In this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and show yourselves to be my disciples (John 15:8).
Despite the lingering chilly weather in the mornings and evenings, emerging leaves and blossoms remind us that spring will be here soon. We know it’s only a matter of time before we can experience a steady stretch of warmer weather, longer days, and flowers in full bloom. Spring weather conveys new life and optimism. The signs we can see now—even when they’re small—give us hope about what is to come. According to Jesus, our Christian discipleship must also be reflected through signs.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in me and I in them bear much fruit, since apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Speaking as the Source of all life (John 1:4), Jesus says his life is the sign of the life to come. When the rest of the world sees only brokenness, despair, and death, Christians are challenged to see evidence of eternal life emerging in the Person of Christ. When the rest of the world sees a rejected claimant to the throne of Israel gasping for his final breath on a Roman cross, we see “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). When the rest of the world sees, at best, the tragic demise of a prophetic ministry, we see the crucified Savior who lays down his life only to take it back up again (John 10:17).
By “trampling over death by death,” Jesus demonstrated his unsurpassed authority over life and death. To remain in Christ is to know life. To be separated from Christ is to know only death.
If we remain in Christ and he remains in us, then we will draw life from the vine and we will bear the fruit of life. Just as the signs of spring lead us to believe in spring’s imminence, so also the fruit we yield in our lives reveals whether or not we have received the eternal life only Jesus can give. Such fruit consists of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Bearing this good fruit from the Holy Spirit brings glory to God the Father and proves the genuineness of our Christian discipleship.
Our lives ought to serve as a sign that Jesus’ resurrection has ushered in a new age and a new creation.
Could the people you know bear witness to signs of resurrection being present in your life? Could those who visit Tabernacle testify to seeing signs of resurrection in our midst? What fruit is evident? To the extent that we are still living in the old age, as though Jesus was never raised from the dead, we need to repent and renew our commitment to not just say we’re his disciples but to show ourselves to be his disciples.
Your Pastor,
Dane
