A seven week Bible study into understanding what it means to bear fruit.
These bible studies are best performed in small groups of two or three people. Should you have more people than that, it may be best to break off into smaller groups for the study, and then come together at the end to share your findings.
Read & Discuss Galatians 5:22-23
The phrase “Fruits of the Spirit” does originate in Galatians 5:22-23 but the idea of spiritual fruit flows throughout the entire Bible!
Read the following verses and answer these questions about each passage:
1) What does this passage say about spiritual fruit? Find the main points of the passage and summarize what it is saying.
2) What is the fruit-producing principle of this passage? What does the passage tell us about bearing this fruit?
3) How should a “spiritual fruit farmer” act in order to get the best possible “crop”? How do we apply this to our lives today?
Homework Assignment:
Find at least three Old Testament examples of Yahweh's Fruits Of The Spirit, and how they were used for the good of Israel.
When Yahshua, or the apostles, talk about love they generally use a special Greek word called AGAPE, which in older versions is translated often as “charity”, according to Thayer's Lexicon agape means “brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence”. AGAPE involves doing good to another and having their highest welfare in mind. It is love without a lot of self-interest involved. While there were over thirty Greek words for love, most of these words were entirely unsuitable for believers to use since many had strong sexual connotations, or involved frenzied psychological states. So the Bible authors selected a little used word for the highest form of love known to man *AGAPE* and filled this word with rich meaning through many examples.
As you read the following, verse by verse, pause and ask these questions and discuss them as a group:
Read & Discuss 1 Corinthians 13:1-8
Verse 1: How important is “love” to our value as a human being?
Verse 2: How does “love” treat other people?
Verse 3: How does “love” think about others? What attitudes does it NOT have?
Verse 4: How does “love” regard the needs and feelings of others?
Verse 5: How does “love” react to irritating minor daily incidents ?
Verse 6: How does “love” react to lies, scams, schemes and deceiving and tricking others?
Verse 7: How does “love” handle the tough times?
Verse 8: In what important way is “love” different from things such as admiration, lust, passion, liking, etc.?
Read & Discuss 1 John 3:16-18
Verse 16: What does Yahshua’s example of what “love” really means, mean to you?
Verse 17: What is wrong with ignoring the obvious needs of others? What does this verse show us about covetousness, jealousy, and idolatry?
Verse 18: How is the love of Elohim to be reflected in the love Believers have for each other?
Read & Discuss 1 John 4:7-12
Verse 1 John 4:7-8: Who is the Source of love?
Verse 1 John 4:9-10: How was love revealed to us?
Verse 11: What should we do as a result?
Verse 1 John 4:12: How does love change or improve us?
Some final questions for the group:
1) What is ‘love’ as defined by the world?
2) How does this differ from how Elohim shares His ‘love’ with us?
3) Is ‘love,’ as the world defines it, of Elohim? Why?
Homework Assignment:
Make a list of the four most important people in your life today. For each one of them list all the ways in which you share ‘love’ with them according to Yahweh’s example, a separate list as to how you share ‘love’ with them by worldly standards, and a third list on where you feel you could improve in sharing Yahweh’s love with them.
Read & Discuss Romans 14:17
This week we will study two fruits of the Spirit – Joy and Peace. These fruits set the whole tone of a Believer’s life. Spirit-filled Believers are noted for being joyful and peaceful - “the happiest people on earth”. This is in contrast to the “the hypocrites” of Matthew 6:16. Yahshua was noted for going to parties, and Paul tells Believers to 'rejoice in Yahweh always and again I say rejoice.” The Holy Spirit in us wants to make us joyful, peaceful people.
JOY
Joy is a choice. Joy is a choice to see the world a certain way. Joy involves a choice to see the good, the wonderful, the surprising, and the positive in every situation – simply because Elohim is in every situation and is ultimately working it for good for those who love Him.
Read & Discuss Romans 8:28
Read the following verses and answer these questions about each passage:
1) What was the cause of joy? The circumstances, event, or occasion, what happened?
2) How do Believers interpret that event so as to rejoice through it?
3) What lesson can we learn about what being joyful truly means?
PEACE
Peace is inner stability, and tranquility, combined with a deep spiritual sense of well-being. Anxiety and turmoil are its opposites. Peace comes through having a strong foundation of faith and a deep assured knowledge of Elohim's goodness, and is strengthened through prayer and thanksgiving. Meditating on the goodness and faithfulness of Elohim brings us into a state of peace. Peace comes from fixing our mind's attention on the right things. What you focus on becomes the most real.
Read the following verses and answer these questions about each passage:
1) Where are we to STOP thinking about that which we are to forgive, or hold loosely?
