A peaceful heart, a gentle
spirit and a faithful life were a much greater witness of one’s salvation than
adherence to restrictive laws. Paul
also said that the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit were in perfect harmony
with God’s law and did not diminish or misrepresent it in any way. The only
thing that has any bearing on our standing before God is our relationship with
Christ in faith.
God’s grace is upon those who express their faith and act out their repentance by turning away from the deeds of the flesh to a life of submission to the Spirit. Our repentance is evident in the fruit we bear through this submission.
Our focus as Christians is not
the fruit we produce, but the connection we have with God.
Go back to Proverbs 11:30 and notice that the fruit that we produce will help us to “win souls”. A spiritual person is interested in bearing burdens of others, whereas a carnal person will add to their burden. A spiritual person is interested in “restoring” a brother, where a carnal person will judge them.
I believe that my ministry going
forward will be mostly to those who are outcast from society. They are some of the ones that need the Lord
the most.
Prison is full of men who need restoration. From my own experience and from many conversations I have had, every inmate has experienced rejection by the people closest to them. I am a very blessed man to have such understanding and godly family and friends. I am truly constantly thankful for them.
My prayer every day for those that
I have hurt is for them to forgive me.
Not for my sake but for their own peace with God. It all starts with understanding and
forgiveness.
The people in my life who I
offended the most had the most to forgive.
In my very first phone conversations and in their first letters to me
after my arrest, they expressed their forgiveness before I could even ask for
it. They understood that God forgave us
unconditionally and before we even asked for it.
Winning souls of the lost to Jesus
and restoring people back to God takes spiritual fruit produced by spiritual
people.
What kind of fruit are you producing in your life?
I hope that this study helps you to understand and recognize spiritual fruit and how it is produced. Take some time with the Word of God, pray and listen, worship alone and with others, share your time and talents. When we are connected and intentional about our relationship with God, we produce the fruit that God cultivates within us.
I love you all!