Stuart Glassborow is a pastor in Wembley, London, UK and has kindly written the first in our ‘big topic’ series. This is a must-read article! – Dave.

When we go to Kenya to rescue, teach and love street kids and orphans, we often take cartoon-type books with us. A year ago we took a book about Vinnie, the branch who tried to make fruit. It is a story based on John 15, and has some great pictures that made everyone laugh, but all learnt lots! What was funnier was the kenyan “dad” translating the words we used and the actions too. You see, Vinnie was embarrassed by his lack of fruit, and was straining terribly to produce some fruit. I’m not fluent in Swahili, but the manager’s actions were spot on, and he produced no fruit. The story went on to say that fruit is something that comes from “connection”, or as Jesus says, “abiding in Him”, and not from self effort. So our manager just relaxed, stopped sweating, and allowed the fruit to form.

When we read scripture at any time, we should always do two things; One is to not even start without asking the Holy Spirit to be our guide, and to bring to mind all that we need, “taking from what is of Jesus and making it known to us”. The second is to allow the fullness of the word to be available to us, and not get isolated within a verse or passage. This can lead to heretical understandings of stand alone verses.

When looking at the fruit in Gal 5, we need to bear in mind the teaching of Jesus in John 15. It doesn’t say if you do not produce fruit you are to be cast into the fire, but if you do not abide in “me”, Jesus. All actions of faith, good deeds, even spiritual disciplines, should be done out of intimacy with the Trinity, abiding in them.

Jesus talks about this, in terms of branches and vines, saying that there is something that is important in connection, but the analagy of the vine also speaks of the flow that occurs through attachment. As sap flows through the vine, in Xylem and Phloem channels, there is something available to us that also flows through our intimacy with Jesus. This is the Holy Spirit.

Gal 5:22 talks about the “fruit of the Spirit”. One of the things that my scientific training has taught me, and my spiritual walk confirmed, is to look at the details, and the context.

1) It is the Spirit’s fruit.

2) It is actually fruit!

3) Fruit is contrast to the “deeds of the flesh”, Gal 5: 19.

4) There is no law against this fruit.

1) The fruit is the Spirit’s. It is “of” Him. It comes from Him. It’s origin is in Him.
So many Christians spend years trying to modify their behaviour to create fruit, and end up like Vinnie. They try “their” best to produce something that they cannot muster up or create. This article is not a licensefor bad behaviour, it’s a command to stay intimate and attached to the one from whom the fruit is created. The reason that so many fail in these areas, is that they are relying on self improvement, which at best is sin, and at worst is potentially sinister. It is His fruit! We were not designed to change ourselves, or our behaviour. Abiding in Jesus, being filled by the Spirit and being embraced by the Father allows us to fully surrender and therefore allow the character of who they are to emerge through us. Not behaving badly is always better than behaving badly, and sometimes we need to make some clear decisions and choices, but our walk with God is about Him working and living through us and that is a higher level. The reason that many find this hard is because we are often scared of being intimate with God, or have been taught to be self-sufficient by our homes or culture.

That’s a different article though. It is sufficient to say here that it is His fruit, and we need to learn from Vinnie and stay connected.

2) It is fruit. The original word here is seed. It can be used either with plants (seed) or animals (sperm). It means to contain the genetic ability to reproduce from the original; Either an apple from an apple tree, or a tiger from a tiger. It means that it is given from another, and has within it everything that is needed as potential. It is a product of reproduction.
You cannot make fruit happen, as Vinnie, and our Kenyan dad found out. The only product of straining will be piles!!
A branch can do nothing to force fruit to happen, it can only stay attached, and allow the sap to flow.
The Holy Spirit lives inside all believers who say yes to Jesus. So where is all that self control, love, peace etc?!!!!! The Bible makes it clear that the Holy Spirit will not force change in our hearts (although He will sometimes put us in fairly acute situations to “encourage us”!). He will be the resource and will enforce our decisions, but not force our will. If we obey the command to be “continually filled”, then we will see continued growing of the fruit in our lives.
How can we stay intimate and allow Him to live through us?
We believe in intentional proactive times of waiting on Him, or soaking. It’s a time when we don’t speak but give Him the chance to speak, heal and minister to us. Building relationships with the trinity is what Jesus went to the cross for. My wife Chlo talks about a time when Holy Spirit spoke to her and said something like “Most people onlycome to me when they want me to ‘work’ or ‘do something’ supernatural. Few come to me to get to know me”. That changed the way we have been ever since.
It is a relationship, not a trip to a vending machine!
Fruit comes from relationship, and then grows through nourishment. These are active callings, not passive.

3) Contrast to the fruit.
Galatians makes it clear that the fruit of the Spirit is in contrast to the works of the flesh, and that we have a choice, and we can be “led” by whatever we choose. The results of bad decisions are clear, and rather forceful! Paul says that we will “not inherit the Kingdom of God”. We have to be careful to look at the details, and learn what “to practice these things” means, and not exclude ourselves from salvation based on works, but there is a clear contrasting relationship between the acts of the flesh, or sin, and the fruit of the Spirit.
Many people wonder why they lack peace, and ask for more, which is right to do, but we also though have a responsibility to allow the Spirit to “shine a light into our heart and see if there is any wicked way in me”.
We believe in the healing of our hearts, or as Paul puts it in 2 Cor 7:1 after mentioning the promises of adoption and Fathering, to “..purify ourselves from anything that contaminates body and spirit”. Chlo and I take a 15 hour individual “clear out” every two years and then intersperse that with countless times of reflection and accountability chats with our advisors. I want more fruit, and I want less fleshly acts. Simple really.

4) It’s interesting to meditate on what Paul meant by the fact that there is “…no law against these things”. The quick answer is that there is nothing that can stop the attributes that are mentioned.
Let’s look at that. Is Paul saying that when we love, nothing can stop that? Or is He saying that spiritually, these are acceptable? Or is he saying that satan cannot do anything? The message says “legalism is helpless at bringing this about”. Is scripture saying that relationship and not religion will produce fruit? Is Paul saying that the acts or the effects are powerful? I think the answer to these questions is YES.
New Wine this year had a title of “Unstoppable”. We spoke at the Channel Islands NW and were so awestruck by the concept that because He is unstoppable, and because He lives in us, that makes us unstoppable! We have started a journey that has taken us into places where we are seeing more and more of the power of the cross in everyday life. It is so EXCITING to be alive!
We believe that when we stay connected to the Holy Spirit, and relax, allowing Him to flow through us, and we get our hearts and issues healed, we grow in His fruit, and become unstoppable. Not because we are special, but because He is VERY special, and that makes every one of us awesome world shapers, history makers and life changers.
Come ON!!!!!!!