2) Where we are to FOCUS our minds on, meditate upon, or contemplate?
3) What is the LESSON (a principle, or obvious outcome) of this action?
Knowledge just like faith, without works, only leads to self-righteousness and condemnation. Having all this knowledge is useless without application. So we must focus upon ourselves and ask how we can apply this in our lives today.
Read & Discuss Philippians 4:4-9
How can Believers go around being joyful?
What needs to change in how we interpret life events?
How can Believers find inner peace?
What attitudes should we have? Where should we direct our thoughts?
Homework Assignment:
Each day this week, pray for Yahweh’s guidance, and go out of your way specifically to share His joy and peace with no less than one person each day. Note: You don’t have to stop at one person, or one week. This should become your life!
Read & Discuss Colossians 3:12-13
Patience is about how we tolerate (what we see as) irritating faults of others and give them space to repent and to learn and to grow. Elohim is patient with our faults so that we will learn to do better next time.
Read & Discuss Romans 2:4
The Greek word used in Galatians 5:22 is “makrothumia” which basically means – takes a long while before getting angry.
Gentleness/Kindness is how we meet the needs of other people; particularly the weak, the injured, the poor, and the vulnerable. The Good Samaritan parable was one example of a kind and gentle person.
Read & Discuss Luke 10:30-37
The Greek word used in Galatians 5:22 is “chrestotes” and is translated as gentleness, kindness, or usefulness. It means to be a useful person to those in need giving help that suits the person, and the situation.
Discuss these questions as a group:
How do you feel when people are:
a) Impatient with you?
b) Patient with you?
c) Unkind to you?
d) Kind to you?
Read the following verses and answer these questions about each passage:
1) Who is being patient (or kind, or gentle) with whom? (e.g. , Elohim being patient with sinners)
2) Why are they being patient (or kind, or gentle)?
3) What lesson, principle or conclusion we can learn from this?
Homework Assignment:
Ask yourself the following four questions:
How did you feel when you were:
a) Impatient with someone close to you?
b) Patient with a stranger?
c) Unkind to someone close to you?
d) Kind to a stranger?
Now ask yourself this:
Why is it that we show more kindness, and more patience, with people we barely know, than we do with the people we claim to ‘love’?
How can you change than within yourself?
GOODNESS
GOODNESS: a noun, the state of being good; the physical qualities which constitute value, excellence or perfection; as the goodness of timber; the goodness of a soil.
1) The moral qualities which constitute a Believers excellence; moral virtue; relationship with Elohim. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. (Gal 5)
2) Kindness; benevolence; benignity of heart; but more generally, acts of kindness; charity; humanity exercised. “I shall remember his goodness to me with gratitude.” (Gal 5)
3) Kindness; benevolence of nature; mercy. Yahweh Elohim - abundant in goodness and truth. (Exo 34)
4) Kindness; favor shown; acts of benevolence, compassion or mercy. Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Yahweh had done to Israel. (Exo 18)
5) Derived from God’ness, or to act as Elohim would act.
Read the following verses and answer these questions about each passage:
1) What is the source of this particular goodness? E.g. Elohim, the indwelling Holy Spirit, or a person, action, or work.
2) What are the outcomes of the expression of this act of goodness, or what is the ability that this act of goodness imparts?
3) What other virtues associated with goodness in the passage assisted in its manifestation?
FAITH
FAITH: (from the Greek. “pistis”) - reliance, trust, belief in Elohim's promises, the ability to trustingly walk hand in hand with Elohim.
In some translations it is translated as faithfulness in Galatians 5:22-23, but that is not quite correct, the word there is “pistis” which is the simple word for faith.
A Believers faith is like the faith of Abraham, who believed that the goodness and faithfulness of Elohim would be active in his life despite “impossible” circumstances. It is the Holy Spirit which causes Believers to grow in faith.
Read the following verses and answer these questions about each passage:
1) What did they believe or what were they required to believe?
2) What was the reward that they received when they believed?
3) What is the faith principle or lesson that we can learn?
Homework Assignment:
Find five examples of goodness and five examples of faith in the Old Testament and as you read each one define, in writing, how each example can be applied to your life today.
Meekness and self-control both have to do with how we use the power we have within us. Meek is not weak. A meek and gentle person is strong but uses that strength wisely, and carefully, to help others. They will not drag them down, or oppress them. They put aside their own importance, in order to serve others. The Greek word is “prautes” and also means gentleness or humility.
A person with self-control has mastery over their own actions and energy. They can control their own behavior and have command over the decisions that they make. They have the ability to cutoff evil thoughts, and refrain from malicious words and actions. They are often goal oriented people similarly to how an athlete will exercise self-control over his appetite in order to win a race. The Greek word is “egkrateia” and also means continence, temperance, or moderation. You wouldn’t consider them ‘prudish’ only that you would never see them act out in a short sighted manor.
