"As Christians we all constitute the Body of Christ. Some are eyes or heart or brain. It's obvious what they do-- preachers, counselors, evangelists, teachers, helpers. But some are tendons or ear lobes or mesentery or blood-vessels muscles -- not as obvious but nevertheless needed for the whole body to work together smoothly. These parts must not be underestimated even though they might appear insignificant at first glance.
On the vine we see fruit and leaves. The hidden parts-- roots, small tendrils, the conducting tissues within the vine, the sap, the chlorophyll molecules-- all are vitally important. That they all work together is essential. It is one of the most profound ways to demonstrate our faith to the non-Christian world.
On the natural vine, one branch can overlap another and keep it from the life-giving sun. It is possible that a spiritual branch can do the same thing-- interfere with a brother's relationship to the Son and keep him form the light of God's love. We can be influences for evil rather than good; we can become stumbling blocks to one another.
On the vine, if one branch is incorrectly pruned and infection enters, that infection can spread to the whole plant. In our Christian fellowship, if one person yields to the false vinedresser's mistaken teaching, it has repercussion throughout the Christian community. Heresies set back the cause of Christ as they divide individuals and groups. The whole Christian world suffers when a well-know Christian is involved in a scandal. 'No man is an island' is especially true within the Body of Christ."
Colleen Townsend Evans
"They say the greatest wine has always been made where the vine is at its extreme climatically,
when the grape is right on the edge of its endurance.
To produce the finest wine, the vine must struggle for survival: an overabundance of water or nutrients make the resulting wine uninteresting and flat. By thrusting its roots deep into the soul the plant provides for the roots a constant environment-- thus making possible the highest quality grapes. The roots of some vines reach a depth of 30-40 feet.
In the same ways, the struggling Christian who submits to the Vine is strengthened as difficulties are overcome, testing is met-- the "hard road" roots going down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love."
Colleen Townsend Evans
"WHEN WE ARE AT THE END OF OURSELVES
THAT'S WHEN GOD'S POWER IS STRONGEST IN US
When we know we can't do anything, we let Him take over; we exchange our powerless life for His infinitely powerful one. Knowing we are completely dependent on Jesus the VINE for our courage, our strength, our love, our very breath, we make ourselves available to HIS HOLY SPIRIT in that utterly dependent way that lets His power flow through us just as Christ means for it to flow all the time.
HOW SAD THAT WE SO SELDOM TAP INTO THIS POWER
(THE SAP)UNLESS WE'RE IN A CRISIS."
Colleen Townsend Evans
The Vine and the Branches
John 15: 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you ...are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John 15: 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you ...are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
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"FOR GOOD WINE TO BE PRODUCED --
THE FRUIT MUST BE SCRIFICED,
THE GRAPES CRUSHED."
The World Hates the Disciples
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well.
24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.
25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’
26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.
27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
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Disclosure: Much of what is in my posts are things I have
compiled through the years and I do not know if they have copyrights. What I do
know about origin or website I give credit and have tried to always post a link
to the origin. I do not market anything in any way on this blog -- I merely hope
it will encourage and inspire
others.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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