2417AFC042624 – Now, cut that out! ← 😊 PODCAST LINK
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Acts 9:27 – 27 But Barnabas took him [The Apostle Paul], brought him to the apostles, and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.
Psalm 22:30-31 –
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord,
31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that he has done it.
1 John 3:21-24 – 21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; 22 and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.
John 15:1-5 – 1 “I am The True Vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes* to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed* by the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, (↔ Music Link), you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”
*καθαιρει – Cleaned inside and out, renewed for growth. kathaírō – make clean by purging (removing undesirable elements); hence, “pruned (purged)”; eliminating what is fruitless by purifying (making unmixed).
E pili mau na pomaika‘i ia ‘oe a me ke akua ho‘omaika‘i ‘oe, ʻŌmea! (May blessing always be with you and may God bless you, Beloved!) Last week we explored Good Shepherd Sunday. Today, we hear Jesus’ assurance that he is the True Vine. This weekend marks the Fifth Sunday in the Octave of Easter. The first reading this Sunday is not from the Old Testament but rather from the Acts of the Apostles. As we have previously stated, the word Apostle comes from the Greek apostolos {ap-os’-tol-os} word which means sent as in one sent forward with information or under orders. We also recall that Jesus chose 12 men who were at first his Disciples. Please read the following list carefully because you might notice that some persons we call Apostles are not in that list in Luke 6:13-16 – 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. They were Disciples at first, but when Jesus sent them out in pairs (See Mark 6:7-13, 30) they were then Apostles for they had completed the purpose for which Jesus sent them.
One apostle not in that list but often heard from here is The Apostle Paul who was confronted by the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus. There are others who may be considered Apostles because they were sent by the Church in Jerusalem to carry the Gospel to the gentile nations. Several were companions of The Apostle Paul: Barnabas, Silvanus, Silas, Timothy, Luke, and John called Mark (or John Mark, the author of the Gospel according to Mark), and others who served as missionaries. There is an interesting list of Companions of The Apostle Paul that is worth a cautious reading. (The company providing that information is a Travel Agency.)
I tell you all this because in our first reading from Acts of the Apostles, we read about Barnabas taking Saul of Tarsus to the Apostles in Jerusalem. Even though this was after 
his conversion, “his name and reputation preceded him” so to speak. The Disciples and Apostles in Jerusalem were afraid of him because of his aggressive and even ruthless persecutions of converts to The Way. He was introduced and/or named as Saul of Tarsus 11 times in the book of acts, and it is only in Acts 13:9 does the author of Acts of the Apostles (presumably The Apostle Luke) write “ But Saul, also known as Paul.” Some authorities assert that Paul (Paulos in Greek) is the Greek word for Saul. (In the same way that Mary is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam.) One last little detail here: the name Barnabas. In Acts 4:36-37 we read – 36 There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). 37 He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Barnabas, the son of encouragement, spoke up for Saul of Tarsus and – on his recommendation – Saul was accepted into The Way and preached boldly about Jesus. I’ve often wondered if going with the name Paul helped ease the tension between him and the Jews who persecuted him, but there’s no solid evidence of that. Sometimes we are called to speak up for others as Barnabas did. Other times we are called to be a Disciple-maker as The Apostle Paul did with Timothy. It is because of men like these – and many women as well – who spread the Good News that the words in our Key Verse from the Psalms are fulfilled: Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it. Certainly this is true of the Christ of God and his servants who tell the world about his deliverance. What the Apostle John wrote applies to us as well: All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us. That Spirit is the Spirit of Love, and if we really, truly live in the Spirit of Love, then we fulfill what The Apostle John says in 1 John 3:18 – Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. How do we live like that, not merely in word or speech but actually in truth and action?
The key is, of course, in the three short words “let us love.” So easy to say and so difficult (but not impossible) to do. In our words and deeds we must be truthful and not dissemble, we must be honest and not lie, we must walk the walk and talk the talk that brings freedom, forgiveness, pardon, empathy, efficacious help, and joy to others. We are called to bear fruit, fruit that will last. This is what Christ tells the Apostles in John 15:16 – 16 You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. It is also what John reiterates in Verse 22 above: we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. We, too, are commanded to bear fruit, and we, too, are prepared for it because we, too, are called to hear and obey the Good News. “Love one another even as I have loved you.” (See John 13:34) Jesus calls us to the same type of selfless, unpretentious Love he has given to us; but how? How can we love each other as Divinely as Jesus does?
How truly blessed we are to get the answer straight from the Apostle John in today’s Key 
Verse from his letter: we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us. (my emphasis) Belovéd, this is simpler than it seems. Let me ask you, how many times have you heard or been asked, “Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?” or “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?” if you’re reading this, the answer to those questions is most likely “Yes.” (If not, write me. We should talk.) Well, my dear friends in Christ Jesus, then you also have an intimate personal relationship with the Holy Spirit as well as an intimate personal relationship with God the Father. Whenever one acts, they All act. Whenever one is called, All are called.
Do I, do you, do we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us? Why or why not? If we believe, we, too, have fruit that will last. Here’s the thing, though. We must remember that Jesus is The True Vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes* to make it bear more fruit. In 2340AFC100623 – Fruit of the Branches, I asked you Q: What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back? 
(Come on, you know this one.) A STICK! Now, what do you call a branch cut off from a tree? You want to say “a stick,” but that’s not correct. A branch cut off of a tree is kindling. Matthew 7:19 – 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So also are branches cut from the vine in the vineyard. We must ask ourselves then, “Am I kindling, or a pruned branch connected to the vine?” if we look carefully we are perhaps both. There are some aspects of our lives that are unproductive and could be cut away. There are other things within that are fruitful and can be pruned a bit to make them more fruitful. How are we serving in truth and action? IF we are not certain about how to answer that, then – since we have an intimate personal relationship with the Holy Spirit – just ask to take a little off the top and around the edges; you know, ask for a quick trim, a little pruning for the Lord. “Jesus, the Holy Spirit showed me this and it is unfruitful. Now, just cut that out, please.” This makes everyone happy because of what Jesus told us in John 15:8 – 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. The Apostle Paul repeatedly stated that the Praise and Glory all go to God:
- Ephesians 3:20-21
- 1 Corinthians 10:31
- John 17:1–3
- Ephesians 3:20-21 and in the Old Testament:
- Psalm 145:1-3
- Psalm 19:1
- And many, many more!
Remember HE is God and we are not, when we Praise and Glorify God (↔ Music Link) rather than ourselves, we are inviting our close personal friend to come and give us a pruning. We are given the Holy Spirit by, in, with, and through our Almighty, Triune God who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Whenever we praise and glorify God we inform ourselves and all the true children of God of our relationship with the One True God. Here’s his own Word on that:
Isaiah 48:12 –
12 Listen to me, O Jacob,
and Israel, whom I called:
I am He; I am the first,
and I am the last.
Isaiah 49:6 –
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
John 17:11 – 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
Here’s another chance to use the M.A.P. (↔ Click Link) as part of God’s Absolutely Perfect Plan so that all of us – you’n’me together – will be united in YOLO-F. Now, I could resist this, but you just might like where I heard (↔ Music Link) some of this – except I know we won’t ever hear “you’ll no longer be mine” because we’re in and of the True Vine! (↔ Music Link) Maybe that’s another way to testify – just don’t gossip – EVANGELIZE! Maybe open a “branch office”?
And now may the God of All Mercies be with you, both now and forever, in all that you think, do, or say.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
