(As opposed to a Preamble? )
To literal-minded men like Nicodemus (and many of us), Jesus’ command to be “born again” posed a physical impossibility bringing into question the validity of the command itself. Other Biblical commands raise the same logical hurdles to our greater understanding (e.g., “it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (see I Peter 1:16. KJV) How is that possible?)
But if we agree that God does not command the impossible, it would then follow that our task is to apply the intellectual capacities He has so graciously given us so we can begin to understand and enjoy the goodness He intends for us in giving the command in the first place.
In this series, which we have called “My Father’s Genes” (and are now concluding), we have compared the human and spiritual facts of life. This in turn should enlarge our comprehension of what it really means to be born again and to serve, fellowship with, and worship our great and gracious Creator, Sustainer and Heavenly Father!
A quick review:
(Remember, because of the nature of most blogs to show the latest postings first, the series appears on the website in reverse sequence. To review Part I, e.g., and other original and succeeding parts, you will probably need to access the website archives.)
In PART I we suggested that a working knowledge of the science of human conception and birth will help clarify our understanding of Jesus’ command to be “born again”. As the series progressed, some important questions were posed to help frame the discussion.
PART II examined the Biblical connection between the “original” sinful nature of mankind and our common understanding of the propagation of this nature through the human birth process. The subject of human genetics is raised in conjunction with the possibility of the existence of spiritual genetics.
PART III delved deeply enough into the principles of genetics and DNA to equip us with sufficient working knowledge and understanding to progress into a discussion of the whole conception and birth process.
PARTS IV & V compare the rather astounding details of the “complexity of conception” to the simple yet complex act of being “born again”.
PART VI expanded our understanding of the extreme (to us) complexity of DNA. PART VII directed our thoughts to the concept that if we think and/or speak of God’s attributes as DNA, it may help us understand being “born again”. Just as human conception combines two people’s DNA to create a new and distinctive person still containing and reflecting the original DNA contributions, so being “born again” should reflect not only our DNA, but God’s as well.
PARTS VIII & IX clarify the differences between “Gifts of the Spirit” and “Fruit of the Spirit”. Perhaps a clear understanding of these will help us live the joyful “born again” life God wants for each of us.
Our challenge is to correctly prioritize the blending of our DNA with God’s. This blending will reflect God’s will as we give Him preeminence in every area of our lives. As John the Baptist correctly points out in John 3:27b-36 (especially v.30 - ASV), “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Showing posts with label fruit of the spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fruit of the spirit. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Thursday, November 4, 2010
My Father’s Genes – Part IX – Fruit of the Spirit
As we continue our discussion of the difference between “gifts of the Spirit” and “Fruit of the Spirit”……….
Fruit of the Spirit
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23a)
“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." (Matt. 7:16-20)
In the mid-1970’s I heard Richard Jones, a Sears-Roebuck Vice President at the time, speak from the Galatians passage above at a church laymen’s retreat in Pennsylvania. The gist of the talk was that fruit grows best when tended, nurtured, fertilized, watered, weeded and otherwise treated with tender, loving care and not neglected. He of course elaborated in wonderful detail how we nurture and grow our own spiritual fruit.
The Matthew passage above clearly describes the fruit expected from each kind of tree. The Galatians passage delineates the attributes of the fruit of the Spirit. Some folks have said that this “fruit of the Spirit” is plural and not every Christian will possess all those attributes, thinking of them more as gifts as discussed in the previous post.
I would suggest that this fruit is singular and is to be expected in every Christian, though not necessarily in the same proportions in everyone. The fruit of the orange tree is the orange. Each orange may have the same attributes but in different proportions. For example, they will all have a skin but the skin may be a different thickness or even shade of color; the seeds may vary in number; the sweetness may vary; the quantity of juice may be different; the number of slices and the membrane thickness may vary; etc. The farmer may cultivate the enhancement of the more desirable attributes by how he cares for the trees.
In the same way, when we are born again and God’s DNA is in control of our lives, our fruit should be recognizable. If we feel lacking in any of the attributes listed, we should be getting in the Word and letting God direct us in ways to cultivate them to grow.
