Fruit Archives - The Gospel Outpost

The Fruit of the Spirit | Alive In The Spirit

October 29, 2018

The Holy Spirit is the hand and mechanism of life’s creation, sent by Jesus Christ, from the beginning of time. The work of the Holy Spirit is transformative in the lives of believers. When a person believes in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit begins its work in a person. As the mechanism of true, genuine life, the Holy Spirit knows which things are created with the DNA of God and which are the representation of the fleshly desires. When the Spirit renews a person fully, the sign of the Spirit in a person is the fruit that is produced. For the Christian, Galatians 5:22-25 serves as the metric and sign for what occurs in every believer when the Holy Spirit works in the heart.

The Fruit of Self-Control: The Witness of Being Set Apart

October 22, 2018

Athletes hone their bodies into high functioning machines that can do a great deal of spectacular feats and strength and agility. This result does not come without a price. There are plenty of seasons where they skip perfectly good functions, foods, and events for the sake of crafting their skill and ability and shaping their bodies. It takes an enormous amount of self-control to produce the results and the world takes notice of their ability. We all strive to be like them, however, without self-control, we will never approach the results that they do. This should be how the members of the church, specifically the elders and those mature in the faith should present themselves. When outsiders see the church, there should be a notable difference that demonstrates the effects of a change and redeemed life. Furthermore, when people new to the faith see those who are further in their walk, the person of Jesus Christ should be clear and evident in the lives of the elders. This means there will be plenty of things that Christians do and do not that serve as a witness to our faith. There will be places we frequent and places we abstain from that will show the world that Jesus Christ has rescued us from death. Our self-control to obey the law roots itself in the first purpose of the law, which was to separate believers from non-believers. In doing so, we train to obtain a prize beyond that which athlete can obtain.

The Fruit of Self-Control: Taking Advantage of Grace

October 15, 2018

It seems that our current day and culture does not value self-control. Everyone is urged and encouraged to give in to their immediate desires in order to gratify whatever they are seeking. Pleasure has become the god of our current day as we all desire to achieve the most amount of pleasure for what we seek. Yet, throughout scripture, what mankind desires has proven itself time and time again to not be beneficial for their own good. The things that God desires and directs His follows to do, while it may contradict the desires of the flesh, consistently remain better for mankind. When the Spirit of God is alive and moving within us, self-control that refuses to give in to every desire will demonstrate the God within us. Self-control involves taking an intense look at what our heart craves and choose to obey what ultimately will secure our salvation and sustain our soul. It abstains when it’s easier to give in, it runs when it’s easier to walk, and it submits to the will of an infinite and Holy God who only wants what is best for His beloved creation.

The Fruit of Self-Control: With The Good In Mind

October 8, 2018

It seems that our current day and culture does not value self-control. Everyone is urged and encouraged to give in to their immediate desires in order to gratify whatever they are seeking. Pleasure has become the god of our current day as we all desire to achieve the most amount of pleasure for what we seek. Yet, throughout scripture, what mankind desires has proven itself time and time again to not be beneficial for their own good. The things that God desires and directs His follows to do, while it may contradict the desires of the flesh, consistently remain better for mankind. When the Spirit of God is alive and moving within us, self-control that refuses to give in to every desire will demonstrate the God within us. Self-control involves taking an intense look at what our heart craves and choose to obey what ultimately will secure our salvation and sustain our soul. It abstains when it’s easier to give in, it runs when it’s easier to walk, and it submits to the will of an infinite and Holy God who only wants what is best for His beloved creation.

