“My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.” — John 15:8
Has a coach or a teammate ever tried helping you learn a new skill? They can tell you all of the necessary details of what to do, but at some point, it’s always easier when they say, “Just watch me.” In John 15:8-11, Jesus is teaching His disciples about a new way to live and He gives them two directives: produce fruit and prove to be His disciples.
Produce and prove. What Jesus is communicating is that there should be a noticeable change in how we live our lives—and this change comes from a heart motivation that wants to please God more than impressing others. Jesus wants His disciples to look, think, act, and speak differently than the rest of culture. By doing that, they will prove to be His disciples.
But Jesus also gives them a couple tips to add to their discipleship playbook that simplifies all of this. He encourages them to remain in His love by remembering to keep His commands. It’s pretty simple, actually. Jesus is saying, “Hey, if you want to learn how to do this, just watch me!” To remain in Jesus, produce the fruit He wants and prove to be His disciples, we watch Him—and follow Him.
And here is the best part: When we do this, Jesus says that our joy will be complete (John 15:11).
WARM-UP
Has your coach ever tried to teach you a new skill in sport? Did it come naturally or take some time and practice?
Why do you think that watching Jesus and doing what He did is the best play?
WORKOUT
Spiritual Training > Physical Training
If someone asked you to do 100 push-ups right now without a break, could you do it? Chances are, probably not. If you were given a month to get ready for this challenge, what would you do? You would likely put together a training plan to help build strength.
Start small. Stay consistent. Slowly add more reps. Following Jesus is similar to sport in the sense that we don’t just become like Him in an instant. It takes a training plan.
There’s a passage of Scripture in the New Testament that speaks to both physical and spiritual training—and the priority they should hold in our lives.
1 Timothy 4:7-8 says, “But have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness. For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
Train yourself for godliness. Training the body has limited benefit. Godliness is beneficial in every way.
Physical training is important. It has value. But it shouldn’t be our highest priority. The good news is that spiritual training plans are similar to physical ones. Start small. Stay consistent. Slowly add more reps. You don’t have to memorize the entire Bible today. Just spend some time reading it. You don’t have to pray for an hour straight. Just try talking to God for 30 seconds. As you continue to do this daily, your spiritual muscles will strengthen and grow.
Q: What physical training to you do daily?
Q: Do you train spiritually every day? What are some things you would add to a spiritual training plan?
God Grows our Spiritual Muscles
God doesn’t just tell us to prioritize our spiritual training. He does something extra to sweeten the deal. He promises that our growth is ultimately dependent on Him leading the process. It’s a big reason why Jesus says over and over again in John 15 to remain in Him. Remaining in Him allows the fruit in our lives to be produced.
The apostle Paul shows how this works in 1 Corinthians 3:7. He says, “So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
God gives the growth!
God tells us to produce fruit and prove to be His disciples. Again, this means following Him by aligning our lives according to His words. But ultimately, any growth we experience is not of our own doing—it’s from Him. The beauty in all of this is that God promises that spiritual growth will happen because He is in charge of it all.
If you play college sports (or hope to someday), you probably chose the school because you trusted that the coach would get the maximum amount of potential out of you. How much more so with God? Why wouldn’t we want to prioritize spiritual training when we are promised God will lead the process of growth on our behalf?
Q: How could prioritizing spiritual training help you in your sport?
Q: How have you seen God produce fruit in your life?
WRAP-UP
We’re proven by prioritizing spiritual training.
Remaining in Jesus requires a plan.
Start small. Stay consistent. Slowly add more reps.
Spiritual growth will happen because it’s dependent on God.
Key Action: Develop a spiritual training plan. Write it down and tell a friend who can help hold you accountable.