Fruit Of The Spirit - part one
Post date: 03-Dec-2012 14:50:48
I'm calling this "Fruit Of The Spirit" even though its about the "Gifts of" just to confuse you
Remembering that the gifts work within the love of God, not a namby pamby love that sounds good
but is only a surface thing, but a love that penetrates deep into the heart and changes a life
and in this God love the gifts work
In the last bible study we observed and took a brief glimpse at the fruit of God, the Holy Spirit
fruit
Because it shows that the gifts work alongside love and without that Love we are but clanging cymbals
And we looked at 2 Peter 1:5-7
Quote
goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to
perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness,
love.
And we saw that Job had to be tested and go through quite a lot but was given double afterwards
And that through the trials and tribulations of that life the "fruit" was apparent
Fruit never gives off an odour unless it is bruised
The gifts in the same way (can be) used in the "knowledge of God and who He is
Taking on the character of God and having "self control" in the using of a gift but also persevering in
the using of a gift (walking in a gift can cause a lot of problems)
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ELIJA AND ELISHA
Using Old Testament scripture we turn to Elija and Elisha
Lets begin
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Elisha had followed Elija closely and desired for a "Double" anointing and in this being the will of
God, God so answered Elisha's "Desire"
do you know that There are some 14 acts of God through Elija ?
And some 24 acts of God through Elisha ? thats double !
lots of examples of hoarding and people who used what God had given for themselves and
had it taken away
Other examples given were of people who used what God had given for others , the poor , the needy
(not gleaning their entire field and crop but leaving some)
We then related this to the story of Job and we saw everything Job valued of a far greater price
than money...taken away, but that Job had twice as much given back to Him
So now we are going to look at a few of the giftings and the miraculous that God perfomred
through Elija and then onto Elisha
So although fruit is the working of God in a person for the benefit of others, the gifts are the
outworking of that fruit as God displays His character
In other words "fruit is an inworking of who God is"
Gifts can be said to be " An outworking of who God is"
thats an easy way to remember
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So lets look at
The Miracle of the Jar of flour and the jug of oil 1 Kings 17:14
And Resurrection of the widow's son in 1 Kings 17:22
And we'll make a list of the prophecies and miracles , healings, the raising of the dead,
and so on....later
And Resurrection of the widow's son in
1 Kings 17:22
Firslty lets look at the story of the Raising up of the widows son
And I,ll skip through this very quickly
I want to reiterate and echo, parallel and emphasis , the taking on of Gods character
With the use of gifts as in "the fruit being the character of God - the main wrapping being Love"
MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL
Now to begin with we see in Genesis that when God breathed life into Adam, I don't believe it
was a mechanical thing where God stood at a distance and blew His breath upon Adam
I believe this was an intimate time when God the Father Of Jesus knelt down or leaned towards
Adam and having formed Adam from the dust He blow into Adam , eye to eye and mouth to mouth,
and hands to hands
Inthis man was made in Gods image and when Gods breath was breathed man became a "living soul"
re: King James Genesis 2:7
This was a loving intimate time at the birth of Mankind
...................
Now to 1 Kings 17:21 Elijah and
and here Elijah stretched himself over the boy and his soul was raised up
back to life
Now to Elisha the disciple of Elijah in
2 Kings 4:34
And here we have two parallel raisings of the dead
One Elijah and the other Elisha John 14:12
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
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MADE IN HIS IMAGE
We now who hope in the resurection of the dead to eternal life believe that we are , His hands,
His eyes, His mouthpiece
We being the body of Christ and being made in His image are called "children of God"
Taking on more and more of His character and becoming more and more like Him
As we become more and more His eyes, His mouthpiece and His hands
(By their fruit you will know them )