Cultivating Fruit on the Vine - part 2

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  JOHN 15:5-8

Abide is not a word we use often today.  Life is busy and the world is often noisy. "Hurried" might better describe some of my days....but abiding...that necessitates slowing down.

Abiding not wasted time spent in futility, rather the word connotes activity that results in the production of fruit. There is a sense of relationship..."whoever abides in me and I in him..."  By not abiding, being disconnected from the vine, we produce nothing of lasting value.

Abide...to wait for
...to endure without yielding
...to bear patiently
...to accept without objection

Oh, how this describes my relationship with the Lord! Expectantly, patiently, knowing His purposes are being fulfilled...and yet it takes time...so much time!  How important it is to abide, so I don't get frustrated or begin to think it's never going to happen.

I think of an expectant mother, who bears the changes in her body as another small human is miraculously growing inside.  For the past many months we have been awaiting the birth of five babies, the first of whom was born this morning.  I think of these mothers who have been waiting, enduring without yielding, bearing patiently, and accepting the process without objection (well, maybe some objections...) awaiting the day their offspring would be born and they meet face to face.

Mine are grown, but I still remember those sweet first moments when I met each of the sons I had born face to face!

I also think of the developing life inside the womb, being nurtured in an environment that contains all the elements necessary for the baby to grow and mature so that life can be sustained outside the womb...whoever abides in me and I in him...  This dynamic of abiding has produced new life!  God's sense of abiding also produces new life.

Abiding isn't at all passive!  

Mission, Jesus style abiding is so much more than merely knowing about Him and what He has done for us!  We have work to do so that fruit can be produced!  There is the sense of passive activity...let me explain...

The branch grows by staying connected to the vine.  Nutrients flow into and through the branch as it's capacity expands throughout the growing season.  Where the nutrients are deposited, the fruit grows. The process can't be forced and requires the right conditions - soil, water, sunlight...  Fruit has a delicious quality to it, but the treasure is the seed inside, that can fall to the ground and grow!

Abiding allows God's love to flow in!

God's necessary ingredient is love, delivered through the Word. Taking the time each day to receive the love of the Lord - - hearing his words of grace - - conversing with Him in prayer - - discovering a new aspect of his nature and character ...produces fresh new growth!  In the quiet with the Lord, his words of grace flow in.  When I hear them afresh, I know how dearly I am loved...it changes me and I grow in my capacity to love others.

Abiding allows God's love to flow out!

The image of abiding has a flow through, where His love is deposited and creates the new growth.  I am the branch.  Each time God's love flows in, my capacity to let His love flow through increases.  As His Word, filled with love is deposited in me, delicious fruit is produced that can now be shared and enjoyed by others. 

Fruit has seeds, contained inside, each with the capacity to grow.  As the branch, my function is to let God's love flow through - always for the good of another - always for healing and reconciliation - always with a pleasant aroma!

Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” EZEKIEL 47:12

In what ways do our lives provide sustenance and healing for people?  

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. JOHN 15:9 

Take time to abide while you enjoy this video!

Can you Relate?

Recently, someone asked, "How do you know you can trust God?"  It is a fair question, one that has many layers, and one that should not be answered casually.  This earnest question comes from the heart that wants to trust, yet doesn't know how, or doesn't know if God is trustworthy. 

When human relationships have taught us to expect disappointment and wrongdoing, to be suspicious or cautious at best, how can we trust this God we cannot see?  This is a fair question!  

If I don't know the Lord, how can I possibly trust HIM?

Relationship is key!

Trust is at the core of all meaningful relationships. Without trust there can be no giving, no bonding, no risk-taking.  Ultimately, God invites us to trust HIM with the precious parts that make up our whole being - body, mind, strength and soul, but how can we trust another if we don't really know them?

Relationships are built one interaction at a time. The first step is to notice the kingdom of God is near. 

God is the ultimate extrovert!  

