Something More: The Fruit of the Holy Spirit

John 14:26 - The Helper is the Holy Spirit. The Father will send Him in My place. He will teach you everything and help you remember everything I have told you.  

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are good and for today. They are meant to edify your life and be developed in every believer. In 1 Corinthians 12 the Gifts are listed as: Knowledge, Wisdom, Prophecy, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Discerning Spirits, Tongues and  the Interpretation of Tongues.  And if God gave it us, we need it in our life.  But these gifts also come warnings that we must listen to.

In 1 Corinthians 14:18-19, the Apolstle Paul warns us, "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue."

Another warning is listed in 1 Corinthians 13.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

In a lot of churches, the focus is split between the Gifts of the Spirit (power) or only on the Fruit of the Spirit  and what it is supposed to produce in us and they miss the power. But if we only focus on the Fruit, we will miss out on the power that the Holy Spirit wants to bring to our life. The Bible talks about both: The Gifts and the Fruit. It's time to stop hyper-focusing on one and not the other. It's both.

The Fruit of the Spirit is a must and the world around you needs it. The Fruit of the Spirit is listed as: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control. Gifts are good but if the fruit is not being produced through me, what good is the gift? What good are miracles, if the goodness of God is not in them? I think that if sometimes we want to operate in the GIFTS of God without learning how to operate in the CHARACTER of God (The Fruit of the Spirit).

Galatians 5:16-17 - So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

We have to produce fruit before the gifts. We have to learn to follow the Holy Spirit in order to produce fruit, not just leaves. The world needs the fruit your produce. Your family needs your fruit. 

Mark 11:12-14 - On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.  And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

What’s the point of leaves without fruit? Maybe you wear a cross necklace, you have Christian music playing all the time, you carry your Bible to work or in your car – that’s all just LEAVES.  I might be wearing leaves but am I producing what people are looking for? Sometimes we look really good as a tree, but do we have the fruit to go along with it – you will know them by your fruit.  Am I producing fruit or just covering up my mess with leaves – Adam and Eve tried it, didn’t work.  What’s the point of all of this if I hide my mess instead of letting God work in my life?

We must expect and allow trimming. The Holy Spirit will trim you so that you may produce more fruit. John 15:1 - “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 
God will cut off the areas of life that don’t produce so that the areas that do produce can do even more.  Allow the Holy Spirit to shape you by removing anything that isn't based in His character. Getting His Fruit growing in your life is worth the discomfort of the prune.

GIFTS ARE GOOD BUT FRUIT IS ESSENTIAL. WHAT ARE YOU PRODUCING? 

PASTOR JOSH CODY | LEAD PASTOR
HOPE POINT CHURCH