THE MYSTERY OF THE UNFRUITFUL BRANCH

John 15:1-8 is one of my favorite portions of Scripture. I find something very appealing and comforting in the picture that Jesus painted. His Father is the husbandman/vinedresser, Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, and the vineyard is the Kingdom of God.

I must admit, however, that a couple of things Jesus had to say in the first three verses were a mystery to me. One statement seemed to be contradictory and harsh and the other did not seem to fit in the flow of the passage. So, like any good Spirit-filled believer, I just ignored those statements and pretended they were not there!

The first statement that bothered me was in verse 2: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away.” I could not begin to count the number of times I have heard preachers say that this is God’s purging of unfruitful branches, that if you do not bear fruit, He will cut you off! I find this thinking to be contradictory to verse 5: “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.” How can one verse say that a branch in Him that does not bear fruit will get cut off and another say, categorically, if you are in Him you will bear fruit? To take both of those statements at face value could cause me to be more schizophrenic than I already am!

The second thing that troubled me was verse 3, which to me seemed like it was a parenthetical statement. The verse says, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” This is a powerful statement but what does it have to do with an unfruitful branch of the previous verse? It seemed to me that this very clear and strong word just somehow did not belong in this passage.

Let’s see if we can unravel this mystery!

Bruce Wilkinson is the founder of Walk Thru the Bible Ministries and is probably best known for his incredible book The Prayer of Jabez. In one of his other writings, Wilkinson tells the story of being at a pastors’ conference on the West Coast. After one of the sessions, he was approached by a man who had a question for him: “Do you understand John 15?” Bruce responded, “Not completely.” The man then told him, “I own a large vineyard in Northern California and I think I may have some insights that would be helpful.” The two men arranged a time to meet and talk.

Sitting at a table in a nearby restaurant, Wilkinson and the man began to talk about the life of a grower and the work involved. The vineyard owner explained, “New branches have a tendency to trail down and grow along the ground but they do not bear fruit down there. Growing along the ground, they get covered in dust and dirt, and if it rains they get muddy and often become mildewed. Also, these ‘on the ground’ branches become sickly and useless.”

“What do you do then?” Wilkinson asked. “Do you prune them, cut them off and throw them away?”

“Oh, no, these branches are much too valuable for that,” the owner explained. “We are constantly in the vineyard looking for branches that have grown down and are trailing along the ground. When we find one, we lift it up, take clean water and wash it off and then secure it back up on the trellis. Before long the branch is growing and bearing fruit again.”

As I read this account, I had a “revelation moment.” Suddenly I understood verses 2 and 3 of John 15 in a brand-new way. Isn’t that just like the Father and the Son to say to us, “You have been growing along the ground and gotten dusty, dirty and mildewed! I will pick you up, clean you off, and put you back where you belong! It won’t be long before you are fruitful because Life will be flowing through you!”

The old English phrase, “He takes away,” does not carry well into our time. The original language for this phrase means “to lift up, to elevate, to move from where it was” and does not refer to pruning or purging. Jesus does go on in verse 2 to say that He will prune branches that are bearing fruit. He will cut off old growth that is now dead, so that the branches can again bear fruit.

In verse 3 Jesus says, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” The word clean used here is the root word for cleanse as it is used in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Cleanse means to be free from the defilement of sin, faults and wickedness.

God is the Lord of the vineyard but not only is He the owner, but He is an active owner, the husbandman/caretaker. He is personally extending care to us; He lifts us up when we have fallen and He restores us! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We Pentecostals are far too cool to jump, dance and shout anymore but I think I feel a shout of praise coming on! Can I hear a witness?

POOR IN SPIRIT

During forty-five years in ministry, hundreds of thousands of miles travelled, and more than sixty countries visited, I have met some interesting people along the way. A few of those I would consider “giants of the faith” because of their worldwide fame; others are “giants” in the region where they live and minister. The vast majority of the people I met, however, are not well-known at all. Many are true heroes of the kingdom, men and women who faithfully and quietly labor because the Lord has given them an assignment.

I have noticed one quality in all those who have enduring ministries. Each, whether well-known or unknown, is a person who does not take himself too seriously. He (she) has adopted an attitude of humility and complete dependence on Him.

I am currently reading a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer entitled, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. Bonhoeffer came from an aristocratic German family where great emphasis was put on education and intellect and he received his doctorate in theology at age 21. Rather than becoming a university professor, Bonhoeffer felt called into pastoral ministry. Underneath the intellectual prowess and verbal skill as a public speaker, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a humble man.

Few men have impacted the modern church more than Dietrich Bonhoeffer and few have paid the price for his faith that he did. In this post we are going to take a brief look at just one very important part of the life-changing elements in the Sermon on the Mount. Bonhoeffer has stated that the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) became central to his life and theology—that it changed his life.

The Sermon, as I call it, is one of the best-known “teachings” of Jesus Christ. The opening portion of the Sermon in Matthew 5:3-11 is popularly called “The Beatitudes.”

The first of the Beatitudes is, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Oswald Chambers declares that not only is Matthew 5:3 the first of the Beatitudes and the opening to the Sermon, but it is also the bedrock principle for all who come into Christ’s kingdom.

