Jesus said: “ without me you can do nothing”!
That statement cuts straight to the heart of the gospel.
When Jesus said, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5), He wasn’t talking about human activity or effort in general—we do things every day. He was talking about spiritual life, fruitfulness, and lasting impact.
In context, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. A branch doesn’t strain to produce fruit—it simply abides. The life flows from the vine into the branch. Cut off from Him, there may be motion, religion, and even good intentions, but there is no true spiritual fruit.
This directly confronts:
Self-reliance Performance-based faith “Jesus plus my effort” Christianity
It echoes the same truth you often emphasize:
Not Christ and something else.
Not methods, formulas, or striving.
Christ alone.
Paul later says the same thing in different words:
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves… but our sufficiency is of God.” (2 Corinthians 3:5)
So Jesus’ words aren’t discouraging—they’re freeing.
They tell us where life actually comes from.
Abide first.
Fruit follows.
Anything else is just leaves.
Cross Mission Media 