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Pastor Ed Rice, Good Samaritan Baptist Church, Dresden NY 14441

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Msg# 1232 Intimacy Abides

What The Bible Says

Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

Jesus taught his disciples “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. … Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine.” This is a continuation of the perfect intimacy that is available to those who are disciples indeed. John chapter 15 is not teaching how to become a disciple, if you are not a born again, Bible believer coming into chapter 15 go back to chapter 3 and start over. If you are a disciple indeed (chapter13) and you desire his intimacy indeed (chapter14) you are ready for this lesson on abiding indeed. Abiding in Christ involves obedience and love and it produces the fruit of the vine. The fruit of the vine is not more vines, it is the sweet, plump, juice filled, healing package of blessed nectar called the grape. The grape also carries forth the seed, and the seed can produce more vines when they get into good soil, but that's another lesson. There is a cultic-ego-driven, ugly sect of fundamentalism that insist that the branches must produce more branches. True fruit from the true vine is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance and these are indeed the sweet, people blessing, God glorifying nectar that flow's out of a true believers life. Chapter15 goes on to teach what friendship with God is, to worn that being God's friend make's us the world's enemy, and to assure us that the Comforter that indwells us is indeed the Spirit of Truth which proceeds from the Father and testifies of Christ. When you are abiding and that Spirit of Truth is indwelling, you will indeed bear fruit, and you will indeed testify of Christ. How's the fruit? How's the testimony?

An Essay from week # 32, Sunday, August 05, 2012

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