Stay Connected or Dry Out: John 15 Bible Study

In this episode, Dayna dives into John 15 and unpacks what it truly means to “abide” in Christ. She breaks down why so many Christians feel disconnected, burnt out, or stuck—and how Jesus gives the exact solution. Through relatable analogies and scripture, this episode explores what it looks like to stay rooted, bear fruit, and experience real spiritual growth.

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Transcript

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Buckle up, besties. We are back in our Bibles. Hello, and welcome back to the Gospel to Go podcast. I'm your host, Dana, and I am so, so happy you are here today. Whether you are brand new or you are returning, just remember Jesus loves you. And today is a really good episode because we are going to dive into one of the Gospels, John chapter 15, as you can probably tell by the title. And I feel like those of you who are begging for shorter episodes and like actually tied to the gospels, like actually tied to the Bible and Bible studies are really gonna like this one because we are actually going to like read an excerpt. It's been a second since I've actually read straight from the Bible, which may seem counterproductive, but I do think that a lot of my chats and rants and relatability hopefully does help some of you here and there, even though I'm not always reading directly from the Bible. We are always talking about Jesus over here. But today is gonna be a good Bible-rooted episode. So I am really, really excited for it. I actually stumbled across this passage. Now I have read this chapter before because I've read John all the way through, but I was reading my devotional, I think it was Monday, so about five days ago. And I was given this line, 15.5, uh John 15. In the devotional. Like that was the verse for the day. And I was like, I'm gonna open up my Bible and actually read all of 15 because it's been a second, and my eyes were just opened. Like I just feel like every time you read a verse, you can interpret it differently. And I think that that's so cool. It's like how many pages are in this Bible? Thousands, right? And you can read it once all the way through, and then you could read it, you could go all the way back to the beginning and read it all again and get something completely different, like get a different message out of it. That's what's so cool about Jesus, is that when you know, depending on what you're going through, like you're gonna interpret messages differently. And I just think that's amazing. So this is gonna be a good one for those of y'all that need to hear it. Um, especially if you feel like, you know, you're doing all the right things but still feel spiritually dry because we all go through that, right? And again, that's very normal. You know, you believe in God, but something might just feel off. So we're trying to produce fruit here without staying connected to the source. And that's essentially what all of this chapter is about. It's Jesus teaching about the vine and the branches. So I'm gonna read this to you guys and then we're gonna sort of interpret it. I like to mention the Bible that I'm using just because I get so, so, so many questions on it like every single day. So I'm hoping that hopefully the more I repeat it, the more you guys will maybe uh take a look into it because it is the best Bible I've I've seriously ever had. Now I've only had like three, but this is a really, really good one. It's beautiful. Um, but aside from that, it's a life application study Bible. And with that, it gives so much information. It has maps, it has breakdowns, it has little devotion, like they're not really devotionals, but I call them devotionals because as I read these to you, I think you guys are gonna kind of see where I'm coming from. It's just the explanations of it and the realizations that you have with the help that's in this life application study bible, it really just helps when you're studying the word. So, per usual, I will have it linked in the show notes. It's always linked over on my bio on Instagram, TikTok, which by the way, if you are not following along over there, please go and do so. Um, I'd love to have you over there. I post, you know, every day. So if you're looking for more on the word, um, I do a lot of Bible studies over there as well. Before I read you this chapter, I want to give you a little background on John, just overall as a whole, like the entire book of John. Um, and I'm reading this straight from my study Bible. So again, just another perk of having the extra information. But the purpose of the Gospel John is to prove conclusive conclusively, hello, good morning, that Jesus is the son of God and that all who believe in him will have eternal life. The author is John the Apostle, who's the son of Zebedee and brother of James, who was called a son of thunder. And the original audience was new Christians and searching non-Christians. Now, this was written as it's estimated between A.D. 85 and 90, and it's written after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and before John's exile to the island of Patmos. Some key verses that are in John, um, the disciples saw Jesus do many miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book, but these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing in him, you will have life by the power of his name. That's John 20, verses 30 through 31. Some key people in the Gospel John is Jesus, of course, John the Baptist, the disciples. Now, John the Baptist is different than John the Apostle, so you guys know. The disciples, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, Jesus' mother, Pilate, Mary, Magdalene. Those are all key people that are mentioned in John. Um, and some key places are Judean countryside, Samaria, Galilee, Bethany, and Jerusalem. Some special features that it highlights of the eight miracles recorded, six are unique among the Gospels to John, as