Good Morning Friends,
As was clear in the garden with Adam. It is not good to be alone. As Christians we all need Jesus and the Holy Spirit. But also, as humans we not only need each other for social contact, but we also need open supply chains. And frankly in today’s market, some things, like good soil, are hard to come by. I find it interesting that in the lack of human contact during the pandemic many turned to growing plants and tending to trees. My neighbor put in over a hundred fruit trees and planted annuals as well. Good seed and good soil would be needed after the fall in Eden. It is as if we are called in our behavior back to the garden to learn something important. With that in mind today we explore this connection in the analogy of the vine and branches. And since scripture helps to interpret scripture, we have a passage on the spread of the faith to the Gentiles as well. In them we will learn about a theology of place and purpose and pruning and propagation. We will learn that it is about having the right kind of seed, sowing the seed with love, and preparing the soil for planting and helping the seed to grow. But it is also about having a heart that grows in Kingdom soil connected to Christ’s vine even if it means being grafted on to the good rootstock. It is a message for church transplants and for gardeners in God’s community who are being trimmed back. It is a witness that in God’s creation, He has designed our efforts and His love to team up so we might rejoice in a harvest. The scripture combines in my mind to pose this question for us. So, Is Our Victory Gardening In the Grace of God Producing A Fruit?
Scripture: Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders. So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the believers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses.” The apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter.
Acts 15:1-6 (NRSV)
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
John 15:1-8 (NRSV)
For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin;
Galatians 1:11 (NRSV)
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!
2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)
And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.
1 Corinthians 3:1-9 (NRSV)
Message: Without question, one of the most important analogies God has given to us in His Word on the new, restored relationship we now have with Him, as a result of Jesus dying on the cross for all of us, is the analogy where Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. You see, the covenant of the law was set aside on the cross for believing Jews. All the regulations were replaced with a covenant of love that was in some ways even more demanding even if it was being extended to the Gentiles. Yes, God so loves the entire world… Still, we do like the idea of regulations and no, grace does not mean we are free to do what we know is wrong. There are still consequences. Peter and the other apostles may not have been Pharisees, but they clung to the law in forming an initial position regarding Gentiles. Just after Jesus’ resurrection, while Jesus is still meeting with them in his post-resurrection appearances, they think that he came only for the Jewish people. And this is understandable for Jesus who said that was the focus, but his actions always extended the boundaries of love. Even at Pentecost, Peter and the others preached to the “men of Israel. It would take a vision and the experience of seeing Gentiles be baptized with the Holy Spirit before Peter and the early church leaders would awaken to the idea that God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life. To leaders of the early church in considering Gentiles to be included in the Messiah’s work, was unknown territory. The only logical way for many of them to grasp such a premise is that Gentiles needed to come under the covenant that had been given to Israel. Then, in that context, they could be included in the Messiah’s redemption. That is what circumcision is about. It is the sign of inclusion in the covenant, which involves keeping the laws of that covenant. It is logical thinking. Why suppose Gentiles could slip into God’s kingdom by the back door? But God had a bigger plan. God realized we might be inclined to try and keep all kinds of rituals and laws that have nothing to do with what God wants from us. God realized it was unreasonable, for example, to require a 30-year-old male to be circumcised. Nevertheless, we are to be connected and belong to something greater than ourselves, realizing that God does trimming the heart for a purpose of us producing good fruit. It is a witness that in God’s creation, the Good Gardener has designed our efforts and His grace to team up so we might rejoice in a harvest.
And So, not only does vine and branches analogy give us a very good visual of what we now have with the Lord, but it also gives us one more important piece of revelation – and this second piece of revelation being given to us by the Lord is what He will be expecting from each one of us once we are fully grafted back into Him. As you will see, God expects us all in the Spirit to produce good fruit for Him. The purpose behind it all is for us to experience the joy of being connected to Christ and yes to our Jewish theological roots so we might produce fruit of the Spirit. Evangelism, membership, mission, and fellowship committees might learn an important lesson from this thinking. You see in another agrarian example, of the seed and the soil, our spiritual soil must be built up through study of scripture, prayer, and Christian community but also in the understanding that salvation comes from the Jews. When we build up and replenish the soil, we can have hope to increase the harvest. Staying connected to God and abiding in prayer is an essential ministry that is needed for us to be part of a spiritual harvest for the Kingdom. So, discover that it is important to abide in Christ daily through study of the Word… discover that it is fruitful for us to have not only faith in the power of this connection but also a forgiving heart, so the connection be clear and pure. Friends to be fruitful is to be compassionate to the needs of others…. extending and growing our love so that our fear can be removed. To be fruitful is to believe that God will answer prayers so that He might be glorified. Then if we have learned any of that, then we learn that fruit bearing is a byproduct of abiding in Christ. We learn that Christ is key to the harvest.
Pray we become good soil and bear much fruit. Pray we realize the blessing of honoring those who were blessed by God to be a blessing to the world. Pray God’s truths be empowered by the Holy Spirit in us. Pray that the authority of Jesus be nurtured in us to complement the strength and gifts we have been given. Pray we are honest about our prayers so that they reflect what we believe. Pray we realize that we cannot ignore the obvious needs of others and still have the right to pray to God effectively about our own needs. Pray that God bless us so that we can be a blessing. Pray we realize that we cannot out give or out produce God. Pray we understand the purpose of God answering the prayers we pray. Pray we follow the example of Christ. Pray we abide in the Word. Pray we abide in love. Pray we abide in the abundant joy of Jesus. Pray we are connected to a productive purpose that honors God. Pray we honor God, by trusting the promise, by believing what Jesus says and receiving what Christ freely and mercifully offers. Pray we are connected to what really matters.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 