Fruits of the Spirit.
"In the last newsletter we saw that every saved person has the Holy
Spirit, for if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of
his (Romans 8:9). Not only does every child of God have the Holy
Spirit but each believer has experienced the "baptism." This baptism,
or placing into the Body of Christ, by the Holy Spirit, accompanies
salvation. I Corinthians 12:13 states: For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into one body . . . . The baptism, administered to ALL the
saved immediately, endows each believer with at least one of the gifts
found in Ephesians 4, Romans 12, and I Corinthians 12. The gifts are
not for a select few who "strive" or "work" in order to appease God
for spiritual favors. Never! Are ye so foolish? having begun in the
Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:3).
Instead, the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to
profit withal (I Corinthians 12:7), and . . . all these [gifts]
worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man
severally as he will (I Corinthians 12:11). Believers are not
commanded to seek any gift but instead the Giver - the blessed Holy
Spirit.
Then, because He divides to every man as He wills, one gladly accepts
His choice of gifts for his life. If one feels his gift is
unimportant, remember that we are all members or parts of Christ's
body and . . . those members of the body, which seem to be more
feeble, are necessary (I Corinthians 12:22). Fingernails and toenails
may seem to be inferior parts of one's body, but what problems one
encounters without them. So every member has his place of importance
in Christ's body.
Rejoice in the gift God has given you and do not seek another's gift.
You might be out of place if the Holy Spirit wants you to be a finger
instead of an eye. Likewise, you may be out of order when you seek the
gift of faith and the Holy Spirit wants "helps" for your lifelong
gift. Whatever the gift, every believer has at least one.
You see, there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And
there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there
are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh
ALL IN ALL (I Corinthians 12:4-6). Praise God, it is He who works ALL
THE GIFTS and IN ALL. All that God requires is that every believer use
his gift to the best of his ability. To do so will bring great reward
at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Disobedience in administering the gift
will bring loss of rewards (II John 8).
Let's move now to the teaching concerning the filling of the Spirit.
The "baptism" and the "filling" are two distinct things. The baptism
is a once-for-all experience which places the believer into the Body
of Christ. Since the Holy Spirit is God and all-knowing, He makes no
mistakes as He places the saved into Christ's body. If He did make
mistakes, and members of the Body of Christ were eventually removed,
there would be a mutilated, amputated, disfigured atrocity in
eternity. Instead, every true believer is "baptized" and "sealed" into
that Body by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption (Ephesians
4:30).
Though there is only one "baptism," there are many "fillings."
Ephesians 5:18 states: . . . be filled with the Spirit. The literal
Greek declares: Be being filled which implies a continuous process.
Every believer needs it, as much as his fuel-guzzling automobile needs
gas, in order to run efficiently for Christ. The baptism produces the
gifts but the filling enables one to minister the gifts spiritually.
Though all have gifts, not all are spiritual. Thousands today who
claim "the gift" are carnal because they are not being filled daily by
the Spirit.
Let me prove this from I Corinthians 13:1-3: Though I speak with the
tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity [love], I am become
as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of
prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though
I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not
charity, l am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the
poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it
profiteth me nothing.
Five gifts are mentioned in these three verses: tongues, prophecy,
knowledge, faith, and helps. They can all be ministered in a state of
carnality. One is not spiritual because of tongues, prophecy,
knowledge, faith, or helps. Why? Because it takes the fruit of the
Spirit to minister the gifts spiritually.
Read carefully: Love is Number One on God's listing in Galatians 5:22
as the fruit of the Spirit. This is the same love of I Corinthians 13
that suffereth long, and is kind; that envies not; that vaunts not
itself and is not puffed up; that does not behave itself unseemly,
that seeks not her own, that is not easily provoked, that thinks no
evil, that rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; that
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things (verses 47).
Do you have this fruit? You may speak in tongues and be mean, or you
may have the "gift of faith" and be cantankerous. You may be a
"helper" in the vineyard and do nothing but cultivate poison grapes
for other Spirit-filled believers.
God says even though one prophesies, preaches with power, or has the
gift of knowledge and faith and has not love, the "gifted" one is
nothing in God's eyes. And even though one "helps" by giving his all
for the poor or being burned to death and has not love, he will end up
with nothing at that day when God's rewards are distributed for
service. You see, it is the fruit of the Spirit that counts. The gifts
can be ministered without the fruit.