is the Upper Room discourse, John 14 through 17. In fact, over 90% of John is unique to this gospel. John does not contain a genealogy or any record of Jesus' birth, childhood, temptation, transfiguration, or appointment of the disciples, nor any account of Jesus's parables, ascension, or great commission. So it is a little bit different than the rest of the gospels. If you're unfamiliar, the gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and those are all apostles, and they wrote the gospels. Hang on, I just had to fact-check myself, and I'm wrong. So Matthew and John were among the 12 apostles of Jesus, according to trick Christian tradition, but Mark and Luke were not. So Mark was a companion of Peter and Luke was a companion of Paul. So both of them were considered apostolic men, but they weren't technically direct disciples of Jesus. Okay, so let's get into it. First things first, of course, I'm going to pray. Let's all pray together. If you are somewhere safe where you can bow your head, please do so. Join me in this prayer. Or, you know, if you're busy driving, of course, or walking or whatever, just be safe. Okay. God, thank you so much for being our source. Thank you that we don't have to strive or force change, but simply stay connected to you. Help us recognize what's pulling us away and give us the discipline to abide in you daily. Prune what needs to go and grow what you've planted in us. I pray over my friend who's listening to this podcast today that they may be fruitful, that they may hear your voice, and that you may continue to watch over them and bless them and their families and their loved ones. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Okay. So we are going to read the core scripture here. So going to John, if you guys are in your Bibles, go ahead and open up Gospel John. We are in chapter 15, and I'm gonna read the whole chapter. It's pretty short. Um, but again, I did want to point out five was technically the verse that was in my devotional the other day where I was like, yeah, I gotta read this whole thing. So I'll point it out when I get there. So John 15, Jesus teaches about the vine and the branches. I am the true grapevine. I am the true grapevine, and my father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit, so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Here's verse five. Yes, I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Such a good one. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are not I'm sorry, such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted. When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow. This is my commandment. Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for using my name. This is my command. Love each other. Couple things I want to point out before I even get into anything, because I just read this for the first time in like a week, right? First of all, 16 is beautiful. You didn't choose me, I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruits that the Father will give you whatever you ask for using my name. Hallelujah. Praise God. That's also why we always pray in Jesus' name, or at least I do that because that's what he's tell told us. If you pray in my name, like it will be blessed. Now, obviously, that's not to say that every prayer you ever pray is going to come true or will be answered. I mean, it will be answered in some way or another, but remember, God knows best. So I'm not saying that you can just pray in Jesus' name that you win a million dollars tomorrow and it'll happen, but I just believe that it's just a stronger, it just gives it a stronger foundation to pray in Jesus' name. Now, this 17 is also a very popular one. So John 15, 17, this is my command, love each other. Just love each other as Jesus loves us. It's very simple. Um, it's a very simple command. It's not very simple to do, I will say that. And I made a TikTok on this yesterday, I think. So maybe you saw it. But there is a verse, it's 16, I think, 15, 16, no, not 16. I just read 16. Uh, here we go. For apart from me, you can do nothing. Yeah, so that was part of five. So he says, those who remain in me and I in them will produce much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. Let that sink in. The point of my video that I posted was if you think your life is so great now, because I was there. Like I was there, what, eight, nine, ten months ago, where I felt this calling on my heart to really grow closer and build my relationship with Jesus. And I was so scared. I was so scared to give up secular things and worldly things and things that I was doing and like getting drunk on the weekends and um, you know, just thing like having sex before marriage, things like that. It was just like, I don't want to have to give these things up. I've always done this. I've still had a blessed and fruitful life. Like, I can't imagine why I would need to give this up. Like Jesus still loves me, you know, that kind of thing. But at the end of the day, Jesus is seeing saying that without me you can do nothing. So if all of those fun times I was having and those blessings that I was getting, like I still had a job, I still had a roof over my head, you know, there was no like tragic thing pointing me to, oh, you should follow Jesus. So I was just kind of like, why do I have to? Like, why do I have to follow the commandments and follow everything in the Bible when I know Jesus loves me anyway, and I can just live life the way I want and have a good time? All of those fun things are nothing. Does this make sense? Like, I'm trying to find a way to explain this. If you think your life is great now, but you're living life apart from God, that's that's nothing. That's nothing compared to what you could have when you invite him in. Does that make sense? Like, if your life feels like nothing now, it's time to invite Jesus in, of course. But maybe you feel like your life's fine. Like you're like, okay, yeah, I talked