There is a story harvested from the Internet that seems at least somewhat appropriate here:
Fruit of the Spirit
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23a)
“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." (Matt. 7:16-20)
In the mid-1970’s I heard Richard Jones, a Sears-Roebuck Vice President at the time, speak from the Galatians passage above at a church laymen’s retreat in Pennsylvania. The gist of the talk was that fruit grows best when tended, nurtured, fertilized, watered, weeded and otherwise treated with tender, loving care and not neglected. He of course elaborated in wonderful detail how we nurture and grow our own spiritual fruit.
The Matthew passage above clearly describes the fruit expected from each kind of tree. The Galatians passage delineates the attributes of the fruit of the Spirit. Some folks have said that this “fruit of the Spirit” is plural and not every Christian will possess all those attributes, thinking of them more as gifts as discussed in the previous post.
I would suggest that this fruit is singular and is to be expected in every Christian, though not necessarily in the same proportions in everyone. The fruit of the orange tree is the orange. Each orange may have the same attributes but in different proportions. For example, they will all have a skin but the skin may be a different thickness or even shade of color; the seeds may vary in number; the sweetness may vary; the quantity of juice may be different; the number of slices and the membrane thickness may vary; etc. The farmer may cultivate the enhancement of the more desirable attributes by how he cares for the trees.
In the same way, when we are born again and God’s DNA is in control of our lives, our fruit should be recognizable. If we feel lacking in any of the attributes listed, we should be getting in the Word and letting God direct us in ways to cultivate them to grow.
There is a story harvested from the Internet that seems at least somewhat appropriate here:
Malachi 3:3 reads: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot, then she thought again about the verse that says: “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.” She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it." If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
There may be times when God is doing His own processing in the development of the attributes of our fruit of the Spirit. We should not neglect the gardening that is within our power to increase our own “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”. And we should not be surprised when God is refining us so that not only He, but also others, can see His image in us.
I find it useful when the Bible refers to the “fruit of the Spirit” to use this template and not confuse “fruit” with “gifts” or vocational results from the exercise of those gifts. Our job is to plant the seed wherever we are gifted, and let God do His job which is to give the increase. At the same time, we can be doing our “fruit enhancement” gardening by seeking more of God and less of self, including self-gratification pursuits.
Lord, I pray that Your image and fruit may be seen in me!
Friday, October 15, 2010
My Father’s Genes – Part VIII – Gifts of the Spirit
Building on what we learned in Part VII, it may be useful to understand the difference between “gifts of the Spirit” and “fruit of the Spirit”. The scriptures below are powerfully explanatory without much, if any, comment from me!
Gifts of the Spirit
“… for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29)
“But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.”
(1 Cor. 7:7)
“6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:6-8)
“14 Do not neglect your gift,… Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely...” (1 Tim. 4:14,16)
“6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Tim. 1:6,7)
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12:4)
“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts…” (1 Cor. 14:1)
“…try to excel in gifts that build up the church.” (1 Cor. 14:12)
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Phil. 4:8)
So we see that different people have different spiritual gifts and that each of us have been gifted with at least one gift, and often with more than one. From these verses I think it safe to conclude that God gifts us according to His will and the needs of His church and His kingdom. The development and exercise of these gifts is a reasonable expectation that God places upon us. I do believe it is incumbent on us to validate that God is the One who has gifted and called us, and not some personal agenda we develop on our own.
In our next posting we will examine the concept of the “fruit of the Spirit”. It may be a little different than our common understanding of the subject, but hopefully will be helpful to us as we travel on our spiritual journey.
Gifts of the Spirit
“… for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29)
“But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.”
(1 Cor. 7:7)
“6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:6-8)
“14 Do not neglect your gift,… Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely...” (1 Tim. 4:14,16)
“6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Tim. 1:6,7)
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12:4)
“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts…” (1 Cor. 14:1)
“…try to excel in gifts that build up the church.” (1 Cor. 14:12)
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Phil. 4:8)
So we see that different people have different spiritual gifts and that each of us have been gifted with at least one gift, and often with more than one. From these verses I think it safe to conclude that God gifts us according to His will and the needs of His church and His kingdom. The development and exercise of these gifts is a reasonable expectation that God places upon us. I do believe it is incumbent on us to validate that God is the One who has gifted and called us, and not some personal agenda we develop on our own.
