Hi Newport Church Family,
We trust that you are doing well and in good health and spirit.
What a great Serve Day we had in Santa Ana last weekend! A big thank you to all those who participated and contributed to making it such a great day.
We look forward to showing a video of the highlights in church tomorrow.
Becoming a Fruitful Vine
We have a passion fruit vine in our garden, which I have been growing and tending for almost a decade, and it has grown into a fruitful vine bearing scores of delicious passion fruit every year.
Some years the vine has borne more fruit than others, and at times when the vine has been under more stress the growth has been less vigorous, however year by year it has grown into a more and more fruitful vine.
In order for that to happen it has required constant attention and care. Tending the vine with water, fertilization and support so that the vine does not collapse under the weight of the fruit, has caused the vine to grow so vigorously that it is now growing over the wall between us and our neighbors!
As Jacob declared his final blessing over his sons he prophesied these words over his son Joseph: “Joseph is a fruitful vine whose branches climb over a wall.” Genesis 49:22
Joseph had become so fruitful that not even the walls that enclosed him could contain his fruitfulness.
God’s will for each one of us is to be fruitful and God’s first command to Adam and Eve was, “Be fruitful and multiply!
Each one of us can be a fruitful vine, bearing much fruit and God’s word is full of keys to how that can take place in our lives, our families and our church.
When we apply these principles no containment or restriction will ever be able to prevent our branches from climbing over the wall .
Here are some of those vital keys:
1) Abide in the Vine
Jesus said, “ I Am the vine, you are the branches, those who abide in Me and I in them will bring forth much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing” Jn 15:5
The key to our fruitfulness is our relationship with Jesus. Jesus said, “Walk with Me, Work with Me, Watch Me and I will not only give you rest but you will be fruitful!”
2) Stay Planted
Jacob said, “Joseph is a fruitful bough, by a well.” A fruitful vine must be planted by a well.
A well in Jacob’s day was a place where people gathered to draw water and find life. Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman by Jacob’s well, and the well is a picture of the church where we gather together as a community of faith and find life as we worship God, experience His presence and encourage one another in our faith.
David wrote, “Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God” Psalm 92:13
Stay planted and you’ll be fruitful!
3) Don’t allow Adversity to Move You
Jesus said, “I chose you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain.” Jn 15:16
We will bear lasting fruit and will not be moved by adversity if we abide in Christ and stay planted in His house.
Jacob said about Joseph:
Archers attacked him savagely;
they shot at him and harassed him.
But his bow remained taut,
and his arms were strengthened
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
Gen 49:23-2
4) Don’t Resist the Vinedressers Pruning
Jesus said, “every branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit” Jn 15:2
We become a fruitful vine when we allow the Master vinedresser to prune us. He doesn’t prune us to restrict us but to make us more fruitful.
Solomon wrote to his sons, “People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray.” Prov 10:17
If we are going to become a fruitful vine we must welcome pruning rather than resist it!
5) Understand the Power of Blessing
Jacob knew the power of blessing, his brother Esau was devastated that he had lost it, and Joseph experienced the power of blessing in becoming a fruitful vine.
Jacob not only knew the power of blessing but the importance of imparting it to his sons.
He blessed Joseph with this blessing:
May the God of your father help you;
may the Almighty bless you
with the blessings of the heavens above,
and blessings of the watery depths below,
and blessings of the breasts and womb.
26 May my fatherly blessings on you
surpass the blessings of my ancestors,[e]
reaching to the heights of the eternal hills.
May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph,
who a prince among his brothers.
Gen 49:25-26
There is and never will be any substitute for living with the blessing of God on our lives.
Jacob went on to say: “Blessings shall be on the head of Joseph,
and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.”
Jacob was set apart, different from his brothers and that was the key to his blessing and fruitfulness.
When the world is trying to squeeze us into its mold, let’s be set apart like Joseph, abiding in Christ, planted in God’s house, immovable in adversity, receptive to being pruned and receiving our blessing as sons and daughters of God!
Then we will continue to grow and flourish as fruitful vines with our branches running over the wall.
Special Prayer for all Students on Sunday August 29th
Schools are returning for the start of the new school year and on Sunday August 29th we are going to create a special moment in our Sunday service to pray for all of our students.
The last eighteen months have been especially challenging for students on multiple levels, not least of all, the challenges of distance learning.
We will be praying for each student to experience God’s grace and favor in the coming year academically, relationally and in all sports and social activities.
We hope to see you there. We will be full of faith and expectation as we pray for them all!
Generosity is the Master Key to Blessing and Fruitfulness
The fruit of generosity is fruitfulness!
The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. Prov 11:24 MSG
”One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” ESV
God’s word is filled with principles and promises revealing that generosity is the key to God blessing our finances and to fruitfulness and significance.
Let’s keep reading God’s multiple promises and remind Him, as we sow our seed, of all that he has promised to do.
Thank you to all those who are faithfully and generously partnering with us so that we can be a fruitful vine bringing life and hope to our community.
If you would like to give your donation, tithes or offering now you can do so by clicking here.
True Rest
I will be speaking on the subject of “True Rest” tomorrow and we would love to have you join us in person or online at 10am.
We’re believing for a great morning and for God to do abundantly above all that we can ask or imagine as we gather together in His Presence.
Let’s never forget, our Presence Matters!
We love and appreciate you all greatly,
Pastor Jonathan & Dianne Wilson
Senior Pastors