"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser"  (John 15:1).

John clearly quotes the words of Jesus Christ as He tells us that He is the true vine (John 15:1).  Why did Jesus use the vine for an comparison example and what important point is He making?  Hopefully sooner, if not later, every Christian needs to come to a Holy Spirit revelation of their union with Christ and relationship to the Father with their Spirit birthing.  When the Holy Spirit birthed us into the Body of Christ we have received a full union with the Son to come and live His eternal life in us as us (I Cor. 12:13).  We received everything of Christ in that incorruptible Seed through the Word of God at our Spirit birthing (I Pet. 1:23).  Christ is the TRUE SOURCE of all spiritual life that a Christian has within him.

The Father is picture as the vinedresser.  The Father prunes and purges us. Everything that is not of him and is contrary to His life and spirit He purges.  Everything that is not of His life source within us, and that is not bearing fruit, He prunes so that it will bring forth more fruit (John 15:2).  The Holy Spirit uses the word of God to renew the mind and cleanse us of things that are not of Him (John 15:3; Rom. 12:1-2).

We are branches attached to and in union with the vine.  Christ is the vine and our true source of any spiritual life and expression.  The branches live when they are attached or abiding in the vine.  Any fruit produced by the branches MUST come from the vine as the source.  Jesus clearly declared, "Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, UNLESS it abides in the vine, neither can you, UNLESS you abide in Me" (John 15:4). The fruit of the spirit is the singular fruit or personality of Christ in us as us (Gal. 5:22,23). Many Christians really believe the gifts, ministries, callings, and offices are theirs. Without our union in and with Christ, we can do NOTHING.  Again, Jesus made this clear, "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).

A fruit producing problem is really a true abiding in Christ problem.  Christians need a full experiential knowledge that Christ lives in them as their true source for all things.  Only walking in obedience to the revelation of the Holy Spirit will renew the mind to the truth of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  His life by His Spirit being expressed in and through us as us will cause rapid mind renewal.  We don't have a hearing problem, as much as a true walking in the light problem.  When the Spirit speaks His truth to our hearts and minds, we must let it have residence in us.  We must choose to let Christ the true vine flow in and through us by His Spirit of love.  His love will cleanse us, purge us, and purify us so that we will bear much fruit of Christ with glory to the Father!  V