Reformation Seminary - Gospel of John, The True Vine, Chapter 15 - 10 AM Central Today

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15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.

23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.

24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

Reformation Seminary Lecture - KJV John 15 - The True Vine. 11 AM Central Today

 

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89776949238?pwd=MwQHnlbWV2bMSozhN0cwc9EV0DJAJI.1

15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit [karpos, Polycarp] he taketh away [removes]: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it [cleanse, kathy], that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean [kathy] through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. [same as grapes or roses]

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.

23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.

24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

Parable - The True Vine - John 15 - 11 AM Today

 

YouTube

15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman (george) .

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Stephanus Greek - John 15

15 εγω ειμι η αμπελος η αληθινη και ο πατηρ μου ο γεωργος εστιν

2 παν κλημα εν εμοι μη φερον καρπον αιρει αυτο και παν το καρπον φερον καθαιρει αυτο ινα πλειονα καρπον φερη

3 ηδη υμεις καθαροι εστε δια τον λογον ον λελαληκα υμιν

4 μεινατε εν εμοι καγω εν υμιν, καθως το κλημα ου δυναται καρπον φερειν αφ εαυτου εαν μη μεινη εν τη αμπελω ουτως ουδε υμεις εαν μη εν εμοι μεινητε

5 εγω ειμι η αμπελος υμεις τα κληματα ο μενων εν εμοι καγω εν αυτω ουτος φερει καρπον πολυν οτι χωρις εμου ου δυνασθε ποιειν ουδεν

6 εαν μη τις μεινη εν εμοι εβληθη εξω ως το κλημα και εξηρανθη και συναγουσιν αυτα και εις πυρ βαλλουσιν και καιεται

7 εαν μεινητε εν εμοι και τα ρηματα μου εν υμιν μεινη ο εαν θελητε αιτησεσθε και γενησεται υμιν

8 εν τουτω εδοξασθη ο πατηρ μου ινα καρπον πολυν φερητε και γενησεσθε εμοι μαθηται

9 καθως ηγαπησεν με ο πατηρ καγω ηγαπησα υμας μεινατε εν τη αγαπη τη εμη

10 εαν τας εντολας μου τηρησητε μενειτε εν τη αγαπη μου καθως εγω τας εντολας του πατρος μου τετηρηκα και μενω αυτου εν τη αγαπη

The Final Fling - For Now - In the Gardens

The gardening combines were worried about my lack of purchases, so they offered me a Hosta and two Honeysuckles. I enjoyed sitting down on the parched soil and digging three indentations in the soil. 

I saved a bucket of rain water for the occasion. Sassy observed closely, but she is not a digger. Next door, Ghost loves pillows and cushions - to tear into pieces of fluff.

Live plants now come in clear plastic capsules, tightly wrapped to make sure they stay green and appealing. I used scissors to cut through the transparent shroud. I put the miniature in a clear plastic cup (saved normally for roses) and let the plant hydrate.

I have two ways to protect plants. One is the plastic collar for keeping plants warmer during the winter. That also keeps destructive critters away - squirrels and rabbits. I poke bamboo sticks inside the collar to keep it in place and to signal where new plants are growing.

The Honeysuckle will be fragrant and produce fruit next summer. The Hosta will grow and supposedly be a solid yellow. 

Meanwhile, the Rose Garden is producing flowers from watering, cool air, and pruning. 

John 15:15 I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I AM the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

The flowers on the altar yesterday meant more roses for today. When roses are cleansed (pruned), they grow blooms faster, send out deeper roots, and extend their branches. Enchanted Peace is seven feet tall.

Faith in Jesus Christ is a continuous cycle, which He explained in John 15. Those who do not remain with the Savior - like the grinning, happy-camper-producing clergy salesmen - wither, die, and are removed. Those who remain with the True Vine blossom are absolved of sin - and form the fruits of the Spirit, all God's work through the Means of Grace. 

Complete Explanation - I AM the True Vine - Parts One and Two

Part One - John 15 - I AM the True Vine

    We are definitely ("defiantly" - as most people spell the word today) in rose season. Roses follow the same pattern as grapes in Jesus' simple yet profound I AM lesson.

    The Gospel of John irritated the Tuebingen German scholars because Jesus proclaimed His divinity in that Gospel in such plain, simple words. The rationalists made an idol out of their attack on the Gospel of Mark, where they removed the divinity (Mark 1) and the resurrection of Christ (Mark 16:9-20; Voelz' stunningly bad CPH commentary). 

