Locations & Times

1. What did Zach think “bearing fruit” meant, and what does it actually mean? (He thought it was a literal bear and fruit you eat. To bear fruit means to produce, or show, good things like love and joy and other good things.)
2. What is the best way to bear fruit? (Stay connected to Jesus.)
3. Talk about a time you produced good fruit.

Read: John 15:1-8; Galatians 5:16-26

Connected. This series is all about connection to Jesus. He is the source of grace, love, and mercy in our lives, and when we stay connected to him, good things come out of us. The Bible calls these good things the fruit of the Spirit. Throughout this series, we will explore four questions about the fruit of the Spirit so we can wade through some common misconceptions and dig into the real, no pun intended, fruit.

First Question: What is the fruit of the Spirit?

Answer: The fruit of the Spirit describes the character the Holy Spirit produces inside of followers of Jesus. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that the “fruit of the Spirit is love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Love: Here, love is the Greek word agape, which refers to a deliberate choice to do what is good and best for another person. It is not a feeling, but a sacrifice.

Joy: The Gospel is the good news that God has a plan to restore individuals and the world as a whole. Our response to God’s work of rescue from brokenness, broad and personal, is joy.

Peace: When we follow Jesus, we are no longer at war with our broken, sinful nature. Instead, we are restored to God’s original design – a state of peace – with him, ourselves, and others.

Patience: A person who is patient has the power to avenge himself but chooses not to. Patience is also called long-suffering. Patience is self-restraint for the good of another.

Kindness: Kindness led God to save us. Kindness is tenderness and benevolence towards others. It is both an action and a state of our hearts.

Goodness: Goodness is holiness in action. Goodness isn’t just being good, it is doing good, even when it involves personal sacrifice. Goodness is peace-making, not peace-keeping.

Faithfulness: A faithful person believes God is who he says he is and therefore acts in a way that is steadfast, consistent, and trustworthy, no matter the circumstances.

Gentleness: Gentleness is human power that is made obedient to God. Gentleness places our strength under God’s guidance. The opposite of gentleness is revenge or anger.

Self-Control: Self-control is power focused in the right place. A person who is self-controlled releases their grip on sinful or selfish desires to take hold of, and give, God’s goodness.

This list may seem overwhelming, but grace is at work, not us. Rather than try really hard to produce these things ourselves, the Spirit of God works in us to cultivate this character in our lives. We just need to spend our time and energy staying connected to Jesus and yielding to the work that only his Spirit can do. Defining these words simply gives us a target and a way to evaluate our lives as we pursue a life with Jesus.

Our personalities cause us to inherently favor certain character qualities, good and bad. Based on how God made you, what character quality of Jesus do you want to ask him to cultivate in your life?