| The greatest dilemma that man-kind has is not the | | | | draws its very life from the vine and bears fruit as a |
| threat of nuclear war, mass starvation, or disease, but | | | | result of receiving that life. The same life that is the |
| rather our ignorance of our need for intimacy with | | | | vine is in the branches, and if the branch is severed |
| God. It is evident that money can not solve the | | | | from the vine, it is not only unable to bear fruit, but it |
| problems that have plagued our society for decades. | | | | withers and dies because it (the branch) has no life of |
| Some have blamed many of our society's ills on lack | | | | its own apart from the vine. |
| of education, political corruption, and many other things | | | | The same is true concerning the life of the believer in |
| while with deaf ears refusing to hear the cry for God | | | | relation to Christ. Christians have no life of their own |
| in their own hearts. | | | | apart from the life in Jesus. As long as we live in Christ |
| We were created to be intimate - created to receive | | | | and He lives in us, His divine life flows into and through |
| God's love and to express His love. When we do not | | | | us, thus producing much fruit. |
| experience love as God intended, our lives become | | | | Our union with Christ makes us one such that the fruit |
| dysfunctional. Because of this lack of fulfillment in | | | | manifested in us is the expression of Jesus Himself. |
| some Christian's lives, some have sought other means | | | | Therefore we must continually abide in Him so that His |
| to fill the void that only the love of God can fill. This is | | | | life will continually be made manifest in us and through |
| unfortunate because even after becoming Christians | | | | us. If our union with Christ is severed, we will not bear |
| so many of us are yet struggling to know God. Often | | | | fruit, but will die because it is written,"apart from Me |
| through much frustration, many of us finally realized | | | | [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing." |
| that only Jesus is the answer to life's problems. | | | | Jesus further said to His disciples; "I have loved you, |
| The Hebrew word "yada" is used in the Old | | | | [just] as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love |
| Testament and is translated in English as the word | | | | [continue in His love with Me]. If you keep My |
| "know" or "knowledge," andhas a much broader | | | | commandments [if you continue to obey My |
| meaning than the English word "know." In the Old | | | | instructions], you will abide in My love and live on in it, |
| Testament this word for "knowingGod" means; to | | | | just as I have obeyed My Father's commandments |
| understand - to recognize, to believe - to accept His | | | | and live on in His love. I have told you these things, that |
| claims, to conform- to be willing, to perform or live- to | | | | My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy |
| obey, andto see or experience. The New Testament | | | | and gladness may be of full measure and complete |
| Greek words "oida" and "ginosko" carry the same | | | | and overflowing. This is My commandment: that you |
| meaning as "yada" in the Hebrew. | | | | love one another [just] as I have loved you. No one |
| The Cambridge Dictionary defines know as; "to have | | | | has greater love [no one has shown stronger |
| information; to be familiar with." Webster's New World | | | | affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his |
| Dictionary defines know as: 1. "To be well informed | | | | friends" (St. John 15:9-13 AMP). |
| about: as, we know the facts: 2. To be aware of; | | | | Just as the life that is in the vine is the same life in the |
| having perceived or learned 3. To have securely in the | | | | branches, the Father's love in Christ the true vine, is the |
| memory." Others define know as; "to understand; and | | | | same love in us the branches. Jesus is now saying to |
| to recognize," but these definitions are a far cry from | | | | us; "continue in His love with Me." How do we abide in |
| the Hebrew and Greek meanings of this word. | | | | God's love? We abide by consciously consenting to |
| God wants us to not only understand and recognize | | | | the Holy Spirit to will and to work in us - living in total |
| Him, but to abide in Him. Then the Holy Spirit can | | | | dependence on God for our very existence. |
| manifest all that Jesus is in us. This is much more than | | | | As the branch is one with the vine, we too are one |
| gathering information or taking in facts; this is reality in | | | | with Christ. God's love, joy, peace, vitality, and all that |
| experience. When Jesus and His disciples were | | | | He is, is expressed in and through us as we abide in |
| gathered together, Thomas asked Him to show him | | | | Him. It is vital for Christians to understand that all |
| the Father, and Jesus said; "If you had known Me [had | | | | activities in the life of the believer originates and are |
| learned to recognize Me], you would also have known | | | | consummated from the place of abiding in Christ. That |
| My Father. From now on, you know Him and have | | | | is why the apostle Paul said that, "God is at work in |
| seen Him" (St. John 14:7 AMP). | | | | you both to will (desire) and to do (energize) of His |
| To know Jesus is to know the Father, because Jesus | | | | good pleasure." Therefore as we abide in Christ can |
