My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
(John 15:8)
When I ask people “What is the Christian’s ultimate purpose in life?”, the number one answer I get is “To glorify God”. I would whole heartedly agree with that answer (Isaiah 43.7, 1 Corinthians 10.31). Amazingly, when I ask “How does one do that?” the answers are usually pretty vague. Jesus gives us both a clear answer and example of how to glorify God. Jesus said, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.” (John 17:4) But Jesus had not yet gone to the cross. What was the work He accomplished? In the context, it was raising up obedient disciples (John 17:6–7). Just two chapters earlier, He tells them (and us) how we can glorify the Father: bear much fruit. (John 15.8). In other words, if we want to do what almost every Christian says we ought to be doing, “glorifying God”, a clear and surefire way to do that is by being and making disciples of Jesus!
(John 15:8)
When I ask people “What is the Christian’s ultimate purpose in life?”, the number one answer I get is “To glorify God”. I would whole heartedly agree with that answer (Isaiah 43.7, 1 Corinthians 10.31). Amazingly, when I ask “How does one do that?” the answers are usually pretty vague. Jesus gives us both a clear answer and example of how to glorify God. Jesus said, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.” (John 17:4) But Jesus had not yet gone to the cross. What was the work He accomplished? In the context, it was raising up obedient disciples (John 17:6–7). Just two chapters earlier, He tells them (and us) how we can glorify the Father: bear much fruit. (John 15.8). In other words, if we want to do what almost every Christian says we ought to be doing, “glorifying God”, a clear and surefire way to do that is by being and making disciples of Jesus!
