But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Gal 5:22-23

There was a time not too long ago when most children did not have much to do with me.  I believe they were probably a little intimidated by the perpetual scowl and the fact that I didn’t really care about or notice them.  They mostly avoided any interaction with me, even when I tried on occasion to reach out to them.  But some say that children know or perceive things that we as adults do not.  Maybe those few knew that I only did it out of politeness or for personal gain of some sort.

Now I am starting to encounter some problems that I don’t handle very readily.  Children are starting to like me.  And I don’t know how to respond.  The old fake responses do not work because I do care about and love them now, only I don’t react very well.

Children have always loved my wife with abandon and she loves and relates to them so well that I am in danger of covetousness.  I want that and am starting to actually need it.  One night in the revival last week, a little girl that is usually all over my wife, came and sat beside me while my wife was practicing singing.  She was sitting next to me and playing, making faces and other kid stuff, and I was just doing my best to respond.  And probably not doing very well.

I love it, but not only is this new to me, it is a mystery also.  Why the change in so many children in their attitudes towards me?

Maybe it is the fruit.  I know that I am growing daily in Christ and that the Holy Spirit is working steadily to change me, so maybe it is an evidence of the next to last fruit as listed by Paul in Galatians.

Gentleness, or meekness, as it is translated in some versions of the bible, is a fruit of the Spirit that we all need.  Me more than most, probably, but we all must cultivate this along with all the others.  I already discussed self-control and I didn’t mention this, but that fruit is not very hard for me.  Gentleness is.  Any of the fruit that have any relation to compassion or care are foreign to who I used to be.

What is gentleness or meekness?  This is from Dictionary.com:

Gentleness…The quality or state of being gentle, well-born, mild, benevolent, docile, etc.; gentility; softness of manners, disposition, etc.; mildness.

Meekness…A calm temper of mind, not easily provoked; a disposition to be patient and long suffering.

We get the sense from these definitions and the biblical narrative that this fruit, gentleness or meekness, implies a calm disposition, particularly under fire–which actually requires a great deal of strength. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of a bearer of this fruit.  He exemplifies the biblical description of a calm disposition, particularly under fire.  I like to say meekness as meant here, is having “strength, under control.”

Jesus said that the meek would inherit the world.  And the world today has come to misuse this word and define it as something Jesus did not mean.  The world would have us think that “meek means weak” and that is just not true. At any time during Christ’s abuse, torture, and crucifixion, or any of the other times He suffered, He could have called on the Host of Heaven or even His own disengaged power, and wiped all who came against Him out.  But He didn’t.  He was meek; He was gentle, in all His dealings save one, with those He encountered.  And even in the temple, He could have done so much more.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).    The world says, “Blessed are the strong, those who can hold their own.”  The world favors more conspicuous and so-called heroic virtues. The strongly competitive, aggressive and assertive are the ones who receive recognition, admiration and reward. They seem to end up on top of the heap, possessing the most and the best, despite their obvious and offensive character flaws.

As we know, these types of achievements, these accolades from a fallen world, have nothing to do with eternal reward except to waste the time we have for the storing of this treasure.

When we hold our temper in check, or better yet when it starts to disappear, we are displaying fruit.  When we could strike back, but don’t, we are displaying fruit.  When our attitude and character invite instead of intimidate, we are displaying fruit.

When a little girl named Kaci can sit and try to play with someone that used to be described as a bear and was called Sarge, it must be another evidence of this fruit called gentleness or meekness.

Thank God for His gracious power to change us all.  I want to be one of the meek who inherit.  Don’t you?

Love you all

Tags: attitudes, Character, Compassion, Faith, Fruit of the Spirit, galatians, gentleness, Good, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Love, meekness, Power

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Gal 5:22-23

On Tuesday’s discussion, right out of the gate, Doug made some comments about self-control.  Thanks Doug, for pushing this forward.  I have been pondering, jotting down some thoughts and praying about the fruits of the Spirit as listed in Galatians.  I was going to get a series together before I started posting, and then they might come along quicker.  I am so easily sidetracked it seems.  But Doug got me thinking again and I decided to start with the last in the list of fruit since he brought it up and I feel strongly about it also.

