OVERFLOW

This blog is called Overflow.  The reason has a lot to do with John 15:1-17 and the analogy of vines, branches, roots, fruit, etc.  A leader’s best gift to those they lead is who and how they follow.  We all will follow someone or some thing.  Jesus shares some critical principles for our leadership in John 15.  These principles have a lot to do with the vines and branches, perhaps of a grapevine.

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The life of Overflow is easier said than done and in order to live it with all the gusto and fervor we have we must know what it looks like.

Three characters appear in John 15:  Vine Roots, Vine Fruit, and Vine Branches.  There is another character, namely the one who does the pruning, lifting, cutting, etc. of the Vine, that is the VINEDRESSER.

Jesus is the TRUE vine, as opposed to someone who is false.  The vine is closely linked to Israel’s heritage.  God is the vinedresser, the one who works towards the fruitfulness of the vine.  You and I are the branches and what we produce is either fruit, no fruit, more fruit or much fruit.

There is not a more intimate portrayal of a leader’s relationship with the LORD than found in this picture of ABIDING IN THE VINE.

The word ABIDE means to stay at or with, to continue, remain in a place, to persevere, and/or continue.  This is as intimate as it gets…Staying close to Jesus even though there are more “productive” things to be done.  Leadership understands that our OVERFLOW is only as productive and powerful according to what is coming out.  Our lives can be well oiled machines of organizational and productive prowess that is worth NOTHING spiritually.  Stories will not be told of those whose house is organized and clean but whose house is held captive by knowing and making God known.  The Leader must figure out how to produce fruit, abide in the vine, and extend through obedience and joy in family, work and ministry relationships.

LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES OF THE LIFE OF OVERFLOW:

1. Send Deep Roots “ABIDE” into God and His Word.  Success in leadership is derived from my ability to abide and lead from that source of overflow.
2. Yield to the supernatural “FRUIT” that comes from God’s work in a person.  We can’t bear fruit apart from abiding and God prunes so we can bear MUCH FRUIT not just a little fruit.  Grape vines grow very fast but if not managed well their fruit will be limited.
3. Allow the “BRANCHES” to extend near and far.  God has chosen us to bear fruit and that fruit should remain and dare I say reproduce in others.

TOWARDS A DEFINITION OF WHAT IT MEANS TO ABIDE:

Attention- What steps do you need to take to regain a focus that gives God your attention daily?

Breathe- Have you learned to breathe spiritually by exhaling sin and inhaling God’s word and the influence of God’s Spirit?

Inputs- Do you always miss the chance to spend time in God’s word and miss the heart of God?

Develop- Have you ever connected with the heart of Jesus for people, because people matter to God?

Encourage- Do you have intentional plans to encourage believers to stay in the game and involve those who haven’t decided to follow Christ to get in the game spiritually?

On Wednesday mornings a group of men get together to learn how to lead better at home first, then work, then in ministry.  By far the greatest challenge to leadership is at home.  We are asking whether there are any ministry principles in John 14 that we can apply to these areas of our lives.

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Potential Ministry Principles:  LEADERS BELIEVE, KNOW and ASK in John 14:1-17-

1. Belief is an imperative for the life of the leader (14:1).  Trusting Jesus in all situations is critical.  We can build our trust by remembering how he has worked in our life.  He is trustworthy.
2. Future hope is the fuel for everyday obedience (14:1) .
3. Abiding is most important; Jesus prepares a place for us to be with Him (14:2).  Jesus is preparing the disciples for his departure, we should allow him to prepare us for the trials we will face.
4. Knowing Jesus is more important than knowing about Jesus (14:6).
5. Philip is a picture of all of us; needing assurances, intimacy and more knowledge of God (14:8).
6. A LEADER’S WORDS AND WORKS MUST LINE UP FOR THE MOST POWERFUL SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE POSSIBLE (14:10-12)
7. In Jesus’ Name is not a tag on to prayer (14:13-14).  PRAYER IS THE WORK OF LEADERSHIP.  Our prayers must be motivated by glorifying God, we can’t allow selfish motives to remain in our prayers.  Leaders always ASK for God’s power to lead at home.
8. Just saying they love God is not enough; LEADERS show it off through action (14:15).
9. They are absolutely Spiritually powerless without the empowering Holy Spirit (14:16-17).

When it is all said and done the leader believes Jesus will do greater things through them.  Greater things at home, at work and in the church.  It is our responsibility to flesh out the LIFE OF CHRIST in those areas.

Leaders humbly believe Jesus was talking to them when He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”  (John 14:12)

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Greater Things- How can we do greater things than Jesus?  Leaders may not know how but they are sure that Jesus is speaking directly to them and so they pursue Greater Things in order that more glory can be given to God.

Jesus leads us away from Peter’s impulsive self-confidence.  There may not be a more damaging choice than to be self-reliant which is really God-defiance.  Our weaknesses and failures trouble us, so we try and overcome them with more doing and strategic sin management or we just don’t think about them at all.  Jesus’ solution for troubled weak hearts was TRUST and OBEY.  Believing is more than just saying it but living it out.  Trusting does not mean we are pretending to be STRONG.  If we know we are weak but want the strength that God gives it brings God joy and glory if we rely on His resources.  If we believe for a moment that we can follow Jesus in our own strength, we will fail miserably just like Peter failed.

What other observations/principles should we not overlook in the life of the leader from John 14?

1. Is Believe an imperative or simply a statement? (14:1)
2. Does Jesus have a mansion for all of his children? (14:2)
3. What does the word “If” mean in 14:3? (14:3)
4. Thomas shows a Map is only as good as a destination (14:5).
5. Is Jesus saying three different realities (Way, Truth, Life)? or is he saying, “ONE- The way and the truth and the life describe the way?” (14:6)
6. Who is Jesus talking to in 14:7 (Thomas or the disciples and us also)? (14:7)
7. Are Thomas and Philip really a picture of all of us?  What are they asking for really? (14:5, 14:8)
8. Is Jesus sad, hurt, scolding, or other in 14:9?
9. What place do Words, Works, Believe, and Know have in the life of the leader? (14:10-12)
10. What does Jesus mean by greater works? (14:12)
11. What does Jesus mean by telling his guys to Pray “In His Name?” (14:13-14)
12. What is Love to Jesus? (14:15)