Mercy Culture Church

Being known by the Vinedresser comes from abiding.

Question: Why would Jesus talk in such detail about growing grapes when He’s in His darkest hour?

Abide in me. Remain in me. Apart from me, you can do nothing.

Yashab: abide – Dwell, remain, sit
Shakhan: divine presence/ shekinah glory
Abide: Ménō– To remain, stay in a continued place or condition, and state of being in relationship.

Premature fruit without deep roots won’t last.

Pruning process:
Trims
Shapes grapevines
Removes unnecessary growth
Focuses on bearing fruit

What is pruned in your dormant season is birthed in harvest season.

Let Him prune you now —so He doesn’t have to cut you later.

The vinedresser determines the optimal time to harvest grapes and factors in sweetness and ripeness.

God is the one who determines your time of harvest!

Caution: Don’t focus on production, focus on abiding!

Warning: When you spend more time focusing on the production of fruit you will become cynical of your process and jealous of others' progress.

She’s placing presence over performance.

Kalos: something is made well and looks good. Kalos can even include inner beauty or virtue.

Agathos: usefulness or benefit, “good works”

When you’re known by the Vinedresser and He is known by you, you’ll place His presence over your performance.

Known is not works, known is intimacy.

Caution: Don’t allow the success of the world to be your barometer for abiding and producing fruit.

The difference between abiding and striving
Abiding
You rest in the finish work of the cross
You don’t walk in the fear of man and others’ opinions
You don’t judge other people’s process or progress, and you empower others around you
You connect with God daily

Striving
You can’t accept that you’re already known and loved by yourFather, so you strive to prove yourself to God and others
You make it hard for others to experience God and judge their process
You treat your intimacy with God like a chore rather than an encounter
You don’t Sabbath and think by working harder you can earn God’s love

Practical Advice: Being known comes from spending time with the One you love the most.

Caution: You can do a whole a lot apart from Jesus and bring Him a grape thinking it’s a vineyard.

leb: heart

labab: “ravished my heart,” “captured my heart” or “made my heart beat faster.”

Practical Advice: You gaze by spending time in praise and worship, as you open your heart to God.

What you behold is what you become.