...Fruit of the Spirit/Desires of the Flesh http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StzK2CUdozw Opposites attract As I am sure you guess part of what I am going to bring up today is opposites. When talking in a relationship way many people would say that opposites attract. I do not completely doubt that this could be true, but I know from my own experience it has not been the case. If we really take a look at that statement and some opposites themselves and think about what it is saying as far as opposites go. The first thought that came to my mind as far as opposites was that of light and dark, but to avoid the philosophical debate of whether darkness is the opposite of light or merely the absence of light I’m going to avoid it. The next image that came to my head as far as opposites go is a compass. If you look at a compass you look at the directions on the compass it shows that when you look at one direction there is always a complete opposite direction. However, if you look at magnets we see that is actually what happens. It is the opposites that actually do attract in this case. For a magnet if they have the same magnetic polarity then they actually repel each other. So in this case opposites do attract. So really looking at the statement that opposites attract aside from the aforementioned magnets we see that they do not really attract, but most of the times are as far away from each other as possible. This is what we see in the scripture. We see a comparison in a...
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...be physically present with them always, He would send the Holy Spirit to be “with” and “in” them (John.14:17 KJV). Second, He uses this opportunity to instruct them to remain in close fellowship with Him through the Holy Spirit that they may bear spiritual fruit, receive answers to prayer, and have fullness of joy. In John 15:1-2, Jesus states the following: “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He will take away every branch in me which has no fruit, and every branch which has fruit he makes clean, so that it may have more or bear more fruit. Jesus is telling Christians who continue to bear fruit that they will also continue to grow and prosper spiritually. The Lord will continue to purge us from all sin, in that He "makes clean" for the branch to bear even more fruit. An example of this is in 1 John. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin”. (1John 1:7- KJV). In Romans 6:4(KJV), God's Word instructs us, that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Walking in newness of life is the same as abiding in Christ. In John 15:3-5, Jesus states “You are clean, even now, through the teaching which I have given you. Be in me at all times, as I am in you. As the branch is not able to give fruit of itself, so you are not able to do so if you are not in me. I am...
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...God to receive these spiritual gifts, He expects us to use those gifts in fulfilling His commission, building up the churches, and giving back to Him. That “gifts are given for the common good, that the church may receive edification” (1 Corinthians 14:5, New King James Version) Town defines a spiritual gift as the evident and manifest work of the Holy Spirit through the Christian (2001, pg. 313). He explains that, “spiritual gifts are not given merely for personal enjoyment or even primarily for an individual’s own spiritual growth” (2001, pg. 311). In the book of 1 Corinthians 12: 8 – 11 (New King James Version), it easily explains that there are nine spiritual gifts; the message of wisdom, faith by the Holy Spirit, healing by the Holy Spirit, miraculous powers, distinguishing spirits, prophecy, message of knowledge by means of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues and the explanation of tongues. These all are works of the Holy Spirit and God gave them to each just as He determines as Paul stated. These are special gifts given by God without even asking for them. God gave them to us according to the will of the Holy Spirit. Depending on the type of gift we receive from God, they help enhance our spiritual maturity level and also makes God’s plans for us much more understanding and acceptable. God knows the reason why he gives each gifts to different people because of the plans he has for us. This is exactly why we should never...
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...what the name implies, they are supernatural gifts given to us by God, and the Holy Spirit to your own spirit. They come in many different forms, giving us many different abilities. Spiritual gifts are given when the Holy Spirit enters into someone’s body, and are used to further glorify God and his greatness. There are many different spiritual gifts, and as is pointed out in 1st Peter 4:10 we all have atleast one, some people may have more or some people may just use theirs more than others. There is also something called the Fruit of the Spirit, although a lot like the Spiritual Gifts there are a few differences as well. Spiritual gifts are abilities to be used to glorify God, where Fruit of the Spirit is more about a person’s character and the Holy Spirit taking over their spirit. As a person matures in their spiritual journey the Fruits of the Spirit take over more gradually, showing how the Holy Spirit is taking over that person’s character. So while everyone is given a Spiritual Gift it may not always show, but anyone can develop the Fruits of the Spirit. Although there are many Spiritual Gifts that people are given, the one that seems to draw the most attention is the gift of speaking in tongues. The first record of this is in the first chapter of Acts on the day of Pentecost. The act of speaking in tongues happens when the speaker is overcome with the Holy Spirit. Some say that the act of doing so is in giving a message to God’s people while others...
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...perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect [complete, mature] man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ . . . speaking the truth in love, [that we] may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” After breaking down the meaning of spiritual gifts, my friend further asked, “Aren’t spiritual gifts the same as the Fruit of the Spirit?” I proceeded to explain that with 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 as a base, each service has a different gift all for the common good. The most significant difference between the two is that spiritual gifts were merely GIFTS that God gave to us so He can work through us. We did not earn them. Fruits of the spirit are what we earn from God by abiding in His word and obeying His every command. To better understand, one uses his or her gift to receive the fruits of the spirit. Another difference is that there are laws to spiritual gifts given by Paul in many verses such as Romans...
