There is nothing like abiding in Christ! There is no relationship, no friendship, no association, no religion, no philosophy that gives us what we have in Christ.

When Jesus spoke to His disciples at the Last Supper, He explained how things would be different after His departure. They were about to receive the Holy Spirit, the One who would abide in them. The disciples needed to understand that they had involvement in this relationship – they must abide in Christ through the Holy Spirit.

The word abide means, very basically, to stay, to remain, to dwell – with the idea of permanence.

When Jesus said: “Abide in Me,” He presented the privilege of a connection with Him that He knew would best be illustrated by considering the vineyard with its vines and branches.

I hope you will enjoy my lecture as I walk through a few “courses” of viticulture which is the study of grapevines and grape cultivation.

The goal is to understand the very simple illustration that Jesus used: He is the true vine; our Father God is the vinedresser; we are branches on the vine who must abide to bear fruit.

Abiding is a conscious decision that we make to stay connected in fellowship… it’s an act of devotion and dependence.

And such a blessing.

There is no powerpoint.