FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT-LOVE
"But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law"-
What is the Fruit of the Spirit?
According to Apostle Paul, the nine distinctive character
traits of Jesus, otherwise known as the Fruit of the Spirit is the
evidence of a life that is sold out to Jesus Christ and is filled with the Holy
Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit is evident in the very nature and character of
Jesus Himself, in God the Father, as well as in God, the Son.
In this study, we will pursue the aspect of Love as the first distinctive trait described among the nine traits (or virtues). In the climate of the world today, to SIMPLY and TRULY walk in LOVE can only come about through divine empowerment.
The biblical definition and meaning of Love are found in John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." and in 2 John 1:6 - "And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love."
What Are the Attributes of Love?
The attributes of Love are listed in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8: "4: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not
envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5: It does not
dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs. 6: Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth. 7: It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres. 8: Love never fails
The following are the attributes of Love as part of
the Fruit of the Spirit:
1. Patience - Love is patient, it does not lose
heart. As a character trait of Jesus, love should be evident in our hearts.
This is what makes you act patiently when relating with weaker or less mature
people, especially young brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.
2. Kindness - This is the ability to treat
others as well as ourselves with genuine care and respect.
3. Never envious - A heart where love dwells does not
get heated or boil with hatred and envy.
4. Unboastful - Not being boastful means there is
no room for bragging or showing off. When we are filled with the Spirit, we
don't see ourselves as better than others.
5. Not proud - This refers to the intentional act
of bearing yourself loftily. In other words, it means to be arrogant or puffed
up.
6. It doesn't dishonor others - To dishonor others means to behave
rudely, act inappropriately, or be unbecoming. This is one attribute that makes
it easy to identify a believer. A man or woman who has the fruit of the Spirit
will not manifest rudeness or act inappropriately no matter what.
7. Is not self-seeking - When our lives manifest love, we
won't seek what is convenient or profitable for us. We won't be selfish,
self-centered, be demanding our way, or only think of ourselves.
8. Is not irritable - A heart where love resides is not touchy,
quick-tempered, or easily irritated.
9. Forgives easily - Love doesn't keep a record of
wrongs or bear grudges. Instead, it always forgives regardless of how many
times offenses come.
10. Finds no pleasure in evil - Love is the very nature of God,
therefore it does not take delight in disobedience, injustice, acts of
unrighteousness; sin or rejoice at wrongdoings.
11. Is pleased with truth - Love is always glad to be on the
side of truth, it finds it pleasing and rejoices each time truth prevails.
12. Always protects - This attribute of love is what
makes it natural to want to defend, protect, and be loyal/faithful to the
people we love, regardless of the cost.
13. Never fails - Love is powerful, effective, never falters nor fails in the face of adversity.
So, to Wrap it Up, Why You Must Have Love, the Most
Important Fruit of the Spirit
Every single one of the nine distinctive traits of the Fruit
of the Spirit is important, however, love is the greatest and most important of
all.
The following are the reasons you need love:
· -All
the other nine virtues operate from love. You can't have patience, kindness, or
any of the others if love is lacking in your life.
· -Without
love, you can’t have or manifest any of the other eight virtues.
· -You
need love in your life because it shows that you belong to God, for God Himself is love.
-Last, Jesus explains that by this (manifesting love),
we are known to be His true disciples and followers. John 13:34-35: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved
you, so you must love one another. 35: By this everyone will know that you are
my disciples if you love one another."
***
As Christians, we need to strive to show forth God’s love to the world. It may be as simple as reaching out to a friend in need, giving our time to a worthwhile cause, volunteering in a mission, etc. By this everyone will know that we are indeed Christ's disciples.
So, let's love one another as
Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it.
SCRIPTURES FOR FURTHER STUDY OR CROSS-REFERENCE:
Mathew 5: 43-46, 2 John 1:6, 1 John 4:16, Psalm145:8-10, Genesis 12:3
Signs of a Dead Church
"So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words,but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain." Ezekiel 33:31
1. Avoid preaching on offensive subjects, lest the carnal Christian feel uncomfortable. Don’t preach on consecration, prayer, fasting, holy living, seeking God, sacrificial love, determination towards God, or purposeful living.
2. Never be clear about the condition of someone's lifestyle so they feel no consequence of hell. Don’t remind them that scripture says in Galatians that says those who practice "idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wrath's, factions, divisions, heresies , envyings, drunkenness, revelings . . ." shall NOT inherit the Kingdom of God. ( Galatians 5:20 )
3. Avoid all heat and intensity in your delivery, lest people feel you really believe what you preach. Preach four points and a poem-that’s it. Don’t you dare go outside of the “Norm”. Don’t you dare “upset” the status quo . . .
