The Fruit of the Spirit

by

David Alsobrook

CONTENTS

1 The New Nature

2 Works or Fruit

3 Gifts and Fruits (Bells and Pomegranates)

4 The Three Harvests

5 The Sealing Fruit of the Harvest

6 30-60-100

7 Spiritual Growth

The Fruit of the Spirit

This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the
flesh.

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:
and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the
things that ye would.

Galatians 5:16-17

1
The New Nature

Notice that the letter "S" of the word "Spirit" is capitalized. Since there is
no basis for this in the original language, "Spirit" could as accurately read
"spirit." In this context the Apostle Paul is not referring to the third person
of the Godhead. He is speaking about the new-born spirit which is a
product of the Holy Spirit. This new-born spirit is born out of the Holy
Spirit, "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17).
Paul is writing about the old nature and the new nature. It could be
worded: "This I say then, walk by the new nature."

Walk according to the nature of the recreated man, the new nature, and then
you won't fulfill the desires of the old nature. The old nature fights against
the new nature and the new nature against the old. The two are contrary the
one to the other. The greatest battle in the life of the Christian is not his
battle with Satan, but it is the battle within himself.

It is the battle of learning how to bring the flesh into subjection to the spirit,
the new spirit. That spirit that has been born of God.

When God made man he was a spiritual being, that is, he lived out of his
spirit. He was governed by his spirit, through his soul, in his body. When
Adam sinned this spirit life died, we call it "the fall." The spirit, rather than
being the first in command now became the third, or last, and the soul and
the body did what they wanted because the spirit was deadened by sin.

Works or Fruit

The Apostle Paul is talking about the product of the old nature and the
product of the new nature. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest" [the
old nature]: I. The sexual, sensual realm:

A. adultery

B. fornication
C. uncleanness

D. lasciviousness

II. The religious realm:

A. idolatry

B. witchcraft

III. The emotional realm:

A. hatred

B. variance

C. emulations

D. wrath

E. strife

F. envy

G. murders

IV. The intemperate realm:

A. drunkenness

B. revellings, and such like

V. The doctrinal realm:

A. seditions

B. heresies

Note that wrath, strife, jealousy, envy, etc., are just as much products of the
old nature and are just as much works of the flesh as adultery and murder.
Many Christians who are not involved outwardly in adultery, fornication,
murder or drunkenness, are inwardly steeped in strife, envy and jealousy.
You can have works of the flesh in the ATTITUDE as much as you have
works of the flesh in ACTIONS. This is the product of the old nature.

"... of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past,
that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God"
(Gal. 5:21).

"... shall not inherit the kingdom of God" is frequently taken as being
strictly in the eternal aspect. But we must remember that the kingdom of
God does not begin in eternity. It begins when a man is born again; for at
that moment one enters the kingdom of God.

Colossians 1:13 tells us that God has translated us out of the kingdom of
darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son. Not that He will translate us,
but has. "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God" (John 3:3). This translation is from the power of Satan to the power
of God, from darkness to light, and at that moment "the kingdom of God
is within you" (Luke 17:21).

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17). When we have the
works of the flesh, such as strife in our life, then we don't have kingdom joy
and peace. We forfeit that inheritance in the kingdom.

When I have fleshly strife I can't have kingdom peace. I lose the kingdom
blessing and I'm not inheriting the kingdom of God—right now (and
possibly as well as in eternity).

Note the divine alternative given in Galatians 5:22 in contrast to verse 19:
"Now the works of the flesh are" —that's the devil's talk. He would say,
"Well, the world is that way. You have got to do that, after all, you are just
human."

The works of the flesh are—BUT note God's divine alternative: (When God
puts in a BUT it is all right, He gives you the choice of a different life
style.)
"BUT the fruit of the Spirit is ..." The fruit of the Spirit is the product of
the new nature and is produced by the Holy Spirit dwelling within your
human spirit. Here is a wonderful option to the works of the flesh.

