"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth for much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing." 

                                                                - John 15:5

       Everything about our relationship with Christ is predicated on the fact that we are divinely connected to him as our source of life.  Jesus said, "The branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine..." (John 15:4).  This word "abide," is a reference to a place where one seeks never to depart.  There are other words that relate to it, such as: remain, dwell, to continue. All of them implies staying put in a particular station or lot.  What we find here, is that it carries the idea of holding fast, to endure, to stay fixed; so as to not drift away.  The Amplified Bible describes it as being vitally united.  Other renderings speak of it as: taking up permanent residence, to continue to live, or to make Christ your home.  All of these ideas are conveyed in the meaning of abide.

       In the first epistle of John, we find a key to "abiding."  It reads: "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him"(1 John 2:27).  John tells us that the anointing is our teacher.  It teaches us everything we need to know. And, the one truth that stands out above all the rest is that the anointing is our assurance that, as we abide in it---we will abide in him. If there is any truth more relevant to the church today, I simply don't know of it.  Nothing is as important as learning from the anointing so as to abide in the Anointed One. To assure ourselves that we never depart from this place of abiding, we must become more and more acquainted with the anointing.  There are two aspects to the anointing---the anointing within and the anointing upon.  The anointing within is that part of our union with Christ that is essential to our experiencing the life of God. The anointing upon is that part of our union with Christ that is essential to our enablement in giving what lives in us.  Acts chapter three, verse six, is a perfect example of how both aspects of the anointing operate as one.  It reads, "Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."  What's obvious, is that Peter had something to give.  As a result of what he had, he was able to impart a heavenly virtue into this man that had been lame from his mother's womb.  The credit, of course, goes to the power that is in the name of Jesus.  Peter even brings this out later in this same passage, "And his name, through faith in his name, hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know..." (verse 16). However, the point that is most relevant is, though we know that this miracle came as a result of faith in the name of Jesus, there had to be more involved that attributed to how Peter was so conscious to yield to the anointing.  If you read carefully the opening text, Jesus said, "...for without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5). And who is He?  He is the Anointed One!  Through his anointing, we are not only able to maintain a heavenly union, but we quality ourselves to become a heavenly conduit!

       The key to your giving is really all based upon your living.  What lives in you is what you have to give out to others.  If we're not abiding in a place where the teacher is teaching us how to live our life in him, then what is it that we have to offer?  If there is anything I have learned from the anointing it is this, it has the power to make us aware of our need to stay vitally connected to Jesus.  By becoming aware of our need to hold fastly to him, there grows within a hunger to be used by him.  If, for whatever reason, we fail to engage ourselves in the anointing that builds life within us, then it is certain our appetite for the purest of the anointing will change.  Many ministers have abused the anointing upon because they have neglected the anointing within.  In other words, they have allowed their attention to be drawn to an outward manifestation of the anointing instead of nurturing what is vital to the anointing---their personal union with the Anointed One. Jesus said, "Out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).  For water to remain alive and fresh, it must maintain a source of supply that is living. Anytime we try to operate under the anointing, when our spiritual reservoir of life is ebbing away, then our efforts will be helplessly ineffective.  We must allow the teacher to teach us about life, about abiding in him, then the river will produce the results it was intended to produce!