I Can Only Be A Fruit Bearing Disciple IN Christ! (Part Three of Seven)

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. John 15:5-8 NKJ

As we come together into a deeper understanding of what it means to be a fruit bearing disciple IN Christ I will once again reflect on the operation of a company in the natural realm. When a person gets hired on at a company they are given an employee handbook that outlines the expectations of the company and guides them in problem solving procedures. This is done so the employee has the greatest opportunity for success and they are not left wondering what is expected of them as a team member. It also helps them identify who their “go to” people are if they ever run into a situation they do not know how to handle or if they have a fellow employee they are having a conflict with.

But in order for it to be effective in its intended purpose the employee has to read it and if they misunderstand any of it, they have to ask for guidance from a seasoned member of the team. The ones who do this have a greater opportunity for success than those who don’t. The people who don’t read it and only look to other people in the company to fill them in on the expectations of the company, have difficulty because they are basing their actions on someone else's interpretation of the handbook. And when trouble comes and they don’t know how to deal with it; they blame their inability on being misinformed, instead of taking responsibility for their own action of inactivity in not using the tool that was given to them when they were hired on. These people will never reach their full potential as an employee because they never have owned their position and did not grow in the knowledge of the company.

The Bible is our handbook and is given to us for the same reason. Everything we need to know to be a fruit bearing disciple IN Christ is found within its pages. For those who choose to accept the call to be a disciple and read the Bible for themselves, trust the Holy Spirit to teach them all things, and know who to go to if they are confused on any writing; are the ones who will reach their fullest potential and become a fruit bearing disciple. Those who choose not to read it and only rely on other people’s interpretation are the ones who struggle the most. They are the ones who do not grow in wisdom and knowledge and they never reach their fullest potential as a person who has been called to be a disciple. And when trouble comes and they don’t know how to deal with it; they will blame their inability on being misinformed; instead of taking responsibility for their own action of inactivity in not using the tool that was given to them when they accepted Christ as their Savior.

This is why it is so important for us to distinguish the difference of being IN Christ as a new creation at the moment of salvation and ABIDING IN Christ in order to become a fruit bearing disciple. When we are born again we are all given the opportunity to become disciples of Jesus Christ. But not all will make the choice to become one. In John 8:31b Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.” So only those who abide in the Word, will grow in the wisdom and knowledge of what is needed to become a fruit bearing disciple IN Christ. If we want to advance to the fullness of our potential as fruit bearing disciples who lead others to the Lord and who mentor new disciples; we have to take personal responsibility for our growth in the knowledge of the things of God and read and meditate in the Word (our handbook). This is what it means to ABIDE IN Christ.

But you might say the Bible is so big and there are so many instructions, where do I begin to grow in the knowledge of the things of God? Our loving Savior knew we would ask this question and He tells us where to begin in John 13:34-35. He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” And in 1 John 3:24 John says, “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” These two passages are the answer to our question of where to begin. We begin by understanding love and the truth that we can only love because He first loved us.

In 1 John 4:7-11 John said, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

So the path that leads to us becoming fruit bearing disciples IN Christ is to abide IN Christ by meditating IN the Word, seeking wise counsel in the body of Christ, and in receiving God’s love for us, so we in turn can love others. Every thought, word, or action that is motivated by love empowers us to be in relationship with other disciples in the body of Christ and empowers us to relate to the people who are still in the marketplace and have never become a part of the company (body). So this is truly the first instruction in our handbook called the Bible that we need to embrace, understand, and walk in if we want to become fruit bearing disciples IN Christ.

Spend time praying for the eyes of your understanding to be opened and for you to have a desire to read the Bible and meditate on it. Pray that God will bring seasoned people into your life, who understand how to rightly divide the Word of God and can mentor you in any areas where you lack understanding. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth and to grant you wisdom in the areas you lack it. Also ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what it means to love because He first loved you.