Interview with Sarah Ott, Part 3
This is the third and final part of an interview chat with Tree Thoughts and Sarah Ott.
SARAH: Sorry. That was a long story but I hope it answered some of what you wanted to know.
TT: Ah! Yes! There is so, so, so much meat here. Can I ask you a few follow-up questions?
SARAH: Sure
TT: I will ask you how you live in this when there are so many voices telling your generation to take on this cause or that cause for Christ. How do you use living in John 15 when someone gives you a book about getting active?
SARAH: Oh my goodness. Such a great question and one that I just spoke about at the request of a growing organization here in Atlanta of successful, Godly, mainly singles, who are doing great things for God. Truly they are! They brought me in to speak the literal truths and realities of Source of fruit livings vs. fruit production living. However, my main objective was to have them encounter Jesus, not me, and to meet Him through the piercing and gracious power of His Word! We dissected many passages which cross-reference to John 15.
There is a big difference between asking God to bless what you are doing over being called to what He is already propelling. Working for social justice apart of truly abiding in the Vine with Christ as the Source of all activity is what I would call “wood, hay, and stubble.” It will not stand the test by fire. But, “true precious stones,” the work which is done for the Kingdom through the power of the indwelling Spirit of God is lasting, eternal and MUCH. This is the kind of fruit I believe Christ is referencing in John 15. From a block away, it all looks the same. BUT, you get up close to people who are cause driven and you can quickly see their source—or lack thereof.
The question is: is it a what or is it a WHO?
Jesus said, “APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING, but as you ABIDE IN ME and I ABIDE IN YOU (two-way abiding, very important) then you will bear MUCH FRUIT.
When fruit production becomes the focus over abiding, then the order is all wrong. Contrary to popular belief or teaching—the more you dwell in HIM and place all your effort, if there is any, on ABIDING, the more proficient, efficient, productive, etc., you will be!
TT: I so agree! I just finished writing a fictional book, Do Nothing, about this! How was your take on this received?
SARAH: They were blown away. They nearly knocked me down at the end, male and female, shocked. Most of them had not heard it communicated that way before. They are DYING for this message—so hungry. This is a message to the believer. This is the lane He has called me to run in: to root for the defeated, identity-less believer. Then they can reach the world. If Christians are not rooted then the world sees a bunch of chaff that merely blows away with the slightest wind. Shame.
I will speak again for this group. Probably a few more times in different venues. This message is CRUCIAL. It is the crux. It is Christ in you teaching.
I read DEAD authors. I don’t much care for the myriad of self-help books out there today. I love Major Ian Thomas, Charles Spurgeon, Chesterton, Murray, Jenni Pen Lewis, etc. They understand the depth of Life in Christ and Christ as Life. I actually moved to Austria and studied the Bible there and taught these same principles.
TT: People worry that this abiding lifestyle is passive. They say, “While the world is going to hell, you’re gonna wait on the Lord?”
SARAH: Oh my word!!!!! I’ve heard that my whole life. To that I say, and have said, “Have you ever really tried to wait on the Lord and abide in Him? You will sweat!”
It is like isometric exercise. You don’t have to lift weights to build muscle effectively. I am training to become a Pilates teacher. The parallels are glaring to me. Everything is spiritual to me. I see in word pictures. Pilates is not about a by-rote memorized choreographed routine. It is not a performance you can muscle your way through. Pilates is a practice, it is a posture. Everything is done from the CORE. It is not about moving your arms and legs perfectly. It is about moving from your core that matters.
It’s the same in this Christian life. So many people thing that they can do all the things of Christianity and “muscle” their way through with correct, precise movements. Yet, their heart is far from Him. Oh I ache for them. I believe true abiding is the only way to produce lasting, eternal fruit. The church, the young people, the singles, Atlanta is waking up to that! They are hungry for HIM! Finally, religion is way overrated and old.
TT: Yes! When we are independent of Life Himself–the tree of life in the garden, we can only have our knowledge of good and evil to draw from. Both produce death. Only abiding in the vine produces life.
SARAH: Wow! Absolutely. The Tree of Life is the only one we are to eat of. Beth Moore talks of this too. So true and powerful! Thank you for sharing that.
TT: There are a lot of faux fruit producers out there which are driven by shame. They stumble the sheep.
SARAH: Oh totally. Christ looks at the heart. He will not be mocked. Only lasting fruit done in and through—NOT just FOR His name will last. This is not said in judgment at all to anyone, but a reality of what I believe John 15 indicates.
TT: Thank you so much Sarah for bringing living words to Tree Thoughts! Do you have anything you’d like to sum up with?
SARAH: The vibrant stories of joy in the mourning/morning (double meaning) bring life to so many. Thank you for being a platform where His Stories can be shared and Christ exalted. Joy may last for an evening but truly Joy Himself comes in the mourning.
