A Practical Guide for Transformative Growth Part 1ნიმუში

WHAT - Fruit, Not Gifts or Accomplishments, Is The Evidence of Transformation

Anyone (mature or immature) can have great gifts (even spiritual ones) or achieve great things, but only the mature can bear fruit. You cannot tell if someone is mature by their doctrine, or by what church they attend, or how often they attend, or by how well they can teach, or rouse a crowd, or even by how accurate they give prophetic words, or how many people God has used them to heal. The test of maturity is the fruit of your life. Are you bearing the fruit of the Spirit? Galatians 5:22-23 mentions nine fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities exude from mature people.

To illustrate the difference between fruit and accomplishment, consider a man who boasts that he has been faithfully married to his wife for 50 years. You might think he is a great exemplar of the faith. A man of great maturity. However, when you speak to his wife, she tells a story of neglect and lovelessness. To that man, a faithful marriage was an accomplishment to prove his righteousness. He is immature. A mature man’s wife would tell a different story. A story of a man who has transformed before her eyes and become more and more loving, attentive and selfless with each passing year. That is the fruit of maturity.

It is important to understand this distinction when we look for godly role models. Jesus said of the Pharisees:

Mat 23:1-3 (NLT)

“The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.”

The Pharisees can be compared to skilled and gifted theologians of our day who are highly gifted but lacking in the fruit of the Spirit. We should learn from them, but we should not pattern our lives after them. Do not emulate those who have amazing oratory skills, impressive revelatory giftings and large successful ministries but are prideful, harsh, morose or treat others with contempt. Emulate those souls who are radiant with joy, abundant in mercy, gentle of speech, clothed in humility and patient with all, even if they are of no reputation.