to Jesus here and there, but I sin, and obviously we all sin, but I'm saying, like, you deliberately sin, you're just kind of like, whatever, I'll ask for forgiveness whenever I go to confession, you know, next year, and I'll just keep praying and asking for things. And I sort of have a relationship, but we're not really that close, and I don't really hear his voice because I don't really open my word. And, you know, I'm just doing these things that I know are bad and I'm not repenting. Like just that kind of lifestyle, that lukewarm lifestyle we've talked about on this podcast so many times, that lukewarm lifestyle that I have shared with you that I lived for 15, 16 years, right? Like long time. And you these this this life that you're so afraid to give up, like it's nothing. It's nothing. So if your best day without Jesus is great and you love it, imagine what your worst day with Jesus would be. It's even it's gonna be a step up from that. Like, hallelujah! Let's go. I'm fired up. Let me also break this down for you really quick because I know it can sound like confusing. Like you're like, okay, wait, what about a vine? Like, then there's a branch and something about pruning. So Jesus is the vine, aka the source. You and me, we are the branch or the branches that come off of that, right? And the fruit is your life. The fruit, like, think of your the fruits of the spirit, peace, joy. Um, fruit can be discipline, fruit can be blessings, impact. And you don't try harder to grow fruit, okay? You stay connected. Somebody commented on the the TikTok that I posted. I think it was the one yesterday. Let me read you the comment because it actually like aligned with this perfectly. It says, yeah, it is the one I posted yesterday. It says, John 15, 5 is such a reminder that real fruit doesn't come from striving harder. It comes from staying close to Jesus. Thank you for this reminder. Yes, amen. Like, you don't try harder to grow fruit. Okay, like think about your apple tree in the backyard or I don't know, whatever. Like that tree isn't like trying any harder. It just, it just is. Like it just gets the sunlight, it has the source, it has the vine. Like, you stay connected and you're gonna grow. Like, there's no trying harder. There's no, like, the tree can't move closer to the sun, the tree can't get its own water. Like, at the end of the day, the tree is staying rooted in what is going to make it grow. And so, nevertheless, like it will grow. Now, listen, I have no green thumb. I have never had a green thumb. I don't really foresee me ever having one. Maybe, maybe one day I would love to be like a homesteader. Hello, excuse me. My dog likes to pick up his bone, throw it in the air, and let it fall on the floor when I'm not paying attention to him because he knows it makes noise. So I'm sorry, I know you guys can hear that in the background. Yeah, I'm talking to you. Can you please lay down? I'm talking about Jesus. Okay, back to my gardening tips, aka not gardening tips, because I don't think I will ever be a gardener. Would love to be a homesteader one day. Anyways, for those of you that don't know, pruning refers to removing unwanted parts from a plant. Okay, so like branches or twigs to improve growth or appearance. So maybe your mom's or grandma has taught you to prune things in your garden or in your yard or in your landscaping. You guys can probably assume what's coming next. So turn me up, turn your volume up right now, girl. And listen to me. Pruning does not equal punishment. It doesn't. When you're pruning your garden, what are you trying to do? Are you are you like F you plant like you're the worst ever? I'm gonna cut off this extra little twig that's hanging off. Like, you look so bad, and I'm gonna punish you by trying. No. The point of pruning is to make your garden look better and to get it to its best ability, to get it to its its most beautiful state. Okay. So pruning is not punishment. God cutting things out of your life is not rejection, it's refinement. It's him cutting maybe friends out, losing friendships, okay, closing doors, conviction, like those kind of things. It's not for punishment. It's not for, it's not to make you feel bad. Okay, he cuts what's killing your growth. The point of pruning is to make, let's read it again. Let's go back to Google because Dana can't remember. Removing unwanted parts from a plant to improve gross oh my gosh, to improve growth or appearance, it also means reducing or cutting down something. Okay, so unnecessary parts. Like, think of things that may that God may be pruning right now in your life. And maybe you're so, oh great, I love that my dog's chewing my pillow. Please hold. Guys, send prayers. I really do need them. Like, I my patience is running so thin with this wonderful, beautiful dog that God blessed me with. So, anyways, I don't know where we were at. Something about pruning, right? So don't take that sign as a punishment. God's not punishing you by removing these things from your life or saying no. He is cutting off what's killing your growth. Now, I want to read a part that I highlighted from like the study portion of my Bible. This specifically highlights 15 verses 1 through 8. Jesus is the vine and God is the gardener who carefully plants and cares for the branches with one purpose, that they may bear fruit. The branches are all those who claim to be followers of Jesus. The fruitful branches are true believers who, by their union with him, produce much fruit. Being united with Jesus means drawing our energy and nourishment from him. But those who don't bear fruit, those who make only a superficial commitment to Jesus, will be separated from the vine. Unfruitful followers, quote unquote, are useless and will be cut off and tossed aside. I know it sounds really harsh. I know it sounds really harsh, but we kind of already covered this. Create a true relationship with Jesus that you know in your heart is for real, it's not superficial, you're