Note: this study contains more content than we will cover in class, so review it at your convenience.
The most important relationship you will ever have
The relationship with the Holy Spirit is – on one hand the most intimate relationship you’ll ever have – and on the other hand the most mysterious relationship you’ll ever have.
In fact, this relationship is the most important one you’ll ever encounter for as long as you live. And like any intimate relationship you have there is a learning curve, levels of understanding, a development of trust, even some awkward moments.
Abiding
In studying the Holy Spirit, we find it interesting to discuss the gifts that operate in the church, what he does for us and through us as we learn to navigate the gifts. There is a tendency to assume our relationship with him is just to accomplish a task or complete an assignment.
Our interaction with him is not meant to be transactional, it’s meant to be relational.
It’s not as much for a function as it is for a fellowship. Our relationship with the Holy Spirit is intimate and personal, mysterious and spontaneous, it’s powerful and passionate.
Being fruitful for the Lord requires being intimate with the Holy Spirit.
Learning to abide with the Lord Is our greatest adventure.
John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes (Gr: kathairo “cleanses”) that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean (pruned Gr: kathairo “cleanses”) because of the word that I have spoken to you. (the Word prunes and cleanses)
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
Yeshua uses the word “Abide” to express a unique type of “staying closely connected to”. Without the Holy Spirit we cannot abide in Yeshua. His role is impossible to overstate.
John 14:16-17
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
In John 15, the Lord is using a metaphor that we‘ve become familiar with.
Yeshua is the vine. The Father is the vinedresser. We are the branches.
The fruit is what we naturally produce because of our close connection to Yeshua, the vine.
Q: Are the Fruit of the Spirit the same as spiritual disciplines?
To clarify, there are spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting, reading the word, tithing and giving, that may be fruitful, but they require…..well, discipline. Those are not fruit. They are, however, evidence of a fruitful relationship with the Lord.
Spiritual Fruit
When we say fruit produced from abiding, we mean, in part, the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16-24
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Notice this passage talks about “NOW the works of the flesh…” in contrast to “BUT the fruit of the Spirit…” These two lists, like most lists in scripture, do not try to list all the qualities of the flesh or of the Spirit, but provide enough examples to clarify.
Many believers have adopted the mindset that thinks this way: “I don’t want to do bad things, so I’ll work harder to do good things, the right things, or at least better things.”
(Think – New Year’s resolutions.)
This sounds reasonable, even admirable, and it’s a start …… Except it doesn’t really work as well as we would like.
You can try to displace the bad works of the flesh with some good works of the flesh and hope it balances out, but you still have works of the flesh. Carnal, soulish, or worldly solutions are short lived at best and destructive at worst.
Q: “If I’m really saved, why do I still sin?“ OR- You might have heard, “You’re a Christian and you’re still sin? What’s wrong with you?” This comes from one of two places:
1. A misunderstanding of the fundamentals of salvation.
2. This is the voice of the accuser.
The born again experience is the beginning of the process. News flash: You can be saved and still sin. This passage in Galatians is written to Christians who have problems with sin. In fact, that’s why we have most of the letters in the New Testament: Christians can sin, and they do. Should they sin? NO. This is why we need training in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
You’re saved by the renewing of your spirit at the moment of salvation, but you’re transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Redemption is both instantaneous and a continuing process.
Your human spirit came into harmony with God instantly – at the moment of salvation – by the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit. This is the moment you become born again, born from above, by God’s grace alone.
We become completely holy – in our eternal human spirit – when, by faith, we are washed in the blood of Yeshua. That is a completed work. It is finished.
But we have an important part to play in the continued ‘working out’ of that transformation.
Philippians 2:12
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
Q: “If God saved me, how can I work out my own salvation?”
This doesn’t mean you initiate your own salvation, but rather, you demonstrate that you are saved by your actions and behavior. This is where the work starts. This is when the fruit of the spirit come into play.
The Christian needs to take his internal salvation and live it out daily. This is how we grow.
1 Peter 2:2-3
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk (pure milk of the Word), that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Many people, perhaps entire denominations, who took that first amazing step of salvation have not continued in salvation. They have stopped and camped in that wonderful experience – – OR in the memory of that wonderful experience – – thinking that this is all there is — and they never embarked upon the journey of becoming disciples.
They are Christians, but they never grew up into salvation.
In renewing the mind, we find there is more! More than we could ever imagine!
We discover our completed identity, our gifting, our calling, how to walk in the authority and power and victory of the Holy Ghost, and how to know the Father’s will for us …. And so much more!
Salvation is just the first step of the grandest adventure!
Stop looking backwards with regrets, look forward with expectancy.
Spiritual DNA
You may think that these 9 ‘fruit of the Spirit’, (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) are nearly unobtainable.
Isn’t this really just a list of ideals that a “good Christian” should work toward?
To have all 9 is only for “Super Christians”, right?
Actually, there is nothing in us that could ever produce a single one of these genuine traits – nothing, except the Holy Spirit.
These are fruit of the (HOLY) Spirit, not a list of do-it-yourself improvement strategies.
These are not self-help goals.
These are attributes of the Spirit of God, not ordinary human traits.
These 9 are examples of personality traits of the person of the Holy Spirit. They are HIS DNA.
Every one of these spiritual attributes has a soulish counterpart. The soulish counterparts of these are not so much counterfeits as they are limited to the natural, carnal, and human world. They are not evil or wrong, but they cannot compare to their heavenly counterpart. They are imperfect natural reflections of their spiritual counterparts and susceptible to corruption.
