January 14, 2007
Rev. Terry D. Campbell

God’s Formula for Productivity
John 15:1-8

“’I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will 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.
5’I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.’”

God wants us to be productive—that is, to successfully live dynamic Christ-like lives. God has a formula that will enable us to do that—if we follow it.

God’s formula will enable you to find strength to keep going when your job situation is shakey and the future is a big question mark financially; strength when the doctor’s report isn’t good and your health is in question; strength in the face of personal trial or tragedy.
God’s formula will enable you to find wisdom to know how respond to troubled situations in marriage, raising the children, peer pressure or community conflicts.

God’s formula will bring you correction to know when you have done wrong and own up to it, and make changes

God’s formula will enable you to find courage to do what is right in the face of pressure to stay safe or to remain unnoticed.

God’s formula for Christian productivity is:

I. Jesus is my vine; God the Father is my gardener, and I am their branches.

God the Father is the Gardener, the one who tends, cultivates, prunes and stimulates us to grow. Rather than thinking yourself as being alone adrift in the world—subject to its fates—do you see yourself in the loving care of God who is more concerned about your development than your comfort, who wants to give you all things but will only give you what is best for you—and you respond to life by faith and trust in God’s love and goodness? That’s what God means in Romans 8:28-“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God the Father is a hands-on Gardener.

If we don’t live a Christ-like life, something is wrong with us—we need to be fixed because our purpose is to bear fruit. Ephesians 2:10-“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

These are not just word—but God’s workable formula to enable us to follow to be and do all we should.

II. My productivity grows out of my being regularly renewed.

The process in our life’s drama.

One doesn’t run a 26-mile marathon immediately following running a 26-mile marathon. If you could possibly finish the second marathon, you wouldn’t do well at all. You would need to rest and recuperate first. Rest and be renewed.

We don’t tell a branch to produce grapes and after it does to come and begin to be attached to the grapevine. It must FIRST be attached to the vine—then produce fruit. So Jesus said abide in me—then produce . . . rest in Me—then produce . . . renew yourself in Me—the produce.

The day after human beings were created, the first day they could go to work tending God’s creation as God planned—they had a day off—God said begin with rest. Isn’t it great that Christ was raised on the FIRST day of the week and we are called to BEGIN the week with the day of rest and renewal in Christ before we go to be productive in the world?

If you abide in Me and I in you . . . you’ll be able to do things you can’t in your own will power or strength. The Key is the rhythm of being regularly renewed in, from our connection to the Branch—Jesus and then producing out of abiding in Him..
How can we “rest and renew” in the Lord.

• Sunday worship (first day of the week). “Be still and know that I am God.”
  Worshipping God as well as being challenged with God’s message and meeting with other Believers to encourage and be encouraged. The energizing of the Spirit as we gather, the singing and message of the songs, hearing Scripture, being challenged with inspirational words. This helps us rest and be renewed in the Lord.
• Devotionals—Scripture meditation and prayer
  2 Timothy 3:16-17 (MsgB) –“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. 17Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.”
  
  Thinking about Scriptures that give hope, forgiveness, assurance, promise of support. As one old black preacher said, “Eat the word of God and let it stick to your gums.” Devotional time of prayer and scripture will renew us so we can be productive.
• Abide in Jesus
  Practice the presence of Jesus. Throughout the each day—remember that you are living in the presence of Jesus Christ. You can talk to Him—give Him praise, ask for help, seek wisdom—that is what Scripture means by, “Pray without ceasing.” Abiding in Jesus all the time will help us find rest in the midst of our activities.
  
  It glorifies God when we show ourselves to be Jesus’ disciples—people who live and talk and think like Jesus. We need the rhythm of renewal—production.

III. Productivity reveals my connection to the Lord.

I love lilacs. When I was a kid in school, we had a huge lilac bush to the south side of our house. I use to take bouquets of lilacs to school for my teachers. I love their color and their fragrance. I have tried to grow several lilac bushes various places, but for some reason, they don’t do well. They don’t get big, they don’t produce lilac-colored blossoms and they don’t give off the lilac scent. You know what I did? I dug them up and tried other plants, bigger plants, with different fertilizer, ect. The point of growing a lilac bush is to get lilacs and if that doesn’t happen, there is no reason for the lilac bush to exist.

That is what Jesus said in this passage. The proof is in the pudding of our life’s drama. We are to be productive Christians—people will know we are Christians by our lives and actions. If we don’t walk like a Christian and talk like a Christian and act like a Christian . . . Productivity reveals my connection to the Lord. If I have given my heart to Christ, it means I had better spend more time renewing in the Lord—because my productivity is pitiful. Renew and Reveal; Renew and Reveal—not vice versa.

Galatians 5:22-23-“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control.”