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Is That The Fruit Of The Spirit?

It was a typical morning in the Temple, and the people were bustling about as they commonly did. Not too many seemed to notice the man over in the corner gathering some rushes and weaving them together. Jesus had recently embarked on his public ministry, and had not gathered the attention that he would have at another date when he would repeat this same scenario. Suddenly a great commotion erupts in the temple as this man with his scourge of rushes is driving out the animals and merchants, overthrowing their tables, pouring out their money boxes, and cleansing the temple of the unholy commerce that had developed there. His words were clear and authoritative, “Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.”

A few years later at the end of his ministry Jesus repeated this cleansing of the temple with the words, “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Jesus was exercising his jurisdiction over his Father’s house fulfilling the Scriptures which say, “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up”; but was this “Christ-like”? Was he exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit?

In America we have experienced a feminizing of Christianity, and the breakdown of true manly leadership. What once was considered the character of a true fearless, uncompromising, prophet with no respect of persons in judgment, is now looked upon as “un-Christ-like”, and void of the “fruit of the Spirit”. What then is the fruit of the Spirit?

Most people will immediately say, “Love, Joy & Peace” with reference to Galatians 5: 22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law”; and assume they have answered the question. However there is far more to the story that this. Two questions immediately arise:

1. Who defines these terms?

2. Is this all that the Bible says about it?

Let us examine the first question: Who defines these terms?

Let’s take for an example the word “love”. I’ve often heard it said that we need to have “agape” love, which was God’s love, and that this was the fruit of the Spirit. I have learned, though, that this is somewhat short sighted. In 1 John 2:15 we read: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Every single time the word love appears in this verse it is this “agape” love. “Agape” is neutral; and if you set your “agape” on the world it is not the fruit of the Spirit of God, but of the flesh — and in this condition you know nothing about the agape of God.

The Hippy movement in this nation has re-defined love as “acceptance”; Hollywood has defined it as a romantic fluttery feeling or passion; and humanism has defined it as the seeking of human happiness as the highest good. This has affected our concepts of God, and makes it hard for some to understand how “God is love”, while reducing Sodom to ashes and overthrowing the world with a flood. The modern world proclaims, “If you don’t accept me as I am, then you don’t have love — which means you don’t have the fruit of the Spirit” -- this only reveals how little they know about God.

Well, what about Joy?

Surely joy is not as complicated an issue as love. Surely, if we have joy in our hearts, it is from the Holy Spirit, right? Well, lets read Revelation 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice…, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another;” Wow, what joy? “Rejoicing, making merry and sending gifts one to another” surely means that God is in it! For people to be feeling this kind of exuberance and good-will towards one another must be the Spirit of God, right? Surely the Devil couldn’t produce these wonderful feelings in a person’s heart, right? This must be the fruit of the Spirit, right? Wrong.

Read the context: Rev. 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

Their joy is indeed the fruit of a spirit — the spirit of the Devil.

What about Peace? This should be safe…or is it?

Jesus said in Luke 12:51 “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:” There is a peace that is contrary to God’s Spirit and the work of Christ. It is the peace produced when we put Jesus on the shelf to join in with our family and friends who reject Him. It is the peace that Demas had when he forsook Paul to love this present world. We are called to take up our cross and go with Christ without the camp, bearing His reproach; but many forsake this post, and find a false peace by dropping the cross, forsaking Christ, and running back into the open arms of the “camp”. There is a peace that comes by avoiding the cross and reproach of Christ — this is the fruit of the spirit of apostasy. There is another peace that comes by faithfully bearing that cross with Christ without the gate — this is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Making peace with Satan or any part of his agenda is apostacy from Christ and crucifying Him afresh — putting Him to open shame. Peace that comes through righteousness and faithfulness to Christ is of God. Seeking friendship with the world that is at enmity with God may bring you peace, but not with God, only with man. Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Well, now you see my point that you cannot just flip to Galatians 5 and quote your list of attributes, but must define them according to the rest of the Word of God. So let’s go to the next question:

Is this all the Bible says about the fruit of the Spirit?

Not quite, take a look at Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Did you hear what it said? The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and in all righteousness and in all truth. Do you realize that everything Jesus ever did or said was the fruit of the Spirit? He had the Spirit without measure, and every word and deed was the fruit of the Spirit. God, the Father, was so pleased with Jesus, His Son — why?

Hebrews 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Loving righteousness and hating iniquity is the love of God and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is interesting that just after what you read in Eph. 5:9 above, the very next verses say this: “10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

Listen to Jesus in Matthew 23: 13 ¶ But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Is this the fruit of the Spirit? Yes indeed! Well, then you say, where is the love? It is the love of righteousness and hatred of iniquity. It is the love of the poor widows and victims of extortion. It is even the love of the blind Pharisee who must repent or suffer eternal damnation in hell-fire. The one who spoke these words died on a bloody cross to save their souls — many of which repented and were saved. But soft-soaping their condition would not bring about the repentance that was needed to save them.

Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; but he was full of the Holy Spirit, and his joy was in God and righteousness, not in a wicked and adulterous generation. Jesus stated to his brothers on one occasion: John 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. This was due to exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit.

Is the fruit of the Spirit determined by character of an action only, or the action’s alignment with the mind of God?

We find a time in John chapter 8 where the people say of Jesus, “he hath a devil”; and in the same conversation, Jesus says, “ye are of your father the Devil”. Now, they are both saying the same basic thing about the other — are they both the fruit of the Spirit, or neither? Obviously to say that Jesus had a devil is blasphemy, while saying they were of their father the Devil was truth. Everything Jesus did was the fruit of the Spirit that was in Him. The thing that determines whether an action or attitude is the fruit of the Spirit is whether or not that action or attitude is in line with the mind of God on the subject, which we can know from the Word of God. So, for them to say it about Jesus was not the fruit of the Spirit, but for Him to say it about them was the fruit of the Spirit.

What about the apostle’s actions and words

We find in Acts that Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead by the power of the Holy Spirit for lying to the church. Peter was walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, and thus this was the fruit of the Spirit in his life. The lives and ministries of the apostles of Christ are an example of Spirit filled teaching, preaching, rebuke, and reproof. Paul told Titus to rebuke the Cretians sharply. This is all in line with God’s Holy Spirit. It is a part of loving righteousness and hating iniquity. While Paul is suffering and laboring to save the souls of men, he is also placing curses (Gal.1:8,9) and wishing God’s judgment (Gal. 5:12) on those false teachers who were working contrary to the truth. He is also reproving and rebuking the erring churches of God, as the main goal is to produce a pleasing bride for Christ, not a comfortable fellowship for man.

I Cor. 4: 17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. 18 Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 21 What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

BOTH would be the fruit of the Spirit of God — the rod approach and the meek approach. The people would determine how the apostle dealt with them by whether they were teachable or rebellious. The apostle would, in either case, be exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit.

All OT Scriptures, and the righteousness taught are the fruit of the Spirit.

· 2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

· 2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

· Romans 4:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

This includes capital punishment, civil discipline, war, excommunication, parental discipline, and other realities of life that don’t “feel good”, but are necessary aspects of life to maintain righteousness and put down evil. This includes again, the love of righteousness and hatred of iniquity.

If this bothers you then you need to adjust your understanding of God. If God’s Word troubles you it is possible that you could have a different spirit. Maybe you have the spirit of feminism, humanism, or antinomianism? Paul warned us that there would be false Christs, false spirits, and false gospels. If you have received a false spirit, then your concept of the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God is not accurate. Every Bible principle and doctrine is the fruit of the Spirit, and when a faithful preacher is teaching the Word of God without gloss or compromise, he is ministering to you the Spirit of God.

However, when you are listening to the world’s radio, TV, magazines, false teachers, etc. they are ministering to you another spirit — the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. They are preachers of another gospel, and Paul says, “Let them be accursed”. Your soul is at stake — don’t follow a deceiving spirit!

Can you get a false spirit with false fruit? Yes, you certainly can.

II Cor. 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

II Cor. 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

False teachers are ministering to you a false spirit. Worldly music, books, movies, etc. are ministering to you an unholy spirit. You are choosing what spirit you want by choosing who you listen to, and who you want ministering to you.

We are to try the spirits by the Word of God.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

· Only The Holy Spirit will teach, through Spirit filled men, the truth and holiness that Jesus and the apostles taught and the way they taught it —

· Only the Holy Spirit, through His preachers, will love and believe and teach EVERY verse in the Bible.

· Only the Holy Spirit, through His people, will put loving and obeying God as priority over pleasing and loving man.

· Only the Holy Spirit, through His preachers, will uncompromisingly preach that men must repent and continue to obey Christ to be saved by Grace. Unconditional grace and security in Christ is a false doctrine from a false spirit — it presents another Jesus and another gospel.

False teaching ministers a bad spirit. We are to try the spirits of preachers by the doctrine they preach from the Word of God. If they are not lined up with the Word, then don’t receive of their spirit. This is a general rule taught in the Bible. Men, like Apollos, can be misinformed, yet not ministering an unholy Spirit; but this will be revealed when they are presented with greater light and truth. If they are growing in grace and walking in the Holy Spirit, they will receive greater light and truth, search the Scripture to see if it is so, and then live and preach it. If they resist truth and don’t display a love for the whole counsel of God, then don’t receive of their spirit.

