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Every believer is a minister and a branch of Jesus the true vine. We have the same spiritual DNA as Jesus. On this podcast, I encourage BiVo misters to allow this potential become a reality!
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5
Key Points
- You are branches of Jesus – so you have access to all that Jesus has. We are potentially like Jesus. We can and should be as fruitful as Jesus.
- Every progress we make in the Kingdom should bring glory to Jesus.
- Only actions taking in obedience to the Leading of the Holy Spirit is useful for the kingdom
- It is Christ’s design to use all that He put in us to bear more fruit
- It is futile to build a life or career that is not yielded to God because it amounts to nothing.
Featured Resources
- Christian Classic Ethereal – ccel.org – A library of Christian classics – I have found some amazing resources here.
- The true Vine by Andrew Murray – Born 1828 and died 1917
Question
How do I express my love to others especially to family and friends
- Respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit
- Act in ways that help the other to be more like Jesus
- Refrain from acting from a place of
- Anger
- Disappointment
- Need for appreciation and recognition
- Fear of (anger, rejection, complaints)
- Need to return a favour
- Try to act within the culture that you are in
Show Transcripts
Yes! Welcome. Today’s topic is A Branch of Jesus, the True Vine. A branch of Jesus the True Vine. I’m taking this topic because I believe it’s the foundation for ministry. Whether as a bi-vocational or just a vocational pastor or minister, I believe this topic is very foundational. So I encourage you to listen to it and really give as much feedback as you can.
Introduction
So before we go ahead as usual, I’ll just like to give you an update on some things, how our lives are going. Last week, I got a big surprise. A very good friend of mine, we’ve known each other from University. Our families are very good friends with one another, we went to school together. As the podcast was aired, I just checked my email and I saw a donation of $500 to support the Bivo Podcast. That was very encouraging because it makes me see that lots of people are being blessed and resources are being made available to bless more people. It cost time and energy and some software to get this out. And I’m so glad that even just as we are beginning, lots of people that believe in us are able to support the ministry. So if you want to support, you are welcome to do so at any time. I’m recording this today still in Canada, in Cornwall, Ontario. And we hope to have a fantastic time together today.
Discussion
Moving on, let’s get to the topic of today, Branches of Jesus, the True Vine. That’s what I want us to consider and I want us to look at it from the point of view that as ministers, that should be the center of our thoughts. I’ll read a scripture. That scripture in John’s Gospel 15:5, has been very foundational for me as a minister.
[Reads John 15:5]
For a long time I didn’t understand why Jesus would say without me, you can do nothing because I know that people who are not Christians, who do not really know God would do a lot of things – a lot of good things even. So I struggled a little bit with understanding that scripture very early on in my ministry and in my life as a Christian. When I got it, it made a big difference in my ministry. But even after the stroke, I even got a bigger understanding of that scripture. And in today’s podcast, I want to highlight just some points. I couldn’t do a complete exposition on this scripture but as an encouragement to pastors out there, ministers out there who are bi-vocational or even full time, I want to encourage us with some points that the Lord has spoken to my heart over the years.
You are branches of Jesus.
That is exciting! Jesus is the One saying, I am the vine and you are the branches and that just gives me joy when I think about that. That I am a branch of Jesus, just as we could say I am a child of Jesus.
That means the DNA, the composition of my spiritual life is the same as the composition of Jesus. Jesus was human on earth just as I am human and whatever He’s able to do or was able to do while on earth, I could do and even more because He is there now in this life powering and inspiring my life. In other words, potentially as believers, we can really act and impact and transform communities just like Jesus did. And I say impact and transform communities because I don’t want people to understand this as something you do to bless yourself or to bless your family.
I have a passion and a desire that people who listen to this are people who want to impact communities, nations and transform the way things are done in the name of Jesus. Bringing light to places where there is darkness and doing that while working in the secular world or whatever way God leads you to do so.
So that’s the first step. You are branches of Jesus and you have access to do as much as Jesus did and the apostles and on and on like that. So that’s the first start. Whether you are working in the workplace or you are working fully behind the pulpit, you are a branch of Jesus. The same power, the same anointing, the same grace… All of it is in us. All! So we especially when we work together, we see even an increase in the move. But even as just one branch – as one time little branch of Christ, you are the composition of Jesus. And I believe that’s what Jesus wanted to impress on the heart of the apostle, to all of us when he made that statement, I am the vine, you are the branches.
