Locations & Times

1. What did Papa Barkley say about growth? Growth takes ... ? (time)
2. Papa Barkley said working hard on good behavior won’t help us produce good fruit. He said we should stay focused on the right things. What should we focus on? (staying connected to Jesus, spending time with Jesus)
3. What are some things we can do to spend time with Jesus? (Examples: read our Bibles, pray, talk about Jesus with our friends)
4. When we are connected to Jesus, we’ll produce good fruit. Who can remember what the fruit of the spirit is? (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control)

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.

Third Question: Why do I need the fruit of the Spirit if even people without Jesus can exhibit these character qualities? Or, in other words, what sets a “good person” who doesn’t follow Jesus apart from a follower of Jesus who is exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit?

Answer: As humans, we have a deep – rooted sin problem. And while good morals and strong values can help us choose to do the right thing, even without Jesus; eventually, we run out of the strength or resolve to continue. It’s easy to love when we are loved in return, but loving our enemies authentically? That’s evidence of Jesus. It’s easy to be patient with someone who is attentive and kind and asking good questions. But choosing patience when we are feeling anger or choosing to be kind instead of right? That’s evidence of Jesus.

The point is, as humans, we get to the end of ourselves and are always asking “where’s the line?” How patient do I have to be? How loving do I have to be until I am justified to do what I want to do, regardless of fallout? But as followers of Jesus, the Spirit of God is working in us to make us into the kind of people who don’t ask where the line is. The work of grace inside of us means we aren’t just trying to be better or act better. Instead, we are being totally transformed by the power of God himself.

And finally, all goodness is because God is good. Even the good actions and behaviors and characteristics of people who do not follow Jesus are reflections of God, because every human being bears his good image.

Do you ever ask where the line is in being kind, patient, faithful, good, etc? How can you lean into the character of Jesus in these areas?

Let yourself off the mat of trying to be better. Jesus is at work in you. Spend time with him and trust the truth of Philippians 1:6, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”