    The Fourth Gospel is the capstone, uniting, enriching, and explaining Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

 Double Delight 

    A rose gardener, at the earliest stages, takes away the dead and crossing branches, because they do not bear fruit or contribute to the rose bush. This cutting makes the plant grow even better, above and below the surface.

    When a rose branch buds and flowers, the gardener prunes the branch, because cleansing or purging is another boost for the rose, making it even more fruitful.

    Those who fear and neglect roses are too timid to do the pruning. The rose full of dead wood will become dormant and produce very little (like most District Presidents and self-styled bishops). When I spent a long time pruning all the dead wood from my sister-in-law's two plants, she burst into tears, with about 30% of each one in the garbage barrel. I said, "Roses do not grow on dead wood. Give it two weeks, and water it. Roses are not part of the cactus family." She phoned two weeks later, she was crying again, because both bushes were packed with beautiful flowers.

Crepe Myrtle loves being pruned, and the birds love the seeds, building a nest so dinner out is seconds away.

    The point of the John 15 passage is first of all to declare the Father-Son relationship. The Father works through the Son to take away those people aligned with Christ and yet content to be dead wood. They may be indifferent, but they are often leaders who glory in their false doctrine (like DPs and professors) and grow angry with any attempt to teach the Word as it is.

    Nobody is more alert than these people, only in the reverse. They know the meaning behind a challenge, and they instantly respond through proxies or through their deep and abiding love for Holy Mother Synod.

 Enchanted Peace

    Consider - the LCMS and WELS, with most of the parts of the future ELCA - previously taught Justification by Faith, the Chief Article of Christianity. But now, nobody important teaches the Chief Article. There has been a dedicated and ongoing effort to remove sound doctrine from all Lutheran synods and sects.

    Need I point out that the most divergent and perverted Lutheran sect, ELCA, is closing down seminary properties across the fruited plain? Like raisins left out in the sun to dry, these seminaries are selling off property:

1. Trinity in Columbus, the merger of Cap and Hamma, now is the cemetery for Loy, Leupold, and Lenski. They had a massive scandal after a known predator was ordained and offended again, costing them about $90 million.
2. Berkeley in California, selling out to the Muslims, once on the mountain top, now at the bottom, is now part of the mainline union of seminaries;
3. United Lutheran, once two influential seminaries - Gettysburg and Philadelphia, is now led by a fake pastor who became an instant bishop, making a mockery of marriage, the pastorate, and church leadership. Cemetery - Krauth, Schmauk, Jacobs.
4. Luther Seminary, which digested the more conservative Northwestern Seminary, is holding a fire sale, selling property to stay alive;
5. Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, the tragic result of roughly six seminaries merging, is now selling its property to the University of Chicago, temporarily leasing some room back.
6. Southern Seminary survived by aligning with a college. That seminary was another merger from another age.

 Veterans Honor

KJV John 15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Stephanus (Traditional or Majority Text) John 

15 εγω ειμι η αμπελος η αληθινη και ο πατηρ μου ο γεωργος εστιν

2 παν κλημα εν εμοι μη φερον καρπον αιρει αυτο και παν το καρπον φερον καθαιρει αυτο ινα πλειονα καρπον φερη

3 ηδη υμεις καθαροι εστε δια τον λογον ον λελαληκα υμιν

4 μεινατε εν εμοι καγω εν υμιν - καθως το κλημα ου δυναται καρπον φερειν αφ εαυτου εαν μη μεινη εν τη αμπελω, ουτως ουδε υμεις - εαν μη εν εμοι μεινητε

5 εγω ειμι η αμπελος υμεις τα κληματα ο μενων εν εμοι καγω εν αυτω ουτος φερει καρπον πολυν οτι χωρις εμου ου δυνασθε ποιειν ουδεν

6 εαν μη τις μεινη εν εμοι εβληθη εξω ως το κλημα και εξηρανθη και συναγουσιν αυτα και εις πυρ βαλλουσιν και καιεται

7 εαν μεινητε εν εμοι και τα ρηματα μου εν υμιν μεινη ο εαν θελητε αιτησεσθε και γενησεται υμιν

8 εν τουτω εδοξασθη ο πατηρ μου ινα καρπον πολυν φερητε και γενησεσθε εμοι μαθηται

Part Two - John 15 - I AM the True Vine

    Just as John 10:1 says literally - I AM the Shepherd the Good, so John 15:1 says - I AM the Vine the True. That means Jesus is the one and only vine, another way of expressing the Incarnate Word - Jesus is both man and divine. There is no other way of salvation.