Before you come to the fruit of the Spirit you cultivate the works of the
flesh. When the individual is deadened by sin all his old fleshly nature does
is bring forth the works of the flesh. But, when he is saved, God shows him
that wonderful alternative.

All too often, the believer continues in the works of the flesh more than in
the fruit of the spirit. There is that familiar battle within.

The flesh must be dealt with by the cross. It must be crucified, it must be
brought into subjection so that the fruit of the spirit can be cultivated,
because the works of the flesh are like weeds that choke the fruit.

When we are talking about fruit we are talking about MATURITY.

Why does one grow fruit? Fruit is grown for the purpose of a harvest. One
doesn't grow fruit in orchards just to say, "Look, it is ripe and it is come to
season. Are they not beautiful, all those apples, pears, apricots?"

Fruit is not grown for its ornamental qualities. It is grown to be eaten. And
you don't harvest it when it is still green. If you do, it will likely make you
ill.

Often new believers are full of "I love you, brother."

This is the. nauseous "green" love. One way I know if that love is still
"green" is if they have "barbecued preacher" for lunch after they have
"loved" me. Their love was not yet matured.

The mark of the maturing believer is the fruit of his recreated spirit. We
need to come into the fruit of the reborn spirit, which is the character of
Christ revealed through the new nature of the Christian's life.

When considering the fruit of the Spirit one cannot overlook the works of
the flesh. When you read Galatians Chapter 5 you come to verse 19 (the
works of the flesh) before you come to verse 22 (the fruit of the Spirit). The
flesh must be dealt with before the fruit can be cultivated.

The subject of the works of the flesh is not very popular. People generally
consider it in the negative realm, but it must be dealt with before the fruit of
the Spirit can come to maturity.

Gifts and Fruits (Bells and Pomegranates)

Every fruit is listed according to divine order.

Let us look into something that is given in the Old Testament that will give
us some understanding of this divine order.

When the high priest went into the Holy of Holies on the Day of
Atonement, he went behind the veil. While there the other priests in the
Holy place could not see him. If the high priest was in any way defiled, he
immediately died in the presence of God. The high priest entered the Holy
of Holies once a year, in fear. The other priests had tied a rope to his foot,
for if he died God didn't want him staying in the Holy of Holies; yet no one
could go in to get him out, but with the rope he could be pulled out. Now
they needed to know if he died, or if he lived. The only way they could
know is by hearing, for they could not tell by seeing.

Around the border of his garments were sewed bells, and as he walked the
bells would make this tinkling sound while in the Holy of Holies, as he was
sprinkling blood on the mercy seat.

As long as there was noise there was life. When it became quiet the other
priests began pulling out the high priest.

When you look in the Bible and see life and restoration, you nearly always
hear "noise." On the Day of Pentecost

"there came a SOUND from heaven." In Ezekiel 37 when the prophet saw
that valley of dry bones, what was the very first sign of life in that valley?
"There was a noise"! At times God does things NOISILY.

Between the bells were sewed pomegranates, which were used as cushions
for the bells. Each of the bells made their particular sounds, but along with
the pomegranates, they made a beautiful melodic tune unto the Lord. We
are priests and we are to go into the presence of God, we are to enter into
the Spirit, the Holy of Holies, every day. We are not going in the fear of
death, for Jesus took that fear from us, but we can go in boldness. When we
go, we need bells and pomegranates placed alternately between each other.

The bells correspond to the GIFTS and the pomegranates, of course, refer to
the FRUIT.

In 1 Corinthians 13 the Apostle Paul speaks of "Though I speak with the

tongues of men and of angels, and have not love"—what do I become? "A
clanging cymbal." That is, I'm making a harsh noise. Just as the
pomegranates cushioned the bells, the fruit of the Spirit will cause the gifts
of the Spirit to be operated in harmony.

Chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians is on the subject of divine energy.

Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians is on the subject of divine charity.

Chapter 14 of 1 Corinthians is on the subject of divine harmony.