2 Tim. 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

1 Tim. 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

2 Peter two gives us a description of the spirit and attitude of imposters who really don’t love God. Here is a condensed version just showing their characteristics:

“…who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, …the way of truth shall be evil spoken of… through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: … that walk after the flesh …despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities…speak evil of the things that they understand not;…Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray …who loved the wages of unrighteousness;…they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error… they promise them liberty,“

If you follow this unholy spirit, you may feel love, joy, and peace as you return to wallowing in the mire. But, if you follow and love the Lord Jesus Christ; if you love Him and are convinced that He knows best; if you love His laws and precepts; if you are happy for this man to reign over you through His Word and His program; then you will know LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONGSUFFERING, GENTLENESS, GOODNESS, FAITH, MEEKNESS, TEMPERANCE, and ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS and ALL TRUTH. You will love every verse and principle in the Bible, not just those that fit your agenda. You will be a co-laborer with Christ, not building your own kingdom. You will suffer with Him without the camp, bearing His reproach. You will be hated of the world, and slandered as He was; but you will be on the winning team, and pleasing to the Father!

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,”

THERE ONCE WAS A DAY…

THERE ONCE WAS A DAY WHEN A MAN WAS DEEMED GODLY

BECAUSE HE WAS STRICT AND VALIANT FOR RIGHT

WHEN LOVE WAS DETERMINED BY A DEED’S TRUE MERIT

AND JUDGMENT DECIDED BY FAR MORE THAN SIGHT

WHEN PREACHERS WERE "MIGHTY" WHEN SIN THEY REBUKED

AND FATHER’S HIGH STANDARDS WERE PRAISED AS “TRUE CARE”

WHEN CALLING MEN VIPERS, SLOW BELLIES, OR EVIL

WAS A SIGN OF TRUE COURAGE AND PROPHET RARE

WHEN THE PREACHER OR PROPHET WAS NOT AT FAULT

IF THE PEOPLE REFUSED OR REJECTED THE LIGHT

WHEN MINISTRY WAS MASCULINE, NOT FEMININE IN TONE

AND FACTS, NOT FEELINGS WERE JUDGE OF WHAT’S RIGHT

WHEN GOD’S WAY DAMAGED AND WILL UNFULFILLED

WAS A CRIME OF ETERNAL DAMNATION THAT’S JUST;

AND MEN WERE THE CULPRITS, REBELLIOUS AND PROUD,

NOT VICTIMS WHO NEED US TO PAMPER THEIR LUST

WHEN HARD PREACH’N WAS GOOD, AND THE BIBLE WAS TRUTH,

AND MEN FEARED TO TAMPER WITH SACRED THINGS,

WHEN CHURCH HOUSE WAS HONORED, NOT LOCKED AT NIGHT

AND PASTORS WERE LEADERS - NOT HANGING BY STRINGS

WHEN THE ROD OF CORRECTION WAS LEGAL AND RIGHT

AND ADULTERY WAS OUTLAWED AND PUNISHED FAIR;

WHEN THE IMMODEST WOMAN FEARED TO STEP OUT

FOR SHAMING REBUKE THEY’D RECEIVE IF THEY DARE;

WHEN CRIME BROUGHT DEATH, RESTITUTION, OR PAIN

NOT MEDICAL, OPTICAL, AND DENTAL PAID SURE

WHEN PUBLIC EXECUTIONS MADE THE YOUNG SIT UP STRAIGHT

AND HARD WORK ALL YOUNG MEN COULD ENDURE

WHEN AUTHORITIES WERE HONORED BY YOUNG AND OLD,

AND THE WIFE WISELY REVERENCED HER HUSBAND’S PLACE

AND THE HUSBAND WAS NOBLE, GODLY, AND TRUE,

NOT A SLAVE TO APPETITES AND PASSIONS BASE

WHEN THE CHURCH HOUSE WAS FILLED, GOD’S WORDS TO RECEIVE

NOT FOR ENTERTAINMENT, OR MENTAL MASSAGE;

AND THE COMMANDMENTS OF CHRIST WERE THERE TO OBEY

NOT TO EXPLAIN AWAY, PONDER, AND DODGE

WHEN FREEDOM WAS A MEANS FOR THE RIGHT TO PROSPER

UNHINDERED BY TYRANNY OR UNJUST DECREES

AND NOT SO THE WICKED WITH THE A.C.L.U.

COULD DESTROY OUR LAND AND LIVE AS THEY PLEASE

WHEN PUBLIC SCHOOL STANDARDS FOR TEACHER AND STUDENT

RIGHTLY REGULATED THEIR CONDUCT AND DRESS -

MUCH HIGHER THAN THOSE OF THE MODERN DAY CHURCH

SINCE THEY ONLY THEIR PERSONAL LIBERTY STRESS

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THIS DAY IS NOW GONE! OR WAS THE WORLD EVER HERE?

WHEN PEOPLE AT LARGE GOD’S WORD DID REVERE?

WE NEED NOT LOOK BACK, BUT LOOK ON AHEAD

AND BELIEVING GOD’S WORD, THE FUTURE NOT DREAD

WE KNOW THAT ONE DAY THE LORD JESUS WILL REIGN

THE RIGHTEOUS HE’LL LOVE, BUT THE WICKED DISDAIN

HE’LL JUDGE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT; SET ALL PROBLEMS STRAIGHT

AND SHOW THOSE WHO LOVED HIM, HIS KINGDOM’S BRIGHT GATE

MARK BULLEN ‘07