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“Chosen and Appointed”
John 15:1-17
Mateen Elass
This “I Am” saying of Jesus provides excellent help as we take a fresh look at our church mission statement. Emphasizing that true community develops from being connected to the same source, and that joy arises from living in accord with the will of that source, Jesus declares that we have been chosen and appointed by him to “go and bear much fruit. ” Without the verb “Go”, one might assume that bearing fruit simply meant loving others in the community with Christ’s love. But in light of Jesus’ major theme in the Gospel of John that his disciples are “sent” into the world, bearing fruit must have a larger scope – to make disciples for Christ as a central consequence of love.