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...Chapter 1 Christian life is to live in the Spirit. All persons who have the Spirit of God are children of God, and all those who are children of God have the Spirit of God. It is impossible to have the Spirit of God without being a child or a child of God without having the Spirit (Rom. 8:9). Paul said that life in the Spirit and who belong to Christ are synonymous expressions. In other words Paul is saying no one can belong to Christ without the Spirit. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 states when we purchased and the price has been paid in full, then our bodies are not our own but belongs to Him who buy / redeem us. Therefore redemption, our bodies become the temple of the Holy Spirit because God himself who gives us the Holy Spirit. So, having the Holy Spirit is not the result of human effort but a gift from God. The Holy Spirit declared Christ to us so that we repent, and The Holy Spirit forming Christ in us. Does it have the same Holy Spirit baptism of Holy Spirit? There are two opinions of the 'same' and 'not equal'. Those who argue are not the same holy spirit teach that baptism is the experience of the two that follow, which should be experienced by all Christians after water baptism. On the other hand, argues that the baptism of the Holy Spirit belongs to all believers who have truly repented. Outpouring or baptism of the Holy Spirit is one of special blessing of the new age (2 Cor. 3:8). The phrase appears only the baptism of the holy spirit in the Bible as much as 7 times in the New...
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... The godly characteristics that develop in us as a consequence of receiving God’s Spirit are known as the ‘fruit of the Spirit’. They do not appear immediately in mature form. There is a process that changes the human mind (Romans 12:2) through practical application of God’s laws. Those laws are an expression of the very divine nature that is received through the Holy Spirit. Applying the law motivates the Spirit to produce its fruit. Over time the maturing of the fruit changes human nature to divine nature. This process is completed by Christ, as told in John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” From my understanding the biblical definition and purpose of the gift of tongues was that the tongue in which the person spoke was unintelligible, and therefore unedifying to the Christian assembly, the tongue was not a foreign language, the tongue speaker addressed himself to God to whom he probably offered prayer and praise, the tongue edified the speaker, the tongue speaker lost the control of intellectual faculties, the tongue being probably a disjointed, highly pitched, ecstatic series of ejaculations, similar to the tongues spoken in times of spiritual awakening experienced intermittently by the church (1 Corinthians 14:1-15). (Elwell 1137) This was a one of the grace-gifts of the spirit. It has two functions. It is an initiation or...
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...of miracles, and what a prime example to use someone as broken as me. I don’t know that I would claim myself to be an “expert” (as you suggest), but I will certainly try to answer these questions you have asked me. If for by some chance I don’t have the answers, I do know the one who does. With that being said, your questions and concerns about spiritual gifts and fruits of the spirit, as well as baptism and speaking in tongues are great questions. When it comes to “Gifts of the Spirit” and “Fruits of the Spirit”, it is very easy to get the two confused. While both fruits and gifts are an indication of the presence of the Spirit, both are very different. The gifts that the Spirit gives us is not the same for each person. Generally, the gift given, is a tool related to the ministry of the individual. The acceptance of the gift should not be taken lightly either. If the gift is abused, it can certainly cause destruction and division in our relationships with others. A prime example of this is in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12 when Paul is addressing the church in Corinth. They took their gifts that the spirit gave them, and were making fools of...
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...speaking in tongues currently being debated, one must begin with a definition of spiritual gifts and their purpose. A spiritual gift is the God-given capacity of every Christian that enables him or her to carry out or perform his or her function in the body of Christ. Spiritual gifts are different from the fruit of the Spirit. According to Galatians, "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV). The fruit of the Spirit is the natural harvest of a spiritually mature Christian whereas Christians receive a spiritual gift at the time of baptism in the Holy Spirit. Thus, the initial indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a Christian is at his or her baptism in the Holy Spirit. This indwelling occurs when the non-believer accepts Christ and joins all other Christians in the body of Christ. At the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a spiritual gift is given, and the work on the fruit of the Spirit begins. This baptism first occurred on the Day of Pentecost to...
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...service. The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is produced in believers by the Spirit to sanctify them through the production of His character. Spiritual gifts are abilities used in service to God while spiritual fruit involves the character of Christians. The Fruit of the Spirit, produced only by the indwelling of the Spirit, exhibits the spiritual maturity of believers. My personal definition of spiritual gifts is the following: Spiritual gifts are abilities given by God to every Christian for different types of service, each person receiving one or more gifts, with purposes including: to give God glory through service, to accomplish His will, and to edify believers. The baptism of the Holy Spirit and His indwelling is directly related to salvation. When a person accepts Jesus as his or her Savior, the Spirit indwells the new believer immediately, not in a subsequent experience. This indwelling places the believer in the Body of Christ. Salvation is not a two-step process, but is instead a change in a person’s relationship with God. Biblical definitions of speaking in tongues are: a gift of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 that may have two functions: In the book of Acts, it is an “initiation” gift given to affirm entrance to the Church Body. It may also be a spiritual gift given by God to individuals to display the gift in church service (1 Corinthians 12-14 or Romans 12). Speaking in tongues is not a necessary sign for baptism of the Holy Spirit. Biblically...
