John 15 - Constant Growth

We were built for growth, constant growth. From birth, all the way until our death, we were designed by God for constant growth. The problem is, we often can find ourselves stuck in a belief, a phase, or a part of life where we stop growing. 

One of the most brilliant investors embodies this understanding. Charlie Munger, at 96 years old, is still learning and growing as a person. I love this quote:

“Knowing what you don’t know is more useful than being brilliant.”
- Charlie Munger

Knowing what you don’t know! Think about that statement for a moment, what don’t you know? If we approach this way of thinking, it takes humility and a posture of openness. We naturally want to know, to solve the problem to have the right answer. The need to be right is rooted deeply in the ego, and one thing our egos are not is humble.

Let’s take a look at Jesus' words in John 15. 

““I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭15:1-2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus is the true vine; God is the gardener. God cuts off every branch in Jesus that bears no fruit. Look a this, we see constant growth in Jesus. We also read that Jesus has branches that did not have fruit, and God cut them off. YES! So, if Jesus is being pruned, then do you think we might need to be pruned? 

In every part of our lives we need to have a mindset and posture of growth, humbleness that fights off our ego, and an open heart to being molded by our creator, God. As we carry this posture, Jesus goes on with this vine and branches analogy and delivers an essential part in v5;

““I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭15:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Staying tethered to the vine, pursuing, and remaining in Jesus is vital and critical. However, this does NOT mean being rooted in beliefs you “think” about Jesus, or our dogma that has nothing to do with Jesus, it has everything to do with religious baggage we are carrying that we have not inspected and discarded appropriately. This could be concerning for some or even a little scary, but let me share a quote that I recently read that really summed it up for me. 

“I must confess I spent many years studying the bible to prove what I already believed rather than allowing it to shape my beliefs.” - Randall Worley

This concept can be taken towards the Bible, or really anything in our lives. Are we studying and reading to confirm our biases and beliefs. Or, are we humble, learning, growing, and seeking to expand our minds and thoughts in a way that genuinely bears fruit. 

If you are squirming in your chair or uncomfortable with the thought of expanding your mind with the Scripture or allowing your view of Jesus or the Bible to evolve and grow, let me show you the perfect example of growth. 

“Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.” - ‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭18:24-26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Apollos had an incomplete theology! Yes, he knew the Scriptures well; yes, he had been taught the way of the Lord. Yes, he was preaching boldly in the synagogue, but his theology needed more growth and understanding. Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and poured into him. 

Think about it this way...our world view and context is limited to our experiences. If you have lived and grown up in the Western world, America, or wherever, you are missing so much context of the world. We already have no way of grasping the breadth, size, and magnitude of God, but we also really do not have the ability to step outside of our own world view and see the world, Scriptures, etc. as the other nearly 8 billion people on earth. 

If we are not continually growing, evolving in our thought, views, and theology, I grow concerned that we might get stuck in our ways, miss the growth that Jesus is calling us to, and stop producing fruit. Constant growth is critical; may we remain in Jesus and continually be growing in all areas of our lives. 

““I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭15:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