To give us an understanding of our potential. What we are made up of. I remember reading about … when I was reading the story of DL Moody that he heard someone say that anyone who is completely yielded to God – to the Holy Spirit can change the nations and make a big impact. And he made up his mind that e will be that person. God used DL Moody to do a lot of work in America and all over the world. And I believe that and that has been very strong in my heart that any man or woman who chooses to allow the Holy Spirit to work fully in them, can change their community, transform the world. So that’s the first point.
Every progress we make in the Kingdom should bring glory to Jesus.
It’s designed like that because as branches, the branches bear the fruit and the glory comes to the whole vine. This is a beautiful vine, it produces good fruit. Nobody praises the branches when the fruit is sweet, when it’s good, big, very juicy. Nobody goes ahead and praises that branch.
What we do usually is kind of praise the vine but really who gets the real praise is the vinedresser. So every progress we make in the kingdom should bring glory to Jesus. In other words, every action we take as pastors, as Bivo Ministers, in the workplace, even in the secular world, must be designed to bring glory to Jesus.
Whatever secular job you do must be designed to bring glory to Jesus. It is important that you are able to think of your work as a tool to bring glory to Jesus. And ask the Holy Spirit to help you see that. Very important. I pray that the Holy Spirit will help each one of us to see how our work contributes to the work of the kingdom. Apart from bringing money, it brings you contacts with people whom your life in the workplace can impact for Jesus and your innovations and whatever you do should at the same time also bring glory to Jesus. That means it will inform the places you can work and the places you can’t work, the types of jobs you can do and the kinds of jobs you cannot do. So think of that and let’s work on that. That brings me to the next step/
Only actions taken in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit is useful in the kingdom.
You know in that scripture it says He who abides in me and I in him, bears much fruit. Bears much fruit. He who abides in me, that is who rests in me and I in him – allows me to work in him, bears much fruit.
As a Bivo Minister, every time I go to my workplace, every time I’m working, I’m still ministering. And I will like Jesus to work in this workplace with me or in me through me. I want you to imagine Jesus being employed in your workplace or in your business, Jesus is the One that is called to do what we are doing and then try to see how that plays out in your mind.
And then if you can’t see it, if you think that Jesus will not do that work, then begin to ask if it’s time for you to resign and get another job. Now take note that those who are listening to this podcast are people who believe that they are called to ministry. So you are not just a person who is a Christian working. I’m talking of people who are called to ministry.
You see yourself ministering more. You see your primary call as a call to minister and your work in the secular is just a tool. It’s important that you see that. When you see that you have a definite call to the ministry either as an evangelist or helper, musician, teacher… whatever God has put in your heart to do, you see it. You have a heart for souls to be saved. You wish even sometimes you can have all the money in the world so that you can go ahead and spend more time preaching the gospel. And that’s your dream. Your dream is that after a while, your work in the marketplace will become just a provider and a connector to people and you see yourself using the funds and the experience as a tool for ministry. And when you describe yourself to people, you hope and wish there will be a time when you can say to people, I am a minister. I am a servant of the Most High God. That’s my primary definition.
For those people, I want to remind you that even your actions in the marketplace are designed to bring glory to Jesus and you can allow Jesus to work through that to bring glory to Himself and to build the Kingdom.
Only actions taken in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit is useful for the kingdom. So if you take actions for building yourself, building your ego, making yourself look better without submitting that to Jesus, you may claim that you are doing kingdom work. You may even bring the money that you get by seeking more promotion and seeking your own glory into the church and we may not be able to see that but in the Kingdom, it is obvious that is not what the plan is. And a lot of people have fallen into this trap.
They are pursuing more money, more prestige, more ego at the expense of the call of God on their life. Not that the Holy Spirit wants them to stop their work but He wants them to use it for His glory and they may need to sacrifice some money and some fame in order to get the specific design that God has for them.
And on the other hand, there are people whom God begins to inspire to do more spiritually and in the marketplace to pursue certain innovations and certain businesses such that they can within a couple of years resign from the work.
He is giving some ideas, some focus. Some need to do some excellent work and these people find themselves not focusing on the work and doing it well and bringing glory to Jesus even in the marketplace and so those people too are not doing the right thing.
So if you ought to be studying and really thinking about the work that God has put in your hands – your marketplace work such that God wants you to really become the best in that field so that you can have more influence, if you ignore that and you go spend your time in the church having activities, you are also not doing the kingdom work. And we may be thinking, Wow! This brother is dedicated. He is always at church but that’s not what the kingdom business is.