    God the Father is the vine keeper, but that does not mean that all who believe in God in some fashion are one. Lacking fruitfulness, they are removed. Those who are united in Christ, believing in Him, are one. They are cleansed by the Word but the unfruitful are removed, withered, gathered up, cast into the fire, and burned. Those five actions are exactly what the farmer does with grapes or what the gardener does with roses. 

    There are only two actions. One is taking away, the other is pruning to increase fruitfulness. A living rose bush can be kept healthy by cutting off dying and diseased branches, but they are not left on the ground to foster more illness. Rosarian instructions are -

1. Cut the parts that will never grow again, because nothing grows on dead or dying branches. They actually prevent the rose from flowering.

2. Cuttins dry up completely.

3. Take the cuttings away so they do not harbor disease and pests. 

4. Set them on fire.

5. Burn them up.

    The five stages describe how complete this action is, like the WELS Church Growth pastor who began with denying Creation, then claimed the Law was obsolete, and when finished, was not just an atheist but a loud-mouthed atheist who taunted his wife and children about going to church. That all began with the "pious" teaching of Objective Justification in seminary - Mequon.

    The alternative is something all believers can count on. By remaining with Christ and Justified by Faith - the purging or cleansing of the individual - the person becomes even more fruitful.

    The entire Rose Garden - which was ordered by Christina because "grass is boring" - now has hundreds of buds. A few have bloomed and were purged for the altar and neighbors. If those flowers are left alone, they will turn into hips, seed pods, and stop flowering. If they are not cleansed, they will also welcome pests which thrive on weakened or sleepy roses. The roots will stop growing to feed the plant. 

    This Parable of Vine has several purposes at once. One is to make sure people are confessing the divinity of Jesus Christ, who is the source of all we do as Christians. Another is to warn listeners and readers about the inevitable outcome of falling away from the Faith (apostasy). But it also teaches how the believer is necessarily fruitful by forgiveness through faith in Him.

    Many times over, dabblers in gardening have winced about the impact of vigorous pruning of roses. I have to tell these beginners -

1. Roses need pruning.
2. Cutting off flowers leads to more roses.
3. Nothing grows on dead and dying branches.
4. Pruning also makes the roots grow deeper.
5. An unchallenged rose bush is on its way to being a thorn-bush alone.
6. Read John 15 and use the best fertilizer ever - the rain, which is always effective, like the Word of God, Isaiah 55:8-11.

 Rugosa Rose flowers are very colorful in growing hips for birds and rose hip tea. They are the fruit of every rose bush but especially large on Rugosa.

The Creation Garden in Autumn

Ranger Bob's watch-kitty took up her station on the front porch, staying there all day for several days. She kept a sprig of cat mint for her meditations there.

Most people are slowing down for autumn, often doing the wrong things for the next season. So much can be done in cool, wet weather to make next year more interesting and productive. It rained buckets, and filled my barrels and buckets with rainwater.

Most herbs grow tenaciously and provide all kinds of benefits. Joe Pye.

Many herbs and unusal plants can be ordered, planted, or moved during this time. Our artist-in-residence loves butterflies, so I sent Norma A. Boeckler the ultimate butterfly plants - Joe Pye - from Growers Exchange.

Any plant - and that includes fall bulbs - will spread its roots during the fall and winter. Ranger Bob, our lawn crew, and the Creation Garden will dig in daffodils. The bulbs are not tasty to critters, and they multiply in the ground rather than shrinking.

We moved the Summersweet (Cinnabon aroma) up front and Ranger Bob noticed it right away. I would do that just for the 24/7 fragrance, but it is also a beneficial bug and butterfly plant.

 Wild Ginger is a big, leafy fun plant.
Everyone says, "What is THAT?"

We will move the Big Leafy Weeds around, because they spread through their "roots" and provide an impressive, tall fence. They produce eerie elvish flowers on stalks in the spring. Serious gardeners call them Wild Ginger Hidden Lily.

 "The Chaste Tree has died. The only way to move one is to buy a new one."
Oh, look what happened to the dead tree.

