02 the True vine

& its branches

“I am the true vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you,

you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

message summary

Scripture: John 15:1-17, Psalm 1, Psalm 46:10

Commonly referred to as Jesus’ teaching on the vine and the branches but notice that Jesus refers to himself as the TRUE vine. For us, gentiles, this one little word is like rocket-fuel, it propels us out of our assumed understanding of the passage and brings us fresh insight.

On the one hand Jesus is saying to us thought the text, “you are now my glorious branches, through whom I am revealing myself to the nations”. On the other hand Jesus is saying, my people Israel were to be a vine for me, they were to be my beacon of light to the nations, but they failed in this, they pursued other gods and idols, they forgot about me; learn from their mistakes.

One of the characteristics this picture of church shows us it that as it grows, the church does not simply become a stronger, healthier community, it also bears fruit. It shows us that this is the desire and joy of God as the divine gardener. Stay connected to my son, grow stronger, bear fruit in season and embrace my pruning because through it all I am nurturing you to bear more fruit.

We need to learn and embrace that we grow as a community (not individuals alone) if we choose to abide in Jesus and the proof that we are abiding will be fruit – more and more people in the Kingdom of God. In fact, we need to be conscious that if there is no fruit, if no one is hearing and experiencing the glory of God from our community, then it may be because we have disconnected ourselves from the True Vine, Jesus.

Spiritual practice - standard

The practice of Christian meditation can help us to remain in Jesus.
It is where we take time to fill our minds with a truth about God, giving him the chance to speak to us and transform us.
Follow the steps below with a small group of Christians.

step 01

find 2 or 3 Christian friends & decide on a time and place to meet,
you'll need 15-30 minutes

step 02

pick one of the following as you material for meditation:

(for university students and older)
Today in the Word by Moody Bible Institute or My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

(for teenagers)
Our Daily Bread or Youth Devotional by Josh McDowell

(for families with young children)
Family Devotional by Josh McDowell

(for everyone)
John 15:1-17 NIV
read one paragraph each week

step 03

(for teenagers and older)
- when you meet, pray and invite God to speak to you as a group -
- spend the first 10 minutes to silently read and re-read the material you chose to meditate on -
- use the rest of the time to ask each person can share what God is saying / teaching through the material -

(for families with young children)
- pray with your family and invite God to speak to you as a family -
- go through the material at your own pace -
- take time to ask each person to share what God is saying / teaching them through the material -

step 04

end with a prayer of gratitude

Spiritual practice - reach