His heart's desire is to be in relationship with each and every person throughout history.  He is personal and can be known, not distant and stand-offish.  He is constantly inviting people to get to know him.  

Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.  REVELATION 3:20

This famous painting by Warner Sallman says so much!  Jesus is outside the door of our hearts...knocking...hoping to come in.  There is no knob on the outside of the door...He cannot force his way in...the door must be opened from the inside.

Will you, at least, open the door and meet the person knocking?

This one verse says so much.  Sharing a meal with someone is an opportunity to get to know each other.  Sharing a meal together assumes conversation, not just the act of eating.  Sharing a meal is a relational event!  Ancient Greek culture understood hospitality as "welcoming the stranger."  The Lord is always knocking, waiting for us to open the door and welcome him in.  

Imagine a meal where you enjoy delicious food and have interesting and engaging conversation.  The kind of meal where you began to enjoy someone's company and felt no rush for it to end.  

God's Word is not merely for information; it is His means of relating to us, establishing a means of conversation.  In the Bible, we have the Word of God, where His part of the conversation is provided, providing a means of grace where a relationship of understanding an trust can grow.  

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. JOHN 1:1-4, 14 

Jesus is the Word that became flesh.  The Word is the place to get to know Jesus.  He's standing at the door and knocking...notice. Open the door and invite Him to chat a while.  

Relate - just like you would around a dinner table with friends...

Ask questions???

Shed tears...

Share laughter!!!

Speak...

and most importantly, listen.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.  

                                                                       JEREMIAH 31:3

You will seek me and find me when you when you seek me with all your heart.  JEREMIAH 29:12

Cultivating Fruit on the Vine - Part 1

In the rolling hills of Maryland, vineyards are becoming more prevalent. It is amazing to watch the cycles of the growing season. In the early spring the vine is barren of leaves and branches have been trimmed close.   

It seems counter-intuitive that cutting back produces more?

Jesus draws an instructive illustration to the vine... and I wonder..

...what is the function of the branch?  

...what does it mean to be fruitful?  

...what value is gained by pruning?  

Grapes bear fruit on the green shoots that arise from one-year-old canes. Pruning encourages the production of fruit in the current season, and renewing young canes for the next year. It is interesting that old canes, the ones that produced fruit the current season, will not produce again.

Fruit is only produced from new growth on the vine
as the necessary ingredients flow through the branches

Jesus says: “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.  JOHN 15:1-4

Pruning concentrates the energy of the vine
so that the most productive branches are nurtured.  

Pruning thins out the leaves, allowing more sunlight access to the remaining leaves. These vital ingredients encourage roots to penetrate deeply into the soil. As we remain connected to the vine, HIS nutrient of love flows into us, changes us, enables us to grow.  

In what ways is my life connected to the vine, 

in such a way that God's loves flows

and allowing the light to penetrate through?

Then and Now...something's changed!

1900’s – My church AS community



There was a time in the United States when “church” was at the center of community.  Friendships were centered there, so fellowship and recreational activities were enjoyed in the context of those relationships, even if they didn't take place at the church building.  


It was a time when the cultural values were much closer to Christian values and a great majority of people were raised in Christian faith, so the intentionality of discipling each other in the ways of God was probably less challenging.  Most of the people who lived in the neighborhood were probably of one Christian denomination or another.  When “God” was mentioned, one just naturally assumed the Christian God.  Concepts of heaven and hell, and faithfulness and sin were commonly understood.  In the mid-century, post-war era that many still remember, the church grew easily, and for many today, that’s what church life and the relationships within it should look like.  The Pastor was the primary discipler of this community. 

2000’s – The Cultural Shift

Today, life is very different!  Today, the world is coming to the United States.  Beyond that, American culture has shifted... when we consider the people in the places where we live, work and play – it is probably the minority who are publically Christian and faithful church-goers.  The neighborhoods and communities are no longer predominately Christian.  For many, it seems like a strange land with a variety of gods, religions, and practices that aren't understood.  