Whenever you get divine energy and divine charity in combined operation
the final result is divine harmony.

With the understanding about the border of the garments, we can better
understand 1 Corinthians 12 as a bell, Chapter 13 as a pomegranate and
Chapter 14 as a bell.

That is, bell, pomegranate, bell, etc. Chapter 12 and 14 are primarily on the
gifts, whereas Chapter 13 is on the fruit.

I. FRUIT

I. GIFTS
A. love

A. word of wisdom

B. joy

B. word of knowledge

C. peace

C. faith

D. longsuffering

D. healing

E. gentleness

E. miracles

F. goodness

F. prophecy

G. faith

G. discerning of spirits

H. meekness temperance

H. kinds of tongues

I. interpretation of

tongues

The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote 1 Corinthians and the
Book of Galatians. In Chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians he lists nine different
distinct supernatural manifestations of the Spirit, or gifts. In Galatians 5:22-
23

he lists five different and distinct manifestations of the fruit.

A fruit with every gift!

The word of wisdom should be exercised in love.

The word of knowledge will bring forth the fruit of joy.

Many times I have seen when the word of knowledge is operated, joy is in
the heart of the individual who receives that word. They know it is their
time for healing, and it brings such joy.

The gift of faith will bring peace. Jesus was on the stormy sea. He arose and
said, "Peace, be still," (a word of faith) and immediately there was a great
calm. When faith is exercised, peace is experienced.

What is the most popular gift of the Spirit that is most talked about and is
sometimes elevated above the other gifts? The gifts of healing.

What is the most unpopular fruit? Longsuffering.

Can you see how God puts this in balance? The most popular gift with the
most unpopular fruit. The gifts of healing are to have the fruit of
longsuffering. I have been in services where there was present the gifts of
healing, but they did not have the fruit of longsuffering. Yes, healings took
place, but it was a clanging noise. When the fruit of longsuffering is
present, it not only reveals the ability of Christ, but also makes known the
character of Christ.

The gifts of the Spirit reveal the power of Christ in me.

The fruit of the Spirit reveals the nature of Christ in me.

The gift of working of miracles, this "bell" needs the "pomegranate" fruit of
gentleness.
I have witnessed miracle ministries that were abundantly blessed with the
workings of miracles, and as the minister was gentle with the people it also
brought forth the nature and character of Jesus, and the people glorified
Jesus. I have also been where there was working of miracles and those
ministering were very demonstrative and rough in their ministry. Miracles
still happened because of the gifts, but the people tended to look more
toward the man than unto God because of the lack of "pomegranates."

It is not how many miracles occur in our ministry, it is how much the Father
is glorified. The less of us, the more of God is seen.

The fruit helps God to get the glory. "Herein is my Father glorified, that
ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" (John 15:8). When the
fruit is exercised WITH the gifts it brings God glory.

Tied with the gift of prophecy is the fruit of goodness.

Did you ever witness a prophetic ministry that went sour and started
prophesying condemnation? They had lost that fruit of goodness.

Along with the discerning of spirits is the fruit of faith.

That also means faithfulness. When ministering deliverance evil spirits will
lie to you. You must believe what God has shown you and continue in it.
You must be faithful. The Word tells us that "the spirit came out the same
hour," you have to be faithful in the deliverance ministry; sometimes it
takes an hour.

Along with kinds of tongues is the pomegranate of meekness.

Sometimes there is an utterance in tongues that sounds like an army general

barking his orders. Surely it was the gift of the Spirit, but because it did not
come forth with the fruit of meekness it poured a bucket of cold water on
the meeting. But the utterance given in meekness prepares the hearts of the
hearers before the interpretation is given.

The gift of interpretation of tongues needs the pomegranate of temperance.