All of the fruit are things that should be naturally growing in and out of us as we grow in our relationship with Christ.  They are the visible attributes of truly walking the Christ centered walk.  We are first saved and then as we grow in sanctification these nine things listed as fruit should start to become apparent in our lives.

Self control is listed last but I don’t believe it is any less or more than the others with the exception of possibly love.  But if I stay in reverse order then love will be last.  Self control is a good starting point because it is needed so very much in the church today.  And it needs to be properly understood.

We live in a time and a place, if you are in America, where we are lost in our self-centeredness and materialistic view of life.  The war between the flesh and the spirit is raging in all of us to some degree.  It is so easy to look at everything we do with the attitude of ‘what’s in it for me.’  This is diametrically opposed to the servant attitude we should have.  It is why the world looks at us and sees no difference between us and them.

A well known speaker or preacher that demands a $10,000.00 ‘offering’ or they can’t come, a Christian writer who lifts one catchy scripture out of context and sets up a whole new revelatory way of making our lives richer to sell a million copies of a book, a perpetually smiling preacher telling us how great we all have it in the Kingdom of God while we live on less per year than he spends on his dental hygienics; is this self control?  Is this fruit of the spirit?  I believe I would file it under self-centered greed.

The above examples show people that really aren’t even trying to have their spirits win the war against the flesh.  But there are also those that try too hard in another wrong way.  These we sometimes call legalists, fundamentalists, extreme conservatives.  They try to find ways to make the Law of God, as listed in the Old Testament, or their own made up rules about many mundane parts of life, the methods of achieving and displaying self-control.

You may know a few of these people.  They look at things like tattoos, jewelry, makeup, and the length of both men and women’s hair, as ways of establishing or determining self-control.  There are many other things like alcohol consumption, smoking, dancing, card playing and others that make the list also.  And to many of these people these are not only self control issues, they are salvific issues.  A tattoo will send you to hell.

Then there are monks and other religious orders that simply take a person out of the world.  This is also an attempt at self-control or a method of mastering ourselves.  I even know of some people that declare that their own ‘personal convictions’ demand they do or don’t do certain things like watching TV or going to movies but that it is still okay for the rest of us.  How gracious on their part.  But do they have anymore self-control than I or are they just putting limits on their selves that keep them from actually growing this fruit called self-control.

God may not be honored in a lot of the things we do but we are living in a fallen world, occupied territory as it were, in a battle for our very lives.  Jesus set us free from the Law because He fulfilled the Law.  We are free in Christ but we must live in holiness, which is being separated from the world for service to Christ.  All while an angry enemy roars all around us.

A tattoo is not going to stop that service but self control will dictate that we set some limits.  Some jewelry or makeup will not send us screaming into hell because we had no self-control but the ability to know when we are making clowns of ourselves will display it to the world.  On and on I could go but I don’t want to lose you.

The very ones who practice all these things and many more and say “look at me, I have self-control”, are only living a life of rules and regulations that show no one but themselves any hint of self control.  True self-control is finding that line that separates self-centeredness from service-centeredness; and staying on the side of service.

We have to realize we do have to set limits.  But I believe those limits will be dictated to a certain degree on our place of service, our area of ministry.  A person might have just the right amount of tattoos, piercings,  or long hair to reach a group of lost bikers or youth.

Jesus ate and drank wine with miserable lowlife sinners and did not get drunk or sin in any way they did.  But He had a mission to go to them and tell them the good news.  We have that same mission so how are those that never associate with anyone but those of like-legalistic-mind, accomplishing their mission.

Jesus called a man to be a disciple named Matthew and he was a tax collector.  Jesus also called a man named Simon who was a Zealot.  As far as the Jews were concerned Matthew was an extreme, unpatriotic traitor and Simon was an extreme, patriotic loyalist.  They should have killed each other but instead they loved each other and became servants to Christ and to us all.

That is mastering one’s self.  That is self-control.

Love you all

Tags: Christ, Church, Conservative, consumption, Enemy, Fruit of the Spirit, galatians, Hell, Lie, Love, relationship, Self, self centeredness, Servant, spirit

A few years ago, if anyone had told me that I would speak in tongues, dance around in church in front of all, weep when reading the bible or a story of someone overcoming hardship with grace, or hurting for others, or rejoicing when someone came into the Kingdom, or just having the peace that I have now in spite of some tough personal situations, I would have told them they were crazy.

