Apart From Me You Can Do Nothing

In one paragraph

Matt Litzelman, one of the elders at First B Jackson, brought the message from John 15 while Pastor Ray was away on a trip. He focused on what it means to abide in Christ, the fruit that comes from that abiding, and what it looks like to be a genuine disciple. The mission of the church, "with all we are, loving God and loving people through Christ," gave the message its frame. Matt opened by...

Read together

1. Matthew 22:37-38 the greatest commandment, love God with all your heart soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself
2. John 15:1-8 the vine and branches passage, the main text of the sermon
3. Ephesians 5:26 being washed with the water of the word, explaining how the disciples were already clean
4. Galatians 5 the fruit of the Spirit listed as evidence of abiding
5. Colossians 1:21 once alienated enemies reconciled through Christ, continuing steadfast in the faith
6. Proverbs 3:5-6 trust in the Lord with all your heart, acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your paths
7. John 6:68-69 Peter's response when Jesus asked if the disciples would also leave, Lord to whom shall we go
8. Philippians 3:8-11 Paul counting all things as loss compared to knowing Christ, read from the Amplified Bible
9. Matthew 28 the Great Commission, go and make disciples of all nations

Talk about it

1. Matt described the slow fade of disconnecting from God by using the image of a cut flower that looks fine at first but is already dying inside. Where in your own life have you noticed that kind of slow drift before you recognized it?
2. Matt talked about pruning, and asked what God might be pruning out of your life right now. Whether it is a lie you believe about yourself, pride, unbelief, or something else. What comes to mind when you sit with that question?
3. Matt shared that when he silenced the voice of the enemy and asked God 'who do you say that I am?', the word that came back was 'steadfast'. Have you ever asked God that question, and what has he shown you about who you are in him?
4. When Jesus asked the disciples if they too would leave, Peter answered, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.' Matt asked where else we would turn in a crisis. What does it look like practically for you to stay and remain in Christ when something is hard?
5. Matt said that relationship is where eternal things come from, and that abiding in community, not just in Sunday gatherings, is part of how we disciple one another. What has it looked like in your experience to be discipled or to disciple someone else in the context of ordinary life?