FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT (JUST BE)
INTENTION:
Fruit comes naturally
when connected to the source. He is our Vine, we are the branches from the
Vine.
He supplies the
nourishment for us to manifest His Fruit out from His Spirit in us.
And because we are
perpetually connected, we can always produce fruit—to “Just Be Him”.
I.
TOPIC:
We want to look at the Fruit of the Spirit.
Simply put, this is a gift to and for us to use. As humans,
we can strive so hard to live a fruit-life out of our own ability and strength
(by works / the Law). Yet, as believers, we have His power and ability to live
a life out of His strength!
Something the Lord
shared with me was for me to “Just Be Me” (Just be Him).
Over the almost 10 years since He shared that, I have been dwelling on
understanding what it means for me. And what I have seen in my own life is that
I’ve always strived to try and do the “things of the Lord”, but it always has
felt difficult and burdensome—not natural.
But this is not because it is hard, but because of the
programming that has kept me from manifesting Him naturally.
The comparison is like this: Doing it to be Healthy;
vs. Doing it from a space of being Healthy.
What I mean by that, is that as we break-off the
programming (strongholds) that cause restrictions and limitations in an area of
my life, doing something in that area (post-healing) becomes natural (feels at
ease to do). It is no longer “heavy” or “burdensome”—in essence become a fruit
of my living. Example:
The “pressure” we feel to go to
the gym to get healthy (the uphill battle to make myself go to the gym
against the part of me that doesn’t want to go); vs. being in a space of “mental
/ emotional / physical health” that makes going to the gym feel free (no
longer hindered by the things resisting me going to the gym).
So, it is less about the gym, and
more about the part of me that needs healing to allow going to the gym to feel
unburdened. Heal that part, and the natural want / tendency to go to the gym
manifests.
We naturally bear the fruit of life
that is going to the gym (or any you-specific area / thing).
We bear the fruit of the Spirit by our connection to life,
not be striving to bear fruit—for a plant doesn’t strive to bear fruit, it
strives for the source of life for fruit to naturally bear. And when we
cultivate a plant to bear fruit, it often involves the removal of the things
that don’t belong—not cutting it off, but cleaning, maintaining, elevating
(lifting up its branches and leaves); and, for this world, removing the
unhealthy things like pests and weeds.
God the Father is our Caretaker (Vine-Dresser of grapevines
/ vineyard), caring for (cultivating) Jesus as the Vine and us as the Branches.
Because there is nothing impure or wrong with Jesus, there is nothing impure or
wrong with us as Branches from Jesus. Jesus cannot produce anything that is not
Righteous and Holy—you!
Remember, your status of “Righteous” and “Holy” has nothing
to do with your actions or inactions (sins or non-sins)—but all to do with the
Status of Jesus as Righteous and Holy. Thus, because, as Born-Again believers,
we are indefinitely Righteous and Holy (because Jesus is Righteous and Holy),
there is no want, need, or reason for branches to be pruned or cut off. Yes,
a vine-dresser does do so with their vineyard (for some sprouting at the base),
but that is only because of the corrupted nature of the plant—as Jesus is not
corrupted, that need does not exist in His reality.
Since we will always be connected to the Vine (Jesus)
without fear of being “cut-off”, we can rest in receiving the Life that comes
from the Vine (Jesus). As a branch, you aren’t striving to find sun and water
(Life), that is the Vine’s (Jesus’s) and Vine-Dresser’s (God’s) responsibility—and
I have confidence They are doing that for us.
All-the-while, the Caretaker (God the Father) is busy
tending to nourishing the Vine (Jesus) and nurturing the Branches (you and me).
And He nurtures us by washing the mud and dirt off our leaves, keeping the pest
off as best He can, and lifting us up into the sunlight—that is what tending to
a vineyard looks like for the branches to bear much fruit. We can naturally and
restfully bear that fruit as “just being” a branch that inherently made to do
that.
For you and me, we too can take responsibility with Him in
our own healing to remove things (unbelief) in us. Sometimes that does look
like us “doing” to be healthy. But there are also those other times when we
start doing from a space of healthy—that He cleansed and lifted us out of
something, where all-of-a-sudden, we are naturally doing the things we were so
oft striving to do.
We then, Just Be (Just Are) that fruit.
II.