But they would not have been, since all of these things and others have and do happen to me now.  They just do not happen as often as they seem to do to others.  I know that the Holy Spirit has come to live in me, guide me, comfort me, teach me, and love me.  I know that the ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’ is real and for this ‘day’ and that Jesus has baptized me in Him. 

But what spirit is this we see all around us today? 

If you read any of these theological blogs or forums much at all you will find this topic being discussed.  This Holy Spirit baptism is misunderstood and much maligned.  Most Christians on the internet seem to vociferously denounce the workings and gifting that we, the Pentecostals, know as certainty.   And forget about the non believers ever accepting or attempting to understand what is going on. 

You might wonder why all this is so. 

I believe a lot of things lend themselves to this mind set.  But I believe it is mostly our own fault.  We sometimes in our zeal add to the unbelief.  We do this by presenting what I have termed false manifestations and manipulations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  There is just no way that everything that is happening and being displayed is really from God.  Instead, I believe it to be another enemy tactic.  He just loves to take the things of God and pervert them, so we can be deceived and ultimately killed. 

I know this is harsh and it is not easy for me to write.  I have both friends and family that will probably get a little mad at what I am saying here.  But the truth has to be put forth if the enemy is to be defeated. 

Why do I think this is happening?  No, why do I know this is happening?

It is because I am inherently a skeptic.  I spent most of my life doubting or in unbelief, so one of the main things I have asked God for is to experience everything He is, does, and has for us to experience.  I also continuously ask for the wisdom and gift of discernment.  And He has given me these things. 

When I see a person that I know is not living for the Kingdom but at just the right moment manifests a gift, I know it is not the Holy Spirit.  Some are just deceived and some are probably fully aware of what they are doing.  Why would someone fake the gifts of the Spirit?

There are probably many reasons but, I believe at the top of the list is the need to be accepted, loved, part of something.  If someone is not saved then they are naturally not filled with the Spirit of God.  Still, there are a lot that, although not willing to submit to our Lords leadership, want desperately to belong. 

Then there are the deceived.  They have just never spent enough time with God or the Word to fully comprehend what is sent from Him and what is not.  They jump from one revival or movement to another; seeking a personal emotional experience that the enemy has them convinced is not only good, but good for them.

Those that are deliberately faking the things of God are the most detestable and will probably suffer the most someday for their alliance with the enemy.  If you do not believe they can easily deceive, then look up Marjoe Gortners younger days as a “healing evangelist’.  Then look up some of the modern movements and see if there was any fruit.  I am going to stop there and be nice, for now. 

So what are we to do?

Counter attack strategies against false manifestations and manipulations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  The first step towards defeating this enemy tactic is something called discernment.  Paul told us to test everything and keep only the good. (1Th 5:21) Good is from God and bad is from our enemy.  A really simple test is therefore, the aroma and the flavor of the fruit coming from all spiritual manifestations.   If God is involved in any experience, some good should come from it. 

Gal 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…

Are any of these coming from those observed? 

For the second step we must go way back.  All the way to Mt Sinai.  We have been given a commandment to never covet what anyone else has.  (Exo 20:17)  This goes for spiritual gifts also.  Stop faking tongues because someone else has that gift.  Stop falling down because everyone else is.  Stop pretending to talk for God just because the prophet is getting all the attention.  God already has something special in mind just fro you, if you submit.

My third suggestion would be to never, ever exalt a man for doing the work that only God does.  No man heals.  No man prophesies.  No man imparts gifts.  God alone does these things.  Sometimes through a man.  But He doesn’t have to.  He can and will do it for you.  You do not have to chase a prophet, or an evangelist, or sell the car to get to a certain revival, to have God work the supernatural.  If He is going to do it for you, He will do it where you are.

I believe that there are probably many leaders today displaying bad fruit now but they didn’t always.  They started out with Christ like motives and pure Godly hearts, but we lifted them up on pedestals with our adoration so high that they couldn’t help but lose sight of the narrow way. 

Mat 7:22-23  “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Deceivers, deceived, and the improperly motivated are treading on dangerous ground.  Let’s do our part by not fueling ‘strange fire.’

Love you all

Tags: Discernment, Fruit of the Spirit, Holy Spirit, Miracles, Spiritual Gifts, Spiritual Warfare, Strategy and Tactics, Supernatural