Remaining in Christ

There are never any Sundays that I go to church and don't get something out of it, but I just can't stop thinking about yesterday's sermon. Not only was it a great message, but we also had a band there yesterday for the music and they were so AWESOME!! Morgan was fishing, so it was just the girls and I who went, and then we went out to eat afterwards at a yummy mexican restaurant. It was a great Sunday! Oh, and another neat thing that happened......one of the ladies at my church who just had a little boy not too long ago gave me a huge box full of little baby boy clothes!!

Here is what I learned at church:

Are you sometimes or often:
Unloving? Depressed? Worried? Impatient? Rude? Sinful? Harsh? Unfaithful? Self-Indulgent?

We all struggle with these sometimes. Each of these things are the exact opposite of the fruit of the spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23

So how do we remain these things? How do we remain connected to Christ? Jesus told us how. He said, "Remain 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. 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." John 15:4-5

Just like branches, we need to remain to our life source, Jesus. Spiritual fruit comes from remaining in Him. To remain, means to stay, abide, dwell. There are promises for those who remain in Christ:

1. You WILL bear spiritual fruit. If you want to be a better parent, spouse, friend, stay connected to Christ. We often pray for things that we would have already if we were in Him. They are automatic and already ours if we remain in Him. My pastor used a great analogy to explain this. He said it's like praying and praying that you will get a tan here in Texas. You don't need to pray for a tan.....you just need to go outside! It's the same as a believer who is disconnected from Christ who is praying for love, joy, etc. It's already yours if you remain in Him! We see this all the time with families who start out having it all......they are in Christ, serving in the church, and then over time their priorities change, they get too busy and they become disconnected, and their family begins to fall apart.

2. You will possess spiritual POWER. Jesus said, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." John 15:7 We must not confuse this with the prosperity preaching that is out there, that says "speak it and it's yours". That's not what Jesus said. We aren't to pray for selfish things. When we remain in Him, we will now have God's mind. The things He desires are now what you desire. When you ask what He wants, it will be given and you'll never ask why He won't answer your prayer.

So, how do we apply this? How do we remain in Christ? It's not about being moral. That might be a by-product, but that's religion. We aren't saved by earning it. If that was possible, then Jesus wouldn't have had to come. Here are some different ways that we remain in Christ:

1. Remain in God's word - You know as much of God's word as you want to. It's so easily accessible. Some of us spend time religiously on facebook every day. Which do we spend more time on? Is it more important to update your status than to check on God's? Take inventory. How does the way you spend your time reflect what is more important to you?

2. Remain in Christian fellowship - It is so important to be involved with other Christians. That is where real life change happens.

3. Remain consistent in prayer - Prayer should be a part of our daily attitude/routine. We should stay connected to God in prayer. It's not about the length of the prayer or the way you do it. It's about knowing that God is always there and sharing with Him.

4. Remain amazed by God's creation - Open your eyes and acknowledge the beauty He's created.

5. Remain faithful in service - Find a place and serve. Amazing things happen when you commit to serving others.

We aren't naturally inclined to do these things, so we have to remain in Christ. Jesus issued a warning to those who didn't:

"If 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." John 15:6

He's not talking about salvation......it's about your life. Like a pruned branch that dies, it takes time, but it begins to weaken and die, turns brown and brittle, until there is no sign of life. We may feel dried out spiritually because we have become disconnected from Christ. Go back and do the things you did at first......remember what God has done, repent, turn to God, and remain there. When we stop producing fruit, we need to stop and take inventory and see where we've gotten off track!

I just loved this message! And I LOVE this new Leeland song! It goes along with this message too. I cannot wait until their new CD comes out! Leeland is a brilliant songwriter......I have yet to find another artist who can say better what I feel!