Abide in Connection to the Vine

Our pursuit of being a people formed into the image of Jesus begins in a life of communion with Him. In John 15, Jesus invites His followers to abide in Him—to live a life where we remain, stay, and dwell in Him. Abiding in Him results in the bearing of fruit. Yet, the bearing of fruit comes through both pruning and cleansing. As the vinedresser, the Father cuts off every branch in us that does not bear fruit.Fruitfulness is the result of pruning and cleansing all that is not of Him in our hearts. Fruitfulness is about our formation to Christlikeness—sharing the same inner essence as Christ Himself. This series is an invitation to Abide, to surrender to the pruning of the vinedresser as we seek to be a people who bear lasting fruit.This week Christy looks closely at the first six verses of John 15, reviewing the imagery these verses create, asking 'Do we see ourselves striving to be his disciple by our own effort and work?'