In John 15, Jesus mentions branches that bear no fruit and branches that bear fruit (vs. 2) but Jesus says nothing about branches that bear fruit but then later stop bearing fruit.
When Jesus spoke these words in John 15, how many people at that time, prior to Him being glorified, had received the Holy Spirit and were baptized by one Spirit into one body? - "the body of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 12:13).
John 7:38 - He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. So "in me" is part of the metaphor of the vine, (in the vine) and not in the body of Christ under the New Covenant which was not yet fully established.
So in John 15, we see two kinds of connections with Christ as the vine (the merely cosmic which bears no fruit and the spiritual and vital which bears fruit). Without that vital union with Christ, there can be no life and no productivity. Those who profess to know Christ but whose relationship to Him is self-attached, He neither elected them, nor saved them, nor sustains them. Eventually, the dead self-attached fruitless branches are cut off.
AMEN.....EVEN an APPLE tree goes years without bearing and even oak trees take about 15 to 20 years to bear and then bear every other year......note this is after they have been transplanted which means a few years of growth already!
[TABLE="class: pad-md, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]
Fruit Tree Type[/TD]
[TD="width: 150, align: center"]
Years to Fruit[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Apple Trees[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]2-5 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Apricot Trees[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]2-5 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Banana Plants[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]2-3 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Cherry Trees (sour)[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]3-5 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Cherry Trees (sweet)[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]4-7 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Citrus Trees[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]1-2 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Fig Trees[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]1-2 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Mulberry Trees[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]2-3 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Nectarine Trees[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]2-4 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Olive Trees[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]2-3 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Pawpaw Trees[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]5-7 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Peach Trees[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]2-4 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Pear Trees[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]4-6 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Persimmon Trees[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]3-4 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]
Plum Trees[/TD]
[TD="width: 221, align: center"]3-6 years[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]