We take our text from JOHN 15:1-16. The discussion our Lord was having here is very eye opening into the mind and ways of God. For there to be a true vine, it implies that there is a possibility of a false one. What can be called a false vine if a vine is a life-source? It will be something that looks like it but lack the life producing capacity of the vine. Religion will fit the picture. Many treat religion as a vine when one considers the hold it has on many people around the world. Religion is a false vine. It may have similarities with the real thing but it lacks the ability to give life. The vine gives life to all who are connected with it. Jesus is the true vine, the true-life source, and the correct one to be connected to.

The Father is likened to the vinedresser, the One who is taking care of the growth of the vine. What a picture of similar purposes but distinction of labours.

Every branch in Christ that does not bear fruit is taken away and the ones who bear are pruned to bear more fruit. Is it possible to be connected and not be fruitful? Yes, this means that though the connection is in tact, there could be other factors that may hinder fruitfulness. To understand this we may need to get the picture of we humans being like branches. The picture is found in Romans 11, verses12-24, here Paul was discussing the wild olive branches (gentiles) connected to the cultivated olive tree (the tree of Christ that the Jews are natural branches to).

The picture becomes clear that in our Pre-Christian days we were like wild olive trees having a nature not subject to God nor His laws. Our old nature can hinder our fruitfulness even if we get connected to Christ as the Vine. There is a need to do an internal re-configuration in our make up to make us fruitful. The pruning of the Father is to enable us to be more fruitful. The Father prunes with His Word. It is sharper than any two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), our obedience to the Word has a way of pruning us. We are pruned for more fruit as we submit to the authority of the Word and every instruction that proceeds from the Father-God. More fruit is the result of pruning. This is the second dimension of fruitfulness. The first dimension is just bearing fruit.

Abiding in Christ is the key to much fruit (the third dimension). Fruit, more fruit and much fruit are the three dimensional understanding of fruitfulness. When God prunes, He takes away that which hinders the flow of His life in us. Fruitfulness is as a result of the over flow of life. God’s attitude to a lack of fruits is revealed in Mark 11’s account of Jesus cursing the fig tree. He seems to say if you will not bear fruit for your Master, then no one eats fruit from you any longer. God is not so tolerant of fruitlessness as we may think. Any branch that does not bear fruit is taken away to stop encumbering the vine. When we bear much fruit, the Father is glorified.

Another interesting insight can be seen in the parables of the Kingdom that Jesus gave in Mathews’ account in Chapter 13. The parable of the sower shows how the seed is the Word. The explanation makes it plain that God intends for His seed to sown in our hearts and the different conditions of the heart also help us recognize the reason for a lack of harvest in our lives. We want the harvest but are we planting the seeds? Are we treating our hearts with the right ingredients to give proper conditions for the seed to grow? The cares, lusts for other things and the deceitfulness of riches, enter to choke the reproductive systems of our hearts and we bear no fruit at all. Now, even in the right heart, there are still varying degrees of fruitfulness. We can liken the 30 fold to fruitful, 60-fold to more fruit and 100-fold to much fruit.

Some parables further down also shed more light on Kingdom fruitfulness. From verses 24-43, we read about the wheat and the tares and the enemy planting tares when men slept. The explanation here says the good seeds are the sons of the Kingdom. How can this be? The sons of the Kingdom are the ones in whom the seed-the Word has become flesh as in Jesus and they can carry out the work of the Kingdom in the face of opposition and contradictions of men. It boils down to how much I let Christ be formed in me as the surest way to see 100-fold fruitfulness in my life.

If we return to our text in John 15, we see how from verse 7 Jesus begins to talk about the disciples being like Him. To love like He loved, to abide in Him and keep His commandments. When we reach the much fruit stage the language seems to change into being like Him. His joy will remain in us as we receive what He says to us. He guarantees us that our fruit will remain. It is time to our hearts on much fruits to glorify the Father and reflect the Son on earth. We have been CHOSEN TO BE FRUITFUL IN EVERY AREA OF OUR LIVES. It is time to declare war on barrenness. See 2 Peter 1:2-8 and learn what to do practically to avoid unfruitfulness. It is our responsibility, as we yield and be built up in Christ, to ensure fruitfulness in our lives.

May the Lord bless and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Rev Kola Ewuosho