Pillar 4 - Maturity / Discipleship
Bear Fruit
Scripture proclaims the Spirit bears fruit.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — these nine qualities are not goals to strive toward, but fruit that grows from a specific source.
This is the truth in its simplest form — the same words printed inside every Bear Fruit Truth Card:
Do You Not Know ?
Love, Joy, Peace, Forbearance, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, And Self-Control
Have Your Not Heard ?
Against Such Things There Is No Law. The Fruit Of The Spirit Witnesses To Your Walk With Christ.
“By Their Fruit You Will Recognize Them. A Good Tree Bears Good Fruit, But A Bad Tree Bears Bad Fruit. A Good Tree Cannot Bear Bad Fruit, And A Bad Tree Cannot Bear Good Fruit.” Matthew 7:16-18
The Choice is Yours !!
”The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of Spirit and life.” John 6:63
Where Will You Spend Eternity ?
Do You Bear Fruit?
Do not move past this too quickly.
If this is true, which it is, it changes everything about your life.
What Scripture Says About Bearing Fruit
“The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 These are not lofty virtues that can be achieved by human effort but are outcomes of the Holy Spirit working in the life of the believer. Neither are they to be held as a mark of private spirituality. They are the very character qualities of Christ that rule how a believer lives and interacts with the world around him. They are the evidence of the transformative power of the Spirit.
As such, they give witness to the Kingdom of God. The very character of those who live according to the will of God, where Jesus is Lord, both preserves and advances the Kingdom. Spirit-led individuals and communities demonstrating these qualities provide credible and tangible evidence to a watching world. You become “salt that flavors, light that illuminates, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:13-16
The Fruit of the Spirit foreshadows the coming age when Christ returns and the Kingdom of God is brought to completion. Foremost on the list is love. It is a sacrificial love that extends mercy and grace to all mankind, encompassing and energizing all of the other Fruit. Joy testifies that reality is not rooted in this world, but in the comfort and strength of a personal relationship with God through Christ Jesus. Peace speaks to reconciliation and healing: in broken relationships, divided communities and with the Father Himself. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
Forbearance (or patience) recognizes God’s longsuffering, “not wishing that any should perish.” Kindness reflects the generosity of God’s mercy and grace, even to the most undeserving. The Fruit of Goodness is righteousness in action; integrity, even at great personal cost, to do what is pleasing to God. Faithfulness is trustworthy reliability even under pressure to be disloyal. Gentleness, often described as meekness, is the Kingdom strength most exemplified in Jesus. “I am gentle and lowly in heart.” Matthew 11:29 Self-control, the mastery over desires and action, makes all the other virtues, and obedience itself, sustainable.
Pray for the Fruit of the Spirit so it can bear witness to your walk with Christ. Pray the Holy Spirit will develop each fully as you seek the Father’s perspective and will. Share that fruit to all around you that others may be encouraged to nurture their fruit. Rejoice always, as it pleases Him as you bear fruit.
“By their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:16 The Fruit of the Spirit demonstrates Christ’s reign in your life. The same should be said of the Church. Every expression of the Fruit of the Spirit should contradict worldly patterns, reconciling divided communities, families and relationships, to point to the restoration of all things. It is the Father’s goal, by the Spirit’s power, “… to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” Ephesians 1:10 Do you bear fruit?
What Others Ask
Q. What does it mean to bear fruit as a Christian?
A. Bearing fruit means producing evidence of a life connected to Christ — in character (the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23), in conduct (righteous actions, Philippians 1:11), and in mission (people brought to faith, Romans 1:13). Fruit is not manufactured by effort but grown by abiding — staying in the Vine that His life flows through yours."
Q. What is the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5?
A. Galatians 5:22-23 lists nine qualities produced by the Holy Spirit in the believer: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are not a checklist to achieve but the natural overflow of a Spirit-filled life. They grow together — you cannot manufacture one yourself.
Q. What does John 15 say about abiding in Christ and bearing fruit?
A. John 15:4-5 is the key: 'Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.' Abiding means remaining in active, dependent connection to Christ through prayer, His Word, and obedience. The fruit is His to produce; our part is to stay attached.
Q. How do I bear more fruit in my Christian life?
A. John 15:2 says the Father 'prunes' branches that bear fruit so they bear more. Pruning — the removal of things that are not harmful but that compete for the life of the branch — is how fruitfulness increases. This often comes through seasons of difficulty, simplification, or surrender. The most fruitful Christians are rarely the busiest — they are the most rooted.
Q. What does it mean when Jesus says a branch that bears no fruit is cut off?
A. John 15:2 distinguishes branches that bear fruit (pruned for more) and branches that bear no fruit (removed). This imagery has generated significant theological discussion. Most interpreters see the fruitless branch as representing someone who was externally connected to the community of faith but never genuinely abiding in Christ. The warning is clear: profession without connection produces nothing.
Digging Deeper Introduction
Bearing fruit is the inevitable result of authentic faith and a vital connection to Jesus. Christ said: “By their fruit you will recognize them … every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” Matthew 7:16-18 The fruit Christ speaks of is not achieved by human effort. Rather it is an outcome of the Holy Spirit working in those who are abiding in Christ.
John 15:1-8 attests to this, quoting Jesus: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing … This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
The biblical description of spiritual fruit is the Christ-like character produced by the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 lists the nine character qualities collectively called “the fruit of the Spirit.” These are:
Love (agapē) - selfless, sacrificial love that seeks others' good regardless of their response or our feelings. This is God's own love flowing through us, enabling us to love the unlovable as He does.
The fruit you bear is not your own—will you give freely?
Someone’s eternity depends on it!
Awaken the sleeper!
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