READING: Bearing Fruit / Fruit
of the Spirit
John
15:1-17 (DLNT) [From DLNT Footnotes] {PoG}
I am the true grapevine,
and My Father is the farmer. 2 Every branch in Me not bearing fruit—[He lifts
it up. That is, He lifts it up to the trellis in the spring, training and
tending it so that it bears fruit next season]. And every branch bearing
fruit—He cleans it in order that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already
clean, because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide [Remain,
Continue, Stay] in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch is not able to bear
fruit from itself unless it is abiding in the grapevine, so neither are you
able unless you are abiding in Me. 5 I am the grapevine, you are the branches.
The one abiding [that is, having a living reciprocal relationship with Jesus]
in Me and I in him—this one bears much fruit. Because apart from Me, you can do
nothing. 6 If anyone is not abiding in Me {that is to not believe in Him, as
in not being Born-Again}—he was thrown outside like the branch, and was
dried-up. And they gather them together, and throw them into the fire. And they
are burned. 7 If you abide in Me {that is to believe in Him, as in being Born-Again},
and My words abide in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you.
8 By this My Father is glorified—that you be bearing much fruit, and be
disciples to Me. 9 Just as the Father loved Me, I also loved you. Abide in My
love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you [are abiding] in My love—just as I
have kept the commandments of My Father and am abiding in His love.
11 “I have spoken these
things to you in order that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be made
full. 12 This is My commandment: that you be loving one another just as I loved
you. 13 No one has greater love than this: that one lay-down his {soul} for his
friends. 14 You are My friends if you are doing the things which I command you.
15 I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not know what his master
is doing. But I have called you friends, because I made-known to you everything
which I heard from My Father. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and
appointed you, in order that you may go and bear fruit and your fruit may
remain, in order that He may give you whatever thing you ask the Father in My
name. 17 I am commanding these things to you so-that you will love one another.
Galatians 5:22-25 (DLNT) {PoG}
But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, {faith}, 23
gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 And the ones
of Christ Jesus crucified the flesh, with its passions and desires. 25 If we
are living by the Spirit, let us also be walking-in-line with the Spirit.
III.
RELATED VERSES AND QUESTIONS:
A. The
Fruit of the Spirit is Love (being the first / most important fruit). This is
not just any Love, but the Lord’s Agape Love—as we learned in the
previous Bible Study (Lesson 033). This unconditional Love is His Love
towards us always. He so longs for us to experience that Love, He provides the
ability for us to do so from Himself. We are instructed to not only Love others
and ourself with this Love, but also Love Him back with this same Love. He
first Loved us (1
John 4:19)—in that we didn’t have to “love Him first” for Him to then Love
us. Let us Love then.
Philippians
1:9-10 (DLNT) [From DLNT Footnotes] {PoG}
And I am praying this:
that your love may be abounding still more and more in knowledge and all
perception 10 so that you may be approving the things mattering [being worth
more, and thus, being excellent, superior, or essential], in-order-that you
might be pure and {not troubled by a consciousness of sin until} the day of
Christ.
1
John 4:7-8 (DLNT) [From DLNT Footnotes]
Beloved, let us be loving
one another. Because [this love] is from God! And everyone loving has been born
from God, and knows God. 8 The one not loving did not know God, because God is
love.
Question: Have you ever found yourself Agape
Loving someone unconditionally without understanding how?
B.
The Fruit of
the Spirit is Joy. The Lord
Themselves have joy. They celebrate when a person comes into the Kingdom, or we
manifest His Gifts, or even just because we are His children—we are the
treasure He gave all He had (Jesus) to redeem us. And, I feel, when we
understand that joy He always has for us, it gives us strength—for the Lord’s
joy to us is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Even in persecution, we can know the Lord has joy for us [not the
persecution].
Matthew
13:44 (DLNT) [From DLNT Footnotes]
“The kingdom of the
heavens is like a treasure having been hidden in the field, which having found,
a man hid. And from his joy [of it], he goes and sells all that he has and buys
that field.”
Acts
13:49-52 (DLNT)
And the word of the Lord
was being carried through the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the
prominent worshiping women and the leading men of the city, and aroused a
persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out from their districts.
51 But the ones, having shaken-out the dust from their feet against them, went
to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were being filled with joy and with the Holy
Spirit.
Question: Have you ever experienced joy in a
time of trouble or doubt? Do you find yourself working for His joy?
C. The
Fruit of the Spirit is Peace. Often our fear can be directed at God—that we
literally fear Him in that He is out to punish us; because fear involves
punishment (1
John 4:18). This is why He desires us to be at peace with Him as He has
made peace with us (Romans
5:1). And when we see God correctly, we multiply that peace in us.
