Author: Jimmy Trimble

Dr. Burch shared a powerful message last Sunday morning about the importance of worshiping together with other Christian believers as opposed to worshiping alone.  Related to this message, our verse today is from 1 Corinthians 26.

When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

In this verse, Paul (the author of Corinthians) is telling us that each person has something to offer everyone else and that together we are more powerful and effective than we are on our own.

Some people, though, believe they can just as effectively worship alone by watching an online sermon, reading the Bible, and praying.  Of course these are all important aspects of maturing in Christ but, in order to be at our best and help others be at their best, we also need to get together to worship.

As an example, Dr. Burch talked about coals in a fire and how when they are all together they have a powerful effect.  But if you take one of the coals out and separate it from the others, it is of little use and it will quickly lose its glow.  In the same way, God designed us to need Him and to need other people.

Why do we have business lunches instead of video conferencing while each participant eats at their own office?  Or why do people get together for Thanksgiving instead of eating at their own house?  The answer is very simple – God created us to be in community with others.  And there is no more important community than that of the church.  When we come together to worship, we are like the coals of the fire, burning together to light up our families, our community, and the world.

Questions:

• Do you agree that we are only at our best when we routinely participate in some form of group worship?
• What are some of the obstacles that keep people from participating in group worship more regularly?
• Can you give some other examples of activities that are more powerful and effective when we are together with others instead of by ourselves?
• For those who struggle to attend church or small groups regularly, what are some strategies they can incorporate to improve their attendance?
• Why do you think God wants us to be together when we worship?

Last week we used John 15:1-17 as our scriptural foundation.  This passage is commonly referred to as the parable of the vine and the branches.  We discussed that our job is to stay connected to the vine so that we can bear fruit, ideally “much” fruit.  Jesus is the vine and God is the Gardner.  We are the branches.

As a recap, fruit generally means good works.  It can only be produced by those who abide in Christ who have a God-honoring motive.  In short, it is any action by a believer that pleases God.

Today we’ll cover pruning because it is a very confusing topic for Christians.  A gardener or vinedresser will either prune a branch or cut it off completely:

• If the branch is unproductive it will be cut off completely
• If the branch is productive then it will be pruned to allow for more fruit

Watch this short video about pruning grape vines.  Listen for concepts that apply to today’s lesson: https://youtu.be/H5RPkF4UoGQ

Here is the problem – whether we’re getting lopped off or pruned, they both HURT!  And it is easy to mistake the pain of pruning for the pain of being lopped off.  Example: when we start to make positive changes in our lives and bear fruit, God will honor that and help us grow more fruit by pruning us.  This might come in the form of dropping habits that we enjoy, losing friends that really weren’t good for us, or changing jobs which hurts at first but ultimately allows us to be more fruitful.

In the rear-view mirror, the pain of pruning is often not all that bad because we can see how it helped us grow and develop into better fruit bearers.  But in the moment, pruning can be painful and even frightening.  While very few of us can hope to fully discern the difference between lopping and pruning, it is helpful to know that certain types of pain are actually signs from God that He likes what we’re doing and wants to encourage us to do more of it.

Here are some questions to discuss:

• In your own words, how would you explain why a gardener would choose to prune a branch vs lopping it off completely?
• Do you have any past or current examples of pruning in your life? If so, have you seen an increase in your fruit-bearing as a result?
• This passage can be very challenging to understand but based on today’s lesson and the one from last week, how would you explain it to someone?
• Based on the past two lessons, what is something you need to do to bear more fruit?
• Do you have any first-hand gardening examples of how pruning helped a plant or tree become more productive?

In John 15: 1-17, Jesus gives us one of the clearest messages about how to live our lives and, as he says “bear fruit”.  He boils it down to one command and repeats it twice:

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (verse 12)

“This is my command: Love each other.” (verse 17)

Jesus starts the parable by saying that He is the true vine, God is the Gardener, and we are the branches.  He says that if we remain in Him and allow Him to remain in us then we will bear much fruit.  This leads to two questions:

• What is fruit? Fruit generally means good works.  It can only be produced by those who abide in Christ who have a God-honoring motive.  In short, it is any action by a believer that pleases God.  Fruit is the result of your effort and labor.
• How do we remain in Him and allow him to remain in us? Jesus says we can only do so “if my words remain in you” and “if you keep my commands”.  A simplified interpretation might be that Jesus wants us to love each other and to read the Bible with the intention for our actions to be God-honoring.

In his outstanding book, The Secrets of the Vine, author Bruce Wilkinson outlines the four stages of fruit-bearing from this passage and gives his estimate of the percentage of Christians in each category.  They are:

• No fruit (60%)
• Fruit (25%)
• More Fruit (10%)
• Much Fruit (5%)

On the surface, these estimates seem a little harsh.  Is it really possible that more than half of all Christians bear NO fruit?   Maybe it is more believable when compared with the filters provided above.  That is, we can only bear fruit if we are consistently abiding in Christ and consistently acting with God-honoring motives.

The last focus of today’s discussion relates to our incentive to be fruit bearers.  Jesus says that we should want to bear fruit so that “my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete”.  And also “so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you”.

Next week, we will continue with Part II of this discussion and cover the pruning process outlined in this passage which causes much confusion in the Christian community.  But for now, here are some questions for discussion:

• Based on your understanding of John 15 and of today’s lesson, what are some examples of “fruit”?
• The passage tells us that, by itself, a branch is useless. So what has to happen for fruit to be produced?
• What is your interpretation of how we remain in Jesus and all Him to remain in us?
• Based on the passage above, how much fruit do you believe you produce?
• Do you believe Bruce Wilkinson’s estimate that 60% of Christians produce no fruit is accurate?

This week we’ll continue with part two of the discussion we started last week from James 1:19-20 which says:

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

We are going to concentrate our conversation today on the detrimental effects of the political discourse in the country.

If James were writing to us today, he might recommend that we avoid CNN or Fox News or any other news outlet because they all create such destructive divisions in society.  They are all trying to sell advertising by appealing to our most primal instincts.

Worse still are sites like youtube which learn your preferences and feed you more of what you like.  If you search for something negative about Donald Trump, you’ll be fed a series of videos, maybe even one that “proves” Trump is actually an alien robot being controlled by Vladimir Putin.

Search for something negative on Hillary Clinton and you’ll be fed a series of videos that “prove” she is really as bad as you think she is.

We keep watching with the hope that the next article, video, tweet, or Facebook story will be THE ONE that finally crushes our political opponents forever.

If we’re only listening to what reinforces our own opinion then we’re definitely not being quick to listen.  And all of the stories that “prove” our point of view make us angry which is exactly the opposite of what James is encouraging us to do.  In fact, it is hard to even imagine a civil conversation about politics these days because these conversations always seem to devolve into yelling and name calling quickly.

So what should a Christian man do today?  How do we respond to this environment and genuinely work toward being righteous men?

Let’s think about this in more detail by answering these questions:

1. Some say it is important to keep up with the news but where should we draw the line in terms of controlling our inputs?
2. Have you ever “won” a political argument?
3. Do you find that most political arguments end with more peace & love or with more anger?
4. What actions can you take today to be more aligned with James’ suggestion to listen more, speak less, and be less angry?

Today’s verse is from Proverbs 19:8:

To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper.

Think back to a time when you made a “rookie mistake” or an error in judgement that harmed yourself or others.  Maybe it was an email sent in haste or possibly a major life decision made without first gathering enough facts.  Now place yourself in that same situation today and think about how you would handle it differently.

Wisdom and understanding explain the difference between poor decisions of the past and better decisions today.  And these better decisions impact us in very positive ways including improved health, better relationships, and success in business.  All of these things make life better for us and those around us, so it is true that “to acquire wisdom is to love yourself”.

Wisdom can either be acquired through direct experience or through the experiences of others.  Wisdom gained through direct experience is often painful since it may involve making mistakes and having to recover from them.  For example, a speeding ticket may help us remember to drive more responsibly, and hurt feelings resulting from words spoken in haste will remind us to be more patient and kind.