When I first prayed for the gift of interpretation and was asking God to give
me the ability to interpret, one night there came an utterance in tongues.
The Lord poked me in the ribs and said, "You're on!" I was encouraged and
excited. I knew I was going to get to interpret. As soon as the utterance in
tongues ceased I waited and waited. Out came three words. And about that
time out came the fourth word, then some more and some more. After a bit
I was at ease and more confident. I was amazed at what came out of my
mouth for I hadn't thought it. Then I thought, in my natural mind, surely
those people didn't understand it, and so when God stopped I kept right on
going! Have you heard of an interpretation that kept going on and on and
on? Now you know what happened! I began in the Spirit and ended in the
flesh. Along with every gift must be a fruit.

We are to pray that the appropriate fruit be cultivated that it may minister to
the greatest degree of results for the body of Christ and glory of God.

The Three Harvests

We read in Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance."

The fruit of the Holy Spirit joined to the believer's spirit can be divided into
three groups of three. Each is a harvest for someone.

The first group, love, joy, peace, is a harvest for me.

That is, this harvest benefits the believer.

The second group, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, is a harvest for

others. It benefits those with whom the believer comes in contact.

The third group, faith, meekness, temperance, is a harvest for God. These
are virtues which the Father looks for in the believer's life.
The Greek word used for fruit is karpos and means harvest (that which has
been plucked). It is the "harvest of the Spirit.”

One of the things the Holy Spirit does for us is produce a harvest in our
lives. This harvest (fruit) is as real to the spiritual man as literal fruit is to
the natural man. Ezekiel 47:12 indicates that the fruit on the tree has a
ministry in itself. "... and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf
thereof for medicine." The fruit shall be for meat, for nourishment. It shall
be for strengthening. With your spiritual mouth you can "taste and see that
the Lord is good" (Ps. 34:8). It goes into your spiritual man, which is in
the image of Jesus Christ, and you are strengthened, edified and nourished.

The fruit of the Spirit will nourish your spiritual man.

The fruit of the Spirit will minister to your spiritual man.

When you are around a brother or sister who is mature in the fruit of the
Spirit it strengthens and edifies your inner man. You are eating from their
tree and it is ministering strength to your inner man.

The Spirit produces a harvest within God's people.

The word "fruit" is in the plural, so many people call it the "fruits" of the
Spirit. The word FRUIT does not have to have an "s" on the end of it to
make it plural. When you have apples, oranges and other fruits, it can be
referred to as a sack of fruit. It is in the plural. Some think of the word
FRUIT as being singular, and in that one fruit there are slices like that of an
orange: a slice of love, a slice of joy, a slice of peace, a slice of
longsuffering, etc.

It is true that love is the motivational fruit for all the other fruits, however,
joy, peace, longsuffering, etc., are each a separate fruit from love. Each has
its own characteristic differences.

The fruit can be seen as a HARVEST. Fruit must be harvested. When it is

harvested, it is to be eaten.
The Harvest For Me. All the fruit can minister to everyone indirectly, but
on this first particular harvest the fruit primarily blesses those who have it.

The first harvest—love, joy, peace—consists of the most popular fruit.

When one is saved the minister doesn't usually say, "Come to Jesus tonight.
He will give you longsuffering and work meekness in your life, and
produce more temperance in you." The seeking one is usually told, "Come
to Jesus and you'll get love, joy and peace."

When teaching about the fruit of the Spirit folk will say, "Yummy! I want to
hear about the fruit of the Spirit." And they really do want to hear about
love, joy and peace, but when you get to longsuffering many stop right
there.

The first harvest is the fruit that primarily blesses me.

When I say "me," I mean, of course, each individual believer. This is the
harvest of love, joy and peace. It will bless or primarily minister to the
person who has love, joy and peace in his or her life.

Most people regard love as primarily benefiting others, yet in 1 Corinthians

13:3 we read: "Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and
though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me
nothing."

Paul did not say, "If I give my goods to feed the poor and have not love it
profiteth the poor nothing." The motivation for giving one's goods would
make no difference to the hunger of the poor man. But when given in love is
when it blesses the giver.