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...Counseling, Biblical or non-Biblical, in today’s society comes in many different forms and through many different people. Counseling could come formally through a pastor or a psychologist or informally through a friend, family member, or co-worker. When a person is deciding who to turn to for counseling for any type of situation in their life, one question they may ask is “Who is qualified to be a Biblical counselor?” This paper will attempt to answer this question and show the Biblical qualifications of a Biblical counselor. Required Qualifications Romans 15:14 says, “And I myself also am persuaded of you my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.” In this verse, Paul clearly indicates three distinct characteristics that an individual must possess to be a Biblical counselor. The first qualification that Paul indicates as a must for individuals to have is salvation. Paul shows us this with his use of ‘brethren,’ which means brother , in this verse. Paul uses brethren to signify that the people he was writing to in Rome were his brothers. These people were not physically his brothers, but they were saved so they were Paul’s brothers in Christ. The second qualification that Paul indicates in Romans 15:14 as a must for individuals to have is ‘full of goodness.’ Writers in the New Testament use three different Greek words for goodness. The word that Paul uses is this verse means moral goodness, upright, or virtuous...
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...spiritual gifts, the Fruit of the Spirit, speaking in tongues, and baptism in the Holy Spirit. I told her that I would share the biblical view of spiritual gifts. I sent her an email with the answers to her questions. Here is a part of the email that I sent to her. In 1 Corinthians 12, we learn that spiritual gifts are given to God’s people by the Holy Spirit for “the common good.” Verse 11 says the gifts are given according to God’s sovereign will. Ephesians 4:12 tells us these gifts are given to prepare God’s people for service and for building up the body of Christ. While there are different kinds of gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4), spiritual gifts are God-given graces meant for works of service. There are two major evidences of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The outward evidence is speaking with tongues. Further evidence of the Spirit’s abiding presence in our lives is the Fruit of the Spirit, which Paul mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. A spiritual gift is an ability to be used in service, whereas spiritual fruit relates to a Christian’s character. Many people inaccurately define speaking in tongues as “speaking gibberish” or “talking nonsense.” The truth is that speaking in tongues is the most intelligent and perfect language in the universe. It is a heavenly language. It is God’s language. Since it is God’s language, then it must be the most intelligent and perfect. The Holy Spirit baptism is a gift...
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...Who is the Holy Spirit? He is a real Being who came to live within us Christ's followers after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended back to heaven (Acts 2). The Holy Spirit is equal in every way to God the Father, and God the Son. He is considered to be the third member of the Godhead. And Jesus said “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt. 28:18-20) God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And all the divine attributes written of the Father and the Son are equally...
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...speaking in tongues. This essay will define what spiritual gifts are, as well as differentiate them from Spiritual fruits and show which one is a sign of spiritual maturity. This essay will also discuss speaking in tongues, defining it, discussing if it is a sign of baptism in the Holy Spirit and arguing whether or not it is still a valid spiritual gift today. Spiritual Gifts are “gifts of God enabling the Christian to perform his or her (sometimes specialized) service” in the church.[1] They are supernatural gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit that enhance the work and ministry of the Christian. [2] Depending on which gift is given you use them to spread the Word of God and help the church to grown. They can be anything from the gift of prophesy, to the gift of speaking in tongues to the gift of administration. The gifts all have a place in ministry within the church. Spiritual gifts are not to be confused with Fruits of the Spirit. Fruits of the spirit such as love, joy, peace, kindness, etc. are all things that are produced in us by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). These things are not given to us, but brought out from inside of us through the work of the Holy Spirit. The Fruits of the Spirit relate to our character, not the things we can do. Having these brought out in us is a sign of spiritual maturity. Spiritual Gifts are given to us by the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:6-8). These gifts can be given to and employed by the most immature believer.[3] Therefore, Spiritual gifts...
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...opportunity from a curious friend, I found it fitting to dive into the topic that is currently being debated at his home church. In Acts 2:1-4, Paul recounts Pentecost as the ultimate outpouring of the Holy Spirit to all believers, indwelling and granting them with spiritual gifts. Ephesians 4:11-12 explains that these Spirit-given abilities are not primarily bestowed for personal enjoyment or personal growth, but for Christian service and the edification of the body of Christ. Because every believer has the Holy Spirit in them from salvation (Romans 8:9), it is implied that spiritual gifts are also deposited at conversion, but may be developed at a later time. Though believers may have multiple spiritual gifts, it is guaranteed that every Christian has at least one (1 Corinthians 12:4, 31). One should not confuse spiritual gifts with the fruit of the Spirit. While both are sourced from the Holy Spirit and are results of spiritual baptism, their purposes differ. Elmer Towns describes the relationship perfectly, “A spiritual gift is an ability to be used in service, whereas spiritual fruit relates to a Christian’s character” (317). A spiritually mature believer, who pursues after a godly life, will exhibit spiritual fruit. While both are works that the Spirit expresses through mankind, it is important to remember that the love of God is the ultimate motivator for each (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). One spiritual gift is the ability to speak in tongues. It is...
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