Archive for February 2014

THE FRUIT OF GENTLENESS

Galatians 5:22-23(NLT) - But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

2 Timothy 2:23-25(NKJV) - But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,

God expects His people to be gentle. In several scriptures, gentleness is mentioned simultaneously with humility and meekness because they are clearly related. It takes humility to speak to people with consistent gentleness. King Solomon said in Proverbs 15:1; “ A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” God wants us to be peace-makers which requires us to use gentleness to diffuse very volatile situations. When someone sees you operate gently when you're being dealt with harshly they have the opportunity to see true spirituality in action.

Make a decision to be gentle today. You won't get it right away but become conscious of your responses to people. A soft answer might pour cold water on a flaming remark that was only designed to steal your peace. Let The Holy Spirit give you the words you need when your own words are dripping with sarcasm and anger. Evidence of your changed heart witnesses to someone else that Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life and His Spirit lives inside of you. They may never understand the depths of your spiritual maturity but they can see the fruit that results from it.

Meditate on Titus 3:2 and James 3:7

THE FRUIT OF FAITHFULNESS

Galatians 5:22-23(NLT) - But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Luke 12:42-45(NKJV) - And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.

The Holy Spirit produces faithfulness. Truly spiritual people are reliable and trustworthy. If they say they are going to do something or be somewhere it's as good as done. By its very nature, the fruit of faithfulness takes some time to develop. The Lord chooses those who are faithful for positions of high leadership and ensure that they are well taken care of. God measures your faithfulness by how consistent you are at doing what He has called you to do.

The people of the world cherish faithfulness. They rather have someone they can rely on with minimal talent than someone they can't rely on with lots of talent. That's because most are conditioned to follow the pathway of comfort at the cost of faithfulness. People find difficulty in committing to anything so as soon as they feel uncomfortable they are ready to quit. That's why faithfulness separates a mature Christian from the people of the world. We must always do what God says until He says stop. Faithfulness brings many great rewards.

Meditate on Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Corinthians 4:2 and Luke 12:41-48

THE FRUIT OF GOODNESS

Galatians 5:22-23(NLT) - But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Romans 15:14(KJV) - And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

I've always heard of the goodness of The Lord while growing up in The Church. However, goodness is one of the least mentioned fruits of The Holy Spirit that should manifest in our lives. What is goodness in the first place? In this context it means virtue and I'm sure you're familiar with The Bible's depiction of the virtuous woman. Your spirituality can be judged by your goodness. Do you dispense good to others and are you the carrier of good wherever you are? In the midst of a complete collapse of moral standards, your goodness shines like a light that points people back to God.

Look for opportunities to do good today. Your good works show men that The Holy Spirit has taken control of your life. They are an outward demonstration of an inward transformation. The Apostle James said that faith without works is dead. As a result, anytime faith is mentioned in your life it must be accompanied by goodness. Your faith cannot stand alone and be effective because in the eyes of others nothing has changed about you until they can see it. Be good to those around you today and let the spiritual fruit of goodness develop.

Meditate on Hebrews 10:19-25 and James 2:14-26

Galatians 5:22-23(NLT) - But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Ephesians 4:31-32(KJV) - Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

The Bible instructs us to be kind to one another because it doesn't flow naturally. It's human nature to be selfish and it's much easier to have a bad attitude than to exhibit kindness on a regular basis. Truly kind people are rare treasures in our society. Kindness is just no longer a popular quality in a culture where arrogance and rudeness are celebrated. We don't place good manners at the top of our priority lists unless we're dealing with little children.

The kindness with which you treat people demonstrates to them that you are spiritual. A wise man once told me that people don't care what you know until they know that you care. So it's crucial that people know us as exceptionally kind people if we expect them to listen when we preach the gospel of The Kingdom. In this context, another word for kind is gracious. The same way God extends grace to you, He expects you to extend grace to others.

