Sunday, September 27

Grow

John 15:1-7
Richard Dahlstrom, Senior Pastor, www.spiritsoulbody.org

Fruit is a byproduct of abiding, it’s not actually within our sphere of influence, and yet, ironically, we can and should expect fruit. If we abide we will display Christ’s life, and the nature of Christ’s life is reproductive.

• The Goal- Fruit
• First Kind of Fruit: Fruit of the Spirit
• Second Kind of Fruit: Fruit of Influence

• The Means
• Abiding
• Pruning

• The Warning

Discussion Questions
Before questions, attempt to give the group a bit of a summary of the main points of the sermon and then choose a few questions that fit your group’s needs and style. We don’t intend for you to use all of these. Three to five questions may be a good number.

• When is the last time you visited a dentist? Did you have a cavity?

• Do some life situations feel out of control currently?
• How do you typically respond when things feel beyond your control?
• How are your response mechanisms or patterns different than they once were?

• Read the text, John 15:1-7 aloud as well as Galatians 5:22-23. Jesus is very clear that you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in him.
• In what ways does this warn against the saying “the ends justify the means”?
• How can the fruits of the spirit be lived out in the body?

• Here at Bethany we often talk about how revelation ought to lead to transformation and we know that information alone, or the revelation of knowledge and new understanding, does not automatically equal transformation.

• When was the last time you learned something new that changed who you were?
• How has having “knowledge” in our culture become a substitute for the (fruits of the spirit) peace, gentleness, humility, kindness, and joy?

• Who is one person that has been a positive influence on your life and shaped who you are today?
• Option: Take 2 minutes to write a card or note of gratitude to that person (whether they know they had an impact on you or not.)

• The word “abide” in John 15:7 could be translated “remain” in a similar way that a branch draws nutrients from a vine by remaining connected to it. This requires an action, or as Pastor Richard shares, a “positive action” which is a different way of being present in the world.

• Read the Rule of Life Handout’s list of “inhaling” practices for abiding. Option to text “life” to 64600 for a copy to each person’s phone.
• Which inhaling practice appeals to you as a next step for this following week?

• If part of the growing process is the pruning, what needs to get cut away or let go in your life in order that you might thrive by focusing on the things that remain? How would you answer this for the Church and Christians today?