Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit

Matthew 7:16a--You will know them by their fruits

     What a blessing it is when the Holy Spirit comes and indwells the believer.  We are endowed by God with a Helper(God Himself) that will comfort, convict and conduct our steps.  As the Spirit enters the life of the new believer, He is accompanied by two very important members: Gifts and Fruits.  Today, I would like to give you a basic understanding of these, while also pointing out some problem pits that many believers could fall into.

     The Gifts.  I Corinthians 12:4 says, "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit."  When it comes to the gifts of the Spirit there is variety and differences, but one central purpose: "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all." I Cor. 12:7  Some examples would include: Prophecy, Word of Wisdom, Miracles, Serving, Healings, Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues, Evangelism and Helping.  You can find a complete list in Romans 12:6-8, I Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30, Ephesians 4:11 and I Peter 4:9-11.  It is a wonderful thing when seeing these gifts in operation, they are essential to the church.  One may ask, "How can I get one of these gifts?" or, "Can I choose the gift I would like?"  The simple truth is found in I Corinthians 12:11.  It says, "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills."  We can request, plea and beg for a gift, but in the end God chooses the gift and the recipient of that gift.

     The Fruits.  Galatians 5:22-23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."While often under emphasized, the fruit of the Spirit is of equal importance to the church.  While each believer may differ in the gift they receive, their fruit will all be the same.  No matter which country they live in or what denomination they attend, love, joy peace and patience should be on display in the believers life.  As we mature in the faith and grow closer to Christ our display of the fruit should increase.  This is a problem in many churches today.  People that have been saved for thirty years, but little to no growth is seen in the area of self-control or faithfulness.  One must truly question whether or not the spirit within them is Holy in nature.

     The Problem.  Many believers have been deceived.  We have taken our eyes off of God's instruction to know the faith of others based upon their fruits and instead have begun to look upon their gifts.  We must understand that gifts can and often are counterfeited.  Remember what Christ says in Matthew 7:21-23.  Many that have prophesied and done miracles will not inherit the kingdom.  How is that possible?  Because the spirit that enabled their ability did not come from above.  Please remember this.  We have believers that allow a prophet to preach because they are gifted, when they clearly display little love, patience or kindness in their home.  This clearly contradicts I Timothy 3, which puts the elders family in the center of the spotlight.  If a preacher cannot demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit in his home, he has no business attempting to lead God's church, no matter how gifted he may be.  We also have believers that allow people to believe they have been baptized in Spirit because they speak in tongues, when ten minutes after the service they are cussing at their son in the parking lot.  Wouldn't it make sense that the same Spirit that gave the gift would also have given the fruit of gentleness?  Not that I am saying one is perfect when they receive the Spirit, but that we must be more careful when accessing the initiation.  Any outward act should be carefully tested, remembering that any gift not accompanied by the fruit of love is worthless.  I Corinthians 13:1-2

     May we strive to please our Father more and more each day.  Knowing that as we strive, our gift and our fruits will be better used by the Master.