Meditate on Luke 6:27-36

Sermon Date - Sunday, February 16th, 2014

The Body Church
Courtyard Atlanta Midtown/ Georgia Tech
1132 Techwood Dr NW, Atlanta
GA 30318

1 Corinthians 12:12(NLT) - The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.

Sundays

10:00 AM - Worship With Prayer
11:00 AM - Worship With The Word

Sermon Date - Sunday, February 9th, 2014

The Body Church
Courtyard Atlanta Midtown/ Georgia Tech
1132 Techwood Dr NW, Atlanta
GA 30318

1 Corinthians 12:12(NLT) - The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.

Sundays

10:00 AM - Worship With Prayer
11:00 AM - Worship With The Word

THE FRUIT OF PATIENCE

Galatians 5:22-23(NLT) - But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Luke 8:15(NKJV) - But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

According to Hebrews 6:12, the combination of faith and patience positions you to inherit the promises of God. However, while faith is gained from The Word of God and proven by actions, patience comes at a high cost. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 5:3 that tribulation works patience and The Apostle James said in James 1:3 that the trying of your faith works patience. Therefore, patience is one fruit of The Spirit that does not exist in a vacuum. It cannot be developed in your secret place or by reading and confessing the scriptures. It only grows under pressure. You have no idea how much patience you have until it is tested.

In the context of spiritual fruit, the Greek word used for patience is “hupomone” which can also be translated as cheerful or hopeful endurance, constancy and the ability to wait. Your spirituality can be measured by how steady you are in trials. As disaster stares you in the face, if you continue to believe and remain hopeful in God's deliverance, your patience has manifested. Patience is one fruit of The Spirit that we have to judge for ourselves because none of us knows what we will do until we are in the same situation. Continue to believe what God has already said to you in the middle of intense trials and allow the fruit of patience to develop in your life.

Meditate on Hebrews 6:11-12, Romans 5:1-5 and James 1:2-4

Sermon Date - Sunday, February 9th, 2014

The Body Church
Courtyard Atlanta Midtown/ Georgia Tech
1132 Techwood Dr NW, Atlanta
GA 30318

1 Corinthians 12:12(NLT) - The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.

Sundays

10:00 AM - Worship With Prayer
11:00 AM - Worship With The Word

Galatians 5:22-23(NLT) - But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

John 14:27-28(NKJV) - Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

When your peace is gone, the enemy has won. According to Hebrews 4:3, when we believe, we enter into a state of rest. Therefore, the enemy tries with all of his power to bring doubt into your life and rob you or your peace. If He could get you to stop believing what God's Word says your spirituality comes into question. People who are spiritual trust God. Even if you operate in spiritual gifts, when challenged, if you lose your peace, you are not spiritual. Nothing by the fruit of the Spirit can be used to measure spirituality.

Philippians 4:6-7(NKJV) - Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Today, remember how important your peace is. Let nobody and I do mean nobody come into your life and take it away for any reason. It doesn't matter what they say or do, hold on to your peace for dear life. Sometimes, just for the sake of peace, you have to get away from certain people or situations if you have to. That's an acceptable response if your peace is under attack. The Holy Spirit will monitor your peace and guide your steps so that it can be maintained. Look out today for opportunities to test the strength of your peace. If you continue to believe what God's Word says about you, you'll continue to have peace.

Galatians 5:22-23(NLT) - But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Nehemiah 8:10(NKJV) - Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

Anybody who walks around burdened and heavy all the time is not spiritual. Even if they claim to have a burden from The Lord and they're intercessors from heaven who are watchmen on the wall, they're not spiritual. The second Fruit of The Spirit is the joy of The Lord. Hence, no joy, no spirituality. Now let's get some balance. There is a time for everything according to Ecclesiastes 3 and when it's time to be penitent a spiritual person knows that. However, if joy is completely absent from a person's life the spiritual transformation that may have started is incomplete.

Jesus was anointed with The Holy Spirit who provided us with the garment of praise for The Spirit of Heaviness. Every time of weeping must come to an end and a period of joy must begin. It was never God's plan for mankind to live in anything less than His joy. According to Matthew 25:21, His eternal reward for faithfulness is entrance into The Joy of The Lord. In sum, ensure that nothing steals your joy from you today. People will know that you are spiritual by your joy in spite of challenging situations. Start developing this character trait today and watch it manifest in your life as the fruit of joy.

Meditate on Isaiah 61:3, Psalm 30:5, John 15:1-11 and John 16:19-24