Produce

Fruits of the Spirit

Last week we dove into the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:4-5 and Acts 2 gave us the background of Pentecost where the Holy Spirit fell on those waiting, filling them with power and evidenced by fire and tongues. This fulfilled the promise in Joel 2: 28-29. We looked at 1Cor 12:13 And saw how the Holy Spirit is as water for everyone who thirsts. And finally in this recap, we covered Luke 11: 9-13 and how this particular scripture has been used for much, but its really about receiving the Holy Spirit.

Growing the Fruit of the Spirit begins with understanding that when the Holy Spirit lives within you, you possess everything the Spirit has—the fruit already exists as a planted seed. Your task isn’t to create something new but to cultivate what’s already present. A corn kernel doesn’t need to know what an ear of corn or stalk is, it just need time, food/water, and good ground to grow in.

Walking in the Spirit forms the foundation (Gal 5:16–26), which means keeping in step with the Spirit through the Word, prayer, worship, praise, and fellowship with God’s people. This isn’t a passive process. Self-control helps you make daily choices to respond with the fruit of the Spirit, and through repeated responses, you form good, healthy, God-pleasing habits.

The practical pathway involves focusing on two anchoring qualities: love and self-control—the first and last in the list—since all the fruit are based in love but kept in place by self-control. When you concentrate on developing love, removing jealousy, unforgiveness, and selfishness, you won’t become impatient or unkind with people; instead, you’ll be good to them, supportive and faithful, determining to live in ways that bless others rather than prioritizing your own needs.

The fruit of the Spirit cannot grow in every climate—it requires an atmosphere blessed with an abundance of the Spirit and the Word. Just as the Word of God that does not land on “good ground” is not fruitful, so is the Spirit of God not going to bear fruit in a person who isn't interested in improving for Righteousness nor reading their bible and praying with a submissive heart. This involves “pulling out the weeds” so that the seed of the Word can take root and bear fruit. Getting rid of those things that distract you from hearing God speak. Learning new habits that remove the bad habits that cause confusion, laziness, bondage, lack, and bitterness. Matt 13:1-23

Matthew 13:1–23 KJV 1900

1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, {Isa 6:9-10}which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Religion has hardened many hearts and caused many to shy away from the blessing of God in lives that need Jesus close. Your heart is the ground that must be prepared. and a hard heart will not allow the Holy Spirit to grow.

Additionally, you’re known as Jesus’ followers by your love for one another, and through your fruit, Jesus becomes known—the fruit exists not for self-admiration but for others’ benefit.

Abiding in Christ is essential: as a branch cannot bear fruit apart from the vine, neither can you produce fruit without remaining in him, for without him you can accomplish nothing (John 15:1–8).

Ephesians 5:8–14 KJV 1900

8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. 14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

There is in every man a knowledge. He will die. and we all want to end as a part of something meaningful.

God has promised us life eternal through his son Jesus the Christ. That is true, but Jesus gave us so much more than a great ending. He promised us redemption, continued companionship, a true path of righteousness, and power to assist us in life. That power is the Holy Spirit. A companion as we navigate this fallen world. And it is Jesus that guides us and keeps up.

Love as spoken of earlier is the first gift that all other gifts flow from.

Jesus defines love not as sentiment but as costly, self-giving action grounded in obedience and directed toward others. He establishes two foundational commands: loving God with complete devotion—heart, soul, and mind—and loving one’s neighbor as oneself (Matt 22:37–40), framing these as the foundation upon which all ethical teaching rests (Matt 22:37–40).

1 John 4:7–8 KJV 1900

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

In 1Cor 13 which is described as the Love Chapter shows us the essence of our King but also the characteristics of love we must show. we must choose to love, to fulfil Gods word with our actions. Jesus said to love our neighbors

No hoops to jump through, no Prerequisites, No boundaries nor Classifications just love.

Joy (שִׂמְחָה, simchah; χαρά, chara). Closely related to gladness and happiness, although joy is more a state of being than an emotion; a result of choice. One of the fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:22–23). Having joy is closely associated with Victory, yet doesn't depend on outside circumstances as Happiness does.