The Fruit of Gentleness: Towards Non-Believers

October 1, 2018

As Paul discusses the fruit of the Spirit, he includes gentleness as a clear indication that a person is living a spirit-filled life. As much as we use this term and mentally ascent to its Christ-like quality, often times this quality is one of the first to go for the sake of boldness or standing firm aggressively. We live as if gentleness concedes territory in our spiritual lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. Gentleness finds its basis in the ideas of meekness and humility but not in weakness. Instead the expression of gentleness roots itself in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

The Fruit of Gentleness: Restoration

September 24, 2018

As Paul discusses the fruit of the Spirit, he includes gentleness as a clear indication that a person is living a spirit-filled life. As much as we use this term and mentally ascent to its Christ-like quality, often times this quality is one of the first to go for the sake of boldness or standing firm aggressively. We live as if gentleness concedes territory in our spiritual lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. Gentleness finds its basis in the ideas of meekness and humility but not in weakness. Instead the expression of gentleness roots itself in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

The Fruit of Gentleness: A Strong Humility

September 17, 2018

As Paul discusses the fruit of the Spirit, he includes gentleness as a clear indication that a person is living a spirit-filled life. As much as we use this term and mentally ascent to its Christ-like quality, often times this quality is one of the first to go for the sake of boldness or standing firm aggressively. We live as if gentleness concedes territory in our spiritual lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. Gentleness finds its basis in the ideas of meekness and humility but not in weakness. Instead the expression of gentleness roots itself in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

The Fruit of Faithfulness: Works From Faithfulness

The Fruit of the Faithfulness: Works from Faithfulness

September 10, 2018

Understanding the nature of faithfulness is, assuredly, important. We must understand the underlying root of our faith, knowing that we are faithful because God first demonstrated faithfulness to us even though we were enemies and in rebellion against Him. But, as with most of the Fruit of the Spirit, knowledge must produce action of some sort. We cannot say that we embody an idea or characteristic if it never reveals itself through what we do. Faithfulness demonstrates this easiest among the Fruit of the Spirit. Faithfulness, because of its unknown nature, lends itself to people giving it lip service to demonstrate faithfulness but lack the drive to follow through. Faithfulness, without the corresponding action is not true faithfulness but only self-deceit. With our faithfulness having been rooted in the strength of God’s ability and character, we can live fully devoted lives where our actions clearly and accurately depict a life transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, in faithfulness, we will remain faithful to the biblical doctrines of truth as a public testimony to the world while still maintaining the grace and love of Jesus Christ.

The Fruit of Faithfulness: An Unchanging God

The Fruit of the Faithfulness: An Unchanging God

September 3, 2018

It seems that the world is in a constant state of changing. Technology develops and grows, the issues of our daily life shift with cultural tides, and our relationships ebb and flow as our lives change. For all the changes in the world, our God remains faithful throughout the changing times. Our trust in God lays its foundation on God’s faithfulness. The Holy Spirit inside of us produces a steadfast faithfulness that the world trusts to lead them to the perfection of God. Yet, our faithfulness is the result of God’s steadfast nature and in His unchanging nature. No matter the circumstance and whatever fades around us, God will remain perfect so that we too can stand in that Sam even perfection.

The Fruit of Faithfulness: The Outpouring of Trust

The Fruit of the Faithfulness: The Outpouring of Trust

August 27, 2018

One of the most talked about topics of Christianity is the idea of faith. We are encouraged to live out our faith, express faith, and in some cases “just have faith.” Sometimes the advice given to Christians is a pleasant reminder of the importance of persevering and continuing to trust God during difficult times. Other times, it seems reductionist, giving buzzword advice instead of being present for a person who is hurting. Faith, for the believer is crucial for the well-being of the Christian, though. It carries the believer through difficult times, gives us the strength to stand when it is easier to fall, and helps us persevere when times become rough. For all its importance, faith can sometimes seem elusive and difficult to determine what precisely it is. Yet, as Paul discusses faithfulness as a part of the fruit of the Spirit, Paul is speaking clearly of a quality that builds on the foundation of God’s steadfast nature. For the believer, faith does not require all of the evidence to be present but continues to stand in the face of discouragement and anything that would attempt to derail a person from their trust in the Savior. It traces the hand of God through the past to allow us to trust that the hand of God has not departed.