In the three years of His public ministry, Messiah Jesus exemplified faith in action.

Messiah Jesus summed up what that meant in His answer to the question John the Baptist asked.

“John was languishing in prison awaiting his death by beheading at the order of King Herod.” (Matthew 4:1–12; Mark 6:24-29; Luke 9:7–9)

“John’s disciples told him about all these things. So John called two of his disciples and sent them to The LORD to ask, ‘Are you the Coming One, or should we wait for someone else?’
When the men had come to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the Coming One, or should we wait for someone else?’”
At that time Jesus had healed many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. So He answered them, “Go and tell John what you have observed and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear again, the dead are raised, and the destitute hear the good news. How blessed is anyone who is not offended by Me!” Luke 7:18-23 ISV.

That helps us understand the meaning Messiah Jesus conveyed when He said to His disciples:

“Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, the one who believes in me will also do what I’m doing. H e will do even greater things than these, because I’m going to the Father. I’ll do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son . If you ask me for anything in my name [as my representative], I will do it.” John 14:12-14 ISV.

“Acting as Jesus’ representative means that the person calling on His name is in a close relationship with Him and wants what He wants. Then, Messiah Jesus explained that relationship beginning with His parable of the Vine and Branches.” John 14:13 AMP

The Parable of the Vine and Branches

Jesus the True Vine

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vintner. He cuts off every branch that does not produce fruit in me, and he cuts back every branch that does produce fruit, so that it might produce more fruit. You are already clean because of what I’ve spoken to you.

“Abide in me, and I will abide in you. Just as the branch cannot produce fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in me while I abide in him produces much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Unless a person abides in me, he is thrown away like a pruned branch and dries up. People gather such branches, throw them into a fire, and they are burned up.

Abide in Messiah’s Love

“If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you can ask for anything you want, and you’ll receive it. This is how my Father is glorified, when you produce a lot of fruit and so prove to be my disciples. Just as the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. So abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you’ll abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I’ve told you this, so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

Love One Another

“This is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you. No one shows greater love than when he lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I don’t call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. But I’ve called you friends, because I’ve made known to you everything that I’ve heard from my Father.

I have chosen you.

“You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. I have appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. I am giving you these commandments so that you may love one another.” John 15:7-17 ISV

That Word from Jesus to His disciples and us motivates us to abide in His love, love one another, and put our faith into action in the work of faith, as Paul reveals.

“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God our Father and The LORD Yeshua the Messiah: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and The LORD Yeshua the Messiah.

“We are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers/and sisters, even as it is appropriate, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of each and every one of you toward one another abounds, so that we ourselves boast about you in the assemblies of God for your perseverance and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you endure. This is an obvious sign of the righteous judgment of God, to the end that you may be counted worthy of God’s Kingdom, for which you also suffer. For it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us when The LORD Yeshua is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, punishing those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Yeshua, who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of The LORD and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes in that day to be glorified in his holy ones and to be admired among all those who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

“To this end we also pray always for you that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Yeshua† may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and The LORD Yeshua the Messiah.” 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 WMB.

Thus, we abide in our Lord Jesus the Messiah and God fulfills our desire for goodness and work of faith with power and the name of our Lord Jesus is glorified in us and we in Him, “according to the grace of our God and The LORD Yeshua the Messiah.”

 

~ Bill Bremer

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Bill Bremer is Founder and Managing Director at Kingdom Relationships Colorado.

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