We must have a clear understanding of two important words in this verse. The first, “blessed,” is a grace word, meaning that it is tightly entwined with our understanding of grace. The use of the word in the Beatitudes speaks of God’s favor, His joy freely given to the person being described in the verse.

The second word, “poor,” as in being “poor in spirit,” does not mean to lack courage or to have a weak spirit but is to acknowledge spiritual poverty. The word expresses one’s unworthiness before God and utter dependence on Him. The word speaks of honesty, humility, contriteness. It is best to remember that although we have been invited to come boldly into His presence, we do so because He allows us to, not because of our own merit!

If I could paraphrase Matthew 5:3 I would say it this way: “The blessing and favor of God rests upon those who humbly acknowledge their spiritual poverty. Through their humility they continually express their total dependence on God and because of that, they will enjoy the fruit of the kingdom of heaven here and now!”

I do not relate well to the arrogance and strutting of some of the “Christian celebrities” on television. It can be confusing at times. They talk about all the things they are doing, how well they are doing, and the thought may creep in, “Well, I guess that’s the blessing of the Lord!” (And, honestly, isn’t that somewhat implied?) I know what it is like to have those kinds of thoughts, as I have tried to understand reservations in my spirit about these people.

Many of these “celebrities” have no anointing at all! What they are doing is operating in their natural talents and, admittedly, some of them are very gifted speakers and motivators. The naïveté of the American church assumes that excellent and persuasive preaching equals “the anointing”—and it does not!

God’s Word is very clear on three things about pride and humility:

1. God sets Himself against pride and the embracing of it. 1 Peter 5:5: “God resists the proud.”

2. The favor of God rests on the humble. 1 Peter 5:5: “[God] gives grace [favor] to the humble.”

3. God’s presence is with the humble and contrite. Isaiah 57:15: “I [God] dwell . . . with him who has a contrite and humble spirit.”

I know that some will be highly irritated at the message of this post. They will read the article and say things like, “David’s losing it, he’s regressing!” and they are probably right! I am regressing. I am trying my best to move away from a posture of arrogance and pride to a place of honest humility and contriteness. I would rather be unknown and have His presence in my life than be well-known and devoid of God’s presence after having pushed myself forward. I am trying hard (and not always successfully) to learn and apply what John the Baptist meant when he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

PAUL’S MENU FOR NOT RUNNING ON EMPTY

A few weeks ago I wrote a post entitled “Running on Empty” and after I finished and placed the article on the blog, I knew there needed to be a follow-up because I missed a really important point.

When Paul wrote to the Ephesian church and encouraged them in 5:18 to “be filled with the Spirit,”he was not talking about the initial coming of the Holy Spirit into our lives. The construction of this phrase in the original language would read something like “be being filled.” This speaks of the need for believers to continually be refilled with the Spirit.

We know that the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us at the time of salvation. Why then is there a need for us to continually be “refilled” with the Spirit? How can I say what I am thinking without offending almost everybody? Well, I guess the easiest way is to say that we are just not real good containers and we leak! I’m not sure whether our leaky spots allow what’s in us to dribble out or those weak spots allow what’s on the outside to get in but whichever it is, we often have trouble staying full of the Holy Spirit.

The apostle was a practical man and by the time he wrote the Ephesian letter, he had been walking with the Lord for several decades and understood the ups and downs of the believer’s walk. The apostle had intense highs in his relationship with God but he also had intense lows (see 2 Corinthians 11:24-28). It is out of this seasoned warrior’s life and experience that he teaches us how to keep the “filling” happening.

Paul doesn’t just instruct the Ephesians (and us), he issues an imperative, a command: “Be continually being filled with the Spirit.” He doesn’t take a quick breath and then say, “And here is some of the fruit of being filled with the Spirit.” No, he launches into what I believe is a menu of things we can do to put us in a place of cooperating with the Holy Spirit in the “filling” process. We will briefly go through “Paul’s Menu” in a moment, but first let me tell you something that just happened.

[I am going to put this in brackets, not because I’m embarrassed by it but because it was not my intention to go this way. As I was writing the above about Paul, the Holy Spirit began to speak to me about some of you reading this post. The Spirit of God said to me, “Some of those reading this article are intensely hungry for a refilling of the Holy Spirit and I want you to tell them that I am ready to fill them—right now!” So if that is you, stay right where you are. You don’t have to go anywhere even if you are in the middle of a crowded coffee shop. The Holy Spirit is not in the business of embarrassing anyone and you can do this wherever you are. One of the instructions on Paul’s list was “. . . singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks” (Ephesians 5:19-20). You can do that anywhere, in your heart, and you can do that now! Go ahead and begin to worship Him, praise Him and sing to Him. Ask His Spirit to refresh and refill you and He will! If you want to wait until you are alone and have a quiet moment, that’s fine. The word from the Holy Spirit will be as valid then as it is when you read this for the first time.]

So now let’s talk for a moment about Paul’s Menu for “filling.”

