John 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."

He has appointed us that we should 'go' and bear fruit. But what is He referring to? I was always taught growing up that this meant that we were to go witnessing and lead people to Christ. Which I believe is something that we are supposed to do. However, I don't believe that this is what Christ was referring to at this time. In the verses before this Christ had been talking about the vine and the branches. That He is the vine and we are the branches and that if we abide in Him then we produce fruit. Everyone would agree that when He said that, He was referring to inward fruit. So why would He all of a sudden switch gears to refer to outward fruit? Christ was never about what we do, as much as He was about what we believe in our hearts. For out of the heart of man, the mouth speaks; or the body does. But He said to 'Go'. That is a command. Let's take a look at what He said in the language He was speaking at the time: hina humeis hupagete kai karpon pherete. Hupagete, meaning to withdraw, or be lead away. A good example of what I believe He was referring to is found in Mark 6:30-33, "30Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. 31 And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. 33 But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him." In this passage the disciples has just gotten back from the missions trip that Jesus had sent them on and they were telling Him what had happened. But there were so many people wanting Jesus' and the disciples' attention that they didn't even have time to eat, more less rest. So Jesus told them to get off by themselves and rest. But in verse 33 the crowds saw them departing, hupagontas, withdrawing to refresh. See Christ said in John 15:5 that whoever abides in Him and He in them will bear much fruit. For without Him we can do nothing. I believe that those times when we get off by ourselves and just spend time in God's presence, allowing Him to shape us and mold us, that is when we bear much fruit. For we are abiding in Him. And why are we to retreat to bear fruit? Because when we get off where there are no distractions, then we are more able to give God our full attention and He can do a greater work in us. This is why the fruit that we bear when we are alone with God remains. It is when we take what God is wanting to birth within us to heart and make a quality decision to keep it and cultivate it so that it continues to grow that we shall receive whatever we ask of the Father in the name of Jesus. For I believe that it is then that we will not be asking outside of His will.

So in conclusion, we need to take the time to get off by ourselves and spend time alone with God. No distractions of any kind to keep us from the mission at hand. To learn of Him and to spend time with Him. For the more time we spend with someone, the more we become like them. And we are to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. (Matt. 5:48) But we can only do this by being alone with Him, by ourselves, with no distractions.