Fruitfulness – Stephen Trammell

Staying Connected

“‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.’” John 15:5 (NIV) God will never ask you to do anything without equipping you to do it. God has an assignment for you to complete during your time on this blue and green planet called earth. God’s assignment requires His empowerment. You cannot fulfill God’s agenda without God provision. God’s assignment for your life flows out of your abiding relationship with Christ. God’s command is not for you to bear fruit, but rather to focus your energy on abiding in Christ. Your fruitfulness will be proportionate to your level of intimacy with Christ. Don’t bypass your love relationship with Christ in order to seek to bear fruit. Your passion is not to be channeled in the area of bearing fruit. As you stay connected to Christ and allow His energy, His strength, and His life to flow through you, you will bear much fruit. Because He is the vine, you are fruitful. Jesus is the source! Stay connected to Him. Guard your love relationship with Him. Protect your daily walk with Christ. Don’t allow anything or anyone to rob your relationship with Him. Ensure that your abiding relationship with Christ gets your best and not your leftovers. Don’t give Jesus your crumbs. He deserves your passionate pursuit. Are you connected? Are you abiding? You are the branch. Remain in Him and He will bear His fruit through you. Focus on abiding! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Departure (2)

“Remain in me, and I will 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.” John 15:4 (NIV) How will you live before you go? Your time on earth is limited. James compares life to a mist that appears and then vanishes (James 4:14). Compared to eternity, our time on earth is brief. Yet, how you choose to live your life on planet earth has eternal implications. Each moment matters for eternity. Jesus identifies the abiding relationship made available to you. Without having an abiding relationship with Jesus, you cannot bear fruit. He is the vine. He is the source of real life. You are the branch. Your role in the relationship is to stay connected to the vine. You become the conduit through which Jesus bears His fruit. Your fruitfulness is proportionate to your abiding relationship with Jesus. To remain in Christ is to stay connected to Him through a growing relationship with Him. Once you have established the connection through your faith in the completed work of Jesus on the cross, your eternal relationship with Christ is solidified. Now that you know Christ personally, you are to grow in your relationship with Christ progressively. Moment by moment you enjoy the abiding relationship whereby you experience His life flowing through you. As the life of Christ flows through you, His life is expressed through you to a watching world. Fruit is evidenced as a result of your abiding relationship with Christ. Stay connected! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor