Page 89 - Discipleship Ministries Student E-Book

whole, not independent characteristics. As we grow, all the characteristics of Christ will be manifested in
our lives, not just one or two.

It takes time to grow. Fruit on a tree grows over the season. Yet, like
physical fruit needs time to grow, the fruit of the Spirit will not ripen in
our lives overnight. Like a successful gardener must battle against
weeds to enjoy the sweet fruit they desire, we must constantly work to
rid our lives of the “weeds” of our old sin natures that want to choke
out the work of the Spirit. But growing fruit is a process!

Romans 8:29 tells us we need to be like Jesus. That’s our final goal. As
we learn to allow the Spirit of God to control our lives, He produces fruit in us that looks like Jesus. Paul,
in Galatians 5, lists nine characteristics that describe the fruit of the Spirit.

1. Love – the word in Greek is agape. It literally means self-sacrificial service. This type of love in not
based on a feeling but is a deliberate choice to seek the welfare of another. Biblical love is dependent
on the giver’s character, not emotion.

Years ago, I led my neighbor to Christ. His name was Louie. Louie was a man of the world before he
believed in Christ; he brought with him a lot of worldly thinking. He came up to me shortly after he was
saved and told me he had a real problem. I asked, “What’s the problem.” He said, “When you mow
your yard, you wear tennis shoes. Now that I am saved, I think wearing tennis shoes is a sign of the
world. I am bothered you are wearing worldly shoes.” I was taken back by that but apologized.

The next time Louie saw me mowing my yard, I was wearing my Sunday best black shoes. He smiled and
walked away. What I did was to love Louie. I sacrificed the freedom I have in Christ to wear tennis
shoes in deference to Louie’s conviction. I gave up something because of my love for him.

It was not a couple of months later that Louie came to me and told me that he had grown in Christ and
that he no longer thought wearing tennis shoes was worldly. So, I started wearing them to mow my
lawn again. Rather than risking the possibility of causing the immature Christian to question and
stumble, the mature believer will not exercise his freedom out of love for his brother (Romans 14:1-15).
Love chooses to set aside one’s own preferences, desires, and sometimes even needs to put the other
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person first (Philippians 2:1-3).
2. Joy - the Greek word translated as “joy” means “gladness and delight” – basically the same thing the
world means when it talks about joy. It is a feeling of gladness based on our circumstances. However,
the world’s joy cannot last because it is based on fleeting, physical circumstances. People go to
Disneyland which touts itself as “the happiest place on earth” to have fun. People often equate having
fun as a joyful time. But soon they must go home, and the “joy” of being there is only a memory. The
joy of the Lord is a daily abiding in Jesus Christ that results in the fullness of joy regardless of our
environment or circumstances. We can live “above” (not under) the circumstances in Christ!

3. Peace – The world does not offer much peace today, but God does. Isaiah 26:3 says, “you will keep in
perfect peace whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Peace comes only from the
peace-giver, Christ Jesus. If a person is separated from Christ, he is also separated from the source of

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