In fact, the gifts can be duplicated by Satan. The present situation
is sometimes similar to Moses' day when the devil's magicians
counterfeited the miracles of God's servant. Do not take my word for
it but look at the statement of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 7:22:
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done
many wonderful works? They manifested the gifts of prophecy,
discernment of spirits, miracles, plus helps or works. But Christ
never knew them (verse 23). Since "never" means never, they manifested
the gifts without being saved. They did not possess the "fruit" of the
Spirit but were workers of iniquity. Let's seek the fruit of the
Spirit to minister the gifts. This will produce godliness and
holiness.
The Fruit of the Spirit
Every believer needs a daily infilling of the Spirit in order to live
a spiritual life. No believer has ever reached the place where he does
not need to walk by means of the Spirit, for when we walk in the
Spirit, we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
The nine words describing this fruit are: love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance
(Galatians 5:22). These represent superhuman qualities which the flesh
could never produce. Only God, the Holy Spirit, is able to make mortal
beings act this way. No human can duplicate, nor devil counterfeit,
the fruit of the Spirit. It is the only way to be like Jesus, for
someone has well said: "Galatians 5:22 is the shortest biography of
Christ ever written." Only the "fulness of the Spirit" can make one
like Jesus. The term fruit is singular, meaning that all nine graces
form the fruit. The Holy Spirit does not produce a few of these but
usually all nine when one is Spirit-filled. They are:
A. LOVE. This is not the romanticized or sexual love of the street or
of society's rebels. It is the divine love that is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). It makes one love the lowly,
the unlovely, and the unclean. It makes one love members of another
race or denomination. It does not look down upon those whose gifts
differ.
In Corinth this love was missing and the gifts became a source of
competition among the "spiritually elite." That is why Paul said in I
Corinthians 13:1: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, and have not charity [love], I am become as sounding brass, or
a tinkling cymbal.
The presence of gifts is not the evidence of the Spirit's filling. You
may have gifts, but prophet, miracle worker, helper - do you have the
fruit? This is where Satan can fool and deceive us. He can imitate the
gifts mentioned in I Corinthians 12, 13 and 14, but he cannot imitate
or produce the fruit of the Spirit. Do not misunderstand - I am not
against gifts, but gifts prove nothing. The real evidence is found in
the fruit one bears as he ministers the gifts.
Oh, that we might be filled with all the fulness of God (Ephesians
3:19). This Holy Spirit produced love makes us love others. Beloved,
let us love one another: for love is of God . . . (I John 4:7). Do you
have the real evidence of the Spirit's filling? It is described in I
Corinthians 13:4-7: Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not
[or is not jealous]; love vaunts not itself [boasting about its
gifts]; love seeks not its own; is not easily provoked; thinks no
evil; rejoices not in iniquity but rejoices in the truth; love bears
all things; believes all things; hopes all things and endures all
things. The world is waiting to see this evidence. Get filled and show
it to them. Don't split churches arguing about superior gifts, but
manifest the love that proves one has the Spirit's fruit.
B. Next in line is JOY. Joy is not the superficial happiness that
springs from sports or television, for happiness depends upon
happenings. Instead, it is the joy of the Lord which is one's strength
(Nehemiah 8:10). It is a contentment in times of suffering, sorrow,
and even death. It is joy unspeakable and full of glory (I Peter 1:8).
C. PEACE also fills the minds and hearts of those who are Spirit
dominated. This is not peace with God that accompanies salvation
(Romans 5:1) but the peace of God, which passeth all understanding
(Philippians 4:7). This peace produces a sublime calm of heart and
mind in spite of every disturbance, heartbreaking circumstance, or
adverse condition and glorifies God before an unsaved world.
D. LONGSUFFERING within a believer is a quality that only the Holy
Spirit can produce. It is the opposite of impatience. It cannot be
produced by members of Adam's race but must be wrought within a
Christian by God. The Lord God, [is] merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth (Exodus 34:6). This
is why the ungodly receive countless opportunities to be saved, for:
The Lord . . . is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9).
This same attitude may be the believer's portion, for God strengthens
us with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience
and longsuffering with joyfulness (Colossians 1:11). We are to walk
with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one
another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace (Ephesians 4:2, 3). Yes.... be patient toward all men (I
Thessalonians 5:14). How are you doing? Do you have the real evidence
of the Spirit's fullness?