The reason "God loves a cheerful giver" is because giving out of love is the
way to experience joy. Joy is expressing love. That is why joy is next on the
list. Love expressed brings joy experienced, which primarily blesses you.

Your cup of joy could overflow, but the joy still primarily blessed you.

When you confess that "the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh.
8:10), then the joy of the Lord strengthens you and blesses you. Joy makes
you happy. Joy makes you feel good. Joy primarily blesses the individual
who has it.

The same is true with peace. Psalm 37:11 tells us, "But the meek shall
inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of
peace." Peace is an inward quality, it ministers tranquility to the soul. The
Psalmist pictures each individual delighting himself with the abundance of
peace in his own heart.

Who wants this first harvest? The whole world wants this fruit! We hold it
out as bait to others: "You want the baptism? You get baptized in the Spirit
and you'll have love, joy and peace like a river." You won't hear that about
longsuffering. God "hooks" us with the first harvest—love, joy and peace.
He wants us to have a love, joy and peace that blesses us. But He also wants
us to go on to the second harvest. God wants me to minister life to those I
contact.

The Harvest for Others. The second harvest—longsuffering, gentleness,

goodness—is fruit that is produced in my life and costs me something to
produce it.

This is fruit that is grown on my tree, but I have to lay down my life in
order for you (others) to partake of it. "The good shepherd giveth his life
for the sheep" (John 10:11). I'm to have a life laid down if I'm to minister
to others and be as my Master.

The first fruit to be harvested is longsuffering. It is long and it is suffering.

And there is also gentleness and goodness. These three fruit primarily bless
others through you, and it costs me something to have the Spirit produce
that in my life. The Holy Spirit does cultivate this fruit in my life, but only
as I yield.

Now you can't produce this fruit yourself, the Holy Spirit has to do it in
your human spirit. God creates it in you.

You never go out to an orchard, look at an apple tree and hear it groaning
and groaning, and say, "Mr. Apple Tree, why are you groaning so?"
"Oh, I'm just trying to make an apple."

No, apples just come. As we yield to the Lord and get our sap from the
Lord, and get plenty of Sonshine, the fruit just comes. But we have to lay
down our lives in order for it to grow.

Each of us has a ministry to the body of Christ. In Colossians 4:17 we read:

"And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast
received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it." You can write your own name
above that of Archippus. It is YOU the Apostle is speaking to. All in the
body of Christ are to minister one to the other.

It may not be a ministry of the Word, or teaching, but it could be a ministry

of helps, or a ministry of giving, etc.

There are so many ministries in the church that God would like to bless you
with, and He is saying to you, "Take heed to your ministry which you
have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it."

In order to fulfill this particular ministry you must have longsuffering,

gentleness and goodness because it is these fruit that the body of Christ will
partake, or eat of from you.

These three fruit must be present before the body of Christ can be
ministered to through you and can see Jesus in you.

Longsuffering, gentleness and goodness in us manifest Jesus to our brothers

and sisters. When this fruit is present in my life then others can say, "I see
Jesus in him." "I see Jesus in her." In 2 Corinthians 6:6 the Apostle Paul
writes that he proved himself a minister for others through his
longsuffering. Without this suffering there could not be that harvest for
others that grows on each believer's tree.

Before we were married, Dianne, my wife had seen me in the meetings and
she thought, "Oh, won't it be wonderful to be married and travel around the
country with him. He has so much love when he's ministering." After we
were married she found out what I was like when I woke up early in the
morning, before I had the shower. Then there were other discoveries. After
a while she wasn't saying, "He's so longsuffering and patient." But when
she did see longsuffering she said, "Thank You, Jesus!"

We should give God the glory for the fruit that we see in our brothers and
sisters as much as the gifts that we see.

Some say, "Well, the gifts are supernatural."

So are the fruit! The fruit comes by the supernatural power of God, it does
not come by man. You cannot work this up.

