{"id":594,"date":"2023-10-03T16:57:37","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T16:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/?p=594"},"modified":"2023-10-03T16:57:37","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T16:57:37","slug":"gifts-or-fruit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/?p=594","title":{"rendered":"GIFTS OR FRUIT"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Gifts or Fruit?
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When I was young the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost KJV) was seldom emphasized. That was for the Pentecostals. Then came the Jesus People movement and the Holy Spirit was again mention-able. But most of the emphasis was on the Gifts of the Spirit. <\/span><\/span><\/span>People were given those empowerments for ministry by the Holy Spirit in order to preach, teach, and prophesy. <\/span><\/span><\/span>There were others but those were the ones emphasized.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The problem as I saw it was that some of those gifted persons were just not good people. They were not fun to be around. Some were egotistical pain in the butts. One of the most miserable weeks Barbara ever had was when we hosted a big-name Evangelist. He was a demanding, egotistical, self-centered showman.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I discovered that the Gifts of the Spirit without the Fruit of the Spirit made an incomplete person. \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span>But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201d Galatians 5:22-23 GNTD<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A Gift of the Spirit is what a person does. The things produced by the spirit in a person’s life (Fruit of the Spirit) has to do with who they are. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. Those are reflections of the presence of Jesus.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Followers of Jesus may have different Gifts of the Spirit but all should reflect the Fruit of the Spirit.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How many of our leaders display Gifts of the Spirit but not the Fruit of the Spirit?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When my denomination (SBC) changed leadership groups, it seemed as if it was a power struggle between two factions. I noted at the time that regardless of where you stood theologically, very little Fruit of the Spirit was displayed.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Many of those same people are still in positions of authority. After\u00a0additional years of following Jesus shouldn\u2019t we expect to see more Fruit of the Spirit demonstrated in their lives?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Maybe we need to choose leadership based on Fruit of the Spirit rather than Gifts of the Spirit. That\u2019s the way I chose the church I currently attend. The pastor and staff are Gifted\u2014but they also display the Fruit of the Spirit.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Gifts of the Spirit are given to bless others. But to reflect Jesus to the world, we need the Fruit of the Spirit<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/blockquote>\n

GNB 1Co 13:1<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>I<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell.\u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>2<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span><\/span>but if I have no love, I am nothing.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>3<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span><\/span>but if I have no love, this does me no good.\u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>4<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud;\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

5<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs;\u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>6<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>7<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>8<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Love is eternal. There are inspired messages, but they are temporary; there are Gifts of speaking in strange tongues, but they will cease; there is knowledge, but it will pass.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>9<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>For our Gifts of knowledge and of inspired messages are only partial;\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>10<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>but when what is perfect comes, then what is partial will disappear.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>11<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child; now that I am an adult, I have no more use for childish ways.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>12<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face. What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span><\/span>as complete as God’s knowledge of me.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>:13<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Gifts or Fruit? When I was young the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost KJV) was seldom emphasized. That was for the Pentecostals. Then came the Jesus People movement and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_front_end_style_editor":"no","ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-different-drummer","category-kingdom-living","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=594"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":595,"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594\/revisions\/595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calvinlangton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}