E. GENTLENESS. Again, this is a fruit from God, for . . . the wisdom
that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to
be intreated . . . (James 3:17). Paul could also say: . . . we were
gentle among you . . . (I Thessalonians 2:7). Bickering, fighting,
fussing church members forget that the servant of the Lord must not
strive; but be gentle unto all men (II Timothy 2:24). Do you have the
fruit? Remember, it cannot be attained by human effort or by
imitation, but only as a direct filling by the Spirit.
F. GOODNESS is produced at salvation and made to bloom in one's life
as the Spirit fills a believer. Jesus said: . . . none is good . . .
(Luke18:19). Paul said: . . . there is none that doeth good, no, not
one (Romans 3:12). Men talk about doing good, and it is only egotism
seeking praise. However, the Spirit within produces real goodness
toward others.
G. FAITH, in this listing, is actually faithfulness. Lamentations
3:23, speaking about God, states: . . . great is thy faithfulness.
This same faithfulness in a Christian may become a daily reality. One
does not have to be up and down spiritually. God's faithfulness,
wrought in a Christian by the Spirit, can make him faithful daily.
H. MEEKNESS is the hardest fruit to possess, for as soon as we think
we have it, we've lost it. However, let it be remembered that meekness
does not consist in pretending to be less than one really is, but
rather when one does not pretend to be more than he really is. Again,
the flesh cannot generate meekness because it is only puffed-up flesh.
It takes the filling of the Spirit to put on meekness (Colossians
3:12).
I. Finally, TEMPERANCE is self-control. The term speaks for itself
and, praise God, the Holy Spirit produces it in those who have the
fullness of the Spirit.
We have seen that God demands a high and holy standard of life, but He
has also provided the means to produce it .. . . Walk in the Spirit,
and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Let's
begin seeking the fruit instead of gifts. Gifts are for all, but the
fruit - though for all - may only be realized by those who grieve not
the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), quench not the Spirit (I Thessalonians
5:19), and then walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). In simple terms,
one must turn from all known sin to a daily reliance on the Holy
Spirit if he is to evidence the fullness and fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Why not begin today?"
Father God, forgive my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus Christ down
to die on the cross and for shedding his blood for me. Three days
later you resurrected him. I accept that. I invite Jesus Christ into
my heart as my Lord and savior. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
God bless you.
Spirit, for if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of
his (Romans 8:9). Not only does every child of God have the Holy
Spirit but each believer has experienced the "baptism." This baptism,
or placing into the Body of Christ, by the Holy Spirit, accompanies
salvation. I Corinthians 12:13 states: For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into one body . . . . The baptism, administered to ALL the
saved immediately, endows each believer with at least one of the gifts
found in Ephesians 4, Romans 12, and I Corinthians 12. The gifts are
not for a select few who "strive" or "work" in order to appease God
for spiritual favors. Never! Are ye so foolish? having begun in the
Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:3).
Instead, the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to
profit withal (I Corinthians 12:7), and . . . all these [gifts]
worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man
severally as he will (I Corinthians 12:11). Believers are not
commanded to seek any gift but instead the Giver - the blessed Holy
Spirit.
Then, because He divides to every man as He wills, one gladly accepts
His choice of gifts for his life. If one feels his gift is
unimportant, remember that we are all members or parts of Christ's
body and . . . those members of the body, which seem to be more
feeble, are necessary (I Corinthians 12:22). Fingernails and toenails
may seem to be inferior parts of one's body, but what problems one
encounters without them. So every member has his place of importance
in Christ's body.
Rejoice in the gift God has given you and do not seek another's gift.
You might be out of place if the Holy Spirit wants you to be a finger
instead of an eye. Likewise, you may be out of order when you seek the
gift of faith and the Holy Spirit wants "helps" for your lifelong
gift. Whatever the gift, every believer has at least one.
You see, there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And
there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there
are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh
ALL IN ALL (I Corinthians 12:4-6). Praise God, it is He who works ALL
THE GIFTS and IN ALL. All that God requires is that every believer use
his gift to the best of his ability. To do so will bring great reward
at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Disobedience in administering the gift
will bring loss of rewards (II John 8).
Let's move now to the teaching concerning the filling of the Spirit.
The "baptism" and the "filling" are two distinct things. The baptism
is a once-for-all experience which places the believer into the Body
of Christ. Since the Holy Spirit is God and all-knowing, He makes no
mistakes as He places the saved into Christ's body. If He did make
mistakes, and members of the Body of Christ were eventually removed,
there would be a mutilated, amputated, disfigured atrocity in
eternity. Instead, every true believer is "baptized" and "sealed" into
that Body by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption (Ephesians
4:30).
