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SCRIPTURE READING
ACT 8:26-40
1 JOHN 4:7-21
JOHN 15:1-8

The theme for our meditation today is “Remaining in Christ” To remain in Christ means Christ is the source of our productivity and sustenance. A vine is the plant that produces grape fruits used for wine. A branch can only produce fruit when it remains in the vine. I am sure many of us are not familiar with how the vine looks like because we do not grow grape in our sub region, I am sure the climate is not favourable for its cultivation. I pondered over the question, what plant would Jesus’ use for this illustration if He was speaking directly to Ghanaian disciples. The tree that comes to mind is the mango tree. A mango branch can only produce mango when it remains connected to the stem of the Mango tree. Similarly, we can become productive disciples of Christ when we remain connected with Christ.

As we reflect on the theme, ‘Remaining in Christ’ the following points will be considered:
1. You cannot become a fruitful believer unless you are in Christ.
2. God is displeased if you fail to produce fruit by not remaining in Him.
3. Your fruit of love must lead others to be grafted in Christ.

Beloved in the Lord, to become fruitful, you must be a true disciple of Jesus. Christ is like the mango tree; we are his disciples and are His branches that bear the mango fruits. “As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine (mango tree), neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine (mango tree); you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5). Do you see yourself bearing fruits as a Christian? What are the fruits required of you? Anyone who is in Christ but does not produce the fruits of love and for that matter the fruits Holy Spirit will be classified as a fruitless branch. Paul in Galatians 5:22-24 tells us that “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires”

My dear Christian, God is like the mango fruit farmer who is displeased and will cut of any mango branch which does not produce mango fruit. The complex question is, why do we have two branches connected to the same tree but one bears fruits and the other does not? In other words, why do we have Christians who are baptised and confirmed in Christ, come to church every Sunday but some bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit and some do not. The answer is that those who produce fruits consistently desire the Word of God and allow the Spirit of God to lead them but those who do not produce fruits are in the flesh as Galatians 5:19-21 clearly tells us that “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”. In addition, In our second Scripture reading, 1 John 4:13 also tells that “By this we know that we abide (remain) in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” If Indeed Jesus’ Spirit has been given to you because you abide in him then you must bear the fruit of love. That is why 1 John 4:20-21 says “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother(or her sister), he (or she) is a liar; for he(or she) who does not love his brother (or her sister) whom he (or she) has seen cannot love God whom he (or she) has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother (and sister).” What kind of fruit are you bearing as a Christian, is it the fruits of the Holy Spirit or the fruits of the flesh? Remember that Jesus admonishes us that “If anyone does not abide(remain) in me, he or she is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” (John 15:6). My dear friend do not be a worldly Christian filled with fleshly desire but be a faithful, fruitful and a Holy Spirit-filled Christian.

Beloved in Christ, your fruitfulness in Christ must lead others to be grafted in Jesus. Grafting is a horticultural technique used to join parts from two or more plants so that they appear to grow as a single plant. In grafting, the upper part of one plant grows on the stem of another plant. Remember that some people are still lost but have the desire to be grafted into Christ as one of His branches. We those who have been saved because we belong to the original stem or tree, Jesus Christ, must out of love for the lost, preach the Good News to them and help them to be grafted into Christ so that they will be saved. This was what happened in the first Scripture reading from Act 8:26-40. There was a proselyte Ethiopian eunuch who came to worship in Jerusalem as the Jews in the Diaspora normally do. God saw the desire of the Ethiopian eunuch to know him more and to grow in faith. The Ethiopian eunuch was ignorant about the Scripture and lost in faith. Acts 8:30-31 tells us, “So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” Beloved in the Lord, your willingness or desire to have a deeper relationship with God will lead you to true Salvation in Christ and make you bear spiritual fruits. Through Philip, the Ethopian eunuch was baptised and grafted into Christ. There are many lost branches out there, we must demonstrate our love to them by helping them know the truth so that the truth shall set them free for them to be grafted into Christ. We have no excuse at all, Philip had no telecommunication device when he received the call to go preach to the Ethiopian eunuch. We are told in Act 8:30 that Philip had to run after the chariots of the Ethiopian eunuch. Today, we have the gift of fast transportation, telecommunication and advancement of technology to reach out to the lost directly and indirectly. Are you performing your role as a true disciple and a branch-bearing fruit to ensure that the lost branches are grafted into Jesus the mango tree of salvation? We have not excuse!

In conclusion, beloved in the Lord, we cannot become fruitful disciples of Christ unless we are remain in Christ. God is not displeased with us when we produce the fruit of the flesh and not the fruit of the Holy Spirit which is love. Last but not least, there are many lost souls out there who desire to be saved, it is our responsibility to demonstrate our love to them by making ourselves available for God to use us to graft them into Christ. May His grace continue to abide with us. Amen.