September 6, 2026 - How Would They Know
Scripture Reading — John 15:1–2 (KJV)
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Sermon Summary
Coming Together to Stand in the Gap
It is always good to be in the house of God and in the presence of God’s people. We gather on Sunday to be encouraged, empowered, and strengthened for the battles that wait for us Monday through Saturday. Even when our own testimonies are strong, Rev. Johnson reminded us, some among us are in the trenches, facing storms both seen and unexpected. He lifted up Brother Walter, who is back in the hospital, and pressed a truth we forget too easily: it could have been any one of us. Just as Jesus told Peter that the devil desired to sift him as wheat — “but I have prayed for thee” — we are called to pray for one another, and to do it now, not later. Prayer is the most powerful tool God has placed in our hands, yet too often we treat it like nothing. So before the message went forward, the church family paused to agree together in prayer for Brother Walter.
A Disclaimer Before the Message
Rev. Johnson opened with an honest disclaimer. There was a time when faithful attendance — Sunday service, Bible study, Sunday school — was enough for people to assume you were a Christian. But the Word sets a higher bar. Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman,” and every branch in Him is expected to bear fruit. Titles, membership, and a full calendar of church activity are good things, but they are not the evidence Scripture is looking for. The real question is simple and searching: how would the people around you actually know that you belong to Christ?
How Would They Know?
To make the point, the preacher reached back to the days of the Underground Railroad, when certain signs told a traveler who could be trusted — and a wrong guess could cost a life. Jesus sent His disciples out as sheep among wolves, warning that the journey would be dangerous. The trouble in our world today, Rev. Johnson said, is that when believers go out among people, no one can tell who they are. A cross around the neck, an emblem on the car, a sign on the wall — all fine in their place, but the world needs to see Christ in our conversation and our conduct, not just in what we wear or hang up.
Show Up for Duty
Our pews are emptier than they should be, and the preacher refused to let us blame anyone but ourselves. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few — not because workers are scarce, but because too many refuse to go. Every empty seat was meant to hold somebody’s son, somebody’s daughter, somebody’s crying soul. When God writes us into the day’s script, we do not get to scratch our name out. Rev. Johnson told on himself: driving to an appointment this week, he felt the Spirit tug at a man walking along the road, argued with God, passed him by, then turned around. “Are you picking me up?” the man asked — he had been passed by so many people that he had nearly given up. That, said the preacher, is fruit dying on the vine because Christians will not do the job they were called to do. Sometimes the right thing is not a sermon; it is simply showing up, being present, showing yourself friendly. Paul planted and Apollos watered, but God gives the increase — each of us only has to do our part.
Judgment Day and the Question of Fruit
The message turned sober. In Revelation 20, the books are opened and people are judged by their works. Rev. Johnson pressed us with the parable of the talents: the servant who buried his one talent did nothing, and even that was taken from him, while the faithful were multiplied. On that day no mama, daddy, grandparent, or pastor can answer for us. We will stand before the throne, and the Son will be asked, “Do you know him?” The most important payoff for serving the Lord is not in this life — it is hearing “come up higher” rather than “depart from me.”
Who Are You Connected To?
Rev. Johnson closed with the question the whole sermon had been circling: who are you connected to — God, or the enemy? The wrong connection wakes up and never says thank you, though God woke us, clothed us in our right mind, fed us, and kept the roof holding through the night. The right connection may not have all the answers, but it lets God teach and use it anyway, going out afraid yet saying, “Lord, use me.” It gives thanks in the aches and pains, for sight that reaches ten feet if not a hundred, for food on the table even when the meal is not what we wanted. It remembers that we are here only by a favor we never earned. And it learns to give God glory not only on Sunday or on payday, but in the valley — because once you can shout in the valley, you know what it means to serve a good and living God.
Key Takeaways
• Fruit, not activity, is the proof. Coming to church, Bible study, and Sunday school are good, but the world should be able to see Christ in your words and actions — otherwise, how would they know?
• Pray now, not later. Prayer is the greatest tool God has given us; don’t wait until Sunday to stand in the gap for a brother or sister in the storm.
• Show up for duty. When God places someone in your path, don’t scratch your name out of the script — sometimes the ministry is simply being present.
• We will be judged by our works. Like the servant who buried his one talent, a gift left unused bears no fruit; what we offer God, He multiplies.
• Stay connected to the right One. Give God thanks and glory in every season — even in the valley — and be the kind of Christian others know they can come to.