Abiding in Christ

by Rebecca Dwinell

Okay, I admit it—I’ve got some favorite students in my Sunday school class. You know who I’m talking about—the student who sits up in her chair, helps her classmates, and always wears a cheerful smile. But sometimes the fruit we see in these children is coming from a wrong motive or heart attitude. Maybe they obey out of obligation or the desire to be better than their peers.

Children cannot grow God-glorifying fruit in their own strength, so how can we help them so that it will grow supernaturally in their lives?

Jesus told His disciples, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” John 15:4). Here’s a great illustration to teach children how to abide in Christ. Show a branch to the children and say, “I want this branch to start growing bananas. What if I talk to the branch or tape a banana to it? Will that work? No, it’s impossible for a branch that’s not connected to the tree to produce fruit. This reminds me of what the Bible says about us.

“Jesus told His disciples in John 15:5, ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.’ We know we are supposed to obey God, but it is impossible to do that without Jesus. You and I are separated from God because of our sin. Jesus says that we need to abide in Him. To abide means to stay, remain, or live in one place day by day. You abide in Jesus when you believe in Him as the only way to be saved from sin’s punishment.”

It could be that there are unsaved children in your class. So take the time to talk with them about the Gospel and see if they are ready to receive Christ and begin abiding in Him.

It is important for children to understand that abiding in Christ is a work of the Holy Spirit; they do not remain in Him or remain saved through their self-effort. Instead, the Holy Spirit will remain with them forever, working through them to produce much fruit pleasing to God.

To cultivate spiritual fruit in children’s lives, they need to understand what the Spirit does rather than what they do. The more you talk about what God does for them and how He changes them, the more they will believe in His sufficiency. As they rely on God and grow in their love for Him, the fruit of the Spirit will become more evident in their lives.

It is important for children to understand that abiding in Christ is a work of the Holy Spirit; they do not remain in Him or remain saved through their self-effort.

Remind the children that when Jesus saves you, God the Holy Spirit is with you forever. He is your Helper to obey God and grow good fruit. Here are three ways they can look for the Holy Spirit to help them.

1. The Holy Spirit helps you to trust in God.

God doesn’t change, and He will always love you. He will keep His promises to be with you, to give you the power to obey Him, and to bring you to His perfect home one day. The Holy Spirit reminds you that you can trust God for everything you need and in everything that happens.

2. The Holy Spirit helps you to grow closer in your friendship with God.

When you abide in Jesus, the Holy Spirit will help your friendship with God to grow. The best way to learn about friends is to spend time with them. You spend time with God by reading the Bible and praying. The Bible teaches you about God, His promises, and how He wants you to live. The Holy Spirit gives you the want-to to learn from the Bible and to pray. When you talk to God, remember you can talk to Him about anything. He is ready to help you.

3. The Holy Spirit helps you change so you are more like Jesus.

Because the Holy Spirit is in you, you have new life in Christ, which means you’ll start to live differently and grow good fruit for God. He will help you to obey and be kind. You can’t forgive others, speak God’s truth, or take care of other people by just trying harder on your own. Instead, you can rely on the Holy Spirit to help you live God’s way out of love for God.

Abiding in Christ means that you belong to God, you are in Him, and He is in you.

A branch grows fruit because it is connected to the tree. In a greater way, believers are connected to Jesus. Abiding in Christ means that you belong to God, you are in Him, and He is in you. He helps you to grow in friendship with Him and grow good fruit for Him. And He will never let you go.

Will you teach children to abide in Christ? When they learn how to recognize what God does in and through them, they will grow to rely on God rather than their own strength to do good. May the fruit of the Spirit be seen in their lives.

The Children’s Ministry Resource Bible was a great resource for information on abiding in Christ and includes many tested teaching aids from Child Evangelism Fellowship®.