Tag: abiding in Jesus

Abiding in Jesus as a condition for fruit

Remain in me, as I also 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

We do not bear good fruit without Jesus. We are incapable of doing so. So stay with Him!

Can we get things done without Jesus? Of course. But genuinely valuable outcomes, meaningful and lasting results? These come only through the Spirit who lives in us.

My wife and I worked with great energy, diligence and perseverance for 11 years to plant a church in Okayama. But Crossroad Church is alive and thriving today not because of our effort, but because of the grace of Jesus. He worked not only through us but many times in spite of us. He led others to us that brought gifts that I did not have.

The most important thing I did during my 11 years in Okayama was to keep going back to Jesus. Over and over again. When I realized that I was once again walking away from him rather than towards him, I needed to reverse my direction.

The moments when I needed to reverse my course were so numerous that I often felt inadequate. I had imposter syndrome before I knew that was a thing. I never felt strong enough, faithful enough, bold or courageous enough. But I kept going back to Jesus, who accepted me anyway.

And when I realized that I wasn’t listening to the Father, or depending upon Jesus, or acting in the Spirit, I knew I had a choice. I could keep listening to other voices, or I could start listening to the Good Shepherd. I could ignore my sin, or acknowledge it. I could keep trying to solve my problems in my own way, or I could seek the One who is able to do more than anything I could imagine.
God was gracious to us and to the people we served in Okayama.

There was no constant flood of people confessing Christ or joining the church. But there was a continuous outpouring of the Spirit on precious people.
I was unaware of most of the fruit that God was bringing forth through us, and through our church. I went back to Okayama last year and discovered some of the ways His grace filled up people’s lives without my knowing about it. But I’m still unaware of most of what God has done in that community.

I know that no good, lasting fruit that came during our 11 years of sweat equity would have come to be if we were not deeply connected with Jesus. Because we do not bear good fruit without Jesus. We are incapable of doing so. So stay with Him!

The Fruit of the Spirit

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control – Galatians 5:22-23

Can a leader succeed without the fruit of the Spirit?

I know many leaders who are successful at influencing people. I’ve experienced inspiring, gifted communicators who motivate people to accomplish stupendous goals. I’ve worked with bold, decisive individuals who get groups to overcome obstacles and capitalize on strategic opportunities. I’ve seen creative leaders get people unstuck from their current situation to step into an exciting new future.

In each of the above examples, I can think of at least one leader who did it while acting in ways contrary to the fruit of the Spirit. If you take a moment to think about leadership you’ve witnessed, you may find similar examples of non-Spirit filled but nevertheless successful leaders.

Whether or not you know any leaders like this, you don’t have to know much history, or current-day news, to identify leaders who have incredible influence without Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control. The usual historical list includes Hitler, Napoleon and Stalin. But there are plenty of less notorious examples, including leaders who have accomplished things we believe are good, who led in a away that didn’t reveal the fruit of the Spirit.

I don’t believe leading is about getting people to do things that you want them to do. Leadership is helping people to achieve what God is calling the people to do. I don’t use the word “them” in that sentence, because one of the worst errors in leadership is to begin thinking in terms of “me” and “them.”

Leadership is helping people to do what God is calling us to do.

Leadership of the kind I think is worth doing keeps our relational awareness at “us”. And love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are a solid list of characteristics that are needful in this kind of leadership.

A leader who doesn’t look to the interests of others (love, kindness) is not able to understand a collective purpose. A leader whose heart is filled with anxiety or fear instead of peace is not able to hear others’ needs. A leader who lacks patience or faithfulness gives up or changes course prematurely. One who lacks self-control may lack the discipline to grow.

Healthy, effective leaders are people who lead while being led by the Spirit. People who empower others while living in the power of the Spirit. People who confess their sins and correct their hearts and their ways.