• Apples And The Things We Usually Miss

  Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 20, 2026 (message contributor)

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  Scripture:  John 15:1-8

  Tags:  Discipleship, Faithfulness, The Church, Remain, Abide, Fruitfullness  (view more)  (view less)

  Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

I brought something with me today. (Bring out the apples.)

These are apples. Nothing fancy. Not miraculous. Not smuggled out of the Garden of Eden. Just apples.

But here’s what I want you to notice. An apple is sweet. An apple is useful. An apple is good. But the apple is not the point. The point is the tree. Because apples don’t prove the tree is impressive. Apples prove the tree is alive.

And when a tree is alive, it doesn’t panic about producing apples. It does what trees do. It sinks roots. It draws nourishment. It endures seasons. It holds steady through storms. And then, in season, it bears fruit.

That is a picture of the Christian life. And it is a picture of the church.

A lot of churches get this backwards. We want fruit before roots. We want outcomes before obedience. We want growth before depth. We want a harvest before the hidden work has even had time to happen.

But Jesus teaches His disciples a different way. He teaches them a way of life that is not built on anxiety, or performance, or comparison. It’s built on connection. It’s built on remaining, Abiding.