You’ll notice as you listen to me that I don’t have any formula for anybody. My only formula, my only rule is listen to the Holy Spirit. You should notice that because I have discovered that the Holy Spirit, He’s so wise. He doesn’t work in only one way. He works in so many different ways with every single person.
It is Christ’s design to use all that He put in us to bear more fruit.
It is Christ’s design to use all that He put in us to bear more fruit. So everything can be used. The one who is focusing and developing himself in the marketplace with the heart for Jesus is doing God’s work. The one who needs to let go of certain promotions and some trainings in order to do the work is also doing God’s work. What matters is what is God saying to each person? Last point I have here for today’s podcast is,
It is futile to build a life of career that is not yielded to God because it amounts to nothing.
It is important that we take note of this. I’ve said that before. I want to reiterate that whatever you are building, whether you are building a church or building marketplace career, it is of no use to do all that only to find out at the end of your life that that is not what Jesus asked you to do. People may applaud you that you are doing well, you’ve made a lot of money but that’s not what matters.
When we meet with our Savior, we want to be able to say, “Lord Jesus I have done all that you told me to do.” There is a story about the talent. I’m going to talk about that in another podcast. I want you to remember this. What matters is what God put in your hands, you used it. Not that you impressed the neighbor or you had lots of money or you had lots of fame.
This may be obvious to some people but to others, it may not be. Now I mentioned a scripture about people saying that you cannot do marketplace ministry because you cannot serve God and Mammon. I believe that there are people who are doing ministry within the church who are serving mammon – who are using ministry for money just to get food on their table. That’s also serving mammon and there are people in the marketplace who are using the marketplace for ministry. That’s serving God.
It’s not the outward action that matters the most. It is the inward motivations. Now we know that the inward motivations will reflect on the outward but you need to know the design, to know whether they are doing the right thing or not. Of course we can always know that by looking at the fruit. What do the people who come out of the interactions of these individuals look like? If the people that interact with you over the last 5 years are beginning to look like Jesus, then there’s fruit. But if the people that are interacting with you are not looking like Jesus, you work 5 years with Christ, you walk with Him and you can’t see much then there is a need to go back to the drawing table and see what’s going on there.
Anyway, that’s where I’m going to stop from today’s podcast. Well continue there next week. I’ll go now to the resources I have for you for this week.
Resources
I have 2 resources I want you to take a look at. The first one is the website www.ccel.org. Christian Classic Ethereal Library. A library of Christian Classics. I found this very useful, discovered it long time ago and I’ve found several materials. They are very good. Very good. Old writings by people who have written long time. The Nicene Fathers … that means really old books. Just to know what’s going on. There are some good books that are contemporary. I encourage you to visit that site, you will really be blessed.
The next one is the True Vine by Andrew Murray.
What I was talking about today, you will read a devotional, a 31-day devotional on the True Vine by Pastor Andrew Murray. He was born in 1828. He died in 1917 and I really have been blessed by the devotional and other writings by Andrew Murray. I encourage you to follow Him and read the materials. You will be blessed.
Question & Answer
So finally, the question that I have to answer today, it’s about love. Here’s the audio. I hope you are able to listen to it. It may not be as clear but let’s take a listen.
[Plays Audio]
Voice: Hi Pastor! Thank you so much for your testimony that has really been encouraging. Yeah! You really talked about love. The problem I have is I know I love people but I don’t know how to really express it. It’s a struggle. I struggle a lot. I love people but I don’t know how to really express my love. Even though by the grace, I am a Christian, I have a passion for the work of God. I help people. In fact, I have a helping ministry and I try my best.
But I know that especially people around me, my family, I always felt that I am not expressing my love enough to them or either feeling shy because of the background, I don’t know how to really express it or how will I really call it? But I know I struggle to really express my love especially to my family, most especially. Though people around, I help them, I give things out, I go for evangelism, I have a passion for souls, I have a passion for people but the way you are talking about…
Host: So in answering that, I’ll reframe the question to this way: How do I express my love to others especially to family and friends? How do I express the love of God that is in me?
And I started answering that question last week and I said I’d do some more this week. So here are my thoughts. Just a few thoughts. The first one is – Respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. That is always my answer. I know that it’s too cliché maybe but I don’t have any other way to say that. I just have to say it because that’s what I do. Respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Whatever He tells you to do for someone that will bless them, do it. Don’t explain it away. Just go ahead and bless them. If you are in marriage already, you are married, you will discuss it of course with your significant other and with your spouse and do what God is asking you to do. Of course, you need to agree to do it. Don’t split the home and say the Holy Spirit said that. Just discuss it and move on with that.
