If you’ve ever walked through a vineyard or picked fruit off a vine, you know the beauty of fruit that’s been nurtured over time. It doesn’t happen by accident. And the same is true for spiritual fruit in the life of a believer. In John 15, Jesus gives us this powerful image:
“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)
God wants us to bear fruit. Not just a little, but much fruit. But here’s the catch—fruit doesn’t grow if the branch is disconnected from the vine. That’s why Jesus says to abide in Him.
Abiding in Jesus
To abide means to stay, dwell, endure. It means developing a deep, personal connection with Jesus over time—through prayer, Scripture, worship, and stillness in His presence. As we abide, He purges the unhelpful parts of our lives and shapes us for greater fruitfulness, just like I prune around the muscadine vines by my pond so they can thrive.
But the fruit Jesus speaks of isn’t just personal growth. It’s also harvest. As Galatians 5 reminds us, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and more. But it doesn’t stop there.
From Personal Growth to Gospel Harvest
Let’s be honest. We’ve all been tempted to sit, soak, and sour. Like a sponge that’s soaked up too much and was never wrung out. Like the Dead Sea—constantly receiving but never pouring out. If we aren't careful, we can become spiritually stagnant.
God didn’t save us just so we could sit on a pew and enjoy blessings. He saved us to send us. He’s called us to be harvesters in the harvest.
“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” (John 15:8)
What Does a Christian Produce?
Just like an apple tree produces apples, and a muscadine vine produces grapes, a Christian should produce… Christians. We don’t save anyone ourselves—only Jesus does that—but we are called to bring people to Him.
Andrew is a perfect example. In John 1, he meets Jesus, spends time with Him, and the first thing he does is go find his brother, Simon Peter, and bring him to Jesus. That’s the model: meet Jesus, abide in Jesus, then go out and bring others to Him.
Simon Peter would go on to lead thousands to Christ—but it started with one brother saying, “Come and see.”
Don’t Sit, Soak, and Sour
God has given us too many blessings—salvation, friendships, a healthy church, opportunities to serve—for us to keep it all to ourselves. If we don’t pour out what we’ve been given, we’ll grow sour.
There are three main ways we bring in the harvest:
Personal Evangelism – Tell your story. You don’t need a theology degree to share how Jesus changed your life.
Event Evangelism – Whether it's Sportsman's Night Out or Spirit of Christmas, we unapologetically use events to reach the unchurched. Critics may scoff, but we’ve seen thousands come to Christ through these.
Lifestyle Evangelism – Live in such a way that people notice something different. But don’t stop there. When they ask, tell them: It’s Jesus.
Don’t Lose Your Passion
In John 4, the disciples returned to Jesus right after He led the Samaritan woman to salvation. Instead of celebrating, they asked, “Rabbi, want something to eat?” They missed the moment.
It’s easy to lose our fire for the harvest. But thank God, that fire can be rekindled. In Acts 2, we see that same group of disciples light up with boldness. Three thousand people were saved in one day! Later, five thousand more. And the church began to shake the world.
The Mission Hasn’t Changed
I’ve been at this church for 34 years, and the mission hasn’t changed—and won’t change as long as I’m here. We are a harvest-focused church. We believe in reaching people far from God and helping them take their next step.
You may reach someone I never could. I may reach someone you never will. But together, if we all commit to being harvesters in the harvest, we can impact our world for eternity.
So let’s not sit. Let’s not soak. Let’s not sour.
Let’s go out and gather the harvest.
