“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit apart from the vine, neither can you, apart from me. I am the vine: you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in Him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5
John 15 is one of my favorite chapters, it is rich with truth and wisdom.. I’m meditating a lot on this chapter and these particular verses this year as I seek a deeper understanding and a stronger discipline in abiding. The Lord continues to reveal more and more guidance through these words.
I was reading in Luke 9 in verse 1 when Jesus sends out his disciples.
“And He called the 12 together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases and He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal”
They were called to preach the kingdom of God, heal the sick, and cast out demons. They were called to set people free, in the spirit, soul, and body. These are the things they were called to do.
When I read a story from one of the Gospels I frequently read the same story in one of the other Gospels to gain perspective and compare.
In the same account in Mark (3:14-15) it reads
“…And He appointed 12 so that they might be with Him and He might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons”
See in this verse they had to be something before they could do something. They had to be with Jesus in order to do what Jesus did.
Our call is the very same. We are called to preach the kingdom of God, heal the sick, and cast out demons. We are called to minister to the spirits, souls, and bodies of people, to set them free. But we cannot do that apart from Jesus. Our number one priority is to simply be with Jesus.
To be with means to abide.
We cannot bear fruit without abiding. (John 15:4) We cannot do without being.(Mark 13:14-15)
The power to do comes from the power to be.
This season of squad leading is so much more than I could have imagined. Full time ministry is an incredible experience and I only hope that the rest of my life is spent this way. As I learn what it means and what it looks like to abide, The Lord is showing me that busyness can be a form of spiritual warfare: even in a life of ministry. When we allow the things we are to do-to distract us from from the why and the who. There is no replacement for spending time alone with the Father. It’s not always easy not to when we spend our days in service of the Lord. But to do, and to operate out of any authority, we have to sit, to be still, and enjoy the presence of the one who loves us.
When Jesus was baptized, before He began His ministry, the Father’s voice came down from Heaven calling the Son, beloved. Today I read the word differently: be loved. The Father asked the same of Jesus as He asks of us.
BELOVED: be loved above all else and before all else.
