Bearing Fruit

John 15:1-6(NKJV)

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 

You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 

If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 

Scripture tells us that it is important that we bear fruit.  It is the main way our rewards in Heaven are earned.  In fact I would go so far as to say that there is a pretty direct correlation between how much fruit we bear and the rewards we receive. 

And just to be clear, notice that I didn't say our salvation depends on the fruit we bear.  There is no correlation there whatsoever.  Our salvation is a gift from God and is free for the asking.

Have you asked yet?  All you have to do is invite Jesus to guide your life.  Just have a conversation with Jesus.  "Dear Jesus…."

So back on track.  How do we bear fruit?  I think it is pretty simple.  Just try to remember to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  Be willing to help when you can.  Be willing to pray for and with people when you can. 

I believe we get opportunities every day.  I for one and going to try to be even more aware of those opportunities and act on them when they present themselves.

Does this really mean what the plain text seems to say?

Christianity is often portrayed as exclusionary.  Here is one of the texts that are used to show that Christianity is exclusionary.

John 14:6(NKJV)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Jesus is clearly saying that no one comes to the Father (God) except through Jesus.  Many say that is exclusionary.  Many think that you should be able to get into Heaven whether you believe in Jesus or not.  I would disagree.

God is the creator of Heaven and Earth.  It's His thing.  He gets to set the rules.  So let's look at the rules He set.  As far as getting into Heaven, there is basically one requirement.  Faith in Jesus. 

All of those who believe in Jesus get in to Heaven.  No exceptions.  So if everyone on earth can get into Heaven whether God wants them there or not, just by believing in Jesus, is it really exclusionary? 

Some of the best advice in the whole Bible!

John 14:1-2(NKJV)

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 

In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

No need to be troubled if you believe God has your back!

So did Jesus meet with the Greeks or not?

 

John 12:20-29(NKJV)

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 

Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 

He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 

If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 

Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”

Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”

Sometimes I run across stuff like this and it makes me chuckle.  We see that the Greeks asked to see Jesus, but we have no idea if they ever got to.  LOL!

I never thought of Caiaphas as a prophet.

I never noticed this before.  I never thought if Caiaphas as a prophet but here it says he prophesied.

John 11:49-52(NKJV)

And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 

nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” 

Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 

and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

Confirmation in Scripture

As I have written before, one of my beliefs is that God and Jesus are always in agreement.  One of the Scriptures that I have used to back up that belief is the time Jesus said a house divided against itself cannot stand. 

Well here is a Scripture that is even more direct and to the point.  Jesus tells us:

John 10:30(NKJV)

I and My Father are one.”

Doesn't get much plainer than that does it?

Isn't this exactly why Jesus said He came?

Check this out.

John 7:40-44(NKJV)

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” 

Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 

Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” 

So there was a division among the people because of Him. 

Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

Isn't this exactly why Jesus said He came?

Matthew 10:34-39(NKJV)

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 

For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 

and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’  

He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 

And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 

He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

Looks like He succeeded!

Why do we make it so hard?

What is the work of God?  People spend years contemplating this question.  Why?  The answer is right here!

John 6:28-29(NKJV)

Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

Talk about delegating!!!

I think a lot of people miss this.  We talk about God judging but right here it says that God has delegated that responsibility to Jesus.

John 5:22-23(NKJV)

For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 

that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Just another example of how what people believe is Scriptural, may be off just a bit. 

I wonder why the distinction?

I wonder why Scripture makes this distinction?

John 4:1-3(NKJV)

Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 

(though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 

He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 

Why was it important to point out that Jesus Himself didn't baptize people, that it was His disciples who did so?  I don't recall the other Gospels making that distinction.   At this point I don't even have a guess. 

I'll be watching for clues as to the answer for this one. 

This just occurred to me.

John 2:1-10(NKJV)

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 

Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 

And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 

Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 

And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 

When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 

And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

How did Jesus mother know to ask Him to turn the water into wine?  He hadn't done any miracles yet.  If I had to pick an explanation I would suggest that it was at the prompting of the Holy Spirit. 

Now you may say wait a minute.  Don't we get the Holy Spirit after we believe in Jesus?  That would be correct.  But there are several instances throughout Scripture that tell of God giving the Holy Spirit to others before Jesus arrived on the scene, so there is precedent of this happening.