken quite a bit about my view of the inner man, so I will skip it here. But, part of transformation is changing what we know, and therefore, how we think. Transformation comes when all of the inner man comes into agreement.

But, what happens because of transformation? What changes? Paul goes onto describe that.

First, he says we grow in our recognition that we are part of the body of Christ. Each one has a place. Each one belongs. Each one has a gift, or a means to contribute.

When a person gives his allegiance to Jesus, the Holy Spirit makes his home in the person’s inner man. He begins a process of changes thoughts, words, actions, motivations, desires. He fires up the person’s uniqueness. Part of that uniqueness is a particular area of service, for which he/she have been designed. This includes motivation to serve in that area. As skills, renewal and growth occur, this service becomes recognized by the body, and used more consistently.

And sometimes, the Holy Spirit uses a person’s service, but it has an effect outside his normal practice. A teacher evangelizes. A server becomes a path way for physical healing, maybe even miraculous healing.

No matter the gift, no matter the particular effect, it is important to the particular part of God’s family the person is associated with.

Not only does the service matter, but the perspective matters. The perspective of what is important, and how different issues should be approached, is different for someone motivated by physical service, emotional health, accurate understanding of the Word, or the promotion of prayer. Any issue confronting God’s family needs each perspective, so that all the bases are covered. God builds his body with multiple viewpoints on purpose.

Second, love must be real, and genuine. Love should be disgusted when evil is done, and hold fervently onto what is good. Love treats others like family. Puts others first. Works hard, and passionately, to serve God, because it recognizes God’s will is being best for people. Expectations about the future should lead to joy, and it should motivate people to persevere. It opens up hearts to embrace others. From giving to meet needs, to opening up one’s home.

And love compels a different view, attitude, and action toward ones who oppose, and are against you. Love wants good for everyone. And it might even work for good for those who attack you.

Love is genuinely glad when good happens to people, and genuinely sad when something bad happens.

Love does not place one’s self above, or look down on, others. It lives in harmony, connects, and associates with those society regards as inferior, or without value. Love seeks peace with all.

Transformation involves change in attitude, perspective, and action about how people – yourself and others – fit in God’s world

Discerning the Best

In one of Paul's letters, he prays that the church would abound, or would exceed what was expected, in love. Normally, one would expect that abundant love would result in abundant generosity, service, or good deeds. And it should. But Paul combines this abundant love with knowledge and understanding. The result is God's family can discern what is best, and live blamelessly. 

Godly discernment can never be just knowledge alone. Nor can it be just love alone. Knowledge brings just a list of rules with no motivation for the good of others. Love alone wants, and works, for others' good, but without direction, boundaries, or an idea of what good entails.

I have discussed this here before. Father has designed the world, and people, to work optimally on specific types of fuel. There are physical fuels, like food, water, and rest. There are spiritual fuels, like love, creativity, and purpose. And the primary fuel is a growing relationship with the Creator, and Father of all. Discerning the best means finding the best way to meet all these needs.

Moreover, love and knowledge need to rule over our conduct. Paul says love and knowledge should produce pure and blameless lives. Fruit of righteous ness that results in glory to Father.

The most obvious thing I am seeing currently is a lot of "hate speech". There may be accurate, even correct, knowledge, but it is not combined with love. And so it does not see, or promote, what is best.