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Fruit of the Spirit – Part 1
This article will lay the ground work as to why we need
the Fruit of the Spirit, some basic foundation that will set the stage for us
to meditate on each virtue in detail in the coming articles.
Gal 5:22-23 NLT
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
ஆவியின் கனியோ,
அன்பு, சந்தோஷம், சமாதானம், நீடியபொறுமை, தயவு, நற்குணம், விசுவாசம், சாந்தம், இச்சையடக்கம்;
இப்படிப்பட்டவைகளுக்கு விரோதமான பிரமாணம் ஒன்றுமில்லை.
Point1: The Fruit of the Spirit and not Fruits.
It is singular and not plural. So if anyone says
fruits of the Spirit, please correct them humbly. So what does that mean to us?
All the 9 virtues mentioned under the Fruit of the Spirit, we must exhibit. We
cannot say, today I will show love and joy and tomorrow Self-control. It
doesn’t work that way. As a child of God, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, you
and I are called to reveal all these 9 virtues in our day to day walk. Is it
easy? Of course not! But is it possible? Absolutely yes!
Point2: Gifts Versus Fruit
Paul mentions about the gifts of the Spirit in 1Cor
12:4-11 NKJV
Message of wisdom, message of knowledge,
faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking
in different kinds of tongues and interpretation of tongues.
a. What is the difference
between the gifts and the fruit of the Spirit? There are actually 9 gifts
of the Spirit. The Gifts of the spirit is plural. That means you need not have
all the nine gifts to be an effective Christian. These are distributed by the
Spirit to each one as he determines (1 Cor 2:11). The Lord determines what gift
each one must have. In verse 31 we read, ‘Now eagerly desire the greater
gifts’. We must all desire or seek or ask for these gifts but the Spirit gives
it to us. It is a gift. All we have to do is open in faith and use it. Imagine
the gifts under the Christmas tree. We just open it and use it. We must operate
the gifts the Lord has given us.
But the Fruit of the Spirit
must be cultivated. A fruit is produced only after much pruning. Before we go
too far on this, I want to make it very clear that is not our work that produces the
fruit. It is His spirit that produces the fruit in us. Fruit of the
Spirit is not works based Christianity. It is the mark of a mature Christian.
Derek
Prince says it in this way “There
is a difference in kind between gifts and fruit. This may be illustrated by
comparing a Christmas tree with an apple tree. A Christmas tree carries gifts.
Each gift is attached to it by a single act and received from it by a single
act. No time or effort is required of the person receiving the gift. On the
other hand, there is both time and hard work required to cultivate an apple
tree. To produce fruit, it must go through a series of stages that takes
several years.”
b. Why we need both? Why the
Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write about both about the gifts and the Fruit of
the Spirit and not just one? The answer is simple - both are essential for our
Christian living - to be an effective Christian.
Point3:
Why we need the Fruit of the Spirit?
1.
It is expected of you as
the Father invests in you. Fruit is the result of some work – we say fruit of
the labor, fruit of the womb. We work for a month and we get paid. That’s the
fruit of our labor. Same way God is working in us, and it is His expectation
that we produce fruit.
Luke 13:6-9 Then he told this parable: “A man had a
fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did
not find any. So he said to
the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to
look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should
it use up the soil?’ “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone
for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If
it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
In this parable, the owner
is the Father and the gardener is Jesus. He is interceding for you even today. The fertilization that is talked in this parable can refer to the many sermons we hear, many bible studies we do etc.
2.
It brings glory to the
Father
When you produce much
fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. John
15:8
3.
Others will know us by our fruit.
Matt 7:20 Thus, by their
fruit you will recognize them.
The fruit is what attracts
others to us and eventually to Jesus. The fruit is evident in the inner circle
of friends, work place, at home etc. When we operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit
but do not exhibit the fruit of the spirit we become a hindrance to our
brothers and sisters. We are becoming as stumbling stones for those who look to
us. They begin to think ‘she is so anointed on stage, but how come she does not
love? How come she is not patient?’. We
become as hypocrites to the world. So let us be very careful that our fruit is
evident.
Point4:
How do we produce the Fruit of
the Spirit? By abiding in Him.
John 15:4-5 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch
can bear fruit by itself; it
must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the
branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Col 2:7 NLT
Let your roots grow down
into him, and let your lives be built on him
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to
bear fruit.” Jer 17:8
When all goes well, anyone can bear fruit. But even in times
of drought, are we murmuring or producing fruit? We can bear fruit even in
times of drought, even in adversity, if our roots are deep in Him. The peace in
the midst of storm, the joy we possess in the midst of sickness or job loss is
what attracts the world to Jesus. I want the Joy you have, I want the Peace you
have – and this opens a door for us to share the gospel.
Let us bear much fruit and bring glory to the Father.
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