The Chaste Tree seemed to die during a hot, dry move, but it is now leafed out and poised to nurture bees in the spring, when they nestle in the pure blue flowers and collect its pollen.

 My Elephant Ears are the size of mouse ears.

Treasure the Garden Trash
Let me be blunt, for once. Garden trash is good for the spring garden. Neatniks want to cut down stalks, rake up leaves, and engage in all kinds of devilment. The Creation Garden should not be confused with the living room of a house, which cannot clean itself.

Zillions of beneficial creatures use that decaying trash for food and housing. Acres of grass are rather boring and comparitively boring. Carbon in leaves feed fungi, which feed all plants. Bacteria are the bread of life.

Our dental hygienist was carrying on about bacteria. I said, "They are really the foundation of all life." I was going to add that she made her living from bacteria and should bless them. If we go to the depts of Creation, we find microbes (bacteria, protozoa, fungi, nematodes) storing and swapping water and nutrition. They are the bottom of the food pyramid, so why donate their work to big lawn bags, hauled away, replaced by toxic man-made chemicals?

There is no creature so vile that it cannot feed on another one, whether in life or death. It is not the Disney circle of life, but God's Creation - perfect design, perfect engineering, perfect management.

Jessica Walliser hypnotized me with her beneficial bugs, and Sharon Lovejoy filled me in about many creatures. I used their wonderful books to fill in the gaps between rose monoculture and roses protected by squadrons of fascinating beneficial bugs - plus spiders galore.

This year I had a definite improvement over June Bug destruction (using milky spore added to the soil) and almost total victory over aphids. I once tolerated an initial influx of aphids, destroying white roses especially, then aphids losing out to beneficial bugs - which used them for baby food. But this year I saw almost no aphid damage at all, but a constant buzz of various insects and the chatter of birds enjoying their feasts. To borrow a phrase, this is a cloud of witnesses about God's Creation, design, and purpose.

Many of the new books show gardeners how garden trash is a shelter for such creatures as rove beetles, how webless spiders patrol the yard for food. Those who use pesticides outside are like the sharpshooters who video themselves pulling out a gun and shooting themselves in the foot. That is not something to boast about.

So if the lowlilest and least known creatures can have a very special and important purpose - like springtails reducing garden trash to food for others - then we must have even more to do.

Some ask, "Springtails? What are springtails?" That is my point. They are among the most abundant creatures on earth, yet most people do not know the first thing about them.

 Hybels made a living telling all the denominations how great he was.He retired early in the midst of scandals. No problem - WELS loves adulterous false teachers. He could work there.

The Willow Creek Splash - Shallow Waters Make a Lot of Noise
I have grown old reading reports about Willow Creek Community Church's brilliant plans - most of them emanating from WCCC.

Remember the oafish guy who could not attract attention so he would do a cannonball into the pool? Yes, that is Willow Creek, always making a lot of noise about themselves. I had a member who was a pioneering chemist. He said, "If still waters run deep, shallow waters make a lot of noise."

WC (which also means water closet in Britain) was the exemplar of the church that grew from nothing. An informant says that WC really began with wealthy Dutch Calvinists who wanted a church where Masonic Lodge membership was welcome, which was not true in the strictly Calvinist churches. The Great Bill Hybels started in an ordinary church when the Masonic offer was made. The first parish was forgotten, like the Lutheran Confessional Synod. Ex nihilo - WC was born from the marketing skills of brilliant Bill.

No wonder WELS trooped over to WC and gave scholarships so their mission pastors could be just as misled and anti-Sacrament as their leaders.

So WC has a legalistic answer for every problem, and everyone else should too. And yet the staff was Anti-Law (Antinomian) as legalists often are. No wonder WELS loved their WC - so close to the Love Shack, so close in philosophy.

 LCMS and WELS churches became members of the Willow Creek franchise, yet bragged about their opposition to unionism - (fellowship with false teachers).

Are You Attritional?

Behind the Church Shrinkage Movement (now Missional, but really Attritional) - is this toxic thought - "If we get everybody busy, everyone will want to come here and be friends with all the other busy people. We will give them a purpose to come here and support our vast architecture and glittering reputation."

However, this is just like gardening. Provide the nutrition, and everything will happen according to God's plan. The nutrition in the congregation is the Gospel, invisible in teaching and preaching, visible in the Sacraments.