What happens to people who lack self-control in life?
Meekness
Read the following verses and answer these questions about each passage:
1) Who is being meek?
2) How would a weak person react in the same situation?
3) What are the consequences, effects, or results, of being meek?
4) What lesson or principle can we learn from this?
Self-Control
Self-control is often associated with bodily appetites such as food, drink, sexual impulses, and to physical passions such as rage. It is a key ingredient in the battle between the Spirit and the flesh. Self-control is accepting responsibility for every action we make, and taking action in direct response to a negative emotion to prevent ourselves from manifesting that negative attitude or emotion.
Read & Discuss Galatians 5:16-18
Read & Discuss Romans 8:4-6
Read the following verses and answer these questions about each passage:
1) What is the consequence of lacking self-control?
2) What is the benefit of exercising self-control?
3) What is the lesson or principle we can learn from this example?
Homework Assignment:
After prayer to seek Elohim’s guidance in your life, write out a list of where you feel you are lacking in meekness and where you are lacking in self-control. For each point where you feel you are falling short find a corresponding Biblical verse that will help you refocus your efforts to grow in that fruit, as well as an action you feel you can take to prevent yourself from falling short there again.
The word ‘fruit’ appears in the KJV Bible 208 times in 184 verses. The words “bear fruit” appears in only eight verses. Let’s start by reading these eight.
Notice that the concept of bearing fruit for the kingdom is not a New Testament idea, in fact it is mentioned more in the Old Testament than in the New.
From these passages we can see the extreme importance Elohim places upon us to bear fruit in our lives. How, without this fruit, we too will be cut off. So this brings to our mind, what it truly means to be bearing fruit for the Kingdom, for Yahweh.
Many leaders of, many varied churches, congregations, assemblies, and such will tell you that bearing fruit, as they see it, is ‘winning souls’. They will often, sadly, count what they perceive as their fruit, by sighting how many members are in their group, or how many people they have baptized, how many walked up for an “alter call,” or even the amount they’ve collected in tithes and donations. In this spirit they will often push you for more of each of these; either through direct solicitation for more tithes, or just as often, by pushing you into feeling that without a strong personal ministry of your own, you are failing the group, and thus failing Elohim.
Let’s read what happened to King David when he decided to count his followers:
Read & Discuss 2 Samuel 24:1-17
What then does the Bible define as bearing fruit? What does the bible even define as fruit? Let’s begin with the beginning.
Read & Discuss the following passages:
We can see that there are many different trees that Elohim created. And many that produce fruit and seed. And then when He created the Garden of Eden He made two very specific trees. One being the Tree of Life, the other being the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Read & Discuss Genesis 2:16-17
Clearly, we do not want to be the ones bearing evil fruit. Clearly we want to be producing fruit in our lives that leads to eternal life! So how do we become like the Tree of Life? What fruit do we bear in our lives that can be considered worthy of such an honor?
Read & Discuss Revelations 22:2
Okay, so there are twelve fruits which can be found, in season, upon the Tree of Life! But wait.... Didn’t Paul only mention nine?
Read & Discuss Galatians 5:22-23
He did. Yet there must be more! There seems to be three missing from Paul’s letter!
Read & Discuss the follwoing passages:
So there seems to be another one! Righteousness! Or perhaps was there a hint at second fruit in the latter half of Proverbs 11:30? But what does it mean to ‘take hold of a soul’ or ‘winneth a soul’? It seems to me, that the only way we could do such a thing is to be an example to others, to let all of the Fruits of the Spirit shine through us and into them.
You know how a smile is contagious? Something as simple as a sincere ‘thank you’, or holding a door, lending a hand, or even a little acknowledgement of something someone has done for you can make all the difference in the world!
But all this boils down to is simply practicing and focusing on the fruits that Yahweh’s Spirit has chosen to give us. Is that, in and of itself, another fruit of the Spirit? My only advice is to try it out, and let Yahweh decide.
But even if it is, that only comes to eleven fruits, and according to Revelations 22:2 there are twelve. I am glad you asked because that brings us to your homework assignment....
Homework Assignment:
Find the missing fruits of the Spirit. Search the scriptures, pray to your Creator to open your eyes, and this will probably take longer than a week. You may not finish in this lifetime. However, with diligence, and practice in your life of the fruits you know about; the fruits you have just may lead you to the rest! Ultimately, Yah willing, you will have the chance to petition Him for all those unanswered questions!
We pray this study has been as much of a blessing to you as it has been for us!
Yahweh Bless!