| is the expressed image of the Father. When a sinner | | | | we draw life from Him (Jesus), and as the branch lives |
| accepts Jesus as savior, God gives him/her eternal life. | | | | from the vine, we live by His life. |
| God's word tells us; "And this is that testimony (that | | | | If you still believe that this is too good to be true, |
| evidence): God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His | | | | remember the word of Jesus; "If you can believe, all |
| Son. He who possesses the Son has that life; he who | | | | things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:32). In |
| does not possess the Son of God does not have that | | | | Christ we have the ability to love one another (even |
| life. I write this to you who believe in (adhere to, trust in, | | | | our enemies). In Christ we have the ability to forgive |
| and rely on) the name of the Son of God [in the | | | | everyone. In Christ we can do all things because of |
| peculiar services and blessings conferred by Him on | | | | the ever-abiding presence of the Holy Spirit who |
| men], so that you may know [with settled and absolute | | | | strengthens us. Dear children of God, stop trusting in |
| knowledge] that you [already] have life, yes, eternal life" | | | | your strength, and trust God to be your all sufficiency. |
| (1 John 5:11-13 AMP). | | | | John the apostle of love writes; "Beloved, let us love |
| To know Jesus is to accept Him and all that He is - to | | | | one another, for love is of God; and everyone who |
| know Him is to partake of His divine nature, and to | | | | loves is born of God and knows God.He who does |
| have eternal life. The apostle Paul in his letter to the | | | | not love does not know God, for God is love.In this the |
| Corinthians wrote; Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he | | | | love of God was manifested toward us, that God has |
| is a new creation; old things have passed away; | | | | sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we |
| behold, all things have become new." (II Corinthians 5:17). | | | | might live through Him.In this is love, not that we loved |
| When a person trusts in the finished works of Jesus | | | | God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the |
| by faith, he or she is placed in Christ by God and | | | | propitiation for our sins.Beloved, if God so loved us, we |
| becomes a new creation. Their previous moral and | | | | also ought to love one another" (I John 4:7-11).God has |
| spiritual condition passes away since God replaces it | | | | sent His Son Jesus into the world that we might live |
| with the new things of Christ. As God was in Christ, | | | | through Him. It is the heart of the Father to express His |
| He is now in the believer through the Holy Spirit. He is | | | | love through us to this lost world.This means He loves |
| the believer's strength and salvation - He is the | | | | through us and we through Him - (for it is not I but |
| believer's very life. "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, | | | | Christ, see Galatians 2:20). |
| who became for us wisdom from God--and | | | | It is imperative that Christians understand that all of the |
| righteousness and sanctification and redemption--that, | | | | new creation life is lived in Christ by faith, for it is "in |
| as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the | | | | Him we live and move and have our being." We must |
| LORD" (I Corinthians 1:30-31). | | | | also realize that our failure to enjoy and express His |
| Even under the Old Covenant men like Abraham, | | | | life has been due to our failure to abide in Him. |
| Moses, and David had such close fellowship with God | | | | Now instead of trusting in our own strength and leaning |
| that many believers today envy them. But if believers | | | | to our own understanding, let us choose to consent to |
| knew the surpassing glory that is revealed in Christ | | | | the work of the Holy Spirit in us, always being |
| who is in them, they would realize that what these | | | | continually aware of our helplessness and utter |
| men experienced then was only a shadow of what | | | | hopelessness without Christ, and knowing that without |
| the Holy Spirit came to reveal in them now. Jesus said | | | | Him we can do nothing. If this state of impotency is to |
| to His disciples before He ascended into heaven; "And | | | | exist in our hearts, we must be continually aware that |
| I will pray the Father, and He will give you another | | | | we were crucified with Christ, and resurrected with |
| Helper, that He may abide with you forever--the Spirit | | | | Him as new creations to walk in the newness of His |
| of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it | | | | resurrection life. |
| neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, | | | | The apostle Paul said; "Always bearing about in the |
| for He dwells with you and will be in you" (St. John | | | | body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of |
| 14:16-17). | | | | Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we |
| God only walked with the patriarchs under the Old | | | | which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' |
| Testament, but He has made His home in the hearts | | | | sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made |
| of believers. This truth may seem hard to grasp | | | | manifest in our mortal flesh" (II Corinthians 4:10-11). This |
| because so few Christians walk in the reality of it. | | | | new life is in the kingdom of love. The things of the old |
