Let’s Abide in Christ Together
Dear Parents and Friends of CCS,
I hope this edition of Parent News finds you walking closely with the God of all comfort.
I want to begin by expressing my gratitude to our guests on last night’s panel at the Gospel Centered Education Podcast Live Event: Emotional Health and Kids.
The event was filmed live and will be distributed on all of our social media channels soon.
It left the audience well-informed on the challenges we face as parents, grandparents and educators as we connect our children with the heart of Christ as well as great pre-clinical advice and resources so that they can grow into a more integrated Kingdom citizen who is prepared to answer God’s call, and flourish at the same time.
Please save the date for our next Tuesdays at King’s Crossing event, the grand opening of the CCS Art Gallery on December 3, 6:30-8:00pm. At the gallery opening, we will be welcoming the multi-arts ensemble LeTour for their inaugural performance at King’s Crossing.
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Recently I have been living in Chapter 15 of the gospel of John, as well as the book “Abide in Christ”, by the 19th c. South African pastor, Andrew Murray.
This classic book, available here, provides a powerful devotional look at the famous “I am the Vine” section of John 15 and related passages.
Please check out my October 17 Parent News article for some context on this great passage.
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Today let’s take a brief look at John 15: 5-8 (CSB)
“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in Him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers.
They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.”
In this section we find some very important, yet not always easy to apply, takeaways.
The repetition of the main point is important.There must be no confusion as to the role we occupy, as opposed to that of Jesus. The life-sap comes from Him, flows into us (via the Holy Spirit) and therefore we are enabled to live a godly life in Christ Jesus I.e. produce much fruit.
This system only works if we “remain in Him”, that is, we stay connected to Him through daily meditation on the word of God, and praying to Him as if we are speaking with an intimate acquaintance.
The negative result, if we fail to live like this, is all around us in the modern Church. We who claim the name of Christ every day must live “in” Him, in such a way that He is metaphorically the air that we breathe and the food that we eat.
A good litmus test for this can be found in our level of anxiety about the situations in our lives. When we meet with tribulation or suffering, what is our first response? If we are fully in Christ, we will feel the suffering, but not be crushed by it.
In fact, if we are showing up every day and seeking God, and therefore remaining in Him, no matter how imperfectly, our desires become increasingly aligned with His. When we are in Him, our will becomes increasingly conformed to His, and the desires of our hearts are shaped by His priorities and His vision for our lives and those around us.
Every sincere Christian wants to glorify God, but many feel very frustrated by the process. The harder they try, the less it works.
And this is exactly Jesus’ point: remaining in Him means remaining convinced of our own ineptitude in bringing about the ends for which we were created I.e. to love God and others, and to contribute to the Kingdom as it comes on earth as it is in heaven.
Our fruit, including walking in basic unity with other disciples of Christ and living a holy life as an outflow of His life in us, is what proves to the world that we are His disciples.
As the old song says, “They will know we are Christian’s by our love.”
And this is only possible if we are walking in Christ and allowing Him to transcend our differences in real time. My preferences or personality type in the end don’t matter much from a Biblical perspective, but His word and His will matter ultimately and completely.
Some final thoughts from last week:
Fruit needs to be defined, or it’s really hard to tell whether we‘re producing it or not. There are many Scriptural definitions (adapted from C. C. Ryrie in So Great A Salvation):
A faithful witness, which can result in souls being won to Jesus
The “fruit of the Spirit”, listed in Galatians 6, leading to a Christ-like character
A life characterized by good works done in God’s way and in His timing
A pair of lips that praise God
A generous sharing of one’s possessions
We must become convinced of and regularly rehearse our own inability to actually produce godly fruit, while at the same time boldly confessing our complete and utter dependence on and trust in the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
In closing let me suggest that we commit together to spend time together in this glorious chapter of God’s word over the next few weeks.
You may want to get the Andrew Murray book as well, since he is a proven and trusted guide through this passage. His analysis far surpasses mine, and will be helpful to you on the journey.
Please join me in this daily prayer:
Father God, help me to abide in Christ so deeply that the daily grind of work and ministry and life cannot drag me down, cannot overcome His joy in me, cannot crush my peace in Him. And help me to serve You fruitfully out of that overflow.
Now may God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who proceeds from them, receive all of the glory as we continue to move step by step toward becoming a truly extraordinary school, for the greater glory of God.
For CCS and the Kingdom,
Tom
