Christian Fruitfulness

John 15 :14-17

In the book of John chapter 15 Jesus starts by telling His disciples that He is the true vine through whom all will receive spiritual sustenance by Faith. If you abide in Him you will produce fruits but if you do not take Him as your source of spiritual life then you’ll be removed from Him just as Judas was taken away. He did not produce any fruit. Matthew 13: 12 says “For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have more abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him”.

Christ also reminded His disciples that they were clean because of the words He had spoken to them. They accepted Jesus in the first place and submitted to His word. Then they accepted the words of Jesus as coming from God. Eph 5:26 says that “He might sanctify and cleanse it [church] with the washing of water by the word”. And John 17:17 says “sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth”. They were not clean because they heard the word, but because after hearing, they submitted to these words of Christ. They did their all to obey the word.

So Jesus is making them understand that they are sanctified; set apart; made Holy before God because they were made separate from the ways of the world. How?

By the truth that Jesus gave them and they obeyed. If you keep God’s commandments, you will abide in His love. He commands us to love one another as He has loved us. Will you obey His word?

You can only say you are His friend if you obey His commands. Some of us say we are Christians, we are friends of Jesus Christ but we do not obey His commands. Many say, they are Christians but they say He is just a prophet, He is not God or that He is not the judge of the living and the dead. A few weeks ago one taxi driver told me when I boarded his taxi that Jesus is just a god just as we are gods. I tried to explain to Him that He is God but he was determined not to understand. In fact his target was one lady in the taxi and I could not keep my mouth when I heard that. He diminished the deity of Jesus. When I continued with him I realized from his pre-suppositions that he was a Jehovah witness. He said Jesus is totally different from God and cannot be God in any Trinity. If we obey the commands of Jesus we see that He said He is  “The Alpha and the omega” Just as God the Father said “I am the alpha and the omega” in Rev 1:8,11,18. Jesus taught that He and the Father are one and He commands in Acts 10:42 to preach and testify that He was ordained by God to be the judge. We are commanded to preach this gospel. That is the great commission and if you are not doing it then you are not a friend of Jesus.

Jn 15:15 says the apostles are no longer slaves with Jesus Christ but are friends because He has revealed to them what God had desired for them to know. He has revealed all that God has for the church. There is no more revelation of God for the church. He had already revealed all the truth from God to His saints. Today we hear of false teachings in the name of new revelations for the church of God. But Christ says He has made known all things as God has desired for His church. Gal 1:6-9 says if anyone brings any other teachings different from that of Jesus, which is the gospel, then let him be accursed. Jude 3 also says we should be happy for the faith or claim the faith that was once for all delivered to the Saints. Once for all delivered! No other one is coming!

The problem with must of us today is that we are seeking for more than what God promised concerning revelation of truth to man. All has been revealed in the New Testament. That is what Jesus was saying which is confirmed in Deut; 29:29 that “The secret things belong to the Lord our God. But those things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever so that we may do all the words of the law”

If you seek further revelation from God, then what you are saying is that the Bible is not sufficient for direction into eternal life.

Jn:15:16 says” I have chosen you.” Jesus was saying this to the apostles and today it applies also to us disciples of Jesus Christ. We did not choose ourselves. Christianity is not self-appointment of men but an appointment from Jesus.

This should encourage us today to bear fruits because He says “So that you should go and bring forth fruit”. That is why Jesus appointed you as a Christian. Not for you to go and sleep but to bear fruits. The fruits belongs to God not to you. And you are to bear fruit through the preaching of the gospel. If you want to bear fruit though out the world, then you must love one another. That is a command and John 13:35 says “By this will all men know that you are my disciples…”

The unity of disciples based on love is a shining light to the world for the same light which they received from the Son of God. God’s leaders who work together show that they love one another.

Do you love one another?