New Believer's Bible Sample - Flipbook - Page 65
page 1017
Disciples abide in Christ
F I R S T
S T E P S
read JOHN 15:1-17
Jesus wants his followers to be filled with
joy (John 15:11). If we try to find happiness
through the pursuit of worldly things, it
will elude us. Jesus gives us four ways to
be filled with joy.
1. A Disciple Stays Close to the Master.
Jesus encourages us to remain in him
( John 15:4-5). Another way to translate
that is to “abide” in him. The word abide
signifies a permanent position. It means
that you let your roots grow deep into your
relationship with Jesus, allowing him to
fill every part of your life every day. If you
maintain this unbroken fellowship with
God, your lifestyle will change.
2. A Disciple Produces Fruit. The Bible
describes this fruit as love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see
Galatians 5:22-23). Just as a branch can
only produce fruit when attached to the
vine, you can only be productive when you
draw strength from Jesus ( John 15:6, 16).
3. A Disciple Obeys the Master. Another
clear sign that you are Christ’s disciple is
your obedience to the principles and guidelines found in the Bible ( John 15:10). Only
then will you discover what it means to live
in God’s love.
4. A Disciple Loves Others. Jesus gave
us the ultimate example of love by laying down his life for us. He, in essence, is
asking us to do nothing less. This primarily means placing someone else’s needs
before our own.
The only way to find happiness is through
the pursuit of God. If you prioritize your
life as Jesus has laid out in these verses,
then “your joy will overflow!” ( John 15:11).
For the next note on “Live as a Disciple” turn to page 1210.
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has
loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you
obey my commandments, you remain in my
love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you
J ohn 16
these things so that you will be filled with my
joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my
commandment: Love each other in the same
way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater
love than to lay down one’s life for one’s
friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what
I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves.
Now you are my friends, since I have told you
everything the Father told me. 16 You didn’t
choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to
go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using
my name. 17 This is my command: Love each
other.
The World’s Hatred
18 “If the world hates you, remember that it
hated me first. 19 The world would love you as
one of its own if you belonged to it, but you
are no longer part of the world. I chose you to
come out of the world, so it hates you. 20 Do
you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not
greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you.
And if they had listened to me, they would
listen to you. 21 They will do all this to you
because of me, for they have rejected the one
who sent me. 22 They would not be guilty if I
had not come and spoken to them. But now
they have no excuse for their sin. 23Anyone
who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I
hadn’t done such miraculous signs among
them that no one else could do, they would
not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen
everything I did, yet they still hate me and my
Father. 25 This fulfills what is written in their
Scriptures*: ‘They hated me without cause.’
26 “But I will send you the Advocate*—the
Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the
Father and will testify all about me. 27And
you must also testify about me because you
have been with me from the beginning of my
ministry.
16
“I have told you these things so that
you won’t abandon your faith. 2 For
you will be expelled from the synagogues,
and the time is coming when those who kill
you will think they are doing a holy service for
God. 3 This is because they have never known
the Father or me. 4 Yes, I’m telling you these
things now, so that when they happen, you
will remember my warning. I didn’t tell you
earlier because I was going to be with you for
a while longer.
15:25 Greek in their law. Pss 35:19; 69:4. 15:26 Or Comforter, or Encourager, or Counselor. Greek reads Paraclete.
