Abiding Disciples

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. (John 15:8)

Like it or not, people still judge us on the basis of where we live. We are past the days when presidents were raised in log cabins. People are impressed with the neighborhood we live in or the town we come from. Sometimes people form opinions about our nature because of who we hang around with. We may scoff at that kind of thinking and rightly so in some cases. But in the spiritual realm, there is some truth to examine. It does make a difference where we live and with whom we abide.
ABIDING WITH CHRIST GLORIFIES GOD. Have you ever been on the religious treadmill of good works? Religious activity bears no real fruit apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. We can get real tired of doing good things that are not God’s things. We can be drained and empty and burned out with no real spiritual fruit to show for the effort. It’s a painful place to find ourselves. But God can be glorified in those painful and purifying experiences. Recognizing this, Jesus told His disciples that bearing fruit is all we are asked to do. Bringing fruit is God’s job. Bearing fruit is ours.
I. WHEN WE ABIDE WITH CHRIST WE CAN BEAR FRUIT. The fruit we are speaking of here is spiritual fruit. We can do many religious things that do not reflect spiritual growth. We can participate in activities that do not reproduce disciples. Only by being connected with the source of the growth will our lives bear fruit. Our lives are compared to a branch growing from the trunk of a grapevine. Severed from the vine, the branch will wither and die. Abiding with Christ, remaining in His presence, staying close to His word, keeps us connected with life. Spiritual growth is the result of abiding. We won’t have to contrive a strategy for making disciples. It will supernaturally occur.
II. WHEN WE BEAR FRUIT, WE GLORIFY GOD. God is the gardener. The Vine and the branches are a part of His purpose and design. When there is spiritual growth in our lives, God is glorified. Only He can transform us into the image of Christ. We cannot do that for ourselves. When disciples are being made, God is glorified. Only God can cause human beings to want to be transformed. Only God can make us want to be disciples. The gardener is known by His garden. Christ is the Vine. Disciples are the branches. God is the gardener. A productive garden glorifies God.
III. WHEN WE GLORIFY GOD, WE DEMONSTRATE THAT WE ARE DISCIPLES. Our primary reason for being disciples is to glorify God in our lives. He is the only one who can take dead, unproductive lives and cause them to be fruitful. Our life purpose is to glorify God. When we understand this, it clarifies and focuses our lifestyles. By our lifestyle of love for one another, by our obedience to Christ’s commands, the world will know if we are His disciples.
THE GLORY OF GOD THAT ABIDES IN OUR LIVES IS A SIGN OF SERIOUS DISCIPLESHIP IN OUR LIFESTYLES.