Leaders love results! They measure progress, celebrate wins and dream of seeing their vision become reality. But serving leaders learn that fruit comes, not from their striving, but because of their intimate relationship with Jesus.  Consider His words to the disciples:

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 (John 15:4-5, NIV).

Jesus calls His disciples to produce results. He desires fruit. But He teaches that the fruit will come only through intimacy.

Intimate leaders are fruitful when they focus on relationship. 

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you…If you do not remain in me you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers…” Jesus begins and ends these verses on fruitfulness with a reminder that fruit comes from remaining or abiding in Him. He calls His disciples to focus on their relationship with Him above all else. Where there is a strong relationship with Him, there will be fruitful results. Where that relationship does not exist only dead wood results.

Some leaders focus on the tasks at hand and focus on producing fruit. They focus on the results instead of the relationship. But serving leaders see their task as strengthening their relationship with Jesus. When they focus on the relationship the fruit will come naturally.

Intimate leaders are fruitful when they acknowledge their inadequacy. 

“No branch can bear fruit by itself…apart from me you can do nothing.” These are tough words for an action-oriented leader used to producing results by their own efforts. But Jesus calls us to first acknowledge that without Him, we cannot produce the kind of fruit He desires. He doesn’t say we’ll produce less without Him—He says we’ll produce nothing without Him! Without intimacy we may work like the disciples trying to catch fish the whole night without results (see John 21:1-6). But as we remain in an intimate relationship with Jesus, fruit is produced from our lives.

Some leaders refuse to acknowledge that they need help. Others are willing to admit they need some help. But serving leaders acknowledge that in themselves they are inadequate to produce anything of lasting value.

Intimate leaders are fruitful when they remain in Jesus.  

“If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit…” Jesus teaches that our fruitfulness as leaders will be in direct proportion to our continued intimacy with Him. It is a relationship that goes both ways, the leader remains in Jesus and Jesus remains in the leader. It is so easy to think that to be fruitful we need to work harder and do more; but our fruitfulness will only increase as we learn to remain in Jesus. This is much more than a one time commitment to follow Him; it is a commitment to remain with Him through all the challenges of our leadership journey.

Some leaders start well, knowing that they have much to learn and areas that need improvement. But with time, they become more self-reliant and less intimate with Jesus. But serving leaders remain in a strong intimate relationship with Him realizing that intimacy produces eternal fruit. Without it, all their efforts fade away.  

For further reflection and discussion:

• As I reflect on my own leadership regarding how much my life yields fruit for Jesus, how would I rate myself on a scale of 1 to 10?      What blocks me from greater fruitfulness?
• What steps can I take to strengthen my relationship with Jesus on a daily basis? How might this strengthen my leadership?
• Do I act in ways that indicate that I am capable of all that is needed in my leadership?  In what ways is Jesus inviting me to acknowledge my inadequacy?  
• In what ways am I tempted to produce fruit (results) without intimacy? What is the result in my leadership?
• After reflecting on these questions, read the entire chapter, John 15. What additional insights do I find in this chapter about how my intimacy with Jesus shapes my leadership?      

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

In the next issue, we’ll examine how intimate leaders bring glory to Jesus.

Servant leaders recognize and practice ‘branch leadership.’ Jesus described this type of leadership in His last leadership training session when He said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) What does branch leadership look like for servant leaders?

Servant leaders recognize their dependence on Jesus.

Jesus made it very clear that there was a difference between Him and His followers. He was the ‘vine’ they were ‘branches.’ The branch is totally dependent on the vine for life and nourishment. Jesus radically claims, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Leaders love to make things happen and naturally want to be in control of their world. But servant leaders acknowledge that they are not in control; they are totally dependent on Jesus. He is the source of their power; He is the giver of the gifts they possess. The ability to influence people or to make money does not come from within us; it comes from a connection to the vine. We might be able to point to things we think we have accomplished but Jesus says that without Him it is ‘nothing.’ Churches built without Him are nothing. Business success without Him is nothing. Many years earlier, God cautioned His people, “But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.” (Deut. 8:18) Servant leaders are free from the tyranny of needing to be in control. Do you acknowledge that without Jesus, your leadership is nothing?

Servant leaders understand their potential in Jesus.

“If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.” All leaders have a passion to succeed and find ways to measure that success. They want fruit! For some it is profit, for others it is the size of their church or organization. For others success is defined by what others think about them. Jesus is not opposed to fruit, in fact He wants ‘much fruit.’ But He calls servant leaders to recognize that fruitfulness comes when they are connected to Him, not as a result of their own efforts. This fruit may not always look like we anticipate, but when leaders stay connected to Jesus, their potential greatly increases. He wants much fruit from your leadership! Do you recognize the tremendous potential you have in Jesus?

Servant leaders pursue intimacy with Jesus.

When leaders understand their dependence on Jesus and the potential they have as they stay connected to Him, they will naturally take the action step of pursuing intimacy with Jesus. They will passionately seek to learn more about what it means to ‘remain’ or ‘abide’ in Jesus. They want to stay connected to the ‘vine.’ They find time to nurture their personal relationship with Jesus through prayer and reflection. They learn to ask Jesus for His direction before moving forward with plans. They cry out to Him for true fruit from their leadership. They move intimacy with Jesus to the top of their ‘to do’ list. Are you pursuing intimacy with Jesus?

Don’t measure your leadership success by the external standards of numbers and statistics but by your intimacy with Jesus. As you practice ‘branch leadership’ your life will produce much fruit for the glory of God.

For further reflection and discussion:

• In what specific ways has my leadership in the past week reflected my dependence on Jesus?
• In what areas am I tempted to move forward on my own strength?
• How do I currently measure my leadership success? How should I measure it?
• What ‘fruit’ does God want to produce more of through my leadership?
• What daily actions can I take to pursue intimacy with Jesus?