August 11, 2025
The Fruit-Filled Life | Week 3 | Frances Cadle
Sermon Title: “Get Outside and Do Something, You’re Burning Daylight!”
Series: The Fruit-Filled Life
Preacher: Rev. Frances Cadle
Date: Sunday, August 10, 2025
Scripture: John 15:9-13
Big Idea:
Actively participating in a Christian community is not an optional extra but a core command from Jesus. To “abide” in Christ’s love means to be in a dynamic, reciprocal relationship with other believers, where love flows both from Christ to us and between us. This active, shared love is our power source, enabling us to live boldly, find true joy, and fulfill our purpose of revealing Jesus to a watching world. Just as idle hands are put to work, Christians are called to “get outside” of their comfort zones, intentionally plug into the community, and pour out love for others.
Key Points
- Abiding is an Active Verb, Not Passive Rest. Contrary to being a state of rest, abiding in Christ’s love requires actively keeping His commandments, chief among them being to “love one another. This love isn’t just an emotion but a deliberate, effort-filled action that builds and sustains the community.
- Love is a Communal and Reciprocal Circuit. Jesus’s command to “love one another” is multi-directional, creating a community of mutual, reciprocated love. This community acts as a spiritual power grid; we “plug in” to Christ’s love, which empowers us to “pour out” love to others, who in turn love us back, strengthening everyone involved.
- Our Love for Each Other is Our Witness. The way Christians actively love and support each other within the community is the primary way the world will recognize them as belonging to Christ. A failure to engage in this active, communal love is like a toaster that doesn’t toast—it fails to fulfill its intended purpose.
Application Questions
- The sermon uses the analogy of “plugging in” to Christ and “pouring out” for others. Which part of this “circuit” do you find more challenging right now, and what is one specific, practical step you can take this week to strengthen that connection?
- Rev. Cadle states that Jesus’s command is to “love one another,” not just a single person, emphasizing the formation of a community. Who is someone in your church community that you don’t know well? What could you do to intentionally invest in that relationship and expand your circle of mutual love?
- Thinking about the idea that “friendship takes work,” how are you actively working on your friendship with Jesus and your friendships with fellow believers? What “daylight” might you be “burning” by putting off the effort required to build these relationships?
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