In our next posting we will examine the concept of the “fruit of the Spirit”. It may be a little different than our common understanding of the subject, but hopefully will be helpful to us as we travel on our spiritual journey.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Remembering Paul Freese
The apostle Paul tells us “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Gal. 5:22-23)
Just as a farmer cultivates his crops for maximum “fruit bearing”, cultivation can enhance our own “fruit bearing”. Cultivation usually involves daily chores – sometimes watering, sometimes weeding, sometimes fertilizing, etc. Cultivation is another form of what Oswald Chambers’ referred to as “drudgery” or what Peter calls “adding to”; i.e. making a deliberate, planned, structured, repetitive effort to enable the Holy Spirit to nourish with His nutrients the elements of the fruit of the Spirit. These elements then, when so cultivated and matured, will make our Spiritual fruit sweet and desirable to those around us.
My friend Paul Freese was a great cultivator in every aspect of the word! He may have been the best model I’ve known of cultivating the attributes of the “fruit of the Spirit.” I could probably write a whole book illustrating these attributes in the various areas of Paul’s business, professional, church and personal life. We shared some pretty deep knowledge with each other. That’s not bragging – it’s just a fact that I was unusually blessed to be a part of! Maybe some day I can find the right words to really go into more depth about all this, but my emotions, like many of yours, are too close to the surface to even start today.
As we glorify God by yielding our wills and lives to Him and cultivate the elements of the fruit of the Spirit, we may even find a growing sweetness in our interactions with others. Don’t confuse this with becoming a “Mr. Milquetoast”. Having a sweet disposition in our human relations (including family relations) should not diminish our ability to stand firmly for truth and righteousness. Firmness and sweetness are not mutually exclusive.
Who have we known in our lives who bear this sweet fruit of the Spirit? Is it the person in the mirror?
P. S. There is a short bio available at: http://www.hollowayfh.com/obituaries/Paul-Freese/. Paul’s son Steve has written a longer bio which I’m sure he wouldn’t mind my sharing with anyone interested. You may contact me by email or on Facebook.
Just as a farmer cultivates his crops for maximum “fruit bearing”, cultivation can enhance our own “fruit bearing”. Cultivation usually involves daily chores – sometimes watering, sometimes weeding, sometimes fertilizing, etc. Cultivation is another form of what Oswald Chambers’ referred to as “drudgery” or what Peter calls “adding to”; i.e. making a deliberate, planned, structured, repetitive effort to enable the Holy Spirit to nourish with His nutrients the elements of the fruit of the Spirit. These elements then, when so cultivated and matured, will make our Spiritual fruit sweet and desirable to those around us.
My friend Paul Freese was a great cultivator in every aspect of the word! He may have been the best model I’ve known of cultivating the attributes of the “fruit of the Spirit.” I could probably write a whole book illustrating these attributes in the various areas of Paul’s business, professional, church and personal life. We shared some pretty deep knowledge with each other. That’s not bragging – it’s just a fact that I was unusually blessed to be a part of! Maybe some day I can find the right words to really go into more depth about all this, but my emotions, like many of yours, are too close to the surface to even start today.
As we glorify God by yielding our wills and lives to Him and cultivate the elements of the fruit of the Spirit, we may even find a growing sweetness in our interactions with others. Don’t confuse this with becoming a “Mr. Milquetoast”. Having a sweet disposition in our human relations (including family relations) should not diminish our ability to stand firmly for truth and righteousness. Firmness and sweetness are not mutually exclusive.
Who have we known in our lives who bear this sweet fruit of the Spirit? Is it the person in the mirror?
P. S. There is a short bio available at: http://www.hollowayfh.com/obituaries/Paul-Freese/. Paul’s son Steve has written a longer bio which I’m sure he wouldn’t mind my sharing with anyone interested. You may contact me by email or on Facebook.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Chapter 32 - The Beatitudes
Chapter 32 helped us enlarge our understanding of “The Beatitudes” using 7 Bible passages, as follows:
Matthew 5:1-12
Luke 6:20-23
Matthew 7:28-29
Luke 4:14-21
2 John 9
Mark 13:28-31
John 6:66-69
Invocation:
“…Be in me increasingly that your Kingdom, your rule, may guide my decisions, inspire my will, and determine my actions. Amen” (From Deep Is the Hunger by Howard Thurman)
Hymn:
The hymn for Chapter 32 was “Sitting at the Feet of Jesus” by Asa Hull. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)
Benediction:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul. All that is within me bless his holy name. Amen.”
