Elim Church Ingatestone
Good morning everyone!
Remember me, I am Peter Ruck “God’s Ambassador” for Bulgaria, Cambodia, Malaysia, The Jungle and Ingatestone!
I really want to focus on Ingatestone! We have “On the Move” coming to this town on Saturday 27th September. I have arranged a brilliant band called ECHO sound so you don’t have to worry about music.
Today I want to begin and share these verses with you can I suggest if you have a pen you can note them? We have opportunities ahead for you during this outreach are you ready?
You’ll be able to pick this up on the audio recording, but I will leave some of key reference as text together with scripture on this blog as an overview of the whole message, when you listen to it.
God’s Ambassdors…
2 Corinthians 5:18-21New International Version (NIV)
I want to begin by speaking about the key points in Jesus ministry. Christ emphasised “HIS equality with God in clearest possible way. The strongly affirming“HIS” deity employed the name of God used when the Father first revealed Himself to Moses – “I AM” (Exodus 3:14).
We see in John’s gospel Jesus already said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12); “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35); I am the Way” (John 14:6); and I am the Door” (John 10:9). The next “I am the Vine” was the night before his death all of these are pointing to HIS deity. Each one of these is a metaphor that elevates Jesus to the level of creator, saviour, redeemer, Lord of all that can only be claimed only by a sovereign God.
The Vine and the Branches
John 15- 1:8
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. (John 15:1-8)
“The metaphor in John 15 is of a vine and its branches. The vine is the source and sustenance of life for the branches, and the branches must abide in the vine to live and bear fruit. Jesus, of course, is the vine, and the branches are people. While it is obvious the fruit-bearing branches represent true Christians, the identity of the fruitless ones is in question. Some Bible students say the barren branches are Christians who bear no spiritual fruit. Others believe they are non-Christians. As always, however, we must look to the context for the best answer”.
“The fruit-bearing branches are pruned so they will bear more fruit. We know these branches represent Christians, because only Christians can bear fruit. Pruning is not done only once–it is a constant process. The Father prunes a branch so it may bear more fruit. After continual pruning, it bears much fruit. As verse 8 says, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit.”
John 15:9-17New International Version (NIV)
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
“If we remember that God is trying to make us more fruitful, we can look past the pruning process to the goal. It is thrilling to realise that God wants our lives to bear much fruit. Hebrews 12:7 encourages us to have a proper perspective on God’s perfecting process: “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”
“In verse 10, He goes on to emphasise that it is for our good; “For they [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.” The pruning process hurts, but the fruit–holiness–is well worth it”.
The World Hates the Disciples
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’[a] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfil what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’[b]
The Work of the Holy Spirit
26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
Today I am here as God’s Ambassador, I am here to pray with you encourage you. If you’ve never asked Jesus into your life, I want to give you this opportunity. Maybe you’ve back sliden in some way and today… “you’ve needed to pruned so that new life burst out of you again and Holy Spirit is challenging you.
If it is that’s you need a healing touch from God He is here to touch you body, soul and spirit today. Just take a moment and “Think” there is also a hurting world outside of these doors. Can you be God Ambassadors next week – The only Jesus some will ever see.