Examples:
Love — God’s perfect love is “agape”. Human love is “eros” (erotic) or “phileo” (brotherly love)
Joy — God’s joy is “Chara” (a deep and calm delight). Human joy is happiness, like a mood.
(We’ll go into more detail later)
Seeds
Every seed from the Father contains the complete “DNA” of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit start in seed form in the soil of your heart and grow into recognizable and observable fruit.
Each one of these carries the full power and authority and ability of the Spirit Himself! And he allows them to grow to maturity in us, and he asks that we share them with a world that does not know its own carnal efforts are “fruitless”.
The fruit on your tree is how other people “taste and see that the Lord is good.”
I used to believe that the Christian journey was difficult because it was supposed to be. I was wrong….partially. I had made it more difficult than it should have been – and I think many people do.
Q: Does a fruit tree in the orchard -or- the grapevine in the vineyard – have to travail, groan, and labor to produce fruit?…NO.
Does an apple tree think to itself, “I gotta make apples, gotta make apples! Not oranges or tomatoes… but apples!” ……??…… Does this ever happen..? …..NO, of course not.
John 15:5
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Abiding eliminates the stress that you might produce something you shouldn’t. And If you’re connected to the vine, Yeshua, and you do or say something “wrong” the Father will lovingly prune that away. Snip.
No worries. No hiding, no shame, no guilt, just cleansing fellowship. That’s abiding.
Every branch produces much fruit, after its own kind, naturally – IF it is watered well, gets plenty of sun exposure, and is pruned correctly. But ONLY if it’s connected to the vine or tree.
When we’re connected to the Lord and abiding in him, we don’t have to work and strive and travail to produce his fruit – love, joy, peace, etc.
These are NOT things you put on and take off. These are not skills you learn or habits you form. These are character traits that grow out of your relationship with the Lord and become part of your spiritual DNA. It just happens naturally. Well…Supernaturally.
To the degree that we abide, would produce his fruit.
Then…. the ‘disciplines’ of prayer, fasting, tithing, studying the word, etc. are done as an expression of our love, joy, peace, etc. and they cease to be a chore, but become a privilege.
When I am connected to the vine – what flows through the vine – flows into me, effortlessly. The light and life of Yeshua are received through abiding.
A Love for the Word
Q: What is one indicator that you are abiding in Christ, abiding in the vine? There would be many. This is just one:
A: You begin to develop a love for the Word.
Abiding in Christ is the act of surrendering to the Word.
Not only will you begin to produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit, but you will begin to produce the fruit of your supernatural calling and gifting. You’ll begin to walk in the confidence of your Kingdom authority and identity.
And you’ll begin to bear fruit. The gifts of the Spirit will bubble to the surface.
What happens when you become successful in the Spirit and begin to bear fruit?
“Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes (cleanses) , that it may bear more fruit.”
God prunes only after you bear fruit. Cleansing will always follow success. WHY? With a yielded heart, the presence of the Holy Spirit will always reveal something that needs refining and cleansing. This is the action of pruning.
In the Kingdom, pruning, discipline, and correction are NOT punishment, they are refining.
The Word prunes us.
Notice John 15:3 Already you are clean (pruned) because of the word that I have spoken to you.
Seen also in Eph. 5:25-27
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Your relationship with the Word of God will determine how effectively you are pruned and prepared for greater fruitfulness for the Lord. You may have heard me say, “Cooperate with the Presence.” OR “Agree with God.” OR “fellowship with the Holy Spirit.” It’s all the same journey.
Aborting the purposes of God?
In our impatience, as we wait for the things that God has promised, we may actually abort the power of the seed because we judged that God took too long, or it didn’t look like we expected.
If we confine, limit, or neglect the work of the Word of God in our lives, or if we choose not to abide in Christ we leave the word unattended and the birds of the air (the evil one) will come and steal the seed of God’s word. (See parable of the sower)
Absolute Dependency upon the Holy Spirit
Everything in the kingdom and the natural world is designed to produce fruit, or reproduce after its kind. The way of the Kingdom is always increase, fruitfulness, productivity.
God is glorified when the system he created produces fruit as it should. An acorn becomes an oak tree / a kernel of corn becomes a plant yielding many ears of corn,
Relatively early in his ministry, one of the first points Yeshua teaches is this:
John 5:19
19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
And then throughout the book of John, Yeshua was establishing his credentials, so to speak, as Messiah. Fulfilling prophecy, operating in power and authority, doing signs, wonders, miracles, and healings to confirm the gospel and confound his critics. Raising the dead. Teaching about the Father and his own role as Messiah. Teaching on resurrection, eternal life, the end times and cooperating with the Holy Spirit.
All that he did was from that place of cooperation and dependency upon the Father.
Ever since he arrived on the scene, he had been developing a relationship with and teaching the disciples, modeling, and setting an example of dependency upon the Father by the Holy Spirit. Then in chapter 15, he says this to his disciples:
John 15:5
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Yeshua is trying to bring his disciples into that place of dependency that he lives in.
This place of “apart from me you can do nothing” is the most fruitful and productive and creative place you’ll ever find.
This is the secret and hidden place that we will find rest and restoration.
Colossians 3:3 …your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
This requires that we learn about that place of abiding and becoming fruitful in that dependence upon the Lord. This is the road to spiritual effectiveness and maturity. Abiding is an utter dependency upon the Holy Spirit.
