I have recently begun reading Andrew Murray’s Abiding in Christ as research for a new series of articles about the reality of our relationship with God “in Christ” (the intro will post in a week or two). It wasn’t long before God used Mr. Murray to reveal something I have found incredibly encouraging. We will close out this series with what may also be an epiphany for you.

Just as a side note, God led me to the “in Christ” study separate from this series on bearing much fruit. It wasn’t until I got into it that I realized the two were so intricately linked. I just love it when God connects dots like that; it encourages me greatly.

In Part 1 of this series, we learned that the sole requirement for bearing much fruit is abiding in Christ. We also learned that the fruit being borne is the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit in the good works we walk in for God’s glory. The remainder of Part 1 and Part 2 explained how we participate with God for our abiding in His Son (i.e., the keys to abiding):

1. Intimately know and love the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
2. Listen to the truth, and remember what you hear (i.e., meditate on it);
3. Believe that Jesus is the Messiah;
4. Respond to what you hear through obedience to the faith and the works thereof; and,
5. Walk as Christ walked: humbly, sacrificially, and in perfect obedience to the Father.

It would be more attractive to say that abiding in Christ comes without condition, but suggesting such a thing would be deceptive and unnecessary. The truth does not have to be comfortable to attract people. In fact, bearing much fruit is really quite easy and incredibly fulfilling.

Let the Vine Bear Fruit

In the natural world, the branch has very little to do beyond bearing the weight of the fruit. Bearing does not mean producing. The vine provides and pushes the life essence of the fruit into and through the branch.

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God… 2Corinthians 3:5

“Letting” is the branches primary responsibility in the process of bearing much fruit. Knowing, loving, hearing, etc. – even walking as Christ walked – is by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8).

Indeed, the only effect the branch can have in fruit bearing is a negative one: to inhibit or stop the flow of the vine’s life. If the branch does not let the sap flow into and through it, no fruit will be produced. Not “letting” is the branches greatest tragedy.

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away… he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15:2, 6

This matter of letting the vine bear fruit got me wondering, “Does ‘let’ apply to each of the fruits of the Spirit?” Well, guess what:

Let love: Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Romans 12:9

Let joy: But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God; yes, let them rejoice exceedingly. Psalm 68:3

Let peace: And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Colossians 3:15

Let patience: But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:4

Let kindness: Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust… Psalm 143:8

Let goodness: Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalm 34:8

Let faithfulness: Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Psalm 37:3

Let gentleness: Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29

Let self-control: For God did not give(s) us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control. 2Timothy 1:7

Now stop and consider this for a few moments (it is the epiphany for me):

To bear much fruit we must let the vine do what the vine does… into and through us. Before any one of us bears fruit of any kind, we receive the fruit unto ourselves. God is offering His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to each of us first!

Let that wash over you for a moment. Doesn’t it sound a lot like being “filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19)?” Regrettably, some of us get so focused and busy bearing fruit we fail to receive and appreciate the fruit God’s graciously offers us.

Can you bear what you do not possess? I suspect this represents one of the great tragedies of my life – the result of a performance-based and works-oriented approach to serving God. Sadly, I have missed much of the abiding life for much of my Christian walk. I pray this article helps someone avoid the same tragedy.

Conclusion

We humans so want to make things and do things; and that is not a bad thing… unless we are supposed to be letting God do the work.

From of old no one has heard
or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides thee,
who works for those who wait for him. Isaiah 64:4

God is waiting for us to wait for Him. He simply wants us to receive what He offers, and to let things – really BIG things – happen.

Lest anyone go away confused, we are not talking about laisse faire Christianity. Indeed, true Christianity requires striving to enter through the narrow gate (Luke 13:24) onto the difficult way (Matthew 7:14). Laying down our strength and religious efforts may be harder than one would think. Transformation by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2) requires surrender which runs against both carnal desire and worldly paradigms.

From Abiding in Christ (Murray, 2003):

This connection between Christ’s work and our work is beautifully expressed in the works of Paul: “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” It was because he knew that the mighty and faithful One had grasped him with the glorious purpose of making him one with Christ that he did his utmost to grasp the glorious prize… “Christ took hold of me,” gave him the courage and the strength to press on and take hold of that for which he was taken.

And so, we close with this critical question:

Is it worth it?

Jesus encourages His followers to count the cost, lest we draw back before completing the race. So, count the cost; and then compare it to knowing, loving, and abiding in the Savior of the world, our Good King.

God bless you with grace and courage to count the cost, abide in His Son to the full, and enjoy bearing much fruit.

Humbly yours and forever His,

Rob

#iamjustthepen

Murray, A. (2003). Abiding in Christ. Bethany House: Bloomington, MN.