Abide in Christ — The Possibility of Abiding
During His earthly ministry, Jesus made a call for people to follow Him. That call became the message of the early church to come to Jesus. Some of the last words spoken in the Bible are addressed to anyone who desires to take of the water of life. Jesus said, “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” After His resurrection and before Jesus returned to heaven, He spoke of an intimate and spiritual union believers should have with Him. Jesus said, “Abide in me.” We have been cleansed by His precious blood and have been included in an intense fellowship with Christ. This intimacy of fellowship with Him goes beyond pardon from sin and help. The Lord has offered the possibility for you to enjoy a new intimacy of fellowship with Him when He said, “Abide in Me, and My words abide in you.” God wants to so impact us through this connection with Christ that we become extremely fruitful.
Psalm 1:3 NKJV He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
Abiding in Christ, that living union with Him, is a daily and minute by minute experience of His presence and keeping power.
The possibilities of this newness of life in Christ produces the potential for everything that the Savior can provide.
When Jesus said, “Abide in Me,” He opened the door for you to enjoy everything that He accomplished by His suffering, atonement and victory. “Abide in Me” opens the floodgates for us to enjoy the full blessings of a healthy Christian life.
Did Jesus really mean that we could abide in Him?
Abiding in Christ is a living union with Him wherein the Lord makes Himself fully available to us. This kind of life is a daily and hourly abiding in Him. Abiding in Christ is just as possible as His atonement and pardon through His blood. If we can be saved, we can abide in Him. If we abide in Him, everything that is in Christ Jesus is made available so that we bear much fruit. Abiding in Christ takes us beyond forgiveness of sin and cleansing into His presence and power. We come to the place where we are aware of Christ’s presence in our lives. This is when we become productive in Christ.
We must develop this awareness of Christ in us.
We cannot abide in Christ without participating in the power and purity of the flow of His grace and Spirit. This is part of the joy of abiding. When we constantly abide in Him, we yield sweet fruit that bears the nature and character of the Vine.
The Abiding Life Is Possible!
We are partakers of His joy, peace, and love. We are to be partakers of His person, life and victory. We enjoy His strength, power, and might. We will rejoice in His goodness, grace, and holiness.
Jesus said: “ABIDE IN ME!”
Grace is provided to enable us to obey this command — “Abide in Me.” Consider the unspeakable blessings that are flowing from Christ. If we remain in Him and His words remain in us, the possibilities are endless. This is where we find true fruitfulness within our life. You will bear fruit when you allow God to nurture you and produce Christ-like qualities in your life. The fruit of the Spirit will abide and abound in you.
2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
This is an overflowing and abundant life. Listen to what Jesus said about this.
John 15:16 NIV You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
It is one thing to be chosen, it is another thing to yield to Him. It is one thing to be forgiven; it is another to yield to His slightest inclination. When we learn to yield to Him, we are always able to do more. We are here to fulfill God’s dream. We are not here to just fulfill our own dreams and wishes. We are placed here to bring glory and honor to God. When we follow His desire, bidding, and will, He always will do abundantly more than we can imagine. His joy is always fuller and His grace is always greater.
Ephesians 2:10 NIV We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.
Abiding in Him produces His fruitfulness in us. He will bring fruit out of you if you will respond to His working in you. We must evaluate our own level of response to Christ. The level of your response produces a level of fruitfulness.
Are you responsive to Him?
Several years ago a woman was rushing home after going to the mall. She said she heard the Holy Spirit tell her to stop at this store, but argued that she was in a hurry to get home. A few moments later she said the Holy Spirit urged her to take an alternate route home. But, once again, she said I am in too big of a hurry to get home, and she continued on her normal route. She reached a stoplight where she was to turn left and had to stop behind several cars waiting for the light to turn. When the light turned, she followed the other cars in her lane. When she was just about around the corner a lady drove her bicycle out in front her car. She did not have time to stop and hit her with her car and the woman died. Several times the Holy Spirit spoke to her, trying to prevent the accident, but she was too busy to listen. She said, “I had the chance not to be there. That’s what I live with—knowing when to listen, and when to shut up.”
How sensitive are you to the Holy Spirit? How hard is it for God to get you to obey Him?
Your level of response will determine your level of blessing. The impact of your abiding in Christ will be determined by your response to the Father’s touch and the work of Christ in you.
God has a plan to conform you into the image and likeness of Christ.
He wants you to bear His likeness in good times and in bad times. He wants to manifest His nature and presence through your life.
Jesus showed us how this works.
John 6:57 NKJV As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
Jesus is talking about maintaining a living contact with Him. Give Him the opportunity of taking hold of you. Give Him the opportunity of pulling you close. Give Him the opportunity of keeping you safe in His almighty life. Allow Him to be your daily portion. Draw aside from the things of the world that entangle your life and press in to a greater fellowship with Christ.
John 15:4 NKJV 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 15:5 NKJV 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 you have responded to His call to “come unto Me,” for salvation and new life, this invitation is for you to “Abide in Me.” The Lord has opened the possibility for you to Abide in Him and experience His ever deepening love and joy. He has made it possible for you to enjoy unbroken communion and fellowship by “Abiding in Christ.”
