The Beloved Disciple
Page 17
Oh, I hope you are getting this. I am about to hop out of my chair. I can barely type! You and I need nothing on this earth like more of the Holy Spirit. Do we need to love an unlovely person? Do we need extra patience? Could we use a little peace in the midst of chaos? Do we need to show an extra measure of kindness? Could anyone stand a little more faithfulness to God? Could anyone use a strong dose of self-discipline? How about a heaping soulful of joy? Take a look at Galatians 5:22-23. They all come with the fullness of the Holy Spirit! You see, we don't just need more patience. We need more of the Holy Spirit filling us and anointing us!
Now before anybody starts writing me letters, let me go on to explain. I realize the Holy Spirit is a person. When He comes into a believer's life at salvation, He moves in personally. We believers have the Spirit, but the infinite Spirit of God continues to pour Himself into our lives. Any given day I may enjoy a greater portion of His Spirit than I did the day before. He continues to pour out more of His Spirit from on high.
Does anyone need deep insight from God's Word? An added measure of understanding? Anyone need the eyes of her heart enlightened to know the hope of her calling? Does anyone want to fulfill God's eternal purposes for her life and think with the mind of Christ instead of the misleading mind of mortal flesh? All of these come with "more" of the Holy Spirit! (see 1 Cor. 2).
Child of God, don't just absorb this truth! Get up and celebrate it! God gives the Spirit without measure! He has all that you need. Or more properly stated, He is all that you need. Our fulfillment and greatest joy are in the flooding of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives. He is how we understand God's Word and will for our lives!
Here's a good one: Could anyone use a sharper memory? Beloved, I could! Take a look at John 14:26. "The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
The Holy Spirit is the blessed Reminder. Have you ever noticed we have a very sharp memory about destructive things but a far duller memory over instructive things? We need more of the Holy Spirit! Recently I had to memorize lines for a Christmas pageant at our church. I had never done anything like that, and I was a nervous wreck. Because I knew John 14:26, instead of just asking God to help me with my lines, I asked Him to fill me with more of His Holy Spirit so the blessed Reminder would manifest Himself to me-and He did! He is your key to memorizing Scripture or retaining anything biblical. Take Him up on it!
What do you need most from the Holy Spirit? Are you actively praying for more of Him toward that end? Luke 11:13 implies that if we want the Holy Spirit to invade more and more of our lives, God wants us to ask Him for it! You see, the person of the Holy Spirit dwells in each of us who has trusted Christ as Savior (Eph. 1:14). We have each been sealed (Eph. 1:13), and He will remain with us forever (compare John 14:16 and Heb. 13:5); but according to our level of cooperation, we can either quench the Holy Spirit within us or we can be utterly filled and anointed by Him. The difference defines whether we live in victory or defeat.
Since I began to learn what God made available to me through His Holy Spirit and what He is not only willing but eager to do for me, the level of supernatural power in my life in comparison has skyrocketed. I want the same for you! I am so jealous with a godly jealousy for you that I can hardly stand it!
Beloved, every one of these Bible studies as well as any book or message of value God has given me has come directly from the power of the Holy Spirit! I know better than anyone else that I am incapable of any such thing. Years ago I came face-to-face with my own self-destructive humanity, surrendered my life to be crucified with Christ, and determined to live henceforth through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit. I certainly don't always live my days filled with the Holy Spirit, but the rule (with obvious exceptions) has become the daily pursuit of the Spirit-filled, Christ-empowered life. The difference is night and day.
Do I ask for more and more of God's Holy Spirit? You bet I do! He gives Him without measure! The beauty of His endless supply is that my portion does not take an ounce away from yours!
Now here's a word of warning. Don't confuse asking for more of the Holy Spirit with asking for more manifestations of the Holy Spirit. James 4:2-3 gives us two reasons why we don't receive: We fail to ask, and we ask with wrong motives.
We may not have experienced the fullness of God's presence and empowerment in our lives because we haven’t asked. However, sometimes we ask with wrong motives or what the King James Version calls asking "amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." We can have wrong motives for asking for more of the Holy Spirit. Here are a few of my own examples of wrong motives.
· If I want more of the Holy Spirit so that people will be impressed with me or so that I will feel powerful, then my motives are self glorifying and dishonoring to God.
· If I desire a manifestation of the Holy Spirit as proof that God exists, then my motive is to prove (test) God rather than glorify God.
A right motive for asking for more of the Holy Spirit is that God be glorified in you and me through our effective and abundant Spirit-filled lives. Matthew coined it best: "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (5:16).
Remember what we learned from John Piper in our lesson on Christian hedonism? God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. Our soul's satisfaction for God's glorification is a wonderful motive for requesting more of the Holy Spirit. After learning many lessons the hard way, I want more and more of His Spirit because I want more and more of Him! Yes, the flooding of the Holy Spirit will manifest in all sorts of ways, but God and His glorification are our purest motives, not the manifestations themselves.