Meditation Selections:
The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Edward Farrell, Susan Annette Muto, Oswald Chambers, John R. W. Stott, Archibald Hunter and Leslie F. Brandt. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)
Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:
• “The beatitudes are Jesus’ self-portrait, the most personal description we have of Him in the Gospels.”
• “…the Beatitudes are foundational attitudes of the spiritual life… and … they give form to it as a whole. …When we live the Beatitudes in and with the Lord, we become liberated persons in the fullest sense. We follow the path of purgation until, with Jesus, we are filled with the peace of surrender to the Father and led by his Spirit to new depths of intimacy with the Indwelling Trinity.”
• “Beware of placing Our Lord as a Teacher first. …when I am born again of the Spirit of God, I know that Jesus Christ did not come to teach only: He came to make me what He teaches I should be. …The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount produces despair in the natural man – the very thing Jesus means it to do. ‘Blessed are the paupers in spirit,’ that is the first principle in the Kingdom of God. The bedrock in Jesus Christ’s kingdom is poverty, not possession….”
• “…He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him – a very different thing.”
• “…the beatitudes are Christ’s own specification of what every Christian ought to be. All these qualities are to characterize all his followers. Just as the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit which Paul lists is to ripen in every Christian character, so the eight beatitudes which Christ speaks of describe his ideal for every citizen of God’s kingdom.”
• “The Beatitudes are not so much ethics of obedience as ethics of grace.”
What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 32 not quoted) mean to you? Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).
Thanks for your participation.
John
Matthew 5:1-12
Luke 6:20-23
Matthew 7:28-29
Luke 4:14-21
2 John 9
Mark 13:28-31
John 6:66-69
Invocation:
“…Be in me increasingly that your Kingdom, your rule, may guide my decisions, inspire my will, and determine my actions. Amen” (From Deep Is the Hunger by Howard Thurman)
Hymn:
The hymn for Chapter 32 was “Sitting at the Feet of Jesus” by Asa Hull. (If you are not familiar with the song, just Google the hymn name and you will get multiple sources to read and/or hear it, as well as its history.)
Benediction:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul. All that is within me bless his holy name. Amen.”
Meditation Selections:
The meditation selections included excerpts from the writings of Edward Farrell, Susan Annette Muto, Oswald Chambers, John R. W. Stott, Archibald Hunter and Leslie F. Brandt. (Googling their names may give you some insight into their backgrounds and experiences, if that's of any interest to you.)
Some of the interesting quotes from the meditations included:
• “The beatitudes are Jesus’ self-portrait, the most personal description we have of Him in the Gospels.”
• “…the Beatitudes are foundational attitudes of the spiritual life… and … they give form to it as a whole. …When we live the Beatitudes in and with the Lord, we become liberated persons in the fullest sense. We follow the path of purgation until, with Jesus, we are filled with the peace of surrender to the Father and led by his Spirit to new depths of intimacy with the Indwelling Trinity.”
• “Beware of placing Our Lord as a Teacher first. …when I am born again of the Spirit of God, I know that Jesus Christ did not come to teach only: He came to make me what He teaches I should be. …The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount produces despair in the natural man – the very thing Jesus means it to do. ‘Blessed are the paupers in spirit,’ that is the first principle in the Kingdom of God. The bedrock in Jesus Christ’s kingdom is poverty, not possession….”
• “…He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him – a very different thing.”
• “…the beatitudes are Christ’s own specification of what every Christian ought to be. All these qualities are to characterize all his followers. Just as the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit which Paul lists is to ripen in every Christian character, so the eight beatitudes which Christ speaks of describe his ideal for every citizen of God’s kingdom.”
• “The Beatitudes are not so much ethics of obedience as ethics of grace.”
What do any of these quotes (or any of the meditations in Chapter 32 not quoted) mean to you? Please post your responses to the blog site:
(http://lhcndeeperlifeclass.blogspot.com/).
Thanks for your participation.
John
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