The Disciple's Lifestyle: Faith expressed through love.
Previously we looked that Galatians 5 and 6 and identified the noun and verb of discipleship.The noun is a "new creation" and the verb is "faith expressed through love."
How do we "do" the verb?
The good news is that we have help...
The Holy Spirit who lives in us and makes us a new creation helps us to "express our faith through love." How does He do this? By growing fruit in us...
| But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians5:22-25) |
Someone suggested that the fruit of the Spirit is the orange of LOVE and that the segments are joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I quite like that.
The Spirit will help us to bear this fruit and it is by our fruit that we will be known...
In this passage two things are required to bear this fruit:
- Crucify our sinful nature: Break with our past darkness, take off our old uniforms and leave behind the old ways.
- Keep in step with the Spirit: The Spirit is the "still small voice" Elijah heard (1Ki.19:12) and the voice that says: "This is the way, walk in it." (Isaiah 30:21) When we are in tune with the Spirit's guidance, we begin to bear the Spirit's fruit...
Being a disciple is to be born of the Spirit. The wind blows where it pleases (John 3:8)
We throw open our sails and the Spirit will fill them. If we move where He is going, we'll bear His fruit.
We'll be able to express our faith through love.
