The church that is in the Father's heart is like the vine. The Lord Jesus is that vine, He is the church. For in Him are all things. He is the Life of the vine and without His life the vine would not have life, the life imparted by the Holy Spirit. We are the branches that spring forth out of the Vine and only have life insofar as we are joined to the Vine. The life that we have comes from the very life of the Vine. And, the fruit that we bear is the fruit that comes from Him, for that fruit is His very nature that He imparts to us. This is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that we read about in Galatians.
So to is the church that has been in the Father's heart since eternity past. The Lord Jesus Christ, and He alone is the Head of the Church His body. We are the members of that body, placed there by the Holy Spirit at the moment of rebirth. And there baptized, submerged, into His Body we are to bear fruit as we are joined to the Head, Jesus.
More than just being the Head, Jesus is also the Chief Cornerstone or foundation and in Him the whole body is built up to be a dwelling place for the Father. There is no place for man-made institutions here. This is the work of the Holy Spirit as He continuously points us to Jesus and not to traditions of man.
The fruit that we are to bear can only be produced in one place, and that place is the Body of Christ - the church that Jesus is building. And that fruit dear fellow believer is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This fruit cannot be produced in any training schools designed by man. There is no discipleship training school on the face of this earth that can teach you how to produce this fruit.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to work in us to build us up into the fullness of Christ, so to it is His work to produce this fruit in us but... it can only take place when we are members of the Body of Christ. This is not "Church Membership" as most know it. It is not a piece of paper - it is a Life and a lifestyle, and that is Christ in us the hope of glory. The very Life of God being lived in us by Jesus His Son. Nothing less!!! The apostle Paul declared this in Galatians when he said that he no longer lives but Christ lives in him.
If you do not have the assurance that Christ lives in you then no matter what "church" you belong to, no matter what denomination or house church movement, you are lost, cut off from the Vine, and are in desperate need of Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. For in Him alone will you find your place in God's family and have the assurance of eternal life. And only there can you produce the right kind of fruit.
This is serious. Chances are 90% that you are trapped in some or other institutional church. There you have been fed with the teachings and traditions of men that have nullified the true Word of God in your life. You have no chance of really knowing God your heavenly Father. You may have learned and know about Him, and then possibly the wrong things, but you do not know Him by experience in your heart. Do not be coerced into believing that it is only through membership of a "church" that you have salvation. That is a lie from your enemy the devil.
Do not believe that you have to go out and witness, lead others to Christ, to be able to bear fruit in the Kingdom of God or to earn your place in heaven one day.
Do not believe that because you were raised in a "Christian" home and have always attended church that you are saved.
Jesus said in John 17:3, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." And this knowing is experiential and not head knowledge.
Nothing can bring you into a personal relationship with God your Father but your own heart. No special prayer, no membership classes, no nothing but an honest and open heart. This brings the power of the Holy Spirit to work in your heart.
You see dear friend, God has poured out His Spirit on ALL MANKIND. The purpose being that when ANYONE turns to the Lord with an open heart, the Holy Spirit is right there to immediately come in, and when He does the most wonderful thing takes place. He transports you into the open, waiting arms of a loving God. He introduces you to Jesus Christ your Saviour and Lord. You are taken into the fellowship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At one and the same time you become a part of the Family of God, the Body of Christ and the future Bride of Christ.
Is that not absolutely amazing. How does that happen? Why does it happen? For God so loved the world (all the inhabitants) that He sent Jesus to pay the price for your soul by dying the terrible death of crucifixion. Then He raised Jesus from the dead to be the start of a new creation; a creation that would not have to try to live by their own strength. But... a new creation that would live by the life of His Son Jesus Christ.
In doing this He opened the way back to Himself. He, God your Father, desires to have a personal, one to one relationship with you. He no longer desires, as in Old Testament times and in institutional churches today, to have to work through a mediator like Moses, the Kings and prophets or pastors, bishops and the like. In fact He never did plan for it to be that way. That was man's decision and still is to this day. The same pattern. His Holy Spirit is the guarantee that He left us because it is He, the Holy Spirit that carries out the will of the Father today. The Lord Jesus did His part and His work on earth is finished. All we need do is just accept what He did for us and embrace His Life which He so freely gives. You cannot live the Christian life.
No matter what your standing in life is: millionaire or pauper, church goer or atheist, prostitute, drug lord, thief, murderer, upper class or bum; GOD LOVES YOU. He has made the way onto this relationship so easy; all that it requires is an honest heart; and then He will shower you with His love by the Holy Spirit which He so freely gives to us.
I challenge you today to be honest with God.
Are you an atheist? Well tell God that you do not believe that there are any gods, let alone the only true God. Tell Him you believe in your own strength and knowledge to get you through life and when you die... that's it. Tell Him you believe in evolution and that you came from an ape. Show Him all the written theories of learned scientists. You may even get angry at Him for daring to challenge your intellect with all the twaddle you have read in this article. Go on - tell Him. You don't even have to go down on your knees. All you need to do is just be honest with Him. That's it. Resist Him all you want, just be honest. Then just wait and you will be surprised at what will happen. Afraid to do it? Then obviously you do believe that God exists.
Are you enjoying your life so much that you do not have time for God? Tell Him. Be honest and tell Him you want to wait a few more years and then you will think about it. Life is too much fun doing whatever it is you are busy with. Be honest with Him... tell Him how you feel.
God appreciates honesty, in fact He hates hypocrisy. You don't need to use any special language as He understands all. Just talk to Him from an honest heart. Anyone can talk to God. You do not need any special qualification except an honest heart. Just tell Him how you feel about what you are doing and how you feel about Him.
I would like to end this article with a short extract from Watchman Nee's book "A Table in the Wilderness."
They that dwell under His shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn and blossom as the vine. Hosea 14:7
Who ever gave much thought to vine-blossom. It is in fact one of the shortest-lived flowers, scarcely noticed before it is gone and has already turned to fruit. In nature we may recognise three types of plants; those which flower but bear no fruit at all; those, such as the peach, which are remarkable both for their blossom and for their fruit; and those like the vine, whose blossoms are of small account, and which men prize only for their fruit. Evidently God places here a high valuation on the last of these.