Jesus clearly taught this in John 15. Remaining on the true Vine makes us fruitful. Through faith in Him - forgiveness - we become even more fruitful. We have so few gardeners now that nobody thinks of picking peas and seeing them flower to produce more peas, cutting roses and seeing more grow. 

The congregation that trusts the efficacy of the Gospel will see divine results over time.

Compost the Weeds on the Spot

 Link to Amazon - Churches That Abuse

I chose the lead graphic, and readers will understand in a few minutes. Yesterday, Ranger Bob said, "What are you going to do about those weeds in the front yard?"

I said, "A strange question, coming from a guy who walked out his front door this morning to a bouquet of roses." He takes them to the cemetery for the graves of his sainted mother and his step-father, also an Army Ranger.

Bob laughed and said, "Oh yes, thanks for those. I really mean it."

I have weaponized weeds from years of adding earthworms, organic matter, and cover crops to the front garden. I have some grassy weeds that are knee-high. No problem. I trim them down, cover them with newspaper or cardboard, and add wood mulch. I compost the high nitrogen weeds on the spot. Their evil becomes my good, but only because of Creation.

All the plants and animals, down to the microbes, are created, engineered, and managed to serve us if we only let them:

• Most insects are beneficial by keeping the pests down;
• A toxin-free garden will multiply the birds, toads, and spiders, which also feed upon pests;
• Fungus, when left alone, will network all the plants, feed them, and even give them hydration;
• All weeds matter, so Dutch clover and Hog Peanuts can feed the soil while living, also post-mortem. The rest can be composted by denying them sunlight - almost instant soil food.

Weed patches in the rose garden are being covered with newspaper and wood mulch. Some weeds will be trimmed back first, all the better to let them decompose into the soil, feeding microbes, earthworms, and soil creatures (sowbugs, centipedes, millipedes, springtails).

"My Church Abused Me"

One of my favorite students wrote that; I have heard the same from various people, who shared their personal experiences or hinted at them. The abusive institutions wound and damage people, whose subsequent difficulties are also used against them.

I have reminded people that Jesus was not opposed by The Atheist Society but by His own religionists, the great and pious, the walking saints of the time. The same is true today - the worst ones hide in their "conservative" or "orthodox" or "Fundamentalist" strongholds, decrying the obvious abuse in the old, mainline, apostate Leftist denominations.

I have seen that abuse close at hand. WELS is far worse than the LCMS, and the Church of the Lutheran Confession (a laughable title) is the worst of the three. Destructive people enjoy the spiritual power of the Church, but only when using it for evil. Some people enjoy being on perimeter, helping out with the abuse while acting sympathetic. 

We can let the wounds - call them weeds - fester, grow, and take over our lives. On their own, they will do that. But God has provided a remedy in John 15 - the parable of the True Vine.

First of all, the unbelievers with no spiritual fruit (because they have not remained on the True Vine) will be 

1. thrown out, 
2. withered, 
3. gathered, 
4. set on fire, and 
5. burned up. 

They enjoy their honors and benefits now, because they honor their Father Below, the Prince of This World. Justice will be served. That knowledge alone should bring peace of mind - it is a good start. I have seen that happen before my eyes, their evil bringing about their well-deserved ruin. Others have to wait, but that is only because the crimes are greater and the punishment held back to gather their followers, as rotten food gathers maggots. Paul Tillich and Pope Pius XII died in the agony of doubt and fear after a lifetime of luxurious apostasy and evil.

Just as we compost weeds on the spot, and use their vigor for what is good and useful, we can turn the abuse into good.

• Shut off anything that makes it worse - evil institutions, evil friends, enabling family, and the urge to dwell on the past. That starts the healing.
• Abide in the True Vine. Hearing the Gospel Word, reading the Gospel Word, attending worship rather than a circus with clowns - that divine energy converts the weeds into God's blessings.
• In time, help others with the same experiences.

John 15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

Greek Lesson - John 15 - The Basics of Growing Grapes - and Roses. The Word - Means of Grace

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ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ 151550 Stephanus New Testament (TR1550)

15 εγω ειμι η αμπελος η αληθινη και ο πατηρ μου ο γεωργος εστιν

Ge-org: land worker, farmer.