James
3:17-18 (DLNT)
But the wisdom from-above
is first pure, then peaceful, kind, yielding, full of mercy and good fruits,
impartial, sincere. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by the
ones making peace.
2
Peter 1:2 {PoG}
Grace and peace are
multiplied in you when you have the correct knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.
Question: When you learn about God, does it
bring peace to you?
D. The
Fruit of the Spirit is Patience. The Lord is patient with us, longing for us to
come to salvation (2
Peter 3:9). Jesus had to be patient as He experienced struggles as a human
(relating to us). In some Bible translations, this word is called:
longsuffering (G3115);
but it doesn’t mean to suffer for a long time, but to have patient endurance,
slow to avenge wrongs. When we struggle, He is there to bear the fruit through
us of patience.
2
Corinthians 6:4-10 (DLNT)
... but in everything, as
God’s servants, commending ourselves in great endurance— in afflictions, in
constraints, in distresses, 5 in beatings, in prisons, in disturbances, in labours,
in watchings, in fastings; 6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness,
in a holy spirit, in sincere love, 7 in the word of truth, in the power of God;
through the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left; 8 through
glory and dishonour, through evil-report and good-report; as deceivers and true
ones, 9 as being not-known and being fully-known; as dying and behold we live,
as being disciplined and not being put-to-death, 10 as being grieved but always
rejoicing; as poor but enriching many, as having nothing and holding-on-to all
things.
Colossians
1:9-14 (DLNT) {PoG}
For this reason we also,
from which day we heard, do not cease praying for you and asking that you may
be filled with the {correct} knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and
understanding, 10 so that you may walk worthily of the Lord, toward total
pleasing (of Him)—bearing-fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge
of God; 11 being empowered with all power according-to the might of His glory,
toward total endurance and patience; with joy 12 giving-thanks to the Father
having qualified you for your part of the share of the saints in the light, 13
Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the
kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in Whom we have the redemption, the
forgiveness of sins.
Question: Do you find it hard to hold back on
“getting back” at someone who wronged you? Do you have patience with yourself
or others with their own / your own timeline of healing?
E. The
Fruit of the Spirit is Kindness. It is this goodness (kindness) of God that
leads us to repentance (Romans
2:4). He continues to show His Kindness to us as we too can do the same.
Ephesians
2:4-7 (DLNT)
But God, being rich in
mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even we being dead
in trespasses, made-us-alive-with Christ—by grace you are saved— 6 and
raised-us-with Him and seated-us-with Him in the heavenly-places in Christ
Jesus, 7 in order that He might demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing
riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Colossians
3:8-17 (DLNT)
But now you also,
lay-aside all these things—wrath, anger, malice, blasphemy, filthy-language
from your mouth; 9 do not be lying to one another—having stripped-off the old
person with his practices, 10 and having put-on the new person being renewed to
knowledge in-accordance-with the image of the One having created him, 11 where
there is no Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian,
slave, free, but Christ is all things and in all persons.
12 Therefore, as chosen
ones of God, holy and having been loved, put-on deep-feelings of compassion,
kindness, humblemindedness, gentleness, patience, 13 bearing-with one another,
and forgiving each other—if anyone has a complaint against anyone. Just as
indeed the Lord forgave you, so also you forgive. 14 And over all these things
put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of Christ be
arbitrating in your hearts—into which indeed you were called in one body. And
be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ be dwelling in you richly, with all
wisdom teaching and admonishing each other with psalms, hymns, spiritual songs;
with gratitude singing with your hearts to God. 17 And everything, whatever
thing you may do in word or in deed, do all things in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving-thanks to God the Father through Him.
Question: If we always did the same kindness as
the Lord, how different do you think this world would be?
F. The
Fruit of the Spirit is Goodness. The first Bible Study (Lesson 001) is
that of the Nature and Character of God being Good. We must never forget this—not
misinterpreting our definition of “good” with the human errors we experience
when someone is trying to do good.
Romans
15:13-14 (DLNT)
Now may the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may be abounding in
hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 Now I am convinced, my
brothers—even I myself concerning you—that you yourselves also are full of
goodness, having been filled with all knowledge, being able also to admonish
one another.
James
1:16b-19 (DLNT)
My beloved brothers, 17
every good gift-giving and every perfect gift-given is from-above, coming down
from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow of
turning. 18 Having willed it, He brought us forth by the word of truth so that
we might be a kind-of firstfruit of His creatures. 19 You know this, my beloved
brothers, but let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow into
anger.
