Daily Devotions
John
John 15:1-17 "INSPIRING THOUGHTS CONCERNING FRUIT-BEARING"
Day 218 – John 15
INSPIRING THOUGHTS CONCERNING FRUIT-BEARING
Jesus had taught His Disciples what fruit-bearing meant. Let’s take time to review some of the rich truths He had sought to communicate to them.
1. Fruit-bearing was something that the Disciples should be concerned about
(John 15:1-6).
2. If the Disciples were not bearing fruit, they should be deeply concerned about this problem. Unfruitfulness was not a problem they should ignore (John 15:2,6).
3. Fruit-bearing was a natural consequence of abiding in Christ. Thus the Disciples must learn as much as they could concerning the idea of what it meant to bear fruit
(John 15:4-6).
4. Fruit-bearing was also of concern to the Father. He worked hard at being a Vinedresser pruning away at the branches to ensure even greater fruitfulness
(John 15:1-2).
MORE THOUGHTS ON FRUIT-BEARING
Jesus had already given deep insights concerning the subject of fruit-bearing. What He had already taught them would have taken a long time for the Disciples to digest. However, time was short, and Jesus needed to give them more insights as to how they should see the question of fruit-bearing. They may not be able to understand all that He had said at the moment, but the knowledge imparted to them would be explained further by the Spirit of God when He came to do His Work after the Ascension of Jesus!
Jesus then went on to teach two more challenging thoughts.
“By this My Father is glorified,
that you bear much fruit;
so you will be My disciples.”
John 15:8
“BY THIS MY FATHER IS GLORIFIED”
Jesus had spoken again and again of glorifying His Father. Miracle after miracle was attributed to the work of the Father, and therefore His glory. Teaching after profound teaching was also attributed to the revelation of the Father, and thus Jesus glorified Him. In a similar manner, the Disciples would similarly glorify the Father, if they were to bear as much fruit in their life and ministry.
1. The Glorifying of the Father
This should be the most natural concern of every true child of God. The believer recognizes and understands what Jesus meant when He spoke about glorifying the Father. The heart that has been regenerated should naturally desire to bring honour and glory to the Father, rather than self!
2. Glorifying the Father through Fruit-bearing
How would the Father actually be glorified by the Disciples? One clear way was to produce much fruit. The Disciples, in the eyes of the “populace” were humble and very ordinary people. They were not trained in the Scriptures as the scribes and the Pharisees. What could they possible achieve anyway?
Jesus promised that they would be able to do “greater things”. They would be empowered by the Spirit of God Himself. If they were able to do great things for the Lord, then people would of course sit up and take notice. They would immediately recognize that the Disciples were empowered by God Himself, and thus they would glorify Him! This was a challenging thought indeed!
“SO YOU WILL BE MY DISCPLES”
What did it really mean to be Disciples of Jesus? The formal aspect was easily comprehended! It simply meant following Jesus. Many people did that, but they did not always remain as disciples. Some left Jesus, never to walk with Him again.
What did Jesus mean when He said,
“…so you will be My disciples”
John 15:8
Were they not His Disciples already? What could Jesus have meant? The answer lies in the context in which these words were spoken. Let us recall what Jesus first said to His Disciples when He invited them to follow Him.
“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4:19
That seemed like a tall order. How could the Disciples imagine that they would be able to be “fishers of men”? Nevertheless, the intrigued Disciples began to follow Jesus and observed all that He said and did. They were amazed again and again by the power and authority that poured forth from Him! Did Jesus mean that they could wield such power and authority too? Did He mean that they too would be able to hold an audience spell-bound because of the message they proclaimed? That would be wonderful indeed!
Jesus did not seek out Disciples for companionship. He sought them out so that He would train them to be Disciples – great, powerful, and fruit-bearing followers! They would wield similar power as the Holy Spirit came upon them! They would then be His Disciples indeed.
This statement of Jesus was proven to be true in a text recorded in the Book of Acts. The Disciples indeed bore much fruit. People glorified God as they observed their lives and ministries! Even the Jews gave them grudging acknowledgment.
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John,
and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men,
they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:13
ARE WE TRULY DISCIPLES OF JESUS?
Let us soberly and humbly examine our faith, our life and our ministry! Do we exhibit the kind of fruitfulness in our life that would truly glorify the Father?