Abide in Christ

3.26.2020

I can't believe it has been so many years since I actually posted on Country Shalom. It's like starting all over again - except that when I logged in, I had a draft waiting for me - which means I never sent the last post I wrote in June of 2014.

Since then I have had the joy of going to Uganda three times, leading an amazing LifeGroup, continuing to be involved in music ministry at LIFEhouse Church, being on the International Missions Committee,  on the pulpit committee, and very involved with Light Africa Ministries, which includes Kampala Community Church, The Amani Children's Choir and Light Africa Sponsor Support.  

So in order to get back in the saddle - so to speak - I thought I would go ahead and send out this last post and figure out how to get this information to my LifeGroup and others who may be interested in sharing together on Country Shalom

So for today - here is the post from a very long time ago that never was actually posted!!

I'm afraid to read it over so I think I'll send it as is - and then begin again.

Blessings,

God's Servant Girl




As we worked our way through the inductive study on the John 15:1-11 passage in our LifeGroup, we ended up with some questions.  I have done a little reading by J. Vernon Magee, John MacArthur, Warren Weirsbe and also the Believer's Bible Commentary, as well as notes in some of my study Bibles. There seems to be two different takes on what Jesus was talking about in verses 2 and 6.  I'm going to try and put it into a brief synopsis that will hopefully make sense and help us to put it in perspective.

First let's put it in context – Jesus was speaking privately to His disciples just before His death.

 Theologians differ as to what is meant in vs 2 " every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away." Some think that this refers to someone who has professed to be saved but truly has never genuinely believed. He is in essence pretending to be saved – looks like it outwardly but has not had a heart change. Others think that it refers to a Christian who loses his salvation because of his failure to bear fruit. However, that would contradict other passages that teach that the believer has an eternal salvation.

It appears that this chapter is directed to believers (since He is speaking to His disciples), to those who are already in Christ.  Jesus is not talking about how a person gets saved. He is talking about fruit bearing – not about salvation.   "In me" that is in Christ, is what it means to be saved. And the Holy Spirit not only indwells you but places you into the body of Christ.  If you are 'in Christ' it is by a new birth and you are now a branch connected to the True Vine.

The word translated "takes away" is the Greek verb airo. It can mean "takes away' as translated in KJV (vs. 2) and also in I Corinthians 11:30, referring to the discipline of physical death. However, the same word may mean "lifts up" as in John 8:59. Then it would be the positive ministry of encouraging the fruitless branch by making it easier to get light and air, and hopefully, to bear fruit.  THE SAME WAY that a vinedresser does in the vineyard. He 'lifts up' the new branches that grow and lay on the ground.  Those branches get bogged down with insects, mildew, dirt  and the vinedresser actually lifts them up, cleans them (with water, no less) and intertwines them with the good branches to keep them up – making it easier to get light and air, and hopefully to bear fruit.  

To abide means to stay where you are.  The Christian has been placed in Christ; that is his position. In his daily walk, he should stay in intimate fellowship with the Lord. A branch abides in the vine by drawing all its life and nourishment from the vine. So we abide in Christ by spending time in prayer, reading and obeying His Word, fellowshipping with His people, and being continually conscious of our union with Him.

Because we have free will, we can break fellowship with God by allowing sin in our life. He wants us to abide so that we bring forth much fruit.  Remember that one way we abide in Him is by keeping His commandments. When we do NOT obey His commandments – even one of them – we sin and our fellowship with Christ is broken, however when we come to Him in repentance and turn once again from our sin, then our fellowship is restored. Notice I didn't say – salvation.

This abiding relationship is natural to the branch and the vine but it must be cultivated in the Christian life.  It is not automatic.  Abiding in Christ, demands worship, meditation on God's Word, prayer, sacrifice, service and obedience!! We must be in constant communion with Him to bear fruit. That means when you wake in the morning, when you are at your desk in the office, when you are driving your car on the streets, you are abiding in constant communion. Once you have begun to cultivate this deeper communion with Christ, you have no desire to return to the shallow life of the careless Christian.

A branch that is not abiding in Christ is, "cast forth as a branch, and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned." The ones who are cut-off and thrown into the fire are Christians who fall into sin & are therefore out of fellowship with Christ and with fellow believers. The example of David was used in the BBC – his sin with Bathsheba & Uriah broke his fellowship with God but he repented in 2 Samuel 12:13 . Even though he lost the child that was conceived in his relationship with Bathsheba (consequence of sin) he was restored into fellowship with God when he repented and returned to an abiding relationship with God.

Apart from Christ – apart from abiding In Him – we can do nothing, nothing that bears fruit.

Remember that the issue is fruit-bearing and God is glorified when we do bear fruit.  And we WILL bear fruit, much fruit when we live moment by moment in fellowship with Christ.

The bottom line, if you are "In Him" regardless of how you understand vs 2 and vs 6 – ABIDE in Christ!!!

How are you doing at abiding today?