Bruce Wilkinson, Secrets of the Vine (Sisters, Ore: Multnomah Publishers, 2001). The hardcover book is 126 pages long and retails for $9.99. Dr. Wilkinson is the founder and president of Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, a ministry described on the book cover as "an international organization dedicated to providing the finest biblical teaching, tools, and training." He is most widely known for The Prayer of Jabez (Multnomah, 2000), which was the best-selling book in the nation for several weeks in 2001.

The book is based upon the words of Jesus in John 15:1-11, which He spoke on the Mount of Olives shortly before His arrest. Dr. Wilkinson states his purpose in the preface: "In The Prayer of Jabez, I showed readers how to ask for a life of abundant impact and significance for God. In Secrets of the Vine, I want to show you how God works in your life to answer that prayer—and what you can do to cooperate with Him to make it happen. You'll be surprised to discover how much God wants abundance for you. And you'll be relieved to know that you never need to misread His ways in your life again" (p. 5).

This book is more clearly about the Christian life than The Prayer of Jabez. In the first part of the book I was concerned that readers might too easily misinterpret the emphasis on "abundance" and desire to learn the Secrets of the Vine only so they could use them to pursue material prosperity. I feared that undiscerning readers—particularly unconverted people looking for ways to manipulate God to get what they want—would be drawn to this book for the wrong reasons. But while it may, as The Prayer of Jabez can, have the potential to appeal to the improper motives of nonChristians, much of this book will have little appeal to unbelievers (especially the parts on discipline, pruning, and intimacy with Christ).

I was grateful to see "abundance" defined as spiritual fruit. And while he correctly notes that "fruit" can refer to leading people to Christ, Wilkinson observes that the New Testament primarily speaks of fruit in another way. "Fruit," he says, "represents good works—a thought, attitude, or action of ours that God values because it glorifies Him" (p. 21).

Where I would differ with the author is in the matter of fruit as it relates to the spiritual condition of those who remain consistently disobedient to the Lord and His ways, that is, "unfruitful." For example, he says, "I've asked audiences all over the world how they would describe the level of fruit bearing among Christians today. Their responses are consistent. They conclude that nearly half of all Christians bear little or no fruit. Another third bear some fruit. Only about 5 percent bear a lot" (p. 26). In another place he speaks of some Christians as the kind of branch "that bears nothing for an extended period of time" (p. 31). In light of his definition of fruit as "good works . . . that God values because it glorifies Him," I cannot see how those who produce "little or no fruit" and those who bear "nothing for an extended period of time" can be considered people regenerated by the power of God and indwelled by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus says in verse two, "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away." On these words Wilkinson comments, "Some good Bible teachers have interpreted this verse to mean that if you bear no fruit, you can't be a Christian. Others have said 'takes away' means if you persist in a life without showing evidence of your salvation, you lose it" (p. 32). Then he asserts, "I believe we can safely conclude that it's possible to be 'in Christ,' yet be like that branch that produces no fruit for a time. Experience bears this out. If you're like me, you've gone a week or a year living in such a way that you know you didn't bear fruit" (p. 32). While Dr. Wilkinson and I would surely agree that a true Christian can backslide for awhile, I cannot believe he really means to say that a person "in Christ" can live a week or year without bearing any fruit, as he previously defined the term.

Nevertheless, I do believe we approach the people in verse two differently. I stand in the tradition that interprets the branches who do not bear fruit as those who profess to be Christians but are not, and prove their condition by their fruitlessness. Dr. Wilkinson and I agree that these are the same branches who, according to verse six, are eventually thrown "into the fire, and they are burned." He understands these branches to be ones that have "become of no spiritual use" (p. 98). But I see fruitless believers as false believers. The presence of the Holy Spirit produces fruit, fruit of specific kinds (Galatians 5:22-23). The Holy Spirit brings with Him into the believer holy hungers, holy longings, and holy aspirations, and it is impossible to suppress every such expression of divine power. Though the believer can grieve (Ephesians 4:30) and quench (1 Thessalonians 5:19) the Spirit, these are occasional—perhaps even frequent—but not perpetual conditions.

I was also glad to see Dr. Wilkinson use the term "repentance" in this book, especially since it will be read by so many and who may rarely hear of this important Bible doctrine. Additionally, I am thankful that he does not speak of it simply as a change of mind, but as a change of mind that includes an abandonment of specific sins. "Repentance is a turning away from the sin that ails you . . ." (p. 52). Moreover, he adds this significant clarification: "Neither is repentance a one-time act. It is a lifestyle, an ongoing commitment to keep putting aside our rebellion and receive God's forgiveness" (p. 53).

One of Dr. Wilkinson's greatest strengths is his ability to make specific applications. Thus the most useful part of the book may be that on pages 65-67 where he describes in understandable language the differences between God's discipline of the believer and His pruning. This material was clear and instructive, and it will be helpful to many, as it was to me.

On pages 91-93 is another insightful section. By means of his own testimony Dr. Wilkinson illustrates how the growth of our ministry competence (which is a good thing) can tempt us to become more reliant upon it than upon our relationship with the Lord. This results in dissatisfaction with the very ministry which we pursue for the purpose of producing fruit for His glory. The "secret of the vine" here is to "abide" in Christ. The word "abide," Wilkinson notes, is used ten times in six verses of John 15. This means to "stay closely connected" (p. 96) to Christ. By giving priority to our relationship with Jesus instead of our ministry for Jesus He will produce more fruit through us than He will if we overemphasize improving our ministry competence. We never outgrow the necessity of much quality time with Jesus.

Extrapolating from this object lesson about abiding in Christ, Wilkinson astutely observes, "The branch with the largest, least-obstructed connection with the vine is abiding the most and will have the greatest potential for a huge crop" (p. 95). He also adds this appropriate warning: "In our Western-style rush to do and perform for God, we often falter at the task of simply enjoying His company" (p. 103).

All in all, there is much more of Christ in Secrets of the Vine than in The Prayer of Jabez. References to Jesus and His words abound. Dr. Wilkinson is wonderfully explicit in places, such as when he speaks of God's motive in pruning believers: "His goal is to bring you closer to the 'perfect and complete' image of Christ"(p. 73). Unless I missed it, however, there is no mention of the cross or resurrection of Jesus. Incorporating these essential aspects of Christ's life and work, truths I am confident Dr. Wilkinson believes most passionately, could have strengthened the book. Since Secrets of the Vine will have such a wide readership, referring to the cross in a way that would point unconverted readers to their need for Christ might lead some to salvation. And while the book was aimed at the personal life of the believer, to make at least some connection between a fruitful Christian and the local body of Christ would have improved this work also.

Bruce Wilkinson is obviously a dedicated Christian who desires intimacy with Jesus and fruitfulness for Christ's sake. If he has the opportunity to revise this volume in the future, perhaps these changes would be blessed by the Lord to produce even more fruit than the book has yielded already.

Dr. Don Whitney
www.BiblicalSpirituality.org