Somehow, it’s as if we've been transported for a missionary adventure without having been prepared!  What are we to do?  

2000's - The Missionary Shift

Today, we need to think about our lives, here in the United States, as though we are foreign missionaries. To make the Missionary Shift, a new skill-set is necessary.  It is vital that the people of God gain a higher fluency for applying the Gospel to the circumstances of life and learning to impart compassion and comfort that sustains when circumstances are beyond control. 

Missionaries study the culture and the people so that they can learn how to communicate the Gospel in a way that the people in that land can understand. 

What if each church community
grew into a set of missional communities and did exactly that? 

• What if we understood our church as a place of worship AND a mission training center?  
• What if we discovered how to become missionaries within the network of relationships that we have?
• What if we had a better understanding of how to be generous sowers of Gospel seeds and knew how to disciple the people that were drawn to know the Lord, just like a foreign missionary?  
• What if, we began to gather in smaller communities where we live, work, or play to grow as disciples of Christ together, as a missional community? 

Reading the gospels and the book of Acts,
this seems to be Mission, Jesus style.  

The Pastor identifies missional community leaders who become trained to do their part, sharing God’s love with the people around them, helping them come to know the Lord and grow in His ways.  This seems to be the way that ministry has developed on the foreign mission field for years - with the primary focus being  the identification and training of local leaders.  

  
What if… just imagine…what if on Sunday there were now multiple missional communities gathering for worship together?  The Pastor fulfills his calling to preach the Word and administer the sacraments, as well as fulfilling the role of equipper described by Paul in Ephesians 4, preparing God’s people for works of service.  

This could be our new perspective!

Interesting Perspective on a Double Negative

In Standard English, two negatives are understood to resolve to a positive. "Do not put nothing here," must mean, "please put something here."

Interesting!

When applied as Mission, Jesus style, this is an interesting perspective.  My pastor said something last Sunday that has been in my mind all week:

"Jesus defeated death by dying."

To which someone replied: "That's a double negative, so it makes a positive!"  

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  JOHN 3:16

God knew that people could never completely rebuild the relationship that had been broken through disobedience, resulting in death.  Before sin entered the world, there was no death.  God Himself, Jesus, stepped into the brokenness, modeled life connected to the source of life, and sacrificed his life so that our relationship could be reestablished. Jesus made the way for life by dying!

“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. This command I have received from My Father.” JOHN 10:17-18

Jesus, fully God and fully Man, lays his life down for the good of humankind. In his own words, we hear: "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself."  Jesus calls those who have received His gift to do the same...to pay it forward, not because we have to - - because now we want to.  Our free will begins to reorient towards the good of another.

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.  MARK 8:35

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.  GALATIANS 5:13-15

Following Jesus' example, the Lord calls us to live our lives for the good of others.  Will we live selfishly for ourselves, or discover that by living in obedience to the source of life, we actually we find life?

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.  1 TIMOTHY 6:18-19

Ann Voskamp says: "God is always good, and I am always loved."  God is always FOR US!  He calls us in the same way to always be for the good of another. 

We live in the tension between serving God and serving self.  When we set our selfish ambitions aside and truly love the one in front of us, we are serving with the heart of the creator.  No one can "make" me do this, but in response to the great love that has been shown me, I lay it down myself.  His word tells us that this is the way life was intended.

...take hold of the life that is truly life!

Growing Mustard

Mustard is a cool-season crop. It's hardy, but the seeds will not germinate well if you sow them too early; plant the seeds in your garden on the average date of last frost.

Mustard is an ordinary-looking little seed with an impressive ability to grow into a mighty plant that’s highly prolific.

I find this interesting when thinking about the references Jesus makes when illustrating faith as a "mustard seed" in the Bible.   