Some ministers deny the Holy Spirit baptism, and don't want anything to do
with it. Some then will say, "They might not have the gifts, but they've got
the fruit." Often all they have is social refinement, and that is not the fruit of
the Spirit. They are not really gentle, they have only learned how to stand at
the church door and greet and talk to people. This is something that is
acquired, not something God has worked into them, so don't be mistaken by
counterfeit fruit.

There is counterfeit fruit just as there are counterfeit gifts. Satan has a
counterfeit for everything God has. Some people say Satan can't counterfeit
the fruits and gifts. He does it all the time. He says:

"Follow me, I'll give you love." He spells it l-u-s-t.

"Follow me, I'll give you joy." A temporary thrill.

"Follow me, I'll give you peace." It is only momentary.

Satan even counterfeits the blood of Jesus. Witch doctors sacrifice little
lambs to their idols. This is a counterfeit.

The counterfeit proves one thing: there must be a genuine.

We can have genuine longsuffering. "Brother, don't you know I've been
redeemed from suffering?"

Yes, you have been redeemed from suffering sin and suffering sickness, but
you haven't been redeemed from suffering. All who live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution, reproach, necessity and distresses (2 Timothy
3:12).

The "thorn" the Apostle Paul talked about was an evil spirit that stirred up
the crowds. That is why he received so many insults, distresses, beatings
and persecutions. Paul got stoned, dragged through the streets—a lot of free
publicity.

He had to have that fruit of longsuffering and patience in his life more than
anything else. He said it proved to others that he was a minister of God. "...
but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God" (2 Cor.

6:3-4). He gives his reason as: "In much patience, in afflictions, in

necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in
labours, in watchings, in fastings." Notice in Paul's list that patience is
located in first place. Patience in his life towards God's people was a greater
proof of his ministry of the Gospel than anything else he suffered in the
ministry. The fruit of longsuffering and patience can only be produced by
tribulation.

"Tribulation worketh patience" (Rom. 5:3).

One night at a service I asked people to pray for me to have patience. After
the meeting I had several ladies come to me and say, "Sonny, don't pray for
patience. The Bible says 'tribulation worketh patience.' Don't you know
you're going to get tribulation?"

I said, "Yes, I know that, and I'm going to rejoice in tribulation."

"Oh," they said, "you don't want tribulation!"

Our unwillingness to encounter any sort of tribulation may be the reason

many of us stay in the first harvest.

Longsuffering and patience are a must to have the character of Christ

revealed to others. The only way patience can be produced is through
tribulation, and tribulation has to come through people. So God has given
some the "ministry of tribulation." Those "anointed tribulators" know just
when to call you. You could be sitting down to eat, after many interruptions,
and then there are the "tribulators" who instinctively know the exact
moment to call. They seem to know when you are studying the Word. They
seem to know when to knock on your door.

They always come when you are busy. They come when you are doing
something important. They always have some problem, and it is generally
the same problem you talked to them about three weeks ago. They cry on
your shoulder and you keep trying to help them. Finally, you realize that
you are not really going to help them; they have been sent to help you!

The early part of my ministry I said, "God, send me to churches that are
free in the Spirit, really anointed, loving to move in the gifts and the power
of God."

The Lord asked me, "Why?"

I said, "Lord, I'd be so blessed, and I would enjoy it so much."

He said, "I'm not going to send you to those churches because they don't
need you."

So I was sent to all kinds of little crybaby churches.

They were the split off the split that split last year. I discovered many Full
Gospel churches don't grow by revival, they grow by divisions. They had
problems. They all wanted to get alone with the evangelist so they
could gossip about everyone else in the church. There were so many
problems, and they would get me up in the middle of the night for prayer. I
realized I was in a spiritual nursery. I complained to the Lord.

