Discipleship Essentials*
Thursday, November 4, 2004
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, Jesus promised that if I stay connected to Him that I may ask for anything in prayer and it will be granted. I pray right now that I may stay connected to Him forever, that my life will always abide, remain, be part of Him. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may life boldly and confidently as Your child today and always. Let me be so connected to You that all my prayers reflect Your will and not my own. These things I pray in the strong name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord. Amen.
God’s Word Today
John 15:1-11
“1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3You have already been pruned for greater fruitfulness by the message I have given you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.
5“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! 8My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father.
9“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
Background on the Text – Who Wrote It? Why Was It Written? Who Was the Audience?
The Gospel of John was also written to a Greek-speaking audience. In fact, while John was undoubtedly Jewish in his background and upbringing, the Greek of John’s Gospel is some of the finest and most sophisticated Greek in the entire New Testament. This has led some scholars to doubt that John was actually the author of the gospel, while others’ have simply (and more likely) concluded that John had a “secretary” who recorded his thoughts in fluent Greek. That John’s desire for all to know Jesus and that by believing in Him they might be saved was incredibly strong is seen even in this attention to the Greek speaking world of his day. John could easily have focused only on the Jews, instead he wrote his Gospel with attention to the Gentiles, the Greeks, the “heathen” of his day!
Observation – What Does the Text Say?
(Specifically look at the bold verses, if any, to answer these questions.)
Interpretation – What Does the Text Mean?
Application – How Can I Respond to the Text’s Insights and Teachings?
Each Week’s Check List
After reading and studying this text, reflect on the following discipleship growth points:
Growth Point |
How |
Encouraged and strengthened me by |
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Fallen short areas |
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What will I do with these insights? |
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What did God say to me today? |
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Share insights and growth points |
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Changed/transformed how? |
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Thoughts...Staying Connected...
Did you notice that Jesus didn’t say, “Apart from me you can’t do too much”? He said, “Apart from me you can do NOTHING.” We may think, “Sure I can do something apart from Jesus. In fact, I do stuff apart from Jesus all the time, not that I want to. I just do.” The reality is that Jesus was telling us the truth (as He always does!!!) when He said that apart from Him we can do nothing. That’s because He meant that we can do nothing of any lasting value—of any eternal value. Our daily quiet time with Jesus is a time when we connect heaven and earth—did you ever think of that? We pause for a moment in our vantage point here on earth, to ask God to communicate with us through His word, and through our prayers. As we pause and stay connected, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do things that matter—and matter eternally. Much of what we do as human beings is often purely worldly. When we die to this life and face Jesus, it won’t be of any benefit or impact. In fact, it’s truly sad that folks invest (actually spend!) so much of our lives in matters that won’t last—that are ultimately nothing according to Jesus. In your quiet time today, take some time to ask Jesus to give you HIS priorities, and also to draw you closer than you’ve ever been before. Ask Him to use you to help at least one other person to draw close to Him today as well. God’s blessings as you go about the important activity of remaining in Jesus!