Jesus uses many illustrations to teach about His kingdom...
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”  MATTHEW 13:31-32

As the disciples were traveling with Jesus, they were not able to heal as he did...
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”  So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  MATTHEW 17:19-20

On another occasion "The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you."  LUKE 17:4-6

It seems either you have faith or you don't, 

it's not a matter of measure, 

rather a matter of potential that flows out of faith.

People come into a relationship with the Lord God through an incredible gift called faith, planted in the human heart by the Lord himself.  

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.  EPHESIANS 2:4-9 

Faith is like this hardy little mustard seed:

It does not germinate well if planted too early.  A seed needs the right conditions to grow to its full potential.  In matters of faith, the condition of the soil, the human heart, is a major factor that impacts the potential contained within the seed of faith. 

This tiny, ordinary-looking seed has an impressive ability to grow into a mighty plant that’s highly prolific...the ability is there!  The growing conditions don't alter its ability, however its yield can be hindered by lack of nurture.

Instead of praying Lord, increase our faith, 

we should pray

Lord, I pray to let you have more of me!

Lord, I pray to cultivate the conditions for a mighty yield!

Instructions for cultivating right conditions to reach the potential contained in Your gift of Faith:

• Well -watered soil - watered through prayer, time spent keeping company with Jesus, to be soaked in living water

• Well-fertilized soil - nourished through time in God's Word

• Weed-free and well-tilled soil - carefully and lovingly tended by others in your Kingdom

The potential comes from the Lord,
the conditions for growth are ours to attend!

Your Basic All-Purpose Garment

I attended a memorial service this week to celebrate the life of the mother of a friend.  The message shared by her pastor, and the tributes expressed by her family, gave testimony to a life of faith that flowed out in love.  

The pastor read Colossians 3:12-17 from THE MESSAGE as she described what an impact this woman had on the people around her:


So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. 

And regardless of what else you put on, wear love.

It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Imagine how different life would be if everyone truly treated one another with love!  If everyone always made decisions with the good of the other in mind and not ever out of selfish ambition!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. GALATIANS 5:22-23

These are good words for us to hear! 

Always wear love!

Learning a Foreign Language

When traveling to a foreign country, it's helpful to know the language, or travel with people who know the language.  Otherwise it's difficult to navigate.  

Language is a key component in understanding a culture other than our own.  The best way to do this is through an immersion experience alongside more formal classroom instruction.  

When it comes to communicating the ways of the Lord, it is important to be fluent in the language and culture of God's kingdom.  We could compare it to learning a foreign language and assimilating into another culture.  

The prophet Isaiah writes:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,"
      declares the LORD.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.  ISAIAH 55:8-9

Standards for teaching a foreign language have been established by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. This provides an interesting framework for considering the language in the Kingdom of God:

Communication enables people to engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.  It allows us to understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.And eventually the ability to present information, concepts, and ideas is gained.

Culture:  Language helps to create an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the cultures studied.  

Connections:  Through cultural understanding, we can acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through a particular foreign language and its cultures.

Comparisons:  As connections are made, similarities and differences can be noted and comparisons to our native culture can be made.

Communities:  A new language allows one to become part of a new community and relate to the people in that community. 

Learning the language of the Kingdom of God 

involves gaining fluency in the Gospel

Mission, Jesus style calls for those who know Him to learn the language of His kingdom, to be fluent in His language of love.  God's love came down personally from heaven as Jesus Christ to live the Gospel and Speak the Gospel into our messy world for the purpose of redeeming and restoring our relationship with Him.  "F or God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  JOHN 3:16-17

Mission, Jesus style recognizes that God has the highest value for His creation and especially people, the lovely and the detestable.  He wants those of his kingdom to be about His business...personally living and speaking His love language with those around us.  "...this is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time."  1 TIMOTHY 2:3-6

How prepared are you to
LIVE the Gospel and SPEAK the Gospel
into any situation?  

Are you a beginner?  

Could you use more practice?  

Are you fluent and have the ability to teach others?  

This is a worthy calling!  Paul writes:

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  EPHESIANS 4:1-6