“The Five Practices - Working Together”

Scripture: John 15:1-16; Matthew 7:15-23

For five weeks, we have been considering the directions and attitudes that are necessary if a church is to truly respond to the call that Jesus places upon us – and it has raised several questions for us. First - what does it take to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Second – what is “Christian fruitfulness” all about? And third – how do the Bishop’s five practices work together to produce good and glorious fruit for God?

From Bishop Schnase’s book “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations” – “To fulfill the ministry of Christ, congregations must change and grow and adapt in ways that are purposeful, thoughtful, and faithful. Change is not easy. People do not fear change as much as they fear loss, the letting go of comfortable and familiar patterns, behaviors, and attitudes. Change for the sake of change, or to preserve the institution, is not sufficient.”

And isn’t it interesting that our God, the one who is, Himself, unchanging, who is always the same, and whose word is forever true, is the same one who brings change to the lives of all who will trust in him and his word. The ways that we have lived before we came to the Lord must change into ways that reflect him. And that requires a guiding spirit and a hand that reveals all that we can become.

Read John 15:1-8

The passage reminds us of what every vintner already knows – that if a vine is to as productive as possible, it needs to be cared for in very specific ways. Dead and unproductive branches need to be cut out and removed from the vine, and even the good branches need to be trimmed back to allow new and guided growth to occur. That is where the best fruit will come from.
And in verse 4 we are offered another obvious truth - that no branch can ever bear fruit unless it is connected to the Vine. And we know, of course, that a branch that is cut off from the vine or tree will certainly die, and in many cases, is already dead. But it is also true that a branch can be grafted onto another vine. But when it is, it will lose its identity if, indeed, it lives, for it is no longer connected to the original source of its nourishment.

But the lesson that Jesus is offering isn’t one of vineyard husbandry - it is one of spiritual truth. Jesus is the “Vine” that supports us, and nourishes us, and trains us, and helps us to grow, and makes us fruitful. But our lives need to be trimmed and pruned if we are to produce God’s fruit. The ways of earth’s sin must be removed, and the ways that are unable to bring about Godly blessings must be pruned from our lives.

If the Church of Jesus Christ wishes to bring glory to God, and if we have any desire whatsoever to receive his glory, an everyday faith, a routine faith, will never suffice. If we are to present the face and love of Jesus to the people of this world, we have to become Passionate, Intentional, Extravagant, Radical, and willing to take a Risk for God as we walk in his call.

Read John 15: 9-16

It would seem that our relationship with Christ is closely tied to two attributes – the first is our love of both the Lord and each other, and the second is obedience in all he has taught us. And it isn’t that these are two independent issues – they are mutually dependent on our acceptance of both. The interpretation and implementation of this command is what has brought the United Methodist Church to St. Louis for the Special General Conference this week.
Some have taken the position that loving others shows that they love the Lord, and that this is the greatest commandment of all. (Mark 12:28-31) Other commandments, for them, seem to stand in conflict against love of others, and so, they must be irrelevant.
Others see adherence to the Lord’s teaching, which are his commandments, as the surest way to show love to both God and the people. Unfortunately, the way they live their life, and the way they demand that others walk in that same way, is anything but loving.

So what are we to do? Which is the Godly way?

In reflection of this passage, the first step is to enter and remain in the love of Jesus Christ – love of his way, love of his presence, love of his many gifts and blessings. That must be where we all begin. When the love of God has firmly established itself in our lives, it is then, and only then, that we can begin to love others in a Christ-like way; it is then, and only then, that we can begin to obey his commands in the way that Jesus presented and lived them, not in how we think they should be; and it is then, and only then, that we can begin to live the word of God in a way that brings honor to Jesus Christ. It is then that we can eagerly begin to be fruitful in an Intentional, Radical, Extravagant, Risky, and Passionate way.

Read Matthew 7:15-23

False prophets, in Jesus’ words, are nothing more than “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. But how do you tell the cloaked wolves from the real sheep? The Lord says that we will know their hearts by the fruit that they bear. And what does Godly fruit look like? Galatians 5:22-25 helps us out on this point. The Fruit of the Spirit – 9 in all – are these. Love – we are to love the Lord first, and through that, we come to love others. Joy – not just happiness, not just pleasure, but the thrill and overwhelming sense that our life brings honor and glory to the Lord. Peace – the absence of self-centeredness, of arrogant thought, of a condemning heart. Patience – trusting that the Lord’s timing is perfect, and a willingness to wait expectantly, for that time to arrive. Kindness – putting the needs of others first, and caring for them in a Christ-centered way. Goodness – Jesus told us that only God is good (Mark 10:17-18), so any goodness that we might know must come from him. Faithfulness – believing that God’s way, the way of Jesus Christ, the way that the Holy Spirit inspires in us, is the best and only way. Gentleness – Titus 3:2 reminds us that we are to treat others as we would like to be treated (Matthew 7:12). Self-Control – our “free will” can no longer run rampant in our lives – the wisdom that comes to us by the Holy Spirit, by the will of God, through the teaching of Jesus, is the only “control” that we should ever allow to work within our “self”.

Unless our fruitfulness looks like this, we aren’t there yet. And we can’t assume that one or two of the above is enough! We must be working on every single one of these. And note the Lord’s words on “good” and “bad” fruit – the good tree, or good “vine”, is the only possible source of “good fruit”. And the bad? It is all destined to be destroyed.

And when we begin to grow in Godly fruitfulness, when we begin to understand what the Lord’s “business” is all about and begin to live it, we become a friend of God. And those who believe that their ways are far better than the Lord’s, those who will not acknowledge the authority, and goodness, and fruitfulness of his way, no matter how good and loving a life they may lead, no matter how Christ-like they may appear to be, the sentence at the Judgment will be “I never knew you.”

The United Methodist church of the 21st century is in a quandary. We are a denomination that is being pulled in two radically different directions, and until we all allow the Holy Spirit into the middle of our controversy, until the teachings of Jesus begin to be our foundation of faith, until the Love of God begins to be our guiding Light, we can never survive.

In 1786, John Wesley, in his pamphlet “Thoughts on Methodism”, wrote these words - “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist. But I am afraid they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this will be the case unless they hold fast both to the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.”
https://www.family-times.net/illustration/Prophecy/201956/

We are on the brink of seeing Wesley’s prophecy come to fruition, and Passionate, Radical, Intentional, Extravagant, and even Risky prayer is our only hope! I encourage – I beg – I implore you to pray every day for the church – that spiritual healing will occur, that unity in Christ will return, that revival inside the church will become a reality, that the 5 vital practices that Bishop Schnase calls the church to embrace, will become our renewed fruitfulness.