THE STREAM OF THE SPIRIT

We will discover the wonderful results of letting the Holy Spirit do His work within. It is
called fruit, and the Bible has a lot to say about being a fruitful Christian.

ABIDING IN THE VINE

John 15:1-4 says,

All fruitfulness begins with Jesus. This passage teaches us that He is the source – the
Vine – and we are the branches, receiving our nutrients and life from Him. And the point
of this passage is that the Lord wants us to continually bear fruit that glorifies Him.

There is nothing good about you or me, except Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit at work
in our lives. Apart from Him we can do nothing. In our own selves fruit does not grow
naturally, weeds grow naturally. But when we maintain a daily, dependent, abiding
relationship with Christ our lives take on the supernatural growth cycle.

One purpose of this abiding relationship is that fruit might abound outwardly – that our
lives might make manifest the presence of God. The Bible says in Matthew 7:20,
“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Fruit is the outward sign of the presence
and power of God. It is what will convince a lost world that your relationship with God is
genuine, and will cause others to see God’s unquestionable power in your life.

Consider this for a moment: when others spend time with you or see your life, do they
see unquestionable evidence of God? Is there anything remarkable or outstanding
growing in you life? Are you exhibiting any qualities that would indicate a supernatural,
transformational work taking place inside of you?

Christian who live in the power of the Holy Spirit are a marvel to the secular world. They
joy, their sincerity, their humility, and their peace are both ridiculed and envied at the
same time. The qualities we are about to study are what make Christianity attractive to
the lost. They are outstanding. They are virtuous. They are excellent in every way.

Most importantly, this fruit is the natural product of a nourishing relationship with Holy
Spirit of God. It is not produced by self-will or iron determination. It is produced by God’s
Spirit. You choose to abide in the Vine, and fruit will flow forth naturally.

There is nothing more attractive and compelling to a lost world than a Christian radiating
the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Let’s take a brief look of what the Spirit of God desires to
create in you.

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:22-23
It is important to note that God uses the singular form of fruit. These are not “fruits” they
are fruit. They come together as a singular result of the work of the Holy Spirit in our
lives.

The Holy Spirit produces Love

Have you ever read the newspaper or watched the news and found yourself asking,
“Whatever happened to love? Whatever happened to people who truly care about
another’s seeds?” The Bible says that love is the first fruit of the Spirit. In our culture,
people are starving for love, and they are looking for it in all the wrong places. No matter
how hard the world searches, true love eludes someone who does not know God.
According to Him, the only way to experience true love and to show true love is through
the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 13 is the Bible’s most well-known passage about love. It summarizes love
in the following ways: Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not jealous. Love does not
brag. Love is not arrogant. Love does not behave unbecomingly. Love does not seek its
own. Love is not easily provoked. Love does not harbor evil.

Look at that list again. You could work ten lifetimes and never perfect that list. Or you
could yield to the Holy Spirit each day, and let this fruit grow.

The Holy Spirit Produces Joy

Since the beginning of time, men have sought for true and lasting joy in things that only
bring temporal happiness. Look at what some of the most well-known figures of history
had to say about their life journey:

Voltaire wrote, “I wish I had never been born.”

Alexander the Great, after conquering the known world, wept, “There are no more world
to conquer.”

Researchers have found no correlation between income levels and happiness. Between
1957 and 1990, income levels in the U.S. doubled. Yet at the same period, people’s
levels of happiness did not increase. In fact, reports of depression actually increased
ten-fold. Incidents of divorce, suicide, alcoholism, and drug abuse also rose
dramatically.

In search of joy, most men grasp for money, possessions, fame, power, or painkillers.
But all of these leave the heart destitute and disappointed. The Holy Spirit’s fruit of joy,
however, runs so deep, you can even experience it through suffering.

I Peter 1:6-8
The book of I Peter was written to Christian who were facing extreme persecution for
their faith. Read carefully how joy rises above their deep trials. Joy is an indescribable
kind of happiness.

The Holy Spirit Produces Peace

According to recent studies, the world has known only 292 years of peace since 3,600
BC. Since that year, there have been 14,351 wars in which 3.64 billion people have
died. In addition, it is remarkable that over 8,000 peace treaties have been made and
broken over the same period of time.

The world longs for peace – world peace, peace of mind, and inner peace.

Philippians 4:6-7

The word worry is from the German word “wergen” which means to choke. When we
are worried and stressed, it chokes out our ability to concentrate, to serve, and to make
right decisions.

When the Holy Spirit produces peace, it doesn’t matter how great the pressure is in your
life – it only matters that the pressure pushes you closer to Jesus Christ. Isaiah 26:3;
Colossians 3:15

The peace we find in the Holy Spirit is a peace that rules over the soul. What a beautiful
thought. When your soul is burdened down with agitations, overwhelmed with
excitement, or tired from worry, the peace of God will preside over you with a sense of
calmness.