Make sure, repeatedly, that you allow them to “feed” their flesh-but make to attempt to feed them spiritually. In other words, ALWAYS MAKE SURE you get them out of church, in time, to make it to McDonalds before the “rush at lunch hour,,,”
4. Make people feel that all men are really good, it is just that some of them believe a little differently than you do. Don’t ever quote them the scripture that says: Act 4:12 "And there is salvation in no other One; for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
5. Say so little of hell that people will think that you don't believe it exists yourself.
6. Make no reference, EVER, to self-denial, taking up your own cross on a daily basis, having to witness, evangelize, having to “believe God”, or having your own personal faith tested and having to go through trials.
7. Do not rebuke the worldly tendencies of the church. Be sure to tell the Church that you (a Christian) are NOT supposed to have the answers to the problems of this world. Be sure and tell them that there should never be ANY distinction that sets you apart from the rest of the world. If you do any of this, you might hurt their feelings.
8. Preach Jesus Christ as a nice and good natured being. Don’t tell them that the “next time” he’s not coming as a lamb (in meekness) but the next time he’s coming as the JUDGE, with FIRE and with ALL the Holy Angels.
9. Don’t train your people to do the work of the ministry. Make them think you’re the only one that can do it. Make them think they can’t witness, lay hands on people and (especially) that they can and should believe God for things their themselves !
10. Don’t stand against people not bringing others to church. Make them feel that it would be to much of a burden on them and that they themselves are obviously to busy to be able to care for the spiritual condition of their neighbors, friends and relatives. Never tell them they should be involved in bringing others to Jesus.
11. Rely heavily and exclusively on continual advertisement, guest speakers, special functions, car washes, pot lucks and the like. Never rely on, instead, plain old prayer, fasting, persistence and biblical consecration.
*****
God Needs Some Warriors - Ministry Video
Praying Hyde- Missionary to India
Protecting Your Children
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.” (Psalm 127:3-4)
Our children’s senses are assaulted every day with hollow philosophies of men and ideologies that don’t line up with biblical standards. As Christian parents, it’s important that we don’t let go of the reigns of our children’s spirits or hand them over to people who have not been called or equipped to handle them. Keep the following in mind as safeguards for your child’s destiny:
1. If we don’t teach our children to follow Jesus, the world will teach them not to. The devil would LOVE to snatch them from you ! DON'T LET HIM !
2.Pay attention to what your children are being taught. As a parent, YOU ARE IN CHARGE of your child’s education, not a school board, a teacher, or principal. Monitor what they are learning by browsing through their textbooks, dropping in to a class, or chaperoning a field trip. If your child attends a Christian school, don’t be deceived. Monitoring is still necessary if you want to make sure your child is being trained up in the way that he/she should go.
3.Be bold enough to say no to some forms of entertainment. YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF RAISING YOUR CHILDREN, not Hollywood or Nintendo. No matter how much your children may object, it is your responsibility to say no to toys, music, movies, or video games that undermine or compromise Christian concepts and standards. Teach your children how to filter media messages on their own so they can begin to recognize the tricks of the enemy.
4. Use every opportunity to communicate biblical messages. Don’t take anything for granted. If you and your child witness a frustrated mother and disrespectful teenager in the mall, use it as a time to explain the meaning of honor and the promise for each child if they give honor to their father and mother. During a commercial that may be questionable in its subject matter, explain the principles and standards of God.
5. Remember, children learn by example and routine. As a parent, you are being watched – maybe more than you are being heard. Do your children see Christ in you when you’re in traffic, when you’re dealing with cashiers, when you’re at home with your spouse? Do they see consistency with what they hear coming from the pulpit and what is demonstrated in the home? The spirit of the world gains ground in the mind of a child when it can identify areas of hypocrisy and tolerance of sin in authority figures. When you make mistakes, be quick to ask forgiveness of God and those around you.
