Fruitfulness: Lessons from the lifecycle of grapevines
How Christians can become fruitful by drawing lessons from grapevines’ lifecycle
Introduction
A grapevine is a plant that produces grapes as its fruits
Facts about grapes:
- They are available year around
- The nutrients in grapes may help protect against cancer, eye problems, cardiovascular disease, and other health conditions.
- Grapes are suitable for people with diabetes, as long as they are accounted for in the diet plan
- Grapes as fresh fruits can stay around 5–7 days, grape juice lasts for around 7–10 days once opened, grape wine can stay for 1–5 years, fine wine stays for 10–20 years if properly stored.
- Grape has more than 10 by products though wine is the most known. Apart from wine you can produce juice, jelly, raisins, grape seed oil, grape skin extracts, pomace e.t.c
Why grapevine?
Grapes and wine are highly important symbols in Jewish tradition and rituals and date back to the 1st century. Even in the old testament God uses grapevines to symbolize his relationship with the nation of Israel.
Isaiah 5:7 The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
In Jewish culture grapes also symbolize fertility. If you read the bible, when Moses sent out the spies to spy Canaan the promised land they came back with grapes as a proof of the productivity of the land.
Numbers 13:17–19 17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, “Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified?
Numbers 13:27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.
Also when Noah came out of the ark God gave them an assignment to be fruitful. And a symbol of fruitfulness Noah went out and planted a vineyard.
Genesis 9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.
Genesis 9:20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.
In the context of this,
Grapevine is used in bible as a symbol to help simplify the Christ-Christian or Christ-church relationship and it was used in the bible mostly because grapes and its byproducts were not only important but also widely known in the Jewish culture.
John 15: 1–17
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
The best fruit that God wants us to produce is to win souls for his kingdom.
Lessons from the lifecycle of a grapevine
- You need time to start bearing fruits
It takes around three years for a vine to grow from nursery pots to starting bearing fruits. So as in our work with Christ and as Christians we need time for us to start bearing fruits. But this is not time to be idle because fruits are a result of a process. Because even with a vine, as it is growing for it to produce best fruits it goes through a training process so it grows upright, the bad branches are pruned out, fertilization is done. Also for it to produce the sweetest grapes it needs at least 7 hours of exposure to direct sunlight per day.
Also in the process even if there will be no water vines are drought tolerant though they need moisture when there are grapes on the vines, but not a constantly wet soil.
2. Acknowledge and make the most use of seasons.
After harvest vine leaves fall out. Till the beginning of growth in spring, grapevines are considered dormant and they look woody. Its during this time when the previous canes are cut back to allow new shoots to grow.
As christians (vine branches) we need to know our seasons and during a dormancy season we need to be on our knees strengthening our relationship with Christ (the vine) so we don’t fall out. These are the times of testing and trials to prepare us for the next harvest.
Its around this season when in very cold regions, vines may be buried for their own protection.
Ecclesiastes 3:1–7 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
John 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
3. Learn to handle transitions properly
The first transformation takes place in early spring, when buds begin to break. The buds are extremely delicate during this time, in cold areas for spring hail storms can destroy them. It is around this time when new green growth appears on the vines because the new shoots starts to grow as leaves starts forming out and woody look starts to fade.
This is the season of hope for new season fruits that are yet to be seen but things may go bad. Because if the hailstorm comes, its only the strongest buds that will withstand.
To us this may be those few months after we just got the promotion we prayed for, just received that long delayed payment, the doctor has just confirmed that you are pregnant after you waited for so long, people are getting healed the moment you touch them and all feels very good because you are coming from dormancy where nothing seemed to be working.
But the way we handle this stage defines the amount and quality of the fruits that we will bear.
John 15:4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
4. Let God control your growth
After bud breaks newly emerged shoots will grow very rapidly as temperatures warm. During this time downward-facing shoots are pruned out to remain with only those that grow upwards, thus reducing the potential crop size but increasing the quality.
Its the gardener/the owner of the vineyard who controls how the vine should grow and because the goal is to get grapes of the best quality the shoots that grows in a way that will not lead to the crop of desired quality will be pruned out.
When flourishing, we start feeling as if we all able to the extent we start wanting to control all situations in our life. But God who created us knows us better than we know ourselves. Therefore, if because of what God blesses us with we start going astray, God will prune out the things that will stop us from bearing fruits of the quality he desires and if he feels will not bear fruits he will totally prune us away from the vine.
John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing
5. Create and maintain conditions for high quality fruits
At the onset of summer, flower clusters starts to form. The flowers will eventually bloom and as the fertilized ovary develops, it produces green berries which are actually the grapes just that they are not ripe yet.
Even though this stage brings strong hope for the desired fruits, weather plays a vital role to getting the fruits of the desired quality. E.g While the fruits may have been formed already too much rain can cause problems that will impact the harvest size and quality down the line.
Yes, you may be witnessing and you see people coming to Christ as the result of your work but are you doing it right? Or people decide to accept Jesus not because they felt that they need him but because of the fear you implanted in them or because they are your dependents and you forced them to make a decision.
God has blessed you and yes, you are giving to further his kingdom but, do you feel in your heart that what you are giving will result to the best quality fruit that God desires from you?
Luke 10:20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
6. Work hard to produce fruits that lasts
With time vine shoots mature and the green berries change color and ripen and that sets the grapes for harvest. After harvest the vine goes back to the dormancy stage.
At this stage while there may be no fruits on the vine, depending on how they are stored the harvested fruits may last till the next harvest and even if the same vine may not bear best fruits as during its whole life after, the best fruits born by the same vine may last many years longer thus preserving the identity of the vine. In the secular word this what we call leaving a legacy.
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit — fruit that will last — and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you
God wants us to not only bear best quality fruits, he also want us to bear fruits that last. And as the vine grower takes more care for the vines that produces the best fruits that lasts. If we produce best fruits that lasts God will create all conditions to allow us to bear even more fruits and he will keep us longer because we are beneficial to him.
Conclusion
As branches of the vine and different organs in the body of Christ, God has planted each one of us with a special purpose and assignment and according to that, we experience different seasons accordingly and He expects different set of fruits from each one of us. And therefore, we need to lean on him alone and not be moved or troubled by other people’s seasons and fruits the only thing we need to be sure is that we are in him and he is in us.
John 15:14- 15 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you
John 15:8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
And as per John 15:8, the call to fruitfulness is actually a call to discpleship. That we can’t bear fruits without following the orders and directions of the leader. According to the dictionary a disciple is one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another.
And so Jesus is calling us to accept and assist in spreading his news.
