CLiC

THE PRESENCE OF GOD
Intimacy produces fruitfulness
John 15:4,5
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
He who abides in me and I in Him bears much fruit, is what Jesus said. This then is the secret to fruitfulness in life and ministry. Jesus is using the word “abide” to refer to what happens between the branch and the main stem of the vine. They are attached. They are connected. There is a flow both ways. It is not merely a surface connection. There is something “deep” happening. This perhaps is best described by words such as “fellowship,” “communion,” or “intimacy,” describing such a deep connection that a believer is to have with the Lord. Intimacy with God will bring such fruitfulness in ministry, a fruitfulness that cannot be produced merely with gifts and experience.
Ministry can occur based on spiritual gifts, natural talent, good organization, great management, marketing skills, and so on. But it is nothing compared to what happens when God personally invades a group of people or fully inhabits the life of a person at any given point of time. There is much greater and lasting fruitfulness resulting from ministry that is birthed because of intimacy with God. Human eloquence can engage and excite the mind, but God’s presence transforms the inner person bringing about permanent change. Will we press into depths of intimacy with God so that He can release through us much fruit—fruit that remains?
Gifts and anointing can be received by impartation, but intimacy with God is something only you can develop through personal time with God.