Gospel of John | Episode 7: The True Vine— Will You Remain in Him?

In this episode of our Gospel of John series, we continue through Movement 2 and sit with one of Jesus’ most personal “I Am” statements:

“I am the true vine.”

Together, we walk through John 15–16 and talk about what it really means to remain connected to Jesus through pruning, waiting, suffering, endurance, and difficult seasons.

Because remaining in Jesus does not mean life becomes easy.

But it does change how we endure.

The question in the middle of Movement 2 now becomes:

Will you remain?

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:30

Hey girlies, welcome back to Gospel Girlies, the Gospel Center podcast for women. I'm your host Angel, and around here we're about honest faith, real life, and choosing obedience even when the road doesn't make sense. So get ready to have your hearts filled, your souls lifted, and your faith ignited. If you're new here, welcome home, girly. If you've been here, you already know the vibes. Hey girl, hey! Alright, so y'all, let me tell y'all, right before I sat down to record this episode, the devil was trying to do his work. But guess what? My god's covering is better. Um, I cannot find my piece to connect my microphone to my laptop, and I was stressed, y'all. But after calming down and thinking, I found my piece, and so here we are. Regardless, this episode was gonna be recorded whether we had a microphone or not, so yeah, and y'all, school this week, uh, stress me out. Your girl kind of had a little meltdown because I don't know if I was like super super tired or I was just irritated, but sis broke down because I was just like, I cannot, I'm over it, I am so over it, I'm done. I and it's crazy because I'm right here at the end, like I'm literally in my fifth semester of six graduation is in December, and I want to say that it's not coming fast enough, but then again, it really is because this year has flown by tremendously, and so yeah, I cried, but I still pushed through though through the exhaustion, through the irritation. I pushed through. I got majority of when I was breaking down, I think I was on like video 13 of 20, and by the end of the night, I was on video 18 and three minutes in, and then I said, Okay, we're gonna go to bed, and then we're gonna wake up in the morning and we're gonna finish. And so that is what I did. Um, I finished, and I thought the last one was like an activity. Um, and I thought the activity was gonna be related to like what I just learned, and I was gonna have to answer questions. And when I clicked it, and I was like, Okay, I'm done, I'll do the activity later. But I was like, let me just see. So I clicked the activity, and it's like two questions. I was like, okay, I can do two questions. So I click, and part of the thing showed, and I was like, Oh, it's a video, and I'm gonna have to answer questions based off the video. But then I scrolled up and it's a picture of the instructor who was teaching the material, and it was asking, you know, how we felt they presented the material. Now, y'all, I definitely was frustrated at this man because it was at some point when he popped up on my screen after one of the guys came in. I was like, Okay, cool, we're gonna have him talk. And that man popped back up on my screen, and I was so angry, I was so angry. I was like, Uh, get somebody else to do it. I'm tired of hearing him talk, he's boring. Um, and so yeah, I need him to do a little bit better. He's very monotone, and that's irritating, especially for somebody that's very sleepy. And so, yeah, I gave him a somewhat satisfied um his thing. Cause yeah, sis was frustrated, but he yeah, he is monotone, so if he can fix that, you know, he explained the material, which is why I gave him somewhat satisfied and not my angry um dispatch dissatisfied response that I wanted to give. Um, but yeah, that's cool. I am so close to you know being done with school, and so I think just I am I'm just tired. Also, I think um I was a little nervous if you know me going through school and already being burnt out, that by the time I got to where I was going, I didn't want to already be tired. I did not want to already be tired, but y'all, I made it through, we're fine, um, and we're gonna keep pushing. Okay, so I also um have a little surprise for the podcast. Um, there are a few things I've been working on behind the scenes that I'm really excited about, like genuinely excited. I've gotten to see pieces of it come together, y'all, and seeing it in real life has been so amazing. Like, I am just in shock, honestly. Um, I'm not ready to fully share yet because I want everything to be in place first, but if all goes according to plan, June 13th is when I'll finally be able to tell y'all what I've been working on. So stay tuned. Just know I'm excited, and I think y'all are going to be excited with me. So, let's go ahead and jump into today's episode. Last week we sat with John 13 and 14, and a difficult question was will you follow Jesus or only follow when it feels comfortable? We talked about obedience, fear, Peter's denial, trust, and what it means to continue following Jesus when faith becomes costly, which was the beginning of movement two. But today we are no longer at the beginning of movement two, we're in the middle of it. And this is where Jesus gets even more personal because now the question shifts from will you follow to will you remain? And with that, today's question is will you remain in Jesus or only stay connected when connection feels easy? Because remaining sounds beautiful until prayers go unanswered, until waiting feels longer than expected, until the pruning begins, until suffering shows up, or until God feels distant. Because John chapters fifteen and sixteen reminds us remaining in Jesus does not remove hardship, but staying connected changes something, it changes how we endure the hardship. Jesus says, I am the true vine, and my father is the gardener, and if you read it in different versions, some of them say husband man and some say gardener, but either way, God tends to what belongs to him, and I feel like this may be one of Jesus' most confronting I am statements because unlike I am the bread, I am the light, I am the way, this statement feels different because it asks something from us. Not who do you think I am, but what are you connected to? Because branches cannot survive separated from the vine. Branches cannot produce fruit disconnected from the source, and I think sometimes we treat connection with God as helpful, encouraging, optional, but Jesus describes it differently. Necessary. Because he says, apart from me, you can do nothing. And who that challenged me because apart from him does not mean a little peace, a little strength, a little fruit. Jesus says, nothing. Which made me stop and ask, how often do we expect peace, wisdom, clarity, purpose while spending very little time connected to the source? And maybe that sounds harsh at first, but I do not think Jesus says it to shame people. I think he is reminding them life was never meant to be carried disconnected from him. Jesus says that every branch producing fruits gets pruned so it can produce even more. And when I read that, I had to pause because I think most of us are okay with the idea of bearing fruit because we like growth and we like answered prayers, we like having testimonies, and we like hearing that God has purpose for our lives, but pruning, I don't think we as believers talk honestly about pruning enough. Because pruning hurts, okay? Pruning can look like losing things you thought would stay. That is friendships ending, jobs ending, plans changing, doors closing, loneliness waiting, and feeling misunderstood. Feeling like everybody else is moving while you are standing still. Why am I going through this? Why would you allow this if you care about me? And I definitely understand and feel those questions. Because pain makes us question love sometimes. But reading John 15 reminded me, pruning is not God abandoning us. Pruning is not punishment, pruning is preparation because gardeners cut healthy branches too. Not because they hate the branch, but because they see what it can be come. And I have had seasons in my own life, probably more than I can remember, where I felt like God was removing things when in reality He was protecting future fruit. I think pruning may be one of the hardest seasons believers experience because often we do not understand it while we are in it. We begin to understand it later, after growth, after healing, after endurance develops. And maybe you are listening to this episode, and you are in a pruning season right now. Maybe life feels heavy, maybe God feels quiet, maybe you are trying to figure out why things hurt. And I'm not gonna promise that pruning feels good, but John 15 reminds us that painful seasons are not always empty seasons. Sometimes God is doing careful work underneath the surface, and careful work often takes time, which made me start thinking differently about fruit altogether. Because if pruning prepares us for growth, then what kind of fruit is Jesus actually talking about? Is it success, recognition, platforms? Or could fruit look different than we imagined? Because I think that question leads us into something important. Jesus says that when we bear much fruit, it brings glory to God. And honestly, fruit made me stop for a second because I think sometimes we mistake visibility for fruit. We think if more people know me, that must be fruit. If I become successful, that must be fruit. If people praise me, that must be fruit. If I get the platform, the relationship, the opportunity, the title, then maybe that means I am growing. But reading John fifteen made me question that. Because fruit is not always loud. Sometimes fruit looks like patience in a season that should have broken you. Sometimes fruit looks like choosing kindness when bitterness would be easier. Sometimes fruit looks like obedience when no one is watching. Sometimes fruit looks like remaining faithful while waiting. Sometimes fruit looks like endurance. And if I'm honest, I think endurance is one of the fruits we overlook. Because continuing to trust God while hurting, continuing to pray while waiting, continuing to show up while life feels heavy, that produces something. And I wonder how often we ask, God, where's the fruit in my life? Meanwhile, fruit has been developing quietly in private, under pressure, during pruning. Which brings me to another question that we all should ask ourselves. What is my life producing? Not what does my life look like online? Not what do people assume about me? What is my life actually producing? Because if I remain connected to Jesus, something should grow. And maybe that is why Jesus keeps returning to love throughout these chapters, because eventually remaining connected to him stops being only about us. It reaches other people. The way we speak, the way we forgive, the way we show up, the way we love. Remain in my love. Love one another. Keep my commandments. And this also made me stop because love and obedience keep showing up together. Not once, repeatedly. Almost as if Jesus is teaching that remaining connected to him should eventually change the way we treat people. And I think sometimes we separate those things. We say, I love Jesus, but struggle to love people. We say, I follow God, but refuse forgiveness. We say, I want fruit, but avoid obedience when it feels uncomfortable. And listen, I'm not saying loving people is easy because it's not, especially when people hurt you, disappoint you, leave, misunderstand you. But Jesus is not describing convenient love here. He's describing sacrificial love. The same love he showed. Because earlier he told them. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. So when Jesus says love one another, I don't think he means love people only when it feels good. I think he means love in a way that reflects me. And that challenged me too, because sometimes obedience does not look dramatic. Sometimes obedience looks like forgiveness, patience, kindness, apologizing. Apologizing, yes. Remaining soft when life made you want to harden. Because following Jesus was never meant to be emotion without obedience. Or obedience without love. And maybe that leads us into another difficult truth, Jesus teaches next. Remaining connected to him does not guarantee the world will understand you. Let me say that again, because that was good right there. Remaining connected to him does not guarantee the world will understand you. That's good. So after teaching about love, remaining, and obedience, Jesus begins preparing the disciples for something heavier. Rejection, persecution, suffering. And honestly, I think this part challenges many of us because somewhere along the way, we started believing that following God closely should automatically make life easier. That if I obey, if I pray, if I love people well, then maybe hardship should leave. But Jesus never promised that. In fact, he warned them. He tells them, the world hated me first. Meaning, do not be surprised if following me costs something. And that was heavy because I think many of us quietly wrestle with disappointment when life becomes difficult. I know I'm guilty. Not always because we stopped loving God, but because we expected obedience to protect us from pain. Pain is not always abandonment. Sometimes hardship exists while God remains close. And I had to sit with that because Jesus is preparing the disciples for suffering while still loving them deeply. Both things existed at once. And that matters because some people experience rejection, loss, misunderstanding, and begin wondering, did God leave? Meanwhile, Jesus may have already warned the season would come. And for real, I think that is important because when Jesus warned the disciples, he was also warning us. He was preparing us. Which means preparation is love too. I'm gonna say that again because I feel like somebody needed to hear that and understand. When Jesus warned the disciples, he was also warning us, he was preparing us, which means preparation is love too. And I thought about it like this if you saw somebody about to get hit by a car, and you yelled, move, that warning is love. If you pull someone away from danger, that is love. Even if you don't know the person, like there's still love, like you still care for people enough to protect them from danger. Preparation can sound harsh sometimes, but preparation is protection to how many times have we been in relationships and or friendships, and you know, they either ghost you or y'all get into an altercation, and that friendship and that relationship ends, and you're sitting there wondering, like, why? Why why why can't I hold on to this? Why why did they leave when in reality that was probably your protection from something that you didn't even know could harm or would harm you? So whenever stuff like that happened, y'all just start thinking like, okay, them leaving, that was probably God protecting me from something that I didn't even, I was no, was not aware of. That's what I'm starting to do. Like anytime something falls through cracks or something doesn't happen, I'm like, okay, that's just God's protection over my life and Him covering me. Thank you, God. And so Jesus spends these chapters preparing people he loves because there is even a moment where he tells them people may harm them and believe they are serving God by doing it. That feels extreme, but maybe the deeper lesson is not everybody will understand what remaining connected to Jesus looks like, not everybody will agree. And obedience has always carried a cost. I mean, look at look at Jesus and his obedience to God and what his assignment was and how much that cost him. Like, he was mocked, he was beat, he was laughed at. Like, come on. Obedience always carried a cost from the very beginning, which means maybe some of us become disappointed with God because we expected comfort when Jesus was preparing us for endurance, and endurance keeps showing up in these chapters because remaining in him was never promised to be easy, only worth it. Man, oh man, angel girl, you preaching today now. Um, I'ma say I'm I'm gonna say that again because endurance keeps showing up in these chapters because remaining in him was never promised to be easy, only worth it, which made me think about another statement Jesus says that sounded confusing at first. It is good that I go away. And honestly, when I first read that, I thought, how could losing Jesus physically ever be considered good? Because if I had walked beside Jesus, heard him teach, watched miracles happen, I do not think my response would have been, yes, leave. I think I would have wanted him to stay too. And the disciples were grieving already, they were sad, they were confused, trying to understand what life would look like without him physically present. Yet Jesus says, It is better that I go, because if I do not go, the helper will not come. Some versions say helper, some say comforter, some say friend, but he is speaking about the Holy Spirit. And excuse me, I had to sit with that because Jesus is preparing them to understand something difficult. His physical absence would not mean abandonment, and I feel like many of us wrestle with that because sometimes we think if Jesus was physically beside me, maybe faith would feel easier, maybe I would trust more, maybe I would struggle less. Maybe I would not feel alone. Meanwhile, Jesus was teaching the disciples that his spirit would remain with them, guide them, convict them, comfort them, remind them. And this was another challenge for me, too, because although we were not physically beside Jesus like the disciples, his spirit remains with believers, meaning, in a way, Jesus still walks with us, not always visibly, but faithfully, and I think that's why remaining connected matters so much because staying connected to Jesus was never only about surviving hard seasons, it was also about learning to recognize his presence, and I feel like many of us want to hear God clearly while spending very little time sitting with him, which made me understand something differently. Remaining requires practice too. Man. Later in John 16, Jesus uses an example that honestly surprised me. He compares sorrow to a woman giving birth. And I had to pause there because childbirth is painful from what I heard. I haven't I don't have kids. Um, it stretches, it exhausts, it hurts. And Jesus says that although the pain is real, joy comes afterward. Ooh, okay. I gotta read that again for myself. And if it touched y'all, that's cool. But I'm reading it again for myself. Jesus says that although the pain is real, joy comes afterward. Thank you, Lord. And I think what stood out to me was not that pain exists, because most of us already know pain exists. What stood out was pain was not presented as pointless. And I know there have been many seasons in our lives that feel unbearable, but while they felt unbearable, God was still producing something. Because if we're honest, waiting hurts, loss hurts, uncertainty hurts, pruning hurts, and sometimes when we are suffering, it makes us ask, when will this end? Would it always feel this heavy? Man, will joy come back? And here is another moment where I think Jesus was preparing the disciples again because he knew grief was coming, loss was coming, confusion was coming, yet he keeps preparing them beforehand. Which means maybe preparation is one of the greatest forms of love we overlook. Because warnings are not always rejection, sometimes warnings are protection, and then Jesus says something else that may be one of the most realistic promises in scripture. In this world, in this world, you will have trouble. Not you might, not only sometimes, you will. After all this, after rejection, pain, loss, persecution, hardship. But I don't think Jesus was dismissing suffering. I think he was reminding his disciples and us trouble is real, but trouble does not win. Pain is real, but pain does not have the final word. Because overcoming was already finished in him. Whatever season feels heavy, whatever pruning feels unfair, whatever waiting feels long, this chapter reminds us suffering may visit, but it does not stay forever. I'm gonna say it again because I feel like me and somebody else need to hear that for real for real. Suffering may visit, but it does not stay forever. Because Jesus already overcame. Not because pain disappears, but because hope remains. Reading this challenged me in more ways than one. Because when Jesus says, apart from me you can do nothing, I had to sit with that, not skim past it, sit with it. Because even this podcast without him would be nothing, not less successful, not less impactful, not me not less meaningful, nothing. And I do not say that dramatically, but I mean it. Because if God removed his guidance, his grace, his wisdom, his presence, what would remain? And that thought humbled me. Because I think sometimes we assume remaining connected to God is only necessary during difficult seasons. And I know I keep saying that, but when life falls apart, when we need answers, when we are hurting, but reading John reminded me, remaining was never supposed to become emergency only. Remaining was never supposed to become emergency only. Connection was supposed to be daily, and honestly, I think I am learning that in real time. Learning to slow down, learning to sit, learning that staying connected to God may require more intentionality than I realized before. Not perfection, intentionality. Because if fruit develops through remaining, then maybe consistency matters more than emotional moments, and again, I've been challenged. It didn't condemn me, it challenged me because conviction pulls us closer, condemnation pushes us away, and although we were not physically beside Jesus like the disciples, his spirit remains with believers, which means we were never left without hope, without help, and without hope, never left without guidance, never left to figure faith out alone. And I'm still learning what it looks like to become more aware. Of that, more aware of his presence, more aware that God may be closer than I realize in ordinary moments, not only during crisis, not only when I need something, but daily. And maybe that is why remaining connected matters so much. Because remaining is not only about enduring difficult seasons. Maybe remaining is also about learning how to be aware that he was near all alone. Before we end, I want you to sit with something this week. Because I do not think the hardest question is, do I believe in Jesus? I think many of us believe, but maybe the harder question is, what am I staying connected to and expecting fruit from more than him? Because sometimes people become the source, success becomes the source, comfort becomes the source, validation becomes the source. And then we wonder why we feel empty or tired or disconnected. And maybe another difficult thing to think about is this do I only run toward God when life feels heavy? Or have I learned how to remain even in ordinary moments? Not because I need something, but because connection matters. And don't rush to answer. Because sometimes questions deserve time. Ask God, what have I been connected to? And am I remaining in you? John 15 through 16 reminds us that remaining in Jesus does not mean life suddenly becomes easy. It is not instant results, it is not perfect lives, it does not mean suffering disappears or questions disappear or difficult seasons disappear. But remaining changes something. Because staying connected to Jesus produces endurance, it produces growth, it produces fruit. And most importantly, it reminds us we were never meant to carry life disconnected from the source. Because apart from him, we can do nothing. And the question in the middle of movement too is not only will you follow, the question now becomes when life gets heavy, when fate, when waiting feels long, when pruning hurts, will you remain? Sheesh. So if this episode encouraged you, challenged you, or gave you something to reflect on, I'd truly love to hear from you. So leave a review, share the episode with a friend or two, or let me know what stood out to you most. And don't forget to stay connected with Gospel Girlies throughout the week. You can follow us on Instagram at GospelGirlies and on TikTok at GospelGirlies with one underscore for encouragement, updates, and conversations beyond the podcast. Before we go, I want to share something I have been learning personally about becoming a presence practitioner. And simply put, a presence practitioner is someone who intentionally practices becoming aware of God's presence. Remaining, right? Because sometimes I think we ask, where is God? Why can't I hear him? Why does he feel distant? Meanwhile, we spend very little time slowing down enough to notice him. And I'm learning this too: that remaining requires practice, not striving, not performing, practice, learning to sit with him, learning to become aware, learning that his presence may be closer than we realize. So for the next few moments, no music, no distractions, no phone, no pressure to perform, just you and God. And we're gonna practice this together because I was taught how to do this. And so when you inhale, you say ya, and as you exhale, you say way. Okay, let's practice together. Okay. Practice being in the presence of God and just seeing what he has for you, and we can do it together because I'm not perfect, I'm still learning, so we'll take that journey together, but we're gonna do that daily, and on Wednesdays, we're gonna do it together, and we're just gonna see what God has in store for us. So one to five minutes a day, or however many minutes you can you give, but be intentional, sit in the presence of God, and bask in his presence. That's so good, and let this be your reminder today. You were never asked to carry life, produce fruit, or remain strong, disconnected from the vine. Remain because remaining is not only something we do during difficult seasons, remaining becomes a way we live. As always, adventure and faith begin today. Remember to walk boldly, live faithfully, and step into God's plan for you. Because it is greater than anything you can ever imagine. I'll see you next time on Gospel Girlies Wednesday at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Bye.