I am convinced that the essence of abundant life is simply put: an abundance of God in our lives. I don't just want to do the church thing. I want to experience God every day of my mortal life! And walk with Him as surely and vividly as I could walk with flesh and bone. I want to see His glory that the prophet Isaiah said fills the earth. I don't just want to be saved from destruction, as thankful as I am for the deliverance. I want to bask in the favor of His pure presence. I want God ... and a lot of Him! I think you do, too. Then let's start asking for Him, dear one. Every day of our lives. More of Your Spirit, Lord. More of Your Spirit!
Chapter 27
MORE FRUIT
This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:8)
I am so overwhelmed by all the Word has to say to us next that I am nearly paralyzed. I feel like I've won a shopping spree and can have anything I can fit in my basket, but I want so much of what I see that I don't know where to start. Beloved, what we've won in Christ is so far beyond human thinking that if we don't learn to think with the mind of Christ through the power of the Spirit, we'll miss it!
Unlike a woman who has won a basket full of goodies, we are never meant to pick and choose only what suits our fancy. Nor are we limited to one basket. God has chosen what He wants for us-treasures without measure-and all the baskets you could fit in your front yard can't contain them.
We'll do our shopping from John 15:1-17. If it's familiar to you, approach every phrase as if you've never seen it before. Remember that the chapter breaks and verse numbering in the Bible came much later than the inspiration of the Scriptures themselves. They are a huge help to us, but keep in mind that each chapter is wisely considered in context with the Scriptures preceding and following it.
The last statement Christ made in John 14 was, "Come now; let us leave" (v. 31). Christ and His followers had just eaten the Passover meal-the one we refer to as the Last Supper. Obviously the teaching that followed occurred en route. The next piece of geographical information is tucked in John 18:1. "When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it."
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bsp; John 15 begins with Jesus teaching about Himself as the True Vine. Quite possibly Christ's teaching on the vine took place as He and His disciples walked through a vineyard on their way to the olive grove. I want you to set yourself in the scene. You are a follower of Christ. A chosen disciple in this generation.
Jesus cast three sets of players in this vineyard scene. He is the first. Jesus is the true vine. His Father is the gardener. You are a branch. The declared purpose of the Father's care is for the branch to bear fruit.
What I'm about to say is not to your pastor, your teacher, your mentor, your hero in the faith, your best friend at church, or anyone else. It's to you. Beloved, the God of all the universe has ordained that your precious life bear much fruit. Do you hear what I'm saying? Are you taking it personally? This is about God, Christ, and you. Their eyes are on you this very moment. Hear them speak these words into your spirit loud and clear: We want you to bear much fruit.
For several chapters we've been talking about more. Now we're going to talk about much. I will repeat it as many times as I must. God hasn't appointed you to mediocrity but to a life of profound harvest. I weep for the body of Christ I love so dearly because I am overwhelmed with Paul's godly jealousy (2 Cor. 11:2) that each of you receives, savors, and celebrates what your God has for you.
I am sick of the enemy's subtle scheme to convince the masses in the body of Christ that only a few lives in each generation are truly significant. Your life was set apart for significance! Get up right this second, look in the nearest mirror, and say it out loud to that image in front of you. And while you're at it, say, "God has chosen you, and He wants to be glorified by you bearing much fruit."
I'm, not saying another word until you go to that mirror. My friend, sometimes what you and I need is a good fussing at. We are not yet fully believing God! If we were, we'd be so astounded and delighted in Him and living so far beyond ourselves that we wouldn't be able to contain our joy. We somehow continue to entertain those things that hold us back from immensely productive lives.
I hope we clear a few of those obstacles out of the way through the course of our study, but I'd like to address one right away. Many think that the sins of their pasts have exempted them from tremendously fruit-bearing lives. First, if that were true, I assure you I would not be writing to you right now. Second, if we haven't repented and allowed God to restore us and then redeem our failures, we will tragically fulfill some of our own self-destructive prophecies. God is not the one holding us back from much fruit after failure. In tandem with the devil, we are the ones. God's primary concern is that He is glorified. Few unmistakable evidences glorify Him more than powerfully restored lives that humbly and authentically proclaim His faithfulness to the death.
The Father is so adamant that we bear much fruit, He has extended practically inconceivable offers to us. As I share them with you, pardon my excitement as I dangle a few happy participles. He offers to us:
A love we can live in. When will we get through our heads how loved we are? Take a look at perhaps the most astounding verse in this entire segment of Scripture: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you" (John 15:9). Try to grasp this truth as tightly as you can: Christ Jesus loves you like the Father loves Him. He loves you like His only begotten-as if you were the only one!
Christ follows His statement with a command in the same verse: "Now remain in my love." I love the King James word for "remain"abide. The term means exactly what it implies: dwell in His love, remain in it, tarry in it, soak in it. For heaven's sake, live in it! How do we do such a thing?
