The Vine and the Branches
To view the Leader Guide for this week, click here.
To view a .docx version of this guide, click here.
Introduction
Last week, we talked about how Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and we can accept the invitation to follow Jesus to make a difference in our world.
During the “Apply” section last week, everyone was encouraged to write down specific action steps they would work on throughout the week. Take some time to discuss how that went with the group.
This week we will be discussing Jesus’ teaching on the vine and the branches.
First, begin your meeting in prayer for God’s blessing over this time with your group.
Connect
- What’s one habit you’ve picked up (recently or not) that has made your life better?
- Why has this been so impactful?
- What’s one thing you’ve learned as you’ve grown up that’s changed the way you treat others for the better?
Opening Thought
It can be easy to move through life on autopilot, but there’s something different about living with intention. When we pay attention to what shapes us, who influences us, and how we treat the people around us, we start to notice what kind of impact we’re actually making on those around us. This week, we’re going to talk about how Jesus invites us to stay connected to him as the foundation for what shapes us and our lives.
This leads us to our main idea for this week:
Main idea for the week
We can remain rooted in Jesus, to produce “good fruit” in the world.
Here’s where we are this week
At this point in the story, Jesus and his disciples are in what is referred to as “the upper room” and they are in the middle of celebrating the Passover dinner together. Jesus has just washed his disciples’ feet, predicted Judas Iscariot will betray him, tells Peter that he will deny Jesus three times before the morning of the next day. This is one of Jesus’ final times we read that Jesus is alone with his disciples and he uses this time to prepare them and teach them what they need to know after Jesus is no longer physically with them. The story today comes right after Jesus has told his disciples to follow him because he is the way the truth and life.
Unpack
Read each set of verses out loud as a group, making observations as you go. Afterward discuss each of the connected questions before moving to the next set of verses:
Read
John 15:1-17
Unpack
Jesus, in the verses we just read, explained to his disciples that God has been “pruning” them as a vinedresser prunes his grapevine so that it can produce the best crop possible.
- What do you think Jesus is trying to communicate to the disciples with this analogy?
- What do you think that looks like in a person’s life?
- If you feel comfortable sharing, when is a time you feel like you were going through a season of being pruned by God?
- How do you feel like you have grown because of that process?
- How do you think this process has helped you better produce “good fruit”, as Jesus put it?
- What do you think Jesus meant when he said to remain in him?
- How should Jesus’ teaching shape your spiritual practices and priorities in your life?
- What would this look like in someone’s everyday life?
- How should Jesus’ teaching shape your spiritual practices and priorities in your life?
- What do you think it practically means to love someone?
- How does Jesus’ command to love one another challenge or affirm this?
- What do you think it could mean to “lay down one’s life for one’s friends” in your context?
- When have you seen or experienced this being lived out?
- How do Jesus’ words in this chapter challenge your understanding and experience of Christian love throughout your life?
- How have you seen others who claim Christ misrepresent this?
- How could accurately representing God’s love to those around you change the world’s perspective of who Jesus is?
- How have you seen others who claim Christ misrepresent this?
- How does this chapter expand your understanding of the cost of teaching others how to follow Jesus well?
Apply
Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group to decide what your personal action steps for the week can be:
- How will you pay attention to the ways that God is trying to shape you to how he wants you to be this week?
- How will you try to be open and lean into this process when you recognize it happening in your life?
- What is one step you will take to “remain” in Jesus this week?
- If you are currently doing this in your life already, what is one more step you will take to do this?
- How will you try to intentionally show and represent God’s love to those around you in your everyday life?
- How will we as a group lovingly hold each other accountable to work on these action steps over the course of the next week?
Closing
Read the first section to your group, then read the verse out loud to the group, and finally, move to the Prayer and Verses section:
Living with intention means paying attention—not just to what we’re doing, but to who we’re becoming in the process. When we stay connected to Jesus, the way we show up in the world starts to shift. Our priorities change, the way we think and live shifts, our relationships deepen, and our impact becomes more lasting. As you step into the week ahead, make sure you are intentionally staying rooted in Jesus so we can produce good fruit and love those around us in the world.
Prayer and Verses
Ask for prayer requests and conclude your time with prayer then share the Key Verse for the Week and Daily Devotional Verses with the group.
Thematic Reflection Verse for the Week
*Read this verse, then encourage the practice of memorization through the week.
1 John 2:6
“Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”
**When practiced consistently, memorizing Bible verses can be an important spiritual practice that centers your mind around the truth that God has given us.
Daily Devotional Verses
Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below.
Scripture: Read the verses several times. Reading out loud can be helpful as well.
Observation: What can you see about the scripture you read?
Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do, or feel, based on what you have read?
Prayer: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned.
Day 1: John 8:12
Day 2: 1 John 4:7
Day 3: Romans 12:9
Day 4: Galatians 5:22-23
Day 5: 1 Chronicles 16:34
Day 6: John 13:35