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Show . . ii - , 1 1 1 FELLOWSHIP WITH JESUS GOLDEN TEXT: Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you " John 15: 14 Lesson Text: John 14: 1-8; 12-18; IS: 1-15 In this lesson, we get a glimpse into the very intimate relationship relation-ship between Jesus and His dis-, Jciples. Realizing that He was soon to leave them, that very I night, to be exact, Jesus was , anxious to comfort and reassure His bewildered followers. The words He gives in John 14 have I proved a source of comfort to His followers all down through the centuries. It is well for us to realize that, in the words of one writer, the whole universe is the dwelling place of God. The earth is but one compartment and it ought not to be a matter of grief for one lo pass from one habitat into another, especially when "the Father's house" into which we pass after this abode is so ample and glorious in nature. Death, for the Christian, is not the end, it is removal from one part of 1 God's world to another. Then, using an illustration I very familiar to the disciples, a grape vine, Jesus talked to them about the unity which existed between themselves and Him. He j likened the relationship to that of a vine and its branches, point-jing point-jing out, however, that branches .which bore no fruit would wither with-er and be destroyed. Likewise I the branch would be fruitless, except as it remained in contact with, and a part bf the vine itself, j Ihe life of the body is func-' tionized in the eye for the purpose pur-pose of sight, in the ear for the purpose of hearing," says Rev. Alfred G. Mortimer, "but at the moment . of death, though the eye and ear retain all their intricate in-tricate parts, they can neither see nor hear, because they are separated from the life of the body. So the moment we are separated from Christ, our spiritual spir-itual life begins to decay." The illustration emphasizes " the unity and permanent relationship rela-tionship between the vine and the. branches; so with those who accept and become a part of the Kingdom of God. "There are some people who visit Christ," says Rev. John II. Jowett. "There are others who abide in Him. ' To the one class religion is a temporary expedient; to the other oth-er it is a permanent principle. To the one class Christ is an occasional oc-casional shelter; to the other He's an 'eternal home.' " Jesus laid much emphasis on the fruit which the branches should bear, otherwise they would be hindrances to the fulfillment ful-fillment of the purposes of the vine, which is to be fruitful. "If we are not helping His work, we are hindering it. We are taking the place that might be occupied by others who would do better work than we, and the sooner we are taken away the better for that work," says Rev. Thomas Thom-as Marjoribanks. A marvelous promise was made, "ask whatsoever ye will and it shall be done unto you." "A careful examination of this passage makes it even more wonderful won-derful than it appears at first sight," says Rev. G. Campbell Morgan. "The word 'ask' may with perfect accuracy be rendered, render-ed, 'demand as your right.' No violence will be done to the Lord's words if instead of 'whatsoever ye will' we read 'whatsoever ye are inclined to.' Yet again, the word translated 'one' may be changed into 'generated;' 'gen-erated;' and we have here, as it seems to me, the most stupendous stupen-dous statement regarding prayer ever uttered. It makes rjrayer limitless within limits." Jesus told His disciples that they should keep His commandments command-ments so that they would continue con-tinue in His love. "The test of love on the part of the strong is that they bear the burdens of the weak and use their power to protect and save," savs Rev. Louis Albert Banks. "The test of love on the part of the weak toward the great is that 'they shall show reverent obedience. When we come to our relation to God this thought is brought to its perfection." One particular commandment Jesus emphasized, that His disciples dis-ciples were to love one another. He added the statement that "greater love, hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." "Love is the greatest thing in the world, and Christ's love was the greatest great-est love in the world, and we Christians are to love each other as Christ loved us," ' says. Rev. James I. Vance. "There is nothing noth-ing higher, holier, diviner than this. It is the tie which is to reunite re-unite the dismembered human race." Jesus encouraged His disciples to realize the closeness of their relationship with God. "Right now he greatest need of professedly pro-fessedly Christian people is a new sense of the approachable-ness approachable-ness of God," says Rev. A. Z. Conrad. "Remoteness has dim-ned dim-ned our vision of Him. Prayer is effectual ized through proximity. proxim-ity. If God cannot be made con-tactual con-tactual with us, then all thoughts of Him are useless. Only a God with whom we can associate is able to communicate to us either His will or His power." |