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?

The Power of God

John 1:1-3

God’s power is manifested in the creation of the universe. Every single thing that exist; visible and invisible were created by God. The scriptures tell us that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and that He is the word of God. He existed before the foundation of the world. Jn 1:1-3 says “in the beginning was the word”. When nothing existed, the word existed and the word was with God and the word was God. The beginning here refers to eternity past. That time when nothing existed. He was not part of creation. He is Deity and Deity did not co-exit with the material world in eternity past.

Jesus Christ is the creator of the universe for col 1:16 says “By Him were all things created, in the heavens and on earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for Him”. He is God for “In Him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily” Col 2:9

1. So Jesus and the Father always existed as one with the Holy Spirit and they created all things. John says that there is nothing that exists which God did not create through the Son.
2. God has the power to forgive your sins, heal all your diseases, redeem your life from destruction, crown you with loving kindness and mercy, provide your food, give justice for the oppressed, …. Ps 103:1-6.
3. God in the Trinity can raise the dead as we see in the life of Lazarus whom Jesus Christ raised from the dead (Jn 11:43). He can also empower those who trust in Him to do same. God through Jesus Christ will give you power to do miracles if you truly are delivered. We are delivered in order to bring salvation to others and so God will empower His disciples with the same power to deliver through gospel so that God may be glorified through the Son.
4. God has shown His power in the past by that which He did in the life of Moses in parting the water. Just as He separates water He can also separate you from sin delivering you from that burden and giving your heart peace (Phil 4:7). But you can only receive this peace of God which surpasses all understanding in Christ Jesus. Nowhere else!
5. The power of God can present you faultless and keep you from falling. Jude 1:24 says Jesus Christ, The Father and the Holy Spirit as one are able to keep you from falling, sustaining you so that they can present you before His (God head) glory in great joy. You can therefore keep yourself from sinning only in the Lord. Only by the grace of God because in your strength, you cannot do anything righteous before  the righteous God.
6. God is able by His power, immeasurable, unsearchable, which man cannot imagine or explain in human language give you eternal life that no one can take away.  Jesus tells us in Jn 10:28-30 that no one can snatch those to whom He has given eternal life because the Father has given them to Him and no one is greater than the Father. Moreover He says “I and the Father are one.”

Jesus said this so that the Jews will know and understand that He is God in essence. They did not understand this great truth about the Deity of Jesus and His power and oneness with the Father. You must accept that Jesus is who He claims to be in order to experience this power of God in your life because He will manifest it in people He wants to authenticate. It does not end with accepting the teachings but to preach it and also bring deliverance to others because it is the word of God that delivers in the name of Jesus. Jesus is God, He is our Lord and savior, He was there before the creation of the universe, the universe was created through Him and for Him, His incarnation in the virgin birth is true, He died on the cross for our sins and was resurrected so that we may be saved. He gives this salvation to those who accepted all these about  Him and commands all who have received this salvation do same to others.

WHO IS JESUS TO YOU?

Jn.8:12; 12:46

Why should we look at who Jesus is to us? Is it important to know who He is to us? What does knowing about our relationship with Jesus do to us? There is just one answer to all these questions posed in varied forms. Knowing who Jesus is to us builds our faith in Him more and makes us trust in who He is to us. Our salvation only depends on knowing and accepting who He is to us.

Jesus is the light of the world and He calls us to reflect this light as we live on earth (Jn.8:12; 12:46). Light is never meant to complement darkness, it is meant to chase darkness away. So Jesus Christ in our life is to remove darkness from us and give us true light. We do not need to stumble any longer because we live in the light. We therefore have to bring light in the souls of men we meet because light is never hidden. It has to shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven.

The light can only emanate from a light source. We therefore need to have the source of light in order to shine into the lives of others. If we are not the source then we must abide in the source of light who is Jesus. He says you must abide in me like the branch holds on to the True vine. Jesus is your true vine and you can only produce if you are attached to the vine else it will be cut off. But when you abide in Him, He will give you everything you ask (Jn.15:1-8).

We were in bondage to sin but now the door to our freedom is given us. You need to go in and out through the right door. Your Door to salvation is Jesus (Jn.10:7). What is interesting about this is that you are free to go in and out through the Door and he shall find pasture (Jn.10:9). It means if you go in through Jesus Christ, nothing will be more than you, you will lack nothing, you will have enough to eat and to give to others. In Him there is abundance.

He is not only the Door to your salvation where you will find a great pasture, but He is also your Good shepherd (Jn.10:11) and He says He gives His life for the sheep. He will do everything possible to keep you in order in His pasture.

He is your resurrection and life (Jn.11:25), you do not need to fear. Not even death can take away the love He has for you. He will show you the right way, the truth in life because He is your way, Truth and Life (Jn.14:6). You can only enter the kingdom of the Father through Jesus. There are no two ways but through Him alone that you can have eternal life.

He is your living Bread of life (Jn.6:35,51), if you come to Him you will never hunger nor thirst because your soul will be well nourished. He is the gospel, He is the word of God, and the word of God brings light and life to the Spirit. If you are soaked up in the word, in Jesus then you will not hunger for any other knowledge because your needs will be met in His word. He says His bread is His flesh which He has given for the life of the world. He has already given it on the cross of Calvary and what you need now is to receive it and live by it.

Jesus is the forgiver of your transgressions (Isa.43:25) and He does it without your consent because He loves you and He says He will never remember your sin against you. He is the one who washes away your sins. He is your savior, only if you allow Him (Isa.43:10,11). He says beside Him there is no savior; He is the only savior, there was none before Him and there will be none after Him.

 GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU

You are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. God will never forget you because you are always in His thoughts (Ps.139:14-18). When you sleep and when you wake up, He continuously thinks about you. You cannot count how much He thinks about you because it is like the sand which cannot be counted.

To show you how much God loves you He sent His son to die that you might live through Him (1Jn.4:9). Your living is through Christ and so you are not to live without Christ. No wonder why Paul says to live is Christ and to die is gain.

God is not like man who will show love today and tomorrow it dies. He is not man who shows love on his honey moon and sooner or later it dies. There is neither dying honey moon nor bloom of romance that dies with God. His love for you is new every morning and never fails. His faithfulness is great (Lam.3:22-23).  You therefore need to Hope in the Lord alone. That is what will build your faith.

He is faithful and nothing can separate His love for you (Rom.8:38,39). His love for you is in Christ Jesus our Lord. God therefore loves you with everlasting love (Jer..31:3).

Behold the manner of love God has for you. He calls you my child (1Jn.3:1) and because you are His child when you believe in what He has done in His son Jesus Christ for you, you will surely not be known by the world because the world did not know Christ when He came. Be therefore transformed in the word of the Lord Jesus Christ and obey His word with love for your loving God.

The unsearchable riches of Christ to man

Ephesians 3:8-9

That which Christ did for man on the cross was out of Love. It was God’s plan for man even before the foundation of the world but many did not know about it. God revealed this to man in the later years (Eph 3:3)

What is this plan which God revealed to man?

-          Even though man disobeyed God, it was not a surprise to God. God is all knowing and so He knew man will fall one day. So God made a redemption plan to make our holiness possible again because He had chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy (Eph 1:4)

-          This plan was hidden but revealed to man these last times. It was revealed to you who by grace believed in God and what the blood of Christ did for you (1 Pet 1:19-20)

-          When Adam and Eve sinned God revealed this plan but it was manifested when the Diety came in form of man – Christ. God said to the old-serpent “I’ll put enmity between you and the woman , your seed and her seed” (Gen 3:15)

-          God wanted those who believe to have life again (Jn 3:16). He did this out of love

-          Man did not love God. Man showed hatred because he disobeyed God but God still loved man and paid for our sins.

-          He sent His son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1Jn 4:10)

-          Jesus took your sins and by His stripes you are healed (Isa 53:5-6). It does not say you were healed but that you are healed. Now! It is actual not a thing of the past. It applies to you and me now.

-          Rom 8:22 says humanity groans under the pain and curse of sin. We are cursed because of sin but because of God’s love He did not intend this to continue. God redeemed us from the curse, by becoming a curse for us. He was hanged on a tree for your sins and mine so that we could be saved. Today in Cameroon when someone hangs on a tree, it is considered an abomination and a curse. The body is buried in the bush like in most parts of the grassfields of Cameroon. This is the kind of shame our Lord took for us (Gal 3:13 read)

-          That is the mysteries of the unsearchable riches of Christ given to man. It is the gospel.

God’s love was manifested in the love of Christ

-          He gave His life for His friends (Jn 15:13).We are His friends if we love and obey Him. He was there in creation and was there before the foundation of the world. He was present when the God head made the rescue plan for man.

-          His love surpasses knowledge, so that we are filled by the fullness of God (Eph 3:19). We gain the attributes of God since God indwells us through the Spirit. This can only be possible through the transformation of our minds (Ro 12:1-2). Christ’s love is beyond knowledge.

-          Christ is the only Door to salvation (Jn 10:7-9)

-          He says you’ll have rest from your problems, from your worries, because He paid it all on the cross of Calvary. Is your soul troubled? Is life unfair to you? Came to Jesus and He’ll give you rest (Matt 11:29)

-          He’ll never leave you. Christ the prince of peace, the king of kings, the Lord of Lords. He says He’ll never leave you or abandon you. Just come to Him and He’ll give you peace in your soul and your mind.

What does the unsearchable riches of Christ mean to you as a believer?

-          God revealed these mysteries of the unsearchable riches of Christ to man through His Spirit. For the things of God, no one knows except the Spirit of God.

-          We have received the Spirit from God, not of the world so that we might know the things freely given to us by God (1 Cor 2:10-13).

-          Col 1:27 says God has revealed this mystery to His Saints, the believers including the Gentiles. What are the riches? “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Him we preach!

-          The full knowledge of the mystery of God is Christ (Col 2:2). All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. In Him alone, so do not be deceived with any persuasive words that does not have the word of Christ.

-          Eph 3:9 reminds us who have accepted and obeyed the gospel to be stewards of this mystery. We are now members of the fellowship of God’s children and His kingdom. We need to fellowship with others in the faith and preach this gospel. A disciple is a steward of that which he has received in order to deliver it to others.

-          The redemption plan was hidden in God. Reason why the two apostles could not understand that the Christ was to die and be resurrected the third day (Lk 24:21) even though the prophets had prophesied.

-          The same prophets did not understand what they wrote (1 Pet 1:10-12). Angels sought to understand this mystery, but it was not revealed to them, including Satan.

-          Eph 3:10 says principalities and powers in heavenly places did not know about the mystery.

Though Satan knew that God had a plan for man in Gen 3:15 when God said his head will be bruised by the seed of the woman, he did not know the full story until Jesus was resurrected from the dead. If he knew about the plan he would not have surely deceived the religious leaders in Jerusalem to crucify Jesus. He thought he was winning when Jesus Christ was going to the cross, but when it happened he knew he had lost again. When you and I were caught up in sin, doing the things of the world, Satan knew he was winning until the day we accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and savior. Then Satan and his agents cried the lost while the angels in heaven rejoiced. That is what Jesus gives to those who accept Him and obey His word.