Though there is only one "baptism," there are many "fillings."
Ephesians 5:18 states: . . . be filled with the Spirit. The literal
Greek declares: Be being filled which implies a continuous process.
Every believer needs it, as much as his fuel-guzzling automobile needs
gas, in order to run efficiently for Christ. The baptism produces the
gifts but the filling enables one to minister the gifts spiritually.
Though all have gifts, not all are spiritual. Thousands today who
claim "the gift" are carnal because they are not being filled daily by
the Spirit.
Let me prove this from I Corinthians 13:1-3: Though I speak with the
tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity [love], I am become
as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of
prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though
I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not
charity, l am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the
poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it
profiteth me nothing.
Five gifts are mentioned in these three verses: tongues, prophecy,
knowledge, faith, and helps. They can all be ministered in a state of
carnality. One is not spiritual because of tongues, prophecy,
knowledge, faith, or helps. Why? Because it takes the fruit of the
Spirit to minister the gifts spiritually.
Read carefully: Love is Number One on God's listing in Galatians 5:22
as the fruit of the Spirit. This is the same love of I Corinthians 13
that suffereth long, and is kind; that envies not; that vaunts not
itself and is not puffed up; that does not behave itself unseemly,
that seeks not her own, that is not easily provoked, that thinks no
evil, that rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; that
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things (verses 47).
Do you have this fruit? You may speak in tongues and be mean, or you
may have the "gift of faith" and be cantankerous. You may be a
"helper" in the vineyard and do nothing but cultivate poison grapes
for other Spirit-filled believers.
God says even though one prophesies, preaches with power, or has the
gift of knowledge and faith and has not love, the "gifted" one is
nothing in God's eyes. And even though one "helps" by giving his all
for the poor or being burned to death and has not love, he will end up
with nothing at that day when God's rewards are distributed for
service. You see, it is the fruit of the Spirit that counts. The gifts
can be ministered without the fruit.
In fact, the gifts can be duplicated by Satan. The present situation
is sometimes similar to Moses' day when the devil's magicians
counterfeited the miracles of God's servant. Do not take my word for
it but look at the statement of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 7:22:
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done
many wonderful works? They manifested the gifts of prophecy,
discernment of spirits, miracles, plus helps or works. But Christ
never knew them (verse 23). Since "never" means never, they manifested
the gifts without being saved. They did not possess the "fruit" of the
Spirit but were workers of iniquity. Let's seek the fruit of the
Spirit to minister the gifts. This will produce godliness and
holiness.
The Fruit of the Spirit
Every believer needs a daily infilling of the Spirit in order to live
a spiritual life. No believer has ever reached the place where he does
not need to walk by means of the Spirit, for when we walk in the
Spirit, we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
The nine words describing this fruit are: love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance
(Galatians 5:22). These represent superhuman qualities which the flesh
could never produce. Only God, the Holy Spirit, is able to make mortal
beings act this way. No human can duplicate, nor devil counterfeit,
the fruit of the Spirit. It is the only way to be like Jesus, for
someone has well said: "Galatians 5:22 is the shortest biography of
Christ ever written." Only the "fulness of the Spirit" can make one
like Jesus. The term fruit is singular, meaning that all nine graces
form the fruit. The Holy Spirit does not produce a few of these but
usually all nine when one is Spirit-filled. They are:
A. LOVE. This is not the romanticized or sexual love of the street or
of society's rebels. It is the divine love that is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). It makes one love the lowly,
the unlovely, and the unclean. It makes one love members of another
race or denomination. It does not look down upon those whose gifts
differ.
In Corinth this love was missing and the gifts became a source of
competition among the "spiritually elite." That is why Paul said in I
Corinthians 13:1: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, and have not charity [love], I am become as sounding brass, or
a tinkling cymbal.
The presence of gifts is not the evidence of the Spirit's filling. You
may have gifts, but prophet, miracle worker, helper - do you have the
fruit? This is where Satan can fool and deceive us. He can imitate the
gifts mentioned in I Corinthians 12, 13 and 14, but he cannot imitate
or produce the fruit of the Spirit. Do not misunderstand - I am not
against gifts, but gifts prove nothing. The real evidence is found in
the fruit one bears as he ministers the gifts.
