Becoming Disciples Sample

God Abides in Us 

When Jesus called His disciples and invited them to go follow Him, they had no idea what they were signing up for. When the disciples asked if they could follow Him, they really didn’t know what they were asking for. On this plan we will read one of my favorite parts of the book of John. Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” What an image these words give. I love imagining the trunk, the vine (as Jesus), and then us as His branches.

If you look in your Bible, you’re going to find that sometimes John 14 is called “The Last Supper Discourse.” It’s as if Jesus is saying goodbye and preparing His disciples for something. There are phrases in this specific gospel where Jesus was speaking to His disciples, but that very well speaks to us today too. I want you to think about what it means to be a disciple.  Jesus is saying, “Abide in me as I abide in you.” In other words, this is a relationship. A relationship that is real. We’re not just in this relationship because of what we bring to the table. Jesus has already given His life for us and has already called us to be temples of His spirit. Through baptism we are temples of God’s spirit, Father, and Son. So, yes, we abide in the Lord, but He abides in us first. 

The first assumption and the first affirmation of faith we need to make is that God already abides in us. He calls us to abide in Him. The relationship goes to waste if we are choosing to not abide in Him. Have you ever met someone who expects a relationship to always go one way? They see you and say, “Why don’t you ever call me?”  And think to myself, ‘I always thought the phone worked both ways?’ Or friends who say, “But you don’t ever visit me?” Well, I always thought we could visit each other. We all know or have people in our lives that are like that. But Jesus is saying, “I abide in you already so now abide in me.” In other words, stay connected with Jesus. Be the one who calls and visits Him, because He is already in You. He’s waiting on you!