Let me paraphrase what I think Christ is saying in this passage. Please put your name in the blanks:
My love for you,_____________ , is perfect, divine, and lavish beyond your imagination and far beyond your soul's cavernous needs. In fact, I love you like My Father loves Me, and I am the only begotten Son and the uncontested apple of His eye. ___ , My love for you is as constant as an ever-surging fountain, but you don't always sense it because you move in and out of the awareness of My presence. My desire is for you to pitch your mobile home so intimately close to Me that you are never outside the keen awareness of My extravagant love.
Why is a constant awareness of God's love for us so vital in a profusely fruit-bearing life? One reason is that the last thing Satan wants is for our lives to bear much fruit. He will do everything he can to discourage us, accuse us, and try to condemn us. Even the most steadfast among God's servants make mistakes and foolish decisions of some kind along the way. None is worthy to serve the Holy God of all creation. We will always give Satan plenty of ammunition to discourage us. If we don't literally camp in the love of Christ, we will talk ourselves out of untold fruit by dwelling on our own unworthiness. Accept the fact that we are unworthy and we're lavishly loved by a God of redemptive grace. Next notice another great offer. God provides:
A source we can draw from. Among the kinds of things that hold us back from immensely fruit-bearing lives, you might include "a lack of talent or ability." Conspicuously missing in this unparalleled dissertation on lives bearing much fruit is any reference whatsoever to ability. The one requirement for a profusely fruit-bearing life is that we abide in Christ like a branch remains physically attached to the vine. Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). Christ is telling us that all we have to do is embed ourselves in Him, let the power source flow, and He'll do the work through us. That's the secret!
Picture the attachment between the vine and the branch. One of the most important elements of the branch is that it remains open to the flow of the vine's life. If the branch were simply wound around the vine tightly, it would still die without producing any fruit. The branch must be attached to the vine with an openness to receive its fluid. Do you see the parallel? So often we have our own agendas about how we want to serve God. We spend untold energy and never produce lavish and God-glorifying fruit. We have to be open to the power flow and the purposed work the Vine wants to accomplish.
Often we fall into the trap of making up our own minds about how we want to serve Christ based on human reasoning and personal preferences. Trying to force our own ministries is such a frustrating waste of time. We end up taking on the pained, fretful demeanor of a woman trying her hardest to birth a very big baby.
I spent the first half of my adult life trying my hardest to make something-anything-work for God. After all, He had called me! Nothing worked ... until I gave up in exhaustion and failure and let Him work. We can't force fruit. We can only abide in the Vine. If we're going to produce much fruit, we've got to be open to the life, agenda, and timing of the Vine.
A Gardener we can depend on. You've heard of personal trainers. Our Gardener is so determined for fruitful lives to bear even more fruit, He commits Himself as their personal pruner! Notice verse 2: "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." I believe this verse suggests that God works all the harder on the child that is producing fruit so she or he will produce even more.
If you are a true follower of Jesus Christ, I bet you sometimes feel like God is picking on you. Have you ever exclaimed in exasperation, "God never lets me get away with anything"? Have you ever noticed that God seems particularly jealous with you? That He extracts from your life mindless and meaningless activities that He seems to "put up with" in other believers' lives? That, dear one, is because you have proved to be a cooperative fruit-bearing child and He knows He has a prime branch through whom He can be all the more glorified.
Do you see the progression suggested in verses 2 and 5? God desires for those who bear fruit to bear more fruit and those who bear more fruit to bear much fruit! As nervous as the thought may make us, God can be trusted with a pair of shears in His hand.
The following exercise is strictly for your benefit and between you and God. Don't let Satan use it to condemn you. To the best of your biblical understanding, based on
an abiding sense of God's presence and pleasure as opposed to numbers and notoriety, where do you think you may presently be on a scale from no apparent fruit, to some fruit, then more fruit, and finally to much fruit?
If you've made it past "no apparent fruit," what did your personal pruner do to take you to the next level? The pickier we let Him be with us, the more productive He will be through us. Beloved, when all is said and done and we are living in heaven, all that will matter is whether or not our lives glorified God. Let's let Him prune to His heart's content. Let's surrender to a life that will matter, as my family would say, more than a hill of beans when we've drawn our last breath.
Joy we can revel in. The fact of the matter is that we have been called to lives of obedience. Yes, the grace of God covers our sins as we trust in Christ's finished work on the cross. But we will not bear much fruit without obedience to our Father's will. In fact, according to John 15:10, if we don't walk closely to Him in obedience, we will never draw near enough to abide in His love. He loves us no matter what we do, but we will not be able to pitch our spiritual tents in His presence when we're disobedient. Does all this sound like a life of just serving and sacrificing?
Then you'd better read John 15:11 again. Jesus said, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." What an amazing thought! God is sovereign and could have rigged the plan to serve Him only. He could have demanded our obedience and service-or else. He didn't. Our heavenly Father is the giver of all good gifts (James 1:17). God longs to bless us with abundant life and joy. And not just any joy-Christ's joy! Perfect, full, magnetic, and contagious!