Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser, Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town.
John 15
“I in contradistinction to anyone else, am the vine, the genuine vine, and my Father is the tiller of the soil.
Every branch in me not bearing fruit He takes away.
And every branch bearing fruit, He cleanses it in order that it may keep on bearing more fruit.
As for you, already you are cleansed ones because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Maintain a living communion with me, and I with you.
Just as the branch is unable to be bearing fruit from itself as a source unless it remains in a living union with the vine, so neither you, unless you maintain a living common with me.”
Wuests Greek New Testament
Habits to Maintain a Living Communion with Jesus
1. Check your soil
Allow the tiller of the soil to check your heart and remove any stony ground. There may be birds stealing your seed. There may be weeds in the soil – choking the word that is preventing a maintenance of a constant living communion with the vine. Matt. 13
Inspecting fruit can tell you a lot about people’s hearts.
Sometimes, your heart is broken but Jesus has been anointed to heal the broken-hearted. Let His comforting Holy Spirit anoint and heal the areas that are broken.
Remove the cares of this world and the desires for other things creeping into your preferred lifestyle. People have a movie of their life and what they think is unnecessary, let God change your movie! He will show you what you really need to live a great life and often it is not the impulse buys and short –lived goals and ambitions that will satisfy your deep longing to really bear ling term fruit for the your life and the kingdom of God.
There needs to be a stripping away and cleansing of your deep thoughts and desires to the bare minimum so that you can start to exert your resources and energies in the right direction and cleanse your heart and soul of the unnecessary clutter.
This is the transforming by the renewing of your mind that systematically takes place as your present your body a living sacrifice to God. Apostle Paul calls this our reasonable service.
When you are truly on the altar – then other things and issues lose their lustre and you start to focus on what’s important and you start to have a sane estimation of yourself and your preferred future – according to the measure of your faith.
2. Stay connected to the Genuine Vine as a Branch
Be aware of your spiritual connections. Understand your source of nurturing and mentoring. Learn how to hear from God with an open Bible. Be led by the Holy Spirit.
3. Use the Water of the Word
Joh_7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
Eph_5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
4. Submit to Cleansing and pruning
Heb_12:11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Heb_13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
5. Bear Fruit naturally without striving
Rev_22:2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
It is the position of the trees connected to the river of life that causes them to bear fruit every month.
6. Access the Resurrection Life
We do this through:
remembering His death & resurrection
7. Maintain that living communion
We do this through prayer, fellowship, reading His Word, being led by the Spirit.
But the life that sparks between us when believe in His name, speak His word is what maintains that living communion. If we see His body the Church the living communion continues!