On the other hand, gaining wisdom through the experiences of others is typically less painful.  This can be accomplished by reading or listening to wisdom literature, by participating in wisdom-oriented ministries, or by surrounding ourselves with wise people who can help us make good decisions.

On the surface, learning through the experience of others is the easier ways to gain wisdom but  typically, as Stephen Covey would say, these activities are important but not urgent.  Life pulls us in many directions and there always seems to be something urgent that distracts us from the pursuit of wisdom and understanding.

Whether you gain wisdom and understanding through your own experiences or through the experience of others, doing so is one of the best ways to love yourself.

Here are a few questions to help us dig deeper and figure out how we can better prioritize the pursuit of wisdom and understanding:

• Why do you think it is important to God that we do things to love ourselves?
• While it may be true that it is easier to gain wisdom through the experience of others, some would argue that our own experience creates more of a personal impact and, as a result, is more effective in helping us gain wisdom.  What do you think?
• In your experience, what are some of the best ways to gain wisdom and understanding?
• If it is true that gaining wisdom is important but not urgent, what strategies can we employ to make this more of a priority in our lives?

As we approach July 4^th and celebrate the freedom of our country, it is also a good time to celebrate God’s gift to us of freedom from sin and death.

Today’s verse follows this theme of independence.  Galatians 5:1 says:

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Paul, is not saying that the law is bad or evil.  In fact, the truth is completely opposite – all of the law was God-breathed and is still law of the Jewish people.

The problem was that people focused too closely on the “letter of the law” and not the spirit of the law.  Many Jews forgot that their first duty was to love God but many tried to impress others with their knowledge of the law.  For many, the law separated them from God instead of drawing them closer to Him.

God’s first priority is and always has been to draw us closer to Him.  Since the covenant of the law was actually driving people away, His answer was to establish a new covenant, the covenant of the blood.

In order to do so, God came to Earth in human form as Jesus.  He suffered unspeakable pain and humiliation which was followed by His death on the cross.  This is how He bought our salvation and created the Covenant of the blood (His blood).

So now we’re free, right?  Well, not necessarily.  Even though our freedom has been won, we still have to accept it.  Later in chapter 5, Paul talks about other things that could enslave us and separate us from God.  If Paul was writing about this today, he might add social media, politics, certain websites, and materialism as modern-day enslavements.

Truly freedom of any kind isn’t free.  Even our salvation, which is a gift freely offered by God, has to be accepted before we can actually achieve freedom.

• What is your definition of freedom?
• If freedom is so valuable, why do we sometimes seem to welcome slavery in various forms?
• What are some common “enslavements” that keep them from enjoying true freedom?
• What is something you and your family can do on July 4^th to celebrate God’s gift of freedom from sin and death?

Here is a link to a story from James Dobson talking about a talking scale that he received as a gift from his staff: https://goo.gl/wqycY9

He says that one day the scale said that he had gained 80 pounds from the previous day.  Knowing this was an error, he got off and tried it again.  This time it said he had lost 50 pounds from the previous day.  Dr. Dobson tried it one more time and the scale said “my batteries are low” to which he responded “I know buddy, mine are too”.

Today’s verse is from Mark 6:31 and follows this theme:

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Jesus could have performed a miracle and given his disciples unlimited energy and strength in this moment but he told them to take a break and get some rest.  He was giving them a model for how to respond to stress and fatigue.  Can you imagine being on this team of disciples?  Every day, all day, they were just trying to keep up so of course they needed rest from time to time.

We’re exactly the same way but few of us stop to recognize it.  Or if we do recognize it, we ignore it.  If you are like me, an evening with nothing planned is an opportunity to plan something.  We constantly need to “get things done” or have new experiences.  No time for rest.  No time for ourselves.

What would you do if you were given a 100% guilt-free pass for an afternoon or even a day?  Golf, fishing, see a movie, read a book, or maybe walk around in nature with no particular destination?  In keeping with our lesson on intentionality from a couple of weeks ago, why not plan ahead a little and put something on the calendar?

Here are a few questions to further explore this topic:

• On a scale from 1-10, how well charged are your batteries?
• What are the main things that charge your batteries and the main things that drain them?
• What are some of the negative consequences of having low batteries?
• If you had a free afternoon or day as discussed above, what would you do to charge your batteries?
• How will our family and loved ones benefit from our batteries being more fully charged?

