“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (New International Version, Jhn. 15.1-2,8)
There are three passages in the Gospel of John that teach what the “marks of a true disciple” are. Last week we covered the second mark of a disciple: Disciples hold to Jesus’ teaching (John 8:31-32). This week will cover the third mark: Disciples bear fruit. We see this in John 15:1-2,8.
Jesus teaches us that the way we are to glorify our heavenly Father is by bearing fruit (John 15:8). There are many theories for what Jesus meant by “bearing fruit.” However, the true answer is found in verse 16, “I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last…” The fruit Jesus is referring to in John 15 is a fruit we are to be actively producing and, at the same time, ensuring will “last.” Jesus is saying the same thing He said in the great commission in Matthew 28:19-20 when He told His apostles to “go and make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey…” Therefore we understand that the last mark of a true disciple is someone that strives to make disciples who are going to make it to heaven.
Within this passage, Jesus tells us the three things we need to do to bear this fruit.
- To Bear Fruit, You Must Remain In Christ: As disciples, we must continually decide to remain in Christ. Staying in Christ is something we must choose to do every single day through powerful prayer and Bible studying! Jesus explains that when we remain in Him, He is going to prune us. In other words, the deeper we grow in our relationship with Christ, the more worldliness God will cut out of us! Two questions we must continually ask ourselves are 1) “Am i remaining in Jesus every single day?” and 2) “Is Christ pruning the ungodly aspects of my character?” If not, it’s time to make a decision to get deeper in vine. After all, the closer we are with Christ, the more fruit we will bear.
- To Bear Fruit, You Must Keep Jesus’ Command To Love: In verse 17 of John 15, Jesus makes His command very clear as He says, “This is my command: Love each other.” Therefore, in order to bear fruit, we must have deep relationships with those in the Kingdom, and those we are fighting to bring in the Kingdom. Our amount of work is directly proportional to how much we love! Jesus states earlier that the greatest example of love is dying for someone, which is exactly what Jesus did for us! We must have a deep love for each other, and especially for the lost! If we wish to truly evangelize all of Colorado, we must be willing to stay up later or wake up earlier for Bible studies. We must be willing to drive anywhere to evangelize. As Jesus iterates in John 12:24, when we die, we multiply!
- To Bear Fruit, You Need To Go: Lastly, in order to bear fruit, we must be willing to reach people and make them disciples. There is no such thing as a couch potato Christian! There are only sold-out disciples who make other disciples. Yes this will take work, effort, and energy. However, there’s nothing more rewarding than dedicating your life to helping others live for Jesus, and ultimately make it to heaven.
Family, as we are entering into the summer months, let’s strive with everything inside us to bear fruit! Not just any fruit however, but fruit that will last so we can glorify our Father, and win the rocky mountains for Christ!
To God be all the glory,
Jason T. Woody
Evangelist
