⏱ 10 min read

• Have you ever been to a fruit buffet? No…?? Well, today is your special day!
• Today we’re going to dine in John 15 and examine a few lessons from various angles. Let’s dig in:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” ~John 15:1-2

Why We Sometimes Lose The Things That Are Dear To Us!

• There are times in life when the fruit or things we have achieved through hard work and time are suddenly taken away from us.
• It could be a business you have built, a relationship you treasure, a ministry you may have built or a position you acquired.
• Just when you are ready to enjoy the fruit of your labour, you see everything taken away…

We usually become confused and ask God, “Why?” We sometimes pray and ask God for restoration, but the God we are praying to may be the one who purged or cut off that fruit, and not the devil.

"...every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

• Why? Simple! God wants us to bear more fruit. Sometimes, our success can be a stumbling block because it can put us in a comfort zone.
• When our fruit is cut, new doors, opportunities and grace will be opened to bear even more fruits.

Christ-likeness begins when we submit to God’s refining process and allow Him to prune and purify our character. Stop crying and go through them because you will explode to a higher level!

Benefits of being fruitful:

• #1. It brings glory to God: “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples (John 15:8).” If you want to bring glory to God, commit to bearing fruits!

I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do (John 17:4).

• #2. It will bring us to the place of the fullness of joy:
• “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full (John 15:11).”
• At every harvest time, the farmer who has fruits is full of joy! Do you want to have joy, be fruitful!

Already the reaper is receiving his wages and he is gathering fruit for eternal life; so that he who plants and he who reaps may rejoice together (John 4:36).

• #3. God answers our prayers quickly and directly:
• “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you may bear much fruit and that your fruit will remain – and whatever you ask of my Father in my name, He will give it to you (John 15:16)

NB: Jesus also cautions us of the danger of not being fruitful: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;…”

Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’
But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’” ~ Luke 13:7-9

• When God does not find fruit in us, some consequences go with it; we will be cut off.
• Dear friend, fruitlessness is something God hates. This is why Jesus cursed the fig tree when it had no fruits (Mark 11:12-14).
• Never forget that fruits are very important to God. Let us make it one of our life priorities, to be fruitful!

Three (3) kinds of fruit we should bear:

#1. Fruit worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:8): We explain this in detail in What does God expect from me?; please check it out even as a refresher and it will be a blessing!

So produce fruit that is consistent with repentance [demonstrating new behaviour that proves a change of heart, and a conscious decision to turn away from sin]; (Matthew 3:8)

#2. Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23): A helpful reflection will be to ask: are these fruits in my life?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

#3. The fruit of souls or winning people for the Lord (Proverbs 11:30)

The fruit of the [consistently] righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise captures and wins souls [for God—he gathers them for eternity] (Proverbs 11:30).

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you (John 15:16).

Jesus said we should bring others into the kingdom, and when they come and abide/remain; then we ask Him whatsoever… Perhaps this could be why some of our prayers have no answers? (Think about it)

• Dear friend, let us re-orient our lives to bear fruits and make the fruits abide! (As the year ends, where are our souls; where are our fruits?)
• God says we do not determine the terms, He does… and He is saying that He has chosen us and appointed us to go and bear fruit! (John 15:16)
• Perhaps a helpful prayer will be: “Lord give me one more soul today/this week… give me a 1000x more souls.“

Let’s end with how we can bear fruit:

“Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.
“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing (John 15:4-5 MSG)

• Intimacy and connection with God! “If you remain in Me and I remain in you, you will bear much fruit.” When was the last time someone saw you and me, and saw Jesus? or an attribute of Jesus?
• Find a way to connect with God this season! Let this be your ultimate aim; be a Jesus addict!

1. Connect to Christ Himself: Know Him, love Him, be a Jesus addict! (John 15:4-5)
2. Connect to His Word!! Be a word Christian! “If you remain in me and my words remain in you…” (John 15:7).

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us, and we beheld His glory..." Dear friend, let the Word dwell in you richly! You and I must make sure the Word is dwelling!

• #3. Connect to the Holy Spirit! Let’s be Holy Ghost addicts! This is our source of power! (Acts 1:8)

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

• #4. Connect to God’s family! Devote yourself to God’s family and to serving them (John 13:13).
• Ask yourself: what can I do; how can I serve?? “Every joint supplieth… then the whole body grows together” (Ephesians 4:16).
• Remember, as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:25).

#5. Connect to the grace! There are people who carry grace and there are places that are grace avenues; when you find such people or atmospheres, connect and plug into it!

• The disciples walked with Jesus and grace rubbed on them. That was all they were known for “…they took note that they had been with Jesus…!”
• Laban said to Jacob in Genesis 30:27, “…I have learnt by revelation and divination that I have been blessed because of you”
• Same with Joseph in Potiphar’s household. Repeats with Abraham and Lot; Lot actually lost all his great wealth when he separated from Abraham (his grace plug).

• Colossians 2:19 says, “They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.“
• Dear friend, don’t lose connection! I want to end by suggesting that we pray the blessing of Joseph below (Genesis 49:22-26, insert your name and pray):

“Joseph [Eric Ebenezer Boham] is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility.

But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb.

Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph [Eric Ebenezer Boham], on the brow of the prince among his brothers.