If we want to live for Jesus, we have to make the decision to do so in advance and follow a plan.  This was the essence of Paul’s message to the Ephesians when he said:

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

He knew that these early Christians would be tested in many ways and that they needed to plan ahead.  Here are some modern day examples of planning ahead:

• If you want to eat a healthier diet, don’t go to the grocery store while you are hungry
• If you want to exercise more, don’t wait until the alarm clock goes off to plan your morning workout.
• If you want to be a good family man, block time on your calendar for your family

And, of course, if you want to spend more time with God, you have to plan ahead.  Why?  Because the days are evil, as Paul says.  This is a curious phrase but I think Paul’s point is that, if we don’t live intentionally, we will be distracted by every shiny thing we see and this will separate us from God.

Just think about the news from this week alone: Spies, Roseanne, Weinstein, North Korea, stock market volatility.  Then, on top of that, add the normal distractions of daily life and we have a lot of shiny things to distract us.

While none of these topics are “evil” on the surface, Paul would tell us that if they grab too much of our attention, that they are evil since they take our focus off of God.  With some pre-planning though, we can move our focus back to God and to becoming the men he created us to be.

Here are a few questions for discussion:

• What does it mean to you to live intentionally?
• Do you agree that we need to plan ahead or do you think it is enough just to decide to be a “good person”?
• If you made some intentional plans to spend more time with God, what action items or habits would be included in your plan?
• What are some things you can do to reduce the number of distractions in your life?
• If it is so simple to plan ahead, why don’t we do it more often in every area of our life?

Have you ever said something harsh, insensitive, or rude and then thought to yourself “where did that come from”? Or maybe you’ve had thoughts that aren’t aligned with the image of the good person you believe yourself to be. These are examples of how our words and thoughts are a direct reflection of things we’ve seen and heard which brings us to today’s passage from Luke 6:43-45:

⁴³ “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.⁴⁴ Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. ⁴⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Jesus’ message is very clear – whatever goes in comes back out in the same form. If we do and say bad things our inputs have probably been bad. If we’re patient, kind, and decent in our words and actions, we’ve probably had good inputs.

So if we are a “good” person, will that immunize us from the negative effects of bad inputs? Jesus would probably respond that if we are good then we’ve had good inputs. Furthermore, if we are good, then we will seek more good inputs to enhance our goodness even more.

The fruit from any tree is only as good as the inputs it receives through it’s roots and in the same way our “fruit” is only as good as the inputs we receive through our eyes and ears. To further explore this idea, here are some questions for discussion:

1. Do you agree that good people are good because they seek good inputs?
2. Most of the news today seems to be very negative. What impact do you think it has on us when we watch or read excessive amounts of news?
3. What “fruit” do you want to be known by and what inputs will help you grow more of that kind of fruit?
4. What are some of the bad inputs you would like to reduce or eliminate in your life?
5. It has been said that, in every area of our lives, we are essentially the average of the five people we associate with most. Do you agree and, if so, how would you apply that to today’s message?

Real friends bring out the best in each other. They encourage and motivate one another to reach their goals. Friends who will cheer you on to success are a critical part of getting healthy.

Along these lines, Romans 12:5 says, “We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other”.

There’s an old Zambian proverb that says, “When you run alone, you run fast. But when you run together, you run far.” The lifetime of healthy habits ahead of you is not a 50-yard dash. It is a marathon.

Marathon runners know there comes a point when you start getting a pain in your side that makes you want to give up. But if you have other people running with you, you can find the strength to continue to the finish line. The same is true in your journey to a healthier you. The only way you’ll achieve your God-given health goals is to have others involved in your life.

Questions:

Why do you think Jesus placed such a high priority on friendship?

Can you think of a time in your life when friendships were particularly important in helping you get through a difficult time?

At certain points in our lives, we all struggle with finding time and energy to invest in friendships. What obstacles do you encounter in this area?

Do you think that maintaining quality friendships is important in your Christian walk?

If investing in friendships is an important priority for you, what changes can you make today to work toward this goal?