2 παν κλημα εν εμοι μη φερον καρπον αιρει αυτο και παν το καρπον φερον καθαιρει αυτο ινα πλειονα καρπον φερη

Katharine, Polycarp

3 ηδη υμεις καθαροι εστε δια τον λογον ον λελαληκα υμιν

4 μεινατε εν εμοι καγω εν υμιν; καθως το κλημα ου δυναται καρπον φερειν αφ εαυτου εαν μη μεινη εν τη αμπελω, ουτως ουδε υμεις εαν μη εν εμοι μεινητε

importance of remaining or continuing or dwelling in John

5 εγω ειμι η αμπελος υμεις τα κληματα; ο μενων εν εμοι καγω εν αυτω ουτος φερει καρπον πολυν, οτι χωρις εμου ου δυνασθε ποιειν ουδεν

6 εαν μη τις μεινη εν εμοι εβληθη εξω ως το κλημα, και εξηρανθη και συναγουσιν αυτα και εις πυρ βαλλουσιν και καιεται

Xerox, xeriscaping (desert)

7 εαν μεινητε εν εμοι και τα ρηματα μου εν υμιν μεινη ο εαν θελητε αιτησεσθε και γενησεται υμιν

8 εν τουτω εδοξασθη ο πατηρ μου ινα καρπον πολυν φερητε και γενησεσθε εμοι μαθηται

9 καθως ηγαπησεν με ο πατηρ καγω ηγαπησα υμας μεινατε εν τη αγαπη τη εμη

10 εαν τας εντολας μου τηρησητε μενειτε εν τη αγαπη μου καθως εγω τας εντολας του πατρος μου τετηρηκα και μενω αυτου εν τη αγαπη

11 ταυτα λελαληκα υμιν ινα η χαρα η εμη εν υμιν μεινη και η χαρα υμων πληρωθη

12 αυτη εστιν η εντολη η εμη ινα αγαπατε αλληλους καθως ηγαπησα υμας

13 μειζονα ταυτης αγαπην ουδεις εχει ινα τις την ψυχην αυτου θη υπερ των φιλων αυτου

14 υμεις φιλοι μου εστε εαν ποιητε οσα εγω εντελλομαι υμιν

15 ουκετι υμας λεγω δουλους, οτι ο δουλος ουκ οιδεν τι ποιει αυτου ο κυριοςk υμας δε ειρηκα φιλους οτι παντα α ηκουσα παρα του πατρος μου εγνωρισα υμιν

16 ουχ υμεις με εξελεξασθε αλλ εγω εξελεξαμην υμας και εθηκα υμας ινα υμεις υπαγητε και καρπον φερητε, και ο καρπος υμων μενη ινα ο τι αν αιτησητε τον πατερα εν τω ονοματι μου δω υμιν

17 ταυτα εντελλομαι υμιν ινα αγαπατε αλληλους

18 ει ο κοσμος υμας μισει γινωσκετε οτι εμε πρωτον υμων μεμισηκεν

19 ει εκ του κοσμου ητε ο κοσμος αν το ιδιον εφιλει, οτι δε εκ του κοσμου ουκ εστε αλλ εγω εξελεξαμην υμας εκ του κοσμου δια τουτο μισει υμας ο κοσμος

20 μνημονευετε του λογου ου εγω ειπον υμιν - ουκ εστιν δουλος μειζων του κυριου αυτου; ει εμε εδιωξαν και υμας διωξουσιν; ει τον λογον μου ετηρησαν και τον υμετερον τηρησουσιν

21 αλλα ταυτα παντα ποιησουσιν υμιν δια το ονομα μου οτι ουκ οιδασιν τον πεμψαντα με

22 ει μη ηλθον και ελαλησα αυτοις, αμαρτιαν ουκ ειχον; νυν δε προφασιν ουκ εχουσιν περι της αμαρτιας αυτων

cloak, pretense

23 ο εμε μισων και τον πατερα μου μισει

24 ει τα εργα μη εποιησα εν αυτοις , α ουδεις αλλος πεποιηκεν, αμαρτιαν ουκ ειχον; νυν δε και εωρακασιν και μεμισηκασιν και εμε και τον πατερα μου

25 αλλ ινα πληρωθη ο λογος ο γεγραμμενος εν τω νομω αυτων οτι εμισησαν με δωρεαν

26 οταν δε ελθη ο παρακλητος ον εγω πεμψω υμιν παρα του πατρος το πνευμα της αληθειας ο παρα του πατρος εκπορευεται εκεινος μαρτυρησει περι εμου

27 και υμεις δε μαρτυρειτε οτι απ αρχης μετ εμου εστε

1550 Stephanus New Testament (TR1550)

by Public Domain