The Vine and the Head

 

In Matthew 19:13-15 we have the account of Jesus spending time with a group of children. The disciples told the parents not to let the children come to Jesus, but Jesus told them to come. He spent time with them and then laid His hands on them, blessing them.

 

Why did Jesus spend time with these children?

 

Jesus spent time with these children because that is what Jesus did. He spent time with people.

 

He spent time with people:

On hillsides and fed them

In the temple and taught them

On the seashore and called them to follow Him

In the marketplace and healed them

 

According to Luke 19:10 Jesus said that He came to seek and save the lost.

 

Jesus came for us, people.

 

John 15:1

I am the vine and My Father is the vinedresser.

 

Jesus came to be the vine, our source. Jesus is our source for everything.

 

Jesus is our source for:

Salvation

Forgiveness

Healing

Mercy

 

Through Jesus we have everything we need for life and godliness.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is having Jesus as our source for everything.

 

John 15:5

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

 

We are the branches and if we stay attached to the vine (Jesus the Source) we will produce godly fruit. If we don’t stay attached to the vine, we will do nothing. 

 

Since Jesus is the source, we have to stay connected to Him to be able to produce anything of eternal value in our lives.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is, as branches, staying connected to Jesus the vine and producing fruit.

 

Ephesians 5:23

For the husband is head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body and is Himself its Savior.

 

Jesus is the head of the church, His body.

 

Jesus as the head is the authority to give direction to the body. The body is directed by the head and is to function as the head tells it to.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is submitting to the authority of Jesus, the Head, and doing His will.

 

Since Jesus is the Head, that makes us the body. We are the hands and feet and voice and heart of Jesus in the world.

 

We are, as the body, to obey the direction of Jesus, the head.

 

We are to be the feet of Jesus to go where people are.

We are to be the hands of Jesus to give to others and heal others.

We are to be the voice of Jesus and proclaim good news to people.

We are to be the heart of Jesus and show His love to others.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being the body of Christ and doing what Jesus did.

 

Recently we got to spend an evening with a group of children as they played in the jump house we provided for an event. We talked to the children and their parents. The event was not a Jesus-focused event so we got the privilege to be Jesus at the event.

I believe that the church produces fruit when we are the hands and feet and voice and heart of Jesus. It may not be instant fruit, but it will be used by the Holy Spirit to impact the lives of people and cause those who don’t know Jesus to see the church in a different light.

 

  As the Body and the Branches Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                                     Joe