But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law. And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof. If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk. Galatians 5:22–25. This is the key to the gifts: by the spirit let us also walk.
In the Spirit, I saw in a moment the fruit of the Spirit as it really is, in a greater revelation than I’ve had in all the studies that I have did and writings I’ve ever read. It was based on one thought that overwhelmed me: the fruit of the Spirit is not vague emotions or qualities that are worked within an individual. It isn’t just a love that is there or a joy that is there.
The fruit of the Spirit is always sent out toward someone. Can there be the fruit of a long-suffering unless there is someone or something that you’re long-suffering about? Can there be any kindness unless that kindness is directed toward someone? Through the infilling of the nature of God, we can then release it toward someone else.
The Kingdom “Is more of a family than it is a church.” The common usage of the word “church” that Christians use, has a meaning that is far different from the real idea conveyed by the “ecclesia” which is the literal translation.
Ecclesia means “the called-out ones”, we are called out into the Kingdom of God, or the government of God, with the implication of governing.
We’re called out of the world, we’ve been called out of religious Babylon, and we gravitate together because we’ve heard the same voice of the Spirit. We’re close because we’re called together. Hence the picture of the ecclesia, or the church, in the New Testament is one of the closest relationships that you find. Peter says in his epistle, love us brethren, be pitiful, be courteous; I Peter 3:8b.
Sometimes families are sarcastic with each other but that soon disappears in the Body of Christ. Ambivalence, the love-hate principle exists so many times in the natural family—brothers and sisters love and hate each other at the same time; families seem to grow up with ambivalence and they should be made to know that this is one of the works of the flesh.
Where the fruit of the Spirit is, there is love—and that love is sent out towards someone. There is joy—and that joy is towards someone. Paul, in writing to the Philippians, called them his joy and crown. Do you know what he really meant? Nothing on this earth was to him the expression of the joy that Christ had put within him like rejoicing over those Philippians. They were a crown of rejoicing to him.
You often say, “I want inward peace.” We always think of peace in relationship to ourselves, but do you ever think of peace in what you’re ministering? I know now why people want to talk with me when they are in a hard situation. They are troubled and they just want the focus of that peace upon them. Then they quiet down and the confusion ends.
After a period of counseling, they realize they may not have any answer but they don’t have any problem either. This is what the fruit of the Spirit is all about—the love, the joy, the peace, the longsuffering.
Longsuffering or patience has to be sent out towards someone; and so that it has its mark, God always has a few in the church who so very much need His longsuffering sent out toward them. If there are none, God will bring in a few so that you can show His longsuffering to. We can’t give up on anyone; we can’t be discouraged; because God sends them so that He can show His longsuffering and kindness through us toward them.
It’s easy to be friendly and kind to someone who will be that way to you, but within this new nature that God is bringing forth is a response, instead of a reaction that would be confrontational, the new nature brings forth kindness from you instead.
When people put up icy walls to one another you melt them with the warmth of that kindness of the Lord that is sent out toward them.
When that kindness of the Lord is sent out toward the people who are isolated within themselves, who desire and need so much, you melt the walls built up towards others with the kindness and goodness of the Holy Spirit.
People confuse all of the fruit of the Spirit. They don’t say, “I’m seeing Jesus.” They say, “Oh, he’s such a good man.” They said that of Barnabas when he went to Antioch—that he was a good man—but you know where that goodness came from?
Goodness is always sent out towards someone. Goodness is not a vague quality for then you’re good for nothing. But you’re good because the goodness of the Lord comes through you.
What is the faithfulness of the Lord worked in us? The word Responsibility will give us a better understanding of this faithfulness.
When we say a brother is a faithful elder, it means he carries the people in his heart. He has the sense of responsibility and he performs it in the Spirit. He’s responsible for them. In that stewardship he doesn’t forget his responsibilities.
God gives us a description of His faithfulness in Isaiah 49:15. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. One of the most responsible duties we know on the human level is a mother caring for her little one—that is faithfulness.
But God says, “My faithfulness, My responsibility for you is greater than a mother’s love. They can forget but I’ll not forget you.”
When God starts working that same faithfulness in the elders, you feel their responsibility toward you when you go to them in your need.
Faithfulness involves more than a sense of duty, for there may be a reluctance in that or a drawing back at the total involvement—but not so with responsibility. Faithfulness means that I give my heart to the Lord to serve His people. This is the fruit of the Spirit.
Meekness—that which never rises up against another person; for in every encounter between two people there can be that touchy thing where one spirit reaches out to see if it will encounter hostility or what the reaction will be.
Paul expressed it in I Corinthians 2:11, For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? The spirit of man constantly reaches out intuitively to see: do I clench my fists or do I stretch out an open hand?
And the fruit of the Spirit, meekness, is that which enables you, without defensiveness, without aggressiveness, in the meekness of Christ, to meet a person and disarm them of all their hostility and aggressiveness because they find nothing in your spirit to fight or overcome. It’s pointless for them to be aggressive because there is nothing to overcome. It’s pointless for them to be defensive for there’s nothing that will overcome them. And so the meekness of Christ comes through and wins the person. This is the fruit of the Spirit.
Self-control—that which puts a rein upon all of our weakness, harnesses us to a divine nature and a force greater than ourselves, enables us to live by a power and an acquired spiritual instinct that comes from the Holy Spirit, that controls us in every situation where we know the old flesh would fail.
When you see a person exercising self-control you say, “I don’t know how they could take it. I don’t know how they were able to bear it.” But the Spirit gave them control.
This revelation is beautiful, and it means something special to me to see suddenly the fruit of the Spirit as it really is.