Question: Do you see yourself as being full of
goodness?
G. The
Fruit of the Spirit is Faith. Though some translations say “faithfulness”, the
original word is faith (G4102). The
Lord provides us with Faith. Faith is not what we demonstrate toward God (doing
for Him to "move"), it's actually what God is doing through you. God
manifested Himself through Jesus Christ (Hebrews
12:2), and it was credited to Jesus as Faith. Jesus demonstrated this for
us and gifted us the exact same ability to do so as well. Thus, the
manifestation of God in your life is literally Faith—being assured of a
positive hope and proof of something we do not see going into it (becoming
reality as the conclusion becomes visible).
Example: When the Lord
has us approach a person who requires the healing of a crippled hand (as Jesus
did), we go into the situation with assurance, of a positive hope that it will
be healed, certain of the proof that it will, even though we won’t see it until
it happens.
Hebrews
11:1 (DLNT) [From DLNT Footnotes]
Now faith is the assurance
[that is, our subjective confidence about the future things. Or, substance,
reality; that is, the objective present reality of the future things] of things
being hoped-for [That is, future realities], the conviction [Or, the certainty,
the being-convinced. Or, the proof, the evidence, the thing-convincing] of
things not being seen [That is, unseen realities, past, present, and future].
Question: What manifests as Faith in your life?
H. The
Fruit of the Spirit is Gentleness. There is no gentleness in coming at someone
with a rod to beat them, but of a shepherd’s staff that gently guides in love
and patience; but also protects from outside dangers. This gentle shepherd’s
staff (and protection) is why David says “Your rod and staff comfort me” (Psalms
23:4b)—this same gentle comfort is what we are told to us to use, not to
hit a person (Proverbs
13:24)… you can’t hit and beat someone in or into comfort. Yet, we can be
comforted in both gentleness and protection.
·
Refer also: https://cbadenhorst.blogspot.com/2017/05/raising-children-as-lord-raises-us.html
1
Corinthians 4:14-21 (DLNT)
I am writing these things
not shaming you, but admonishing you as my beloved children. 15 For if you
should have ten-thousand tutors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers.
For I fathered you in Christ Jesus through the good-news. 16 Therefore I exhort
you—be imitators of me. 17 For this reason I sent Timothy to you, who is my
beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who will remind you as to my ways in
Christ Jesus, just as I am teaching everywhere in every church. 18 Now some
were puffed-up as-if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon,
if the Lord wills. And I shall come-to-know not the talk of the ones having
been puffed-up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in talk, but in
power. 21 What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod, or with love and a
spirit of gentleness?
Question: How do you approach someone (including
your own child / someone else’s child) to help guide or correct them? How
should a teacher correct a child in their class?
I.
The Fruit of the Spirit is Self-Control.
Self-control involves strength. However, we must be cautious as our flesh
desires to be the “strong one”. Yet, here we are gifted a strength above and
beyond our flesh—one from the Spirit within us that dwelt in Jesus Christ; who
was obedient even unto death (Philippians
2:8). His flesh wanted to quit, but He maintained self-control to adhere to
God’s Will over His own flesh (Matthew
26:36-46).
Titus
1:7-9 (DLNT)
For the overseer must be
blameless as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not a drunken
one, not a brawler, not fond-of-shameful-gain, 8 but hospitable, a
lover-of-good, sound-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding-on-to the
faithful word in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to
exhort with healthy teaching and refute the ones contradicting.
2
Peter 1:3-9 (DLNT) {PoG}
Because-of His divine
power having granted us all things pertaining-to life and godliness through the
knowledge of the One having called us by His own glory and virtue, 4 through
which qualities He has granted us the precious and greatest things-promised in
order that through these you might become sharers of the divine nature, having
escaped-from the corruption in the world by evil desire; 5 and indeed for this
very reason you having applied all diligence—in your faith supply virtue; and
in your virtue, knowledge; 6 and in your knowledge, self-control; and in your
self-control, endurance; and in your endurance, godliness; 7 and in your
godliness, brotherly-love; and in your brotherly-love, love.
8 For these qualities
being-present in you and increasing make you neither useless nor unfruitful in
the {correct} knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For the one in whom these
qualities are not present is blind, being short-sighted, having forgotten the
purification of his former sins.
Question: What are signs we are relying on the
self-control of the flesh versus the Spirit?
IV.