Oh, that we might be filled with all the fulness of God (Ephesians
3:19). This Holy Spirit produced love makes us love others. Beloved,
let us love one another: for love is of God . . . (I John 4:7). Do you
have the real evidence of the Spirit's filling? It is described in I
Corinthians 13:4-7: Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not
[or is not jealous]; love vaunts not itself [boasting about its
gifts]; love seeks not its own; is not easily provoked; thinks no
evil; rejoices not in iniquity but rejoices in the truth; love bears
all things; believes all things; hopes all things and endures all
things. The world is waiting to see this evidence. Get filled and show
it to them. Don't split churches arguing about superior gifts, but
manifest the love that proves one has the Spirit's fruit.
B. Next in line is JOY. Joy is not the superficial happiness that
springs from sports or television, for happiness depends upon
happenings. Instead, it is the joy of the Lord which is one's strength
(Nehemiah 8:10). It is a contentment in times of suffering, sorrow,
and even death. It is joy unspeakable and full of glory (I Peter 1:8).
C. PEACE also fills the minds and hearts of those who are Spirit
dominated. This is not peace with God that accompanies salvation
(Romans 5:1) but the peace of God, which passeth all understanding
(Philippians 4:7). This peace produces a sublime calm of heart and
mind in spite of every disturbance, heartbreaking circumstance, or
adverse condition and glorifies God before an unsaved world.
D. LONGSUFFERING within a believer is a quality that only the Holy
Spirit can produce. It is the opposite of impatience. It cannot be
produced by members of Adam's race but must be wrought within a
Christian by God. The Lord God, [is] merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth (Exodus 34:6). This
is why the ungodly receive countless opportunities to be saved, for:
The Lord . . . is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9).
This same attitude may be the believer's portion, for God strengthens
us with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience
and longsuffering with joyfulness (Colossians 1:11). We are to walk
with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one
another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace (Ephesians 4:2, 3). Yes.... be patient toward all men (I
Thessalonians 5:14). How are you doing? Do you have the real evidence
of the Spirit's fullness?
E. GENTLENESS. Again, this is a fruit from God, for . . . the wisdom
that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to
be intreated . . . (James 3:17). Paul could also say: . . . we were
gentle among you . . . (I Thessalonians 2:7). Bickering, fighting,
fussing church members forget that the servant of the Lord must not
strive; but be gentle unto all men (II Timothy 2:24). Do you have the
fruit? Remember, it cannot be attained by human effort or by
imitation, but only as a direct filling by the Spirit.
F. GOODNESS is produced at salvation and made to bloom in one's life
as the Spirit fills a believer. Jesus said: . . . none is good . . .
(Luke18:19). Paul said: . . . there is none that doeth good, no, not
one (Romans 3:12). Men talk about doing good, and it is only egotism
seeking praise. However, the Spirit within produces real goodness
toward others.
G. FAITH, in this listing, is actually faithfulness. Lamentations
3:23, speaking about God, states: . . . great is thy faithfulness.
This same faithfulness in a Christian may become a daily reality. One
does not have to be up and down spiritually. God's faithfulness,
wrought in a Christian by the Spirit, can make him faithful daily.
H. MEEKNESS is the hardest fruit to possess, for as soon as we think
we have it, we've lost it. However, let it be remembered that meekness
does not consist in pretending to be less than one really is, but
rather when one does not pretend to be more than he really is. Again,
the flesh cannot generate meekness because it is only puffed-up flesh.
It takes the filling of the Spirit to put on meekness (Colossians
3:12).
I. Finally, TEMPERANCE is self-control. The term speaks for itself
and, praise God, the Holy Spirit produces it in those who have the
fullness of the Spirit.
We have seen that God demands a high and holy standard of life, but He
has also provided the means to produce it .. . . Walk in the Spirit,
and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Let's
begin seeking the fruit instead of gifts. Gifts are for all, but the
fruit - though for all - may only be realized by those who grieve not
the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), quench not the Spirit (I Thessalonians
5:19), and then walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). In simple terms,
one must turn from all known sin to a daily reliance on the Holy
Spirit if he is to evidence the fullness and fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Why not begin today?"
Father God, forgive my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus Christ down
to die on the cross and for shedding his blood for me. Three days
later you resurrected him. I accept that. I invite Jesus Christ into
my heart as my Lord and savior. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
God bless you.
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