Chapel Recap: Abiding Bears Fruit

Aaron Cavin, Senior Pastor of Life Community Church in Quincy, Massachusetts, and SEND Network City Missionary in Boston, challenged us to rethink how mission and faithfulness are sustained by drawing from Jesus’ words in John 15:1–5. At the core of Cavin’s message was that the call to move outward in mission is built on growing deep in the inward life of Christ. Mission begins with abiding.

Cavin began by asking two foundational questions: What does it mean to abide in Christ? and How does abiding fuel mission? In John 15, Jesus describes Himself as the true vine and His followers as branches. Life, strength, and fruitfulness all flow from remaining connected to Him.

From this passage, Cavin highlighted three implications of abiding in Christ. First, to abide is to attach to Jesus fully and intentionally. Second, abiding means to depend on His power, recognizing that apart from Christ we cannot produce fruit. Third, abiding requires surrendering to His discipline. Jesus speaks of pruning not as punishment but as loving care that removes what hinders growth. To abide well, we must be open to God shaping and refining us.

Cavin then turned to how abiding in Christ fuels a life of mission. True fruitfulness, he explained, comes from reordered priorities. First, abiding prioritizes intimacy over busyness. Productivity without closeness to Christ eventually leads to exhaustion instead of impact. Second, abiding prioritizes maturity over success. God is more concerned with who we are becoming than what we are accomplishing. Third, abiding prioritizes faithfulness over significance. The goal of the Christian life is not to be impressive but to remain faithful to Christ wherever He has placed us.

“The fruit comes from the overflow of abiding,” Cavin said. When believers remain connected to Jesus, obedience and mission flow naturally from that relationship rather than from pressure or performance.

In conclusion, Cavin’s message was a call and toward staying connected to Christ, trusting His power, and allowing Him to produce fruit in and through our lives. True mission begins with abiding deeper.