15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. Jesus does not mean that His disciples exercised no will of their own; they did choose to follow Him. Rather, He is indicating that the first initiative, the original and saving choice, was His. Had He not chosen them, they would not have chosen Him. The immediate reference is to service as apostles, but the principle applies to many other matters including election to salvation (Eph. 1:4, 11).

appointed you. This too emphasizes the sovereign activity of God exercised without violation of the human act of decision.

go. This verb marks the direction of Christian service, like Matt. 28:19 and Acts 1:8.

fruit. The figure refers to individual sanctification (Gal. 5:22, 23) and to effectiveness in evangelism (Matt. 13:3–8; Rom. 1:13).

fruit should abide. A distinguishing characteristic of Christian service is that the results have eternal significance.

whatever you ask . . . give it to you. Effective prayer is accompanied by obedience and identification with the will of God (14:13 note; Ps. 66:18).