The Vine and the Branches (John 15)
Love one another (John 15)
The parable of the vine in John 15 is about growth, fruit, and the connection of the branch to the vine. Without the vine, the branch dies because it does not receive the vital elements.
Most of you are familiar with the saying, "if a branch does not bear fruit, it is cut off from the vine." And I am sure that every Christian has asked himself at some point whether he is bearing fruit. And I'm sure many feel under pressure when asked the question. bear fruit! What does that actually mean?
And how can I become someone who bears fruit?
For me, bearing fruit means becoming a blessing for my fellow human beings. But each of us has our own character, our upbringing, our own world view and our own ideas about morality. It is clear that only the connection that we have to our triune God makes this possible.
Father - Son - Holy Spirit
When the relationship with the three manifestations of God is balanced and balanced then we are able to accomplish things beyond our imagination. In the preparation of this contribution I became aware that I am centered on Jesus, for example. In my prayers I usually speak to HIM, but also to the Holy Spirit. But I neglect my father. So obviously there is an imbalance. And I believe that many Christians feel the same way as I do.
Jesus has a central role in the history of faith. But our relationship with the Triune God must be balanced.
But we are shaped by the family in which we grew up, and this shaping has an impact on how we deal with the manifestations of God.
Jesus is the son. We too are sons or daughters and therefore feel connected to Jesus.
The Father God: Because of the relationship we have or had with our own Father, we are either open and positive or suspicious and negative about the Father God. When we have felt loved and accepted, it is not difficult for us to also feel loved and accepted by God the Father. If we have experienced our own father negatively, then it is difficult to trust and accept the Father God.
The Holy Spirit, however, is something completely unknown, even by name. There is no image, no person in the family that we can compare to the Holy Spirit. In addition, we understand the term "spirit" with rather negative feelings. For most, the Holy Spirit is probably something undefinable, nebulous. I think that's why some Christians have trouble worshiping the Holy Spirit. For others, the Holy Spirit is central.
Balance!
The Holy Spirit has the same status as the Father and the Son.
The father sent the son. The Holy Spirit was sent at the request of His Son, Jesus Christ. From father.
Father - Son - Holy Spirit, the three manifestations of God. Each one is God and together they are God. And if we manage to have an equal relationship with these 3 "personalities" then we experience what it is like to be in balance with God. And if the experiences we have made prevent us from coming into this balance, then we have to change something in our lives. I personally consider forgiveness to be one of the most important keys. we must remove from our lives the things that cloud our faith.
You know the passage in Matthew 17:20
"If your faith were as big as a mustard seed then..."
I believe that the miracles described there become possible when we have a balanced relationship with both the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
And then we will bring forth fruit that surpasses anything that has come before.
Then we have no trouble with the verse "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends".
JESUS himself fulfilled this verse word for word. And we? What does that mean for us?
To me, this verse means putting the interests of others before my own. And it is clear to me that I can only do this with the help of the Holy Spirit. HE can make us grow beyond ourselves.
Look at your relationship with the Triune God and if you see an imbalance like I do, ask God to show you what to change.
I wish you a blessed Pentecost festival with the words of the annual motto from the community that I am visiting here in Basel.
Do not slack in your zeal, but let the fire of the Holy Spirit increase in you.” (Romans 12:11)
And if you haven't made what is perhaps the most important decision yet, I want to encourage you to put your life in the hands of Jesus Christ,
I've made a lot of wrong choices in my life, but this one thing, inviting God into my life, outweighs all the wrong choices of the past and the future.
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