| Many Christians have the mentality that God is over | | | | order have passed away. This new life is Christ's life |
| "there" and must come from far away to rescue | | | | and we don't have to try to live it. We are in Him, and |
| them. This kind of mind-set is often reflected in many | | | | He is in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. This |
| phrases that Christians say such as; "God visited in our | | | | new life which Jesus brought us was not birthed by |
| service today," or " God showed up and showed out," | | | | raw power, but in Love (agape). It is by this that the |
| when God Himself lives in them. | | | | world will know we are Jesus' disciples. |
| God is love, and since God is in all believers, then all | | | | Jesus came to bring us eternal life. To have |
| believers have God's love in them. Paul in his epistle to | | | | everlasting life is not the same as possessing an |
| the Romans wrote; "the love of God has been poured | | | | object, but to have Jesus living and expressing the |
| out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to | | | | very life of God in us in the power of the Holy Ghost. |
| us" (Romans 5:5B). Since all that God has given to us | | | | God's word tells us that before Jesus could give us |
| is in Christ, we must abide in Him (Jesus) then the Holy | | | | this divine life, He had to pay the penalty for our sin. |
| Spirit enables us to experience and express God's | | | | Why did Jesus give His life for us? "For God so loved |
| love. In essence the secret of Jesus' intimacy with the | | | | the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that |
| Father was His continual abiding in the Father's love. | | | | whoever believes in Him should not perish but have |
| For some Christians it is hard to rest in God's love | | | | everlasting life" (St. John 3:16). |
| because they have not learned what it means to walk | | | | Before Jesus ascended to the Father He prayed; |
| by faith. God declares in his word that, "the just shall | | | | "......that the world may know that You have sent Me, |
| live by faith," this means that all of the Christian life in its | | | | and have loved them as You have loved Me. "Father, I |
| totality is lived dependent on God, including the ability to | | | | desire that they also whom You gave Me may be |
| love. Many Christians even struggle to love their fellow | | | | with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory |
| Christians because they walk according to how they | | | | which You have given Me; for You loved Me before |
| feel, instead of trusting God to love through them. | | | | the foundation of the world.O righteous Father! The |
| It is a fact that it is impossible to love with God's love | | | | world has not known You, but I have known You; and |
| when you do not believe that it is possible. We must | | | | these have known that You sent Me.And I have |
| believe that Jesus is our ability in every situation, and | | | | declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that |
| that He Himself is living His life in and through us to | | | | the love with which You loved Me may be in them, |
| meet every need that arises in our lives. Jesus said; "I | | | | and I in them" (St. John 20-26). |
| am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in | | | | It is sobering to realize that before we were ever born |
| Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, | | | | God loved us. He knew the worst things that we |
| apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you | | | | would ever do yet He looked beyond our faults and |
| can do nothing.If a person does not dwell in Me, he is | | | | saw our need for intimacy, and provided for it by the |
| thrown out like a [broken-off] branch, and withers; such | | | | sacrifice of His Son. Just think of it, before there ever |
| branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and | | | | was a world, God had us on His heart. We were born |
| they are burned. If you live in Me [abide vitally united to | | | | to share His love - we were created to be intimate |
| Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in | | | | with almighty God Himself. Therefore arise and take |
| your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done | | | | your place in the kingdom of love by trusting in His |
| for you" (St. John 15:5-7 AMP). | | | | unconditional love. Listen to the cry of the Spirit to all |
| The only responsibility of the branch is to receive life | | | | mankind; "But as many as received Him, to them He |
| from the vine and to express the vine's life. Christians | | | | gave the right to become children of God, to those |
| have complicated this blessed abiding life by trying in | | | | who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, |
| their own strength to produce Christ's divine life. Jesus | | | | nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of |
| said that the branch that abides in the vine bears | | | | God" (St. John 1:12-13). Hear the voice of God |
| abundant fruit. The Greek word for bear used here is | | | | whispering through the prophet to everyone of His |
| "phero" which means, "to carry." Many Christians have | | | | children; "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting |
| thought of their bearing fruit as a challenge to | | | | love; Therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you" |
| "produce" it by their own striving. In essence the branch | | | | (Jeremiah 31:3). |