The next one is acting in ways that help others to be more like Jesus. Always in relating to people, that’s what I do, I ask myself how will this action help them to be more like Jesus? If they feel loved and I can share with them, they will feel more like Jesus. And I go for it. I want to do that all the time, as much as it lies within my power.
Number 3, listen non-judgmentally to them. That is, give them time to speak their mind. Whatever is going through their hearts, whatever questions they have, take time to listen to them. This is a very powerful way to show love to people.
Just take your time, sit down, listen, ask questions, don’t judge until you know everything and even when you know everything, begin from the place of understanding.
Imagine you are the one that fell into whatever trap they are in and begin to walk with them out of that problem. See how you can lift them up like Jesus. He who has no sin, let him cast the first stone. That’s the way. Get the person out of the problem and not push them down in the problem and labor them.
The next point is, refrain from acting from a place of anger, disappointment, need for appreciation, fear of the other person be angry at you. I’ll go over that.
Just don’t do anything just because you are angry at somebody. You know some people they are angry about what someone has done so they act based on that. No! Don’t act based on that. You can be angry but when you are taking an action, take it based on the leading of the Holy Spirit.
You can be disappointed. You don’t need to… We can work on not being disappointed because humans can fail but even when you are disappointed, don’t let your next action be based on that disappointment. Stop the disappointment where it is and take action by the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Ask the Holy Spirit, Lord, I’m really disappointed, what do I do now?
Then don’t take action because you need somebody to say, “Oh! What a wonderful person.” Don’t go giving gifts to leaders or to members or to neighbors just because you want them to say Wow! What a good neighbor. Or you want to be recognized in the meeting. Do it because you feel that it will lead them to Jesus or because you feel that the Holy Spirit is leading you.
You sense in your spirit that is what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t act also because you are afraid that somebody will be angry at you. If I don’t attend their birthday party, they are going to be angry at me or they are going to reject me next time. They are not going to attend mine or they are already complaining, so I need to do that. When you do that, it’s not love. It’s fear and love pushes fear away. Faith pushes fear away. So I want you to take note of these things, begin to look at your life and see where you are doing all these and begin to ask the Holy Spirit to help you to overcome them.
The last one is don’t do it because you need to return a favor. Someone blessed you before and you had to bless them back and then that’s why you took the action. No! Let’s always allow our action to be based on the Holy Spirit leading us on what to do and as we practice this, we get better at this. Nobody suddenly does this all the time. It’s because when you begin to be conscious of the fact that where is my action coming from? What’s motivating this action? Over time, you begin to default into really allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you all the time and we’ll begin to see fruit everywhere. Jesus is lifted up all the time and the glory of God is spreading all around our community.
Finally I want to say try to act within the culture you are in. Try to act within the culture you are in. In Montreal, when we greet one another in church, they know we have the kiss at the left and at the right. In some other culture, you can’t do that. That’s just wrong. They don’t see that as right. Some places they hug one another when they meet each other. Other places they have a handshake. Find out what culture you are in and there are so many other things – giving gifts, serving food, not serving food, and family members. If you are really focusing on family, then you know your family. You know what they like, what they don’t like. Work within that and do what the Holy Spirit tells you to do and you will be on your way to learning how to really express the love of God that is already in your heart to others.
So I hope that helps and thank you very much for this episode of the podcast. God bless you. Father, I pray for more revelation of yourself to us. Help us, everyone listening to realize that without you, we are nothing. We really need you every moment to do everything that is useful in the kingdom. Everything we do must be done according to your leading for kingdom building. It must be you.
I pray that all our actions today will be surrendered to you and you will take all the glory. And Father help us. We have done so many things, built so many castles and done many things that we really never consulted you about. We pray that Lord you would take all these things and use them for your glory and guide us on how to move forward from today. Thank you Father, in Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Thank you for listening to the Bivo Podcast. Don’t forget to head onto adesobanjo.com where you can join the conversation. As well, you can see my links to the resources that I mention on this episode and you can also. sk your question. There is a red button on the rright-handside. Click on it and record your questions and I will be glad to feature it on this podcast. If this is your first episode of the Bivo Podcast, then I encourage you to listen to the older episode. There you will listen to the story of how God restored me after having a stroke and I couldn’t even walk. Listen and enjoy and be encouraged and grasp some of the lessons that the Lord taught me without having to go through a similar trauma.
[Outro Music]