V. 19 — “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” I believe this is primarily emphasizing verbal praise and the importance of music in worship. There is a time for verbal worship and there is a time for what I call “the heart song.”

“Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” You can be lying in bed at night and rather than disturb your neighbors, you begin to worship in your own temple where the Holy Spirit is in residence. You can do this sitting at your desk at work or in a crowded coffee shop—just begin to sing and make melody in your heart. This is nonverbal worship and Paul establishes the value and importance of it.

V. 20 — “Giving thanks for all things.” According to Paul, the last days generation will be an “unthankful” people (2 Timothy 3:2) but God’s family is called to be “thankful for all things.” We are to be thankful continually and express that to Him. Some days during my personal time with Him I make no requests but spend all my time “giving thanks.” Sometimes I praise by faith over issues that I am believing Him to resolve, or give thanks for all the wonderful things He has done in my life. We have so much to be thankful for!

V. 21 — “Submitting to one another in the fear of God.”Commentators bicker over whether this verse is attached to the menu or to the following verse (v. 22). I am of the opinion that the argument is over the word “submission,” which is used in verses 21 and 22, but that does not mean the verses are attached. I believe this verse is a part of Paul’s Menu.

One of the great struggles I had early in my journey as one called into service was over this issue of submission. Travelling in a very high-profile ministry, I was before thousands of people weekly and I found it difficult to be submitted to my pastor and the church at home. I did what my mind told me was the right thing—I simply disengaged and stepped back and away from being submitted. After several months, I realized what a terrible mistake I had made because I am smart enough to know when my spiritual well-being is suffering, and mine was. I quickly repented and corrected my mistake. Let there be no confusion—we are to be submitted to our pastors and to our church and we are to push off the deception of thinking otherwise. With the act of submission to the Lord, to our leaders, and to each other comes a great release of the Holy Spirit into our lives.

It is time again to go to Paul’s Menu. Why don’t you just order everything on it! No need to run on empty or close to it.

THE TRAGEDY AT LAODICIA

Just this morning as I was preparing to write this post, “The Tragedy at Laodicea,” Carol forwarded to me an article by a respected prophecy teacher referring to “the time of the Laodicean church” being now! Again, I was struck by the timeliness of the Holy Spirit’s leading. I trust that through this article I can show you something the Holy Spirit has been making real to me in just the last few days about the times in which we live, the Laodicean church, and the tragedy that happened there.

We are first introduced to the Laodicean church in Colossians 2:1. Neither the Colossian nor the Laodicean church were actually begun by Paul but he loved and ministered to them as a friend and an apostle. It is very likely that the church in Laodicea was begun by one of the converts from the Colossian church, which was just ten miles away.

Laodicea was a prosperous city, well known for its production of quality wool for clothing and also for its beautiful and luxurious carpets. As was the custom of this day, the church of Laodicea met in a private home (Colossians 4:15). As Paul concludes his letter to the Colossians, he instructs the brethren to make certain that the letter is also read to the church at Laodicea and that the letter he wrote to Laodicea be read to the Colossian church (4:16). The letter to the Laodiceans is no longer in existence.

When Jesus speaks of the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3, He uses very strong and descriptive words to describe what is happening: “Because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. . . . You say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked—” (Revelation 3:14-17).

What could have happened to the church of Laodicea and why do I speak of this as a tragedy?

We get some insight into what happened through a warning Paul issued to both churches in Colossians 2, that false teachers would come with a message of bondage that would try to lead them away from the centrality of Christ.

In Colossians 2:8, Paul specifically warns that the false teachers would try and introduce contemporary pagan philosophy into the church in the guise of “new and progressive” Christianity. Through their teaching, Paul warned, the false teachers would bring “basic principles of the world,” indicating that the false teaching primarily would be concerned with visible and perishable things that would replace the centrality of Christ (also see also Galatians 4:3).

So what is the tragedy at Laodicea? The scope of the tragedy begins to unfold in the words of Christ Himself in Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

The tragedy is that Jesus is no longer in this once thriving church—He is no longer central to the church. Jesus is on the outside, knocking and calling out to His bride, who has gone whoring after others. This church, birthed in a move of God’s Spirit, has totally lost its way; it has lost its focus; it has lost Christ as the center of its being. Jesus Christ is no longer the head of this church. He has become a fond memory, a piece of stained glass, an icon hanging on the wall—but He is no longer the living, vibrant center/head. Christ is not worshipped in this church but has been largely replaced by a preoccupation with self and its needs.

This is a tragedy of unspeakable magnitude! It is a description of large segments of the church in America where wealth, success, acceptance and political correctness are celebrated and Jesus is rarely mentioned or worshipped. Thankfully, the Laodicean spirit has not gripped the whole church. There is still a bride who loves and cherishes the Bridegroom. Her garments are white, her praise is loud and clear, she refuses to be seduced or compromised by the beggarly elements of the world, and her eyes are fixed upon her Beloved. This is the overcoming church who will sit with Christ on His throne (3:21).

The tragedy of Laodicia did not have to happen—but it did! And the tragedy will be compounded if we do not learn from this.