Vines & Branches

Sabbath means to stop our normal day to day routine. To stop is a way to worship God. Pastor Pete spoke about his sabbatical in Spain at The Camino De Santiago, which is a walking and cycling route in Spain. Pastor Pete spoke of the vineyards, their structure, the differences of the Vine and Branches, and how they brought the Words of Jesus to life.

In John 15:1-4 the scripture reads, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the Gardner. 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. You are already clean because of the Word I have spoken to you. Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself. It must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

This is a lot to unpack. Let’s metaphorically get to it. Jesus is the vine, the main trunk and the source of life. The vine is the source of life, which houses the roots, the core structure and pulls water and nutrients from the earth. The direction of flow of the nutrients and water is upward and outward. Jesus represents the true vine, the ultimate source of life. Jesus is self-sustaining and possesses inherent power. Just like the vine Jesus has the ability to supply life on His own. He is the ultimate source of our life and our strength. We cannot make it without him. Apart from God, we can do nothing. Without Him, we would be thrown away, withered, gathered to be burned. Just as the vine supplies nutrients, and produces bunches of grapes on hanging clusters, as true disciples of Christ, we too must produce much fruit, drawing others to Christ. The most visible thing that draws people are the Fruit of The Spirit: Love, Joy, Faithfulness, Peace, Goodness, Gentleness, Patience, Self-Control and Kindness.  It would all be for the Glory of God. Fill-in: #1 God’s Fruit in our life is the most visible thing in our life. These Fruits draw people in the midst of chaos, in the presence of opposition, and in a world that is chaotic. Our light draws people to God. We cannot abandon the Fruits of The Spirit; Professing faith and being disguised as sheep in wolves clothing. Remember: A good tree produces good fruit and a bad tree produces bad fruit. We cannot abandon fruit for the world or professing faith when we have no fruit. The far most effective method of evangelism is compassion, humility and gentleness. This draws people to God.

Let’s talk about the vine on the trellis again. The vine is thick, strong, significant, brown, massive, so much more substantial than all of the branches. The main vine is off to the side. It is almost hidden. It’s the hidden vine, bringing all of the nutrients of life that we need from below. Jesus is bringing us everything we need, but it doesn’t materialize quickly or come with a lot of fanfare. It comes quietly in ways often unseen by the public. It’s birthed in you, when you get up a little early to read your bible, when you go to bed early, when you give generously, when you quietly serve rather than be served. All of these little things quietly work together. It’s not instantaneous. It’s a process derived from the little things that happen day after day. John 15:8 says, “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great Glory to my Father.” Jesus is the vine that brings all the necessary ingredients to give us a fruitful life.

Refer to John 15:1-2 again. “My Father is the Gardner.” He’s the one with the sheers. “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. Brown leaves and non-fruit bearing branches are not going to kill the vine. They are just sucking up resources that would otherwise be used for producing fruit and harvest. Pastor Aaron’s phrase is “it may not be sin, but it’s not helpful.” This phrase has been a common theme for 3 weeks now. Fill-in:  #2 Deal with it or you will condemn yourself to less than. What is your ‘it’? It’s a habitual response that is revisited, such as depression, anxiety, anger, screen addiction, misaligned priority, or a relationship that is out of order. God knows. Refer to Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my anxious heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” God hears us and he will reveal what that ‘it’, is. Pastor Pete showed us a removed trellis structure. When structure is removed, you remove everything. This is about Spiritual Growth and Character Development. They go hand-in-hand. We do not grow spiritually if our character is not developing along the way. The two are one. There must be structure to our spiritual life, if we want true growth. At Thrive Community Church, there is an Apprenticeship Guide that provides structure for our Spiritual Growth and our Character Development. It can be obtained every Sunday at Growth Track and The Blue Umbrella. I would suggest that you get a hold of one and research what’s available to you at Thrive Community Church. Spiritual Disciplines that have already been incorporated in our yearly calendar to provide structure for you. Do the program and you will be transformed as you take the journey with us. God will reveal to you what you need, to be transformed and developed. Anyone can live a fruitful life, if they are willing to engage in the process. Fill-in: #3 Anyone can be fruitful, if they just follow the process. Just show up my Brothers and Sisters, to our times of fellowship and let’s take our journey of Spiritual Growth and Development together.