not doing it for show. And you will be fruitful and you'll receive the gifts of being connected to God. If you believe in God but you're not spending time with him, okay, or you want peace, but you're staying plugged into the world instead of the word, or you want change, but you're avoiding surrender, you're avoiding, you know, giving it up to God. Belief gets you to know him. Abiding is what transforms you, okay? Belief is what is I'm sorry, belief gets you to know him. Okay, so you believe in God, great, you know him, whatever. Abiding is what transforms you, giving it to him, surrendering it to him, staying plugged into your Bible. Okay, just like the branch, the source. Think of your phone. How does it stay charged? You well, you have to plug it in every night, okay? You gotta spend time with him. Um, 15, 16. I know we already kind of touched on this, but you did not choose me, but I chose you. Seriously, just such a it's such a heartwarming like message. I feel like it's such a good point. You're not striving to be picked, you're already chosen, guys. Like we have already been chosen. We are we are God's people, we are his children. And now we're called to produce, we're called to produce fruit, whatever that looks like in your life, whether it's you know, teaching or sharing the gospel or sharing your passions, maybe you're really good at writing, maybe you were meant to be a mother of six or seven children, maybe you are whatever it is, like you know, you're good at running, whatever you can do to just share your, you know, your gifts with the world, that is what you are called to produce. So leaving you guys with just a little bit of some like application and what we can do next, spend intentional time with God daily, even if it's five to ten minutes. Like, I'm not kidding. Just set your alarm five minutes earlier and fit it in. Read one chapter. Sometimes chapters are like a page or two, and sometimes they're like literally five sentences. Like, just do it. Just do it. I have so many resources on my page on where to start. I always recommend starting in the gospels. I really like John. Just start. Like, don't stop worrying about where to start or what to do, or if you're, you know, like if you're ready, you're always ready. God's ready for you. Just open up your Bible and start. Stay in his word. So once you identify that routine or whatever time it is of the day, maybe it's early in the morning, maybe it's right before you go to bed, maybe it's at your lunch break. You open up your UVersion Bible app or whatever it is. That one's free, by the way. I also love Haven. Um, the Haven Bible chat app is amazing, but it does cost money. So just wanted to put that out there. But they do offer a free trial if you guys want to check that out. They do like daily devotions and stuff. Like you can set a locked, like a Bible verse on your lock screen. Whatever it is, you guys, that's gonna get you into the word, just do it and pick a time that you can stay consistent with it, right? So intentional time and stay with it, stay consistent. Be aware of what's draining you spiritually. A lot of times it's gonna be comparison, it's gonna be anything that causes jealousy, anything that causes something that's not the fruit of the spirit. So remember our fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, kindness, and self-control. I think I hit all nine of them, pretty sure. Anything else is not from God and it's not fruit of the spirit. It's not great good for us. It's not from Jesus. It's jealousy, it's anger, it's sadness, it's disappointment. It's all of these things that you could be feeling and, you know, embarrassment or judgmental likeness, judgmental, being judgmental. Um, all those things, like they cause us to grow away from God, right? So be aware of what's draining you spiritually and ask yourself, like, continue to keep keep in line with just like, am I connected right now? Am I connected to God? Am I building this relationship? Is this what the best, most fruitful, most faithful, you know, dis most discipled version of me do? If it's not, then we gotta make a change, right? So that is what I'm going to love you and leave you with today. Um, I am so, so happy that you joined me. Me today. I know this was a shorter episode. I hope you guys like the actual Bible study, the Bible reading. I promise to do more of these. I'm gonna aim to do at least like one of these a month because I know a lot of other times, like I just kind of pick a topic and I go off on tangents, but I know a lot of y'all love those too. So I just want to keep like a good balance. As always, I love, love, love your feedback. So if you guys had any sort of like epiphanies or notes that you took away or want to share with me, please DM me on Instagram. I love connecting with you guys, especially over the podcast. Um, I've been a lot more consistent with YouTube, so I will leave my YouTube links below too. And for those of you that don't know, I also write weekly devotionals for you guys on Substack. If you guys want to pay for a subscription there, um, I make they're really fun for me to write. I love it. It's a really fun creative outlet for me. But um, you get like a devotional every day and then you download it weekly every Sunday. So that's really fun too. So lots of ways you can find me: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Substack, and the podcast, of course. Share this with a friend. This is a great way to just get the word out and continue to share the gospel. Um, so maybe a family friend, family member or friend who is, you know, trying to go closer to God, or maybe they're wanting some sort of resource. Um, I would love for you guys to share me with them. And as always, again, I love you so much. I really do like thank you guys so much for just being here. Thank you so much. And I love you and Jesus loves you. I will see you next week. Happy Friday. Have a fantastic weekend, and I'll see you next time.