Focus on the Family-Godly Resources for Parents / Single or Couple
Don't ever give up on your kid ! - Testimony of a Teens Conversion
What the End Time Church Looks Like (and does )
1. GATHERS. The anointing on the end time church is a gathering anointing. The end time church will “draw” people, like deer to a water brook, panting for the things, demonstration and presence of God. End time churches will gather people for the purpose of teaching, training and mobilizing them to fulfill the purposes and plans of God. End time churches will have a spiritual anointing that will attract people for the purposes of the kingdom. -Matt. 12:30
2. IMPARTS. End time churches have an ability to impart spiritual forces to the saints. Through powerful preaching, demonstration and anointing -impartation enables and equips the saints to fulfill their callings and destinies. - Rom. 1:11
3. IS INCONVENIENCED. Members of an end time church understand the divine ‘calling’ of “inconvenience”. There will always be plenty of excuses to find reasons NOT to pray, to study, to witness, to apply the Word of God daily, to attend Church services or to give financially to God. Nothing great comes easy ! - Rom 12:11
4. ENGAGES IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE. Spiritual warfare is a necessity, not an option. We can ignore what we are called to overcome. We sacrifice our own spiritual power by agreeing with everything and everybody. Strong believers know that in order for the anointing to destroy, it must first confront. It is “in the conflict” that spiritual strength is forged in the believer. -Matt 11:12
5. DOES EVANGELISM. The great commission is not a suggestion to be considered-it is a command to be obeyed. Do the things that break the heart of God break your heart ? "Christ Jesus came to save sinners" [1 Timothy 1:15 ]. True believers will have a passion to evangelize the lost-and will do so at great cost.
6. REFORMS. End time churches are true reformers. They are driven to bring Gods Biblical Pattern, Gods truth, Gods instructions into the earth. They bring the necessary changes to the house of God and to the region they are assigned to. The individual callings and elections of God are manifested in individual believers lives during true reformation. - Heb. 9:10
What Makes Strong Believers- Church Video
Martin Luther Reformation- What we have today is because this man stood up, radically, for reforming the church back to Biblical truth and pattern
What Next ?
To much “regular and easy" Christianity says “it doesn’t take all that”. Some "socially accepted" Christianity says “to not rock the boat”. It says other “churchgoers” will look at you ‘funny’, say undesirable things about you and may even shy away from your company.
You MUST be different. Romans 12:2
How must you be different?
1) Be about the Fathers business. It may not be popular, it definitely will not be easy, but you have an eternal perspective and an eternal goal. You recognize you are in it for the long haul. Matthew 6:33 and Colossians 3:2
2) REAL Christianity takes real “guts”. Rambo ain't got nuthin' on real Christianity. If “Real” Christianity were easy, then everybody would be succeeding at it, there would be miraculous healings, multiple salvations and regular moving(s) of the Holy Spirit throughout the city-constantly. Since that is obviously not the “norm” (yet) that means that God must be looking for people to be right before Him, stay right before Him and be willing to plow the ground-to prepare a place and an area for those ’regular’ healings, miracles and salvations.
How do we, as individual believers do our part, to ‘prepare ourselves and our area’ for his kingdom to come and be manifest in our lives ?
-individual, daily Bible reading and daily prayer lives is a spark in the process- Psalm 63:1
-teaching, preaching and understanding that each person has their own weight and their own spiritual responsibility is a vital key to revival across an area.
3) People are inherently drawn to Gods light-Psalm 36:9. No matter whether things are going good around you, or not so good-your personal aim (in God) should be to be stronger in Him this month, than you were last month. In the natural, this may seem like a long and arduous process-but you are in this for the long haul-and you are working every day for your ETERNAL REWARDS. You are the only light God has on the earth. You Must Shine Brightly !!
4) Don’t get caught up (or discouraged) in the ebbs and tides of daily, weekly or even monthly, flows and circumstances surrounding you, you’re loved ones and those in your life that God has called you to touch with his grace. Some battles are and will be won by nothing but ‘sheer persistence’ -and nothing but persistence. Remember Noah ? Remember the city Joshua had to march around for six days..doing nothing but "making a sound" ?
Do you think that ALL the members of Joshua’s army were fully on board walking around the fortified wall of a city, marching around, shouting and (of all things) blowing trumpets ? Do you think any of them felt a little silly ?
Do you know what the BIBLE answer to someone in this situation is?
>>> GET BACK IN RANK, START MARCHING, START SHOUTING . . .
>>> . . . AND “BLOW THAT TRUMPET!”
You stay in rank, keep on marching, keep on shouting, keep on praying, keep on believing, keep on blowing your trumpet. You take care of your own marching, shouting and ‘blowing’’
&
-let God take care of the WALL !
God Needs Warriors ! Scripture . . . for Calling Folks HIGHER !
Determination-Get Some !- Full Online Church Service to PUMP YOU UP and GET YOU BACK OUT THERE !