Christian joy operates from within and is immediately available. Happiness stems from external “happenings”—money, status, power—that produce pleasure originating outside the soul. By contrast, joy flows from the soul itself, with its root meaning suggesting an internal “leap” or “spring” of life.

Happiness is the product of a circumstance and feeling lasts as long as the event or memory allows, then, it isn’t whether joy involves feeling, but what sustains it. JLongsufferingoy represents a deep-seated connection to God where the relationship itself becomes the object of joy. Christian joy means choosing to live in light of the resurrection as one’s fundamental emotional disposition. This joy is eternal, assuring believers of a joyful future. The world’s happiness is hollow and temporary, while God’s joy is rich, abundant, and everlasting.

Peace (שָׁלוֹם, shalom). In the Old Testament, “peace” carries the fundamental meaning of welfare, prosperity, or wholeness as well as the absence of hostility. The term is frequently used in the Bible to relate to a relationship of love and loyalty with God and one another.

Peace in Greetings and Farewells

Salom in friendly greetings and farewell statements is used to communicate an absence of hostility and future wellbeing. 

Longsuffering/Patience The Bible presents patience as both a divine attribute and a virtue believers must cultivate. Patience is fundamentally a restraint exercised in the face of opposition or oppression, and it is not passivity but involves the initiative of God’s love or the Christian’s love in responding to wrongdoing. The ability to wait without becoming hasty or impetuous. As waiting on God.

Gentleness Gentleness operates as an inward grace of the soul, expressed primarily in how we respond to God’s dealings with us, accepting them as good without resistance or dispute, and maintaining a humble attitude that is patiently submissive in the face of offense while remaining free from desires for revenge. The New Testament describes gentleness in three primary expressions: submissiveness to God’s will, openness to instruction, and consideration toward others, a personal quality characterized by kindness, mildness, and a tender approach to others. Rather than relying on force to achieve one’s way, gentleness involves approaching others—even adversaries—with a humble and caring spirit. This isn’t weakness but rather a combination of strength and gentleness working together.

Goodness [Heb. ṭôḇ—‘good’] In a christian it is not a mere passive quality, but the deliberate preference of right to wrong, the firm and persistent resistance of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good. Cultivating goodness requires understanding it as something you become through deliberate practice rather than merely something you know. Rather than waiting until you feel virtuous to act virtuously, the path forward reverses this logic: doing leads to being. Repeated good actions gradually transform into settled habits and eventually shape your character.

Faith (πίστις, pistis) is the knowledge of, trust in, and commitment to Jesus Christ. Growing in faith requires deliberate engagement with God’s Word and a willingness to move beyond spiritual complacency. The foundation is reading, studying, and living out Scripture, since faith develops through encountering Christ’s message. This again isn’t a passive process—faith strengthens through active exercise, much like a muscle that atrophies without use.

Meekness [Heb ʿānāw] A calm temper of mind, not easily provoked. Peculiar promises are made to the meek. The cultivation of this spirit is enjoined, and is exemplified in Christ, To cultivate meekness, begin by understanding that it develops through yielding to the Holy Spirit’s work in your life across all circumstances. This isn’t an overnight transformation—it progresses like fruit ripening, from blossom to maturity, it’s actually the fruit of power—the capacity to exercise strength while choosing restraint. It combines gentleness, obedience, and submission expressed through a humble, unpretentious attitudeJesus provided the clearest pathway: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart”—an invitation to submit to His direction rather than a command imposed by force. Walking in His yoke provides life direction while limiting your independence, and willingly accepting this marks the beginning of meekness’s development.

Temperance/ Self-Control  [Heb. maʿeṣār lerûḥô] A personal quality involving the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in the face of temptations and impulses. Developing self-control involves engaging in deliberate practice. Self-control fundamentally means gaining mastery over your desires and passionswith commitment and clarity. You must first decide that self-control matters to you; without genuine conviction about its importance, real development cannot happen. Recognize that self-control starts internally—in your thoughts and desires. Rather than eliminating natural urges like sexuality or anger, the goal is directing them into proper channels: sexual desire within marriage, anger toward evil, and hatred toward Satan rather than people.