ABIDING N' COMMUNION - Oh My Journey

When I was asked to lead communion I told the Lord, “I have nothing to say. What shall I say?”
And He answered, “Tell them about abiding in me.”

Live Communion

We’re going to dive a little deeper into John 15:1-4.

John 15:1-2 says,

‘“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, that it may bear more fruit.”

Jesus refers to the Father as a Vinedresser or a Gardener or a tiller of the soil. So the Father as a gardener tends to this vine.

Branch and Pruning

He looks at the branches. The meaning of the first branch in verse 2 means, branch. Just a regular piece of a tree, that sticks out. This is the one He takes away. The second branch that is mentioned, is the branch that bears fruit. This branch translates as pherō, meaning, bringer, bearer, or carrier of fruit. This branch brings forward, announces, leads, & upholds.

This is the branch that goes through kathairō or Pruning. Which means that the Lord, our gardener, purges and cleanses this branch of any impurities and useless shoots.

In John 15:3 it says,

“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”

This clean Jesus is talking about means to be cleansed of sin. Another version says,

“You’ve already been pruned & purified by the message I have given you.”

Abide

In verse 4 Jesus goes on to say,

‘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

And if you go on to read verse 5 – 8 you’ll find out as one who abides by the Lord, we as believers, are the latter branch.

Now the word Abide, Meno, means to remain, to continue to be present, to last, to endure, to dwell, or as Katia Adams puts it, “To stay.”

Jesus says the word Abide three times in verse 4. Abide, Abide, Abide. And if you do go on to read the next three verses, He also says Abide, Abide, Abide, & yup you guessed it Abide. All the same word in greek, Meno. It’s like he was trying to tell us something.

If we look at the timeline of when Jesus says these words we will see that it was after, what we famously call, ‘The Last Supper.’

It was after Jesus broke bread, drank from the cup, and washed His disciples feet, as we see in John 13:1-20, He chooses to speak these words. It was after doing all these things that He said this promise. “Abide in me & I’ll abide in you.” Dwell with me & I’ll dwell with you.

We are His disciples, children of the Most High, for we have been made clean & we have the opportunity to abide with Him. To rest with Him and watch the fruit come to life in our lives.

Feast

With this in mind let us take this body, that has been given to us, in remembrance of this promise.

Likewise let us partake in the blood which has been shed to make us clean and allows us to dwell with Our Lord God, in the heavenly places.

Now let us carry the knowledge that our Father sent His only son down to earth because He wanted nothing more than to Dwell with us, and we with Him.

Scriptures

“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, 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, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
John 15:1-4

“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. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
John 15:5-8

‘And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”
Luke 22:19-20

“and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
I Corinthians 11:24-25