FURTHER THOUGHT:
A. Luke
8:11-15 (DLNT)
Now the parable means
this: the seed is the word of God. 12 And the people along the road are the
ones having heard. Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their
heart in order that they may not be saved, having believed. 13 And the people
on the bed-rock are ones who are welcoming the word with joy when they hear it.
And these do not have a root—they are ones who are believing for a time, and
are departing in a time of testing. 14 And the seed having fallen into the
thorns—these people are the ones having heard, and while proceeding are being
choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life. And they are not
bringing-fruit-to-maturity. 15 And the seed in the good soil—these people are
ones who, having heard the word in a good and fertile heart, are holding-on-to
it and bearing-fruit with endurance.
Thoughts: Not
having the fruit does not make you any less a Christian (or not a Born-Again
believer). Out of the four seed examples, only the first one (along the road)
are those who hear the Word of God and choose not to believe and are thus not
Born-Again. The other three heard the Word and believed, being Born-Again. Of
these three, one doesn’t bear fruit (but remains a believer), the second shows
some fruit (also remaining a believer). The last bears full amounts of ripe
fruit (as a believer). As such, it is possible to believe, be Born-Again, and
not show fruit.
B. John
5:20 (DLNT)
For the Father loves the
Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing. And He will show Him
greater works than these, in order that you may marvel.
Thoughts: Jesus manifest all these same Fruits
of the Spirit. He had to abide by the Spirit, always connected with the Father
(just as we are always connected as well). Jesus also had the same flesh to
overcome as we do, and showed us it is still possible to always manifest the
Fruit of the Spirit.
What is interesting to me,
is (as always), the Father never instructs us to do anything He Himself doesn’t
do. Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing. So that Jesus demonstrated
these same Fruits of the Spirit, shows us that these same Fruits is what the
Father operates in.
In the previous Bible
Study on Loves (Lesson 033), we saw that because God = Love, the same
definition of Love in 1
Corinthians 13:4-8a is the same definition as to what God our Father does.
Thus, we know too that the Father operates in these same Fruits of the Spirit.
Do we think that God
doesn’t operate in these (bear the same Fruits)? I think sometimes our
confusions about God make us think and believe He doesn’t—but He does.
Because of Who God is, He
perpetually operates and manifest these Fruits. And He does so Naturally, just
as we can too. For when we break our strongholds off and renew our minds, we
set ourself free to just “be Me” (Him).
… I want you to be who I made you as (not made you
to be, but made you as). You are already all you need to be, you just don't
understand yet that that is what you already are. Just be Me. See Me.
Read about Me. Talk to Me. Ask Me!
… just be Me. That's the easiest thing you
can do, to just be Me. You just THINK it's hard, but this is just it... an
unrenewed mind is what keeps you from it being as easy. That's why this [renewing
of the mind] is so important.”
… when you see Me, you break the hard shell
that encases that aspect of life to be free to finally BE like ME. That
is how you be like me; how you can Just Be—it is to break off the
shell that binds.
Yes Father, Patience. A
fruit of the Spirit. Don't try, just let that fruit of patience transform
your life. You actually do care about others and life now Chris, this is why
your struggle is. Jesus struggled as well on this earth--you see how much He
cared through the frustration He showed. This is you now. This is part of being
Me. Part of being Me also includes giving it to Me. Jesus had to
learn this. Jesus had to go pray for whole nights; yet He saw more than you do
now Chris. He prayed for Himself, for His disciples (see the frustration they
caused Him,). He prayed for His purpose. He prayed for strength, He prayed for
His life. He was / is just
like you Chris. His
struggle is your struggle. But He overcame that struggle through adversity—this
is what adversity is... the struggle you feel of giving everything to me
instead of caving in to this world and its ways. Adversity is the learning
process by which to give Me that control.
These strongholds and “programming mistakes” are all
the things trained in us (unintentional or not) that shouldn’t have been—that
we need to heal from. These iniquities are often our survival-mechanisms from
the womb and childhood, traumas that shape our life (even in adulthood), hurts
and pains from others, or just the way the inherent nature of our environment
adjusts our life. They layer upon us “hardened shells” that need to get
broken-off through our own healing processes; revealing our True Nature inside
us—us now “being Him".
(RESEMBLING A BREAKING-OFF OF A RESTRICTION / BINDING-AGENT
THAT IS THE STRONGHOLD / PROGRAMMING MISTAKE)
V. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & SUPPORT:
A thank you to Kelly and Joshua who are inspirational in this life-journey. And to all the family, friends, sponsors, and donors who have fed into this ministry and outreach.
If you would like to support this ministry and outreach, you may do so via our website or at:
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