A FRUIT TREE has varying sizes of apples according to the bloom
ing of each separate apple, but they are all the same kind of apple. Also, every branch bears this same kind of apple so that the tree is not lopsided, but rather symmetrical. Such as it is with the fruit of the Spirit. As there is one Holy Spirit, there is one tree, and all the Spirit’s fruit should be budding within us.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Galatians 5:22-24 NKJV
Therefore, if you say, “I have love, but no joy”; then you are lopsided. You should have at least a few budding fruit of joy. When I look at the majority of those claiming to know Him, I see a very lopsided tree. It is a tree that claims to have the fruit of love in abundance, but is completely lacking in the fruit of joy, peace, faithfulness, goodness and self-control.
Why is this? Because joy and peace require controlling the thoughts of the mind. Faithfulness requires diligence. Goodness and self-control require the discipline of the flesh. The one tree has all the same kind of fruit. You cannot have the fruit of love without the other fruit. The evidence of the Spirit in your life is all the fruit of the Spirit, it’s all the same kind of apple on the one tree; otherwise you are a diseased tree. There’s a huge word lacking from most American Christians: discipline. Our Lord’s last commands was this:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
Matthew 28:19-20
Make disciples. Teach them to obey. You cannot be a disciple if you are not disciplined and there’s a huge lack of discipline in the church. Flesh and sin run amok. The love gospel has not produced righteousness, but rather a fleshly, lukewarm type of person. How do you say you have love but no self-control?
Love is sacrificial. Same tree, same fruit. Maybe it’s because it’s not really the love that the Spirit produces. Where’s the joy of the Lord? I see people depressed and discouraged. Where’s the peace of God? I see too many fearful and afraid. Where’s faithfulness?
Too many church hoppers and offended people. You cannot be faithful to a local Body, which is the Lord’s Body; so you can never be faithful to the Lord. Where’s kindness? All I see is rude behavior and disrespect. It’s summed up in this: “those who are in Christ have crucified the flesh”.
“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17
Jesus said that His kingdom is not of this earth. Those trying to make earth into His kingdom are in grave error. They go around preaching a social justice gospel and “doing good” without the presence of the Spirit and without preaching the gospel of repentance and reconciliation. It’s gross heresy and it produces rotten fruit. Those who are in Christ have crucified the flesh. Go and make disciples. Teach them to obey. Maybe your fruit is disproportionate because you have not yet died to yourself. The Spirit is producing one type of fruit and each fruit when bitten into should taste of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
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