Worship
Please join us for Traditional Service on Sundays at 1:00 PM.
FCCC has resumed “in-church” services at 1:00 PM in the sanctuary on Sunday. If you can’t attend the “in-church” service you can still listen to the “in-church” service on the Conference Call Audio Service (909-318-7828) or watch live on your computer or smartphone by clicking on the link below.
(youtube.com/channel/UCNqojf_N467zRP66rpfvUAQ/live)
Also, the midweek Conference Call Audio Service continues every Wednesday at 10 a.m. Dial-in number: 909-318-7828. Please join us!
We are meeting at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, 1550 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills, Mi,48309
Pastor Tom Sayers
586-703-6249
tommsayers@yahoo.com
Message for Sunday April 28, 2024
“Are You Connected To Christ?”
Faith Community Christian Church
Pastor Tom
What are you tied to? It’s one of the most relevant questions that can be asked of us. Everyone has something pulling on them.
Are you tied to your business? Are you tied to a comfortable lifestyle? Are you tied to alcohol or drugs?
Or are you tied to Christ?
This afternoon we take a look at one of the “I am” sayings of Jesus. Do you know that there are seven “I Am” sayings in the gospel of John? I am the bread of life; I am the light of the world; I am the gate for the sheep; I am the good shepherd; I am the resurrection and the life; I am the way and the truth and the life and the last of these sayings; I am the true vine
Jesus says in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches.”
He is saying, “You’re tied to me. Here is where you draw your strength. Here is what sustains you when life is tough. You are connected to me, I am the vine; you are the branches.”
If we are to understand what Jesus was getting at here, we must look beyond the surface and do some exploring. We have to go beyond the actual words and discover Jesus’ meaning.
Jesus identifies the players in this passage. God is the gardener. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. The Gardner only has one concern for the branch. He wants the branch to bear the fruit that the vine produces and the vine wants to produce as much fruit as it can. That fruit, simply put, is the character of Jesus Christ.
One sure sign that you are a genuine follower of Christ is if your life is bearing fruit that others can see and others can taste.
So the question is: Are you connected to Christ?
Connected. Think about that word for a moment. What does it mean to be connected?
First of all, it means power, doesn’t’ it? We hear someone say, “I have connections.” It means, “I have access to power, wealth. I can get things done.” To be connected also means we have a presence. We have a presence in our lives. We are not alone. Someone shares our life. Someone is there for us. Is there anyone sadder than the person who is not connected to somebody?
Friends, we all need to be connected. We need to know that there are people who care about us. We need to know that we are not alone. Of course, this is where our faith comes in in a powerful way. Our faith tells us we are not alone. We are never alone no matter how isolated our situation seems. No matter how much pandemics and world conflicts rage. We are never alone at Faith Community Christian Church. Remember that!
Jesus put it this way: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit…If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you…”
Here is the great secret of life. Here is the secret of having real “pull” in the things that matter most. It is to be connected to the One who is the ultimate Source of power, to the One who will never forsake us, to the One who will help us live productive, meaningful lives.
Christ says to us: “I have the strength to provide all your needs. I have the strength to hold you in the time of testing. I will never let you go”.
When we are joined to him, we have a source of power, presence, and purpose. We live productive lives and we can truly say I’ve got a friend in high places.
Jesus says that apart from Him we have no power and bear no fruit. Being plugged into Jesus empowers us for ministry and mission.
You and I are called to be plugged in. It’s that simple.
The Message version of the Bible puts it this way: “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you.”
Friends I want to challenge you to stay connected. Stay plugged in. Don’t let your life wither away. Get Connected. Stay Connected.
How many tea drinkers do we have here this afternoon? There’s a great lesson to learn about a tea bag. When you put a tea bag in a cup of hot water, as that tea bag remains or abides in the water that water begins to take on the color and the taste of that tea.
The longer the bag abides in the water, the darker is the color and the stronger is the taste of that tea.
That is exactly what happens when we abide in Christ. We begin to take on the color of His character. We begin to take on the flavor of His life.
The way you abide in Christ is you spend time every day with Christ. You take the tea bag of your life and you soak it in the hot water of His word. You let him talk to you as you study the Bible. Then, you spend even more time with Him, talking with Him in prayer. On that daily basis, you get real with Him, so you can be real to others and then He can bear the fruit of His life through you.
Friends, the way we can tell whether or not someone is real, authentic and not a fake is simply inspect their fruit. We are not called to be judges, but we are called to be fruit inspectors.
You can’t fake fruit and mirrors don’t lie. If you want to know whether or not you are real and you are genuine, simply look in the mirror and ask yourself what fruit are you bearing.
Friends, do you know that more people drift out of the Christian life of worship and of faith than fall out?
Few get angry and leave all of a sudden. But for the most part, we just drift away.
So Jesus advised us to remain in Him, not in a Pastor, a building, or a denomination, but rather, in Him. We can easily get all confused and direct our loyalty to all sorts of people and causes and emotions rather than the one true vine.
We can have an outward attachment to the church by being baptized, by being a member, by attending, but that will never make you a branch that bears fruit.
There are a lot of things we can do without Christ. We can earn a living, raise a family, do good to other people, attend church and be religious without Jesus.
What we can’t do without Jesus is to bear the spiritual fruit of a Christ-like life that will have an eternal impact and give us the significance that we are looking for.
What does it mean to be Christ-like? The Apostle Paul talked about the fruit of the Spirit and said this is what it looks like: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law”. How’s that for a fruit basket? (Galatians 5:22-23).
Do you get the picture? You can’t make fruit. You can’t manufacture fruit. You can’t manipulate fruit. You can only bear fruit and the way you bear fruit is by simply staying connected to the vine. Being real is not something you fake on the outside; it’s something that flows from the inside.
Bearing fruit is what Christian discipleship is all about. We may be saints in terms of ethical and moral purity. We may have the Ten Commandments memorized backwards and forwards.
We may pray prayers that make the angels weep, but if we are not bearing fruit we have missed the meaning of Christian discipleship.
Friends a life well lived is always a more effective witness than words well said.
I would rather see a sermon than hear one any day.
Our roots determine our fruits, and some of us need to do a better job of nourishing those roots.
We’ll Close With This: Jesus gave His life for us so that He could live His life through us.When you are connected to the root you will bear fruit that will never rot, but will only ripen into a life worth living, because you have the right connections.
So, the point is clear, if we are to stay alive and well, if we are to thrive and produce good fruit in this world, if we are to remain spiritually healthy and whole, then here’s the formula in John 15, stay connected to the true vine, stay connected to Christ’s servant mentality, stay connected to Christ’s great promise to always be with us and stay connected to Christ’s amazing grace remembering always that Jesus loves us.
That’s the miracle of the Gospel, the miracle of Grace.
“I am the Vine, you are the branches.” (John 15:5)
As a branch on Christ’s vine, how would you describe the fruit in your life?
Amen.
*Reasons for joining the FCCC Choir:
“The collection plate is never passed to the choir.”
“When you forget to do your laundry, the choir robes cover dirty clothes.”
*Things you never hear in church:
“I volunteer to be the permanent Sunday school teacher!”
*Excuses for not attending church:
“The dog ate my offering!”
.Faith Community Christian Church
