John 15:6-8
In verse 6 Jesus says, “Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.”
Our Mantra is “Be the Branch” but the alternative is to be the stick that gets thrown in the burn pile. Jesus says if we are connected to him we will bear much fruit, but if we aren’t connected then we can’t really do anything. The sad story of the stick is that although from a distance people might be fooled, up close it becomes clear it is incapable of bearing real fruit. As a church, we don’t want to be a bunch of sticks with fake fruit that we have tied on.
We are the branches. Our production is a byproduct of our connection to the vine. If Jesus is our life source, then as branch’s our job is to stay connected to the vine. If not, the result is a sad stick story that ends in the rubble of empty accomplishments.