He said, "It takes much more caring for a baby than for one who is grown
up. You have to diaper them, you have to burp them, you have to clean
them. They make a mess, and they never like your message. They are like
babies, you have to test the milk. Meat you can't give them, for they will
choke on it. Give them just a little milk, not too hot, not too cold, but just
right."
God had put me in this "nursery" ministry, and it was glorious! It was
glorious all right—longsuffering! I used to joke some that not only did God
give me great tribulators in the ministry, but He let me marry and then I had
a precious tribulator. Just about the time I'm getting a great revelation from
God, she will ask me about some mundane thing. I'd be ready to go to
church and there would be something about her hair that wasn't just right.
The time is going by, and sure enough, we're late to the meeting. I would
pray,

"God, change her, change her!" The more I prayed, the worse she got.
Finally, God said, "I am going to change you. The only way two stones can
be polished is by friction, the one against the other."

I was in a church in Arizona and jokingly said to the pastor, "Dianne is my

tribulator." Glen's wife was sitting next to him and without a moment's
hesitation he said,

"Why, sure, David, that's why the Book of James says, "Let patience have
HER perfect work." About that moment Debbie looked at her husband and
in a low, drawn-out voice exclaimed, "Glennnn!"

Dianne's side of the story was this: "If I can just marry David, I'll grow in
grace, I'll grow in the Lord so much being under the anointed Word. I'll
grow and grow and grow!"

And she did start to grow: packing, unpacking, traveling, sleeping in all
kinds of beds, eating in all sorts of restaurants. She discovered it really was
a way to grow! She has grown in grace greatly just by living with me. We
are each other's tribulators. The longsuffering has helped work the character
of Christ unto us.

Gentleness is the fruit of the Spirit that grows in my life toward those to
whom I minister. This sometimes costs me great trials in order for it to be
produced and cultivated, but always benefits those that receive it.

Note the following Scriptures and how they fit into this second harvest:
Galatians 6:2: "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of
Christ."

Romans 15:1: "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of
the weak, and not to please ourselves."

The fruit of the Spirit helps us not to please ourselves, but to bear the
infirmities of the weak. If we are strong we will bear the infirmities of the
weak. At times we are in certain churches where some of the people like to
sing in the Spirit and hear teaching more than the other Christians, and they
are getting strong. Frequently their attitude is: We need to break away and
have our own little strong group, have our own prayer meeting in home
groups where we can be really strong. We don't need to have these little
weak Christians around us to keep us down.

In reality, this is not a strong Christian. A strong Christian does not avoid a
weak Christian. The stronger bears the weaknesses of the weaker. He does
not please himself, this is longsuffering. If you cannot tolerate another's
weaknesses, you are weak.

Longsuffering makes gentleness possible. You will not have gentleness

without longsuffering. If you are impatient you will be harsh. You can't be
gentle until you are patient, so after longsuffering we see gentleness coming
forth.

The fruit of gentleness is especially important when ministering to young

Christians. "But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth
her children" (1 Thess. 2:7). Being as careful as a nurse handling a new
baby. Babies are easily bruised. Jesus warned of this: "But whoso shall
offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for
him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were
drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matt. 18:6). We are not to
unnecessarily offend them.

We can say so easily, "Shape up or ship out," forgetting that it may have
taken years to get where we are right now, and we're expecting the baby
Christians to be there overnight. Never forget how patient God was with
you.
We need to be especially gentle with the new baby, because they eat the
fruit of gentleness, and it makes them love you.

In Psalm 18:35 David was extolling God for all His greatness and all His
blessings, then he adds: "Thy gentleness hath made me great." That is to
say, "God, it is Your gentleness in my life that has made me great. It is Your
gentleness that's made me loved. It's Your gentleness that has made Your
people accept me. It is not my greatness, but it is Your gentleness, that has
made me great." This accounts for King David's greatness in Israel, and his
being so greatly loved. It was the gentleness of God in him of which Israel
partook.

Gentleness is a trademark of a true minister. It will cause him to be greatly

loved by his people.

Goodness is a beautiful fruit and is most exemplified by the life of

Barnabas. The fruit of goodness was matured in him. "He was a good
man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was
added unto the Lord" (Acts 11:24).

What brings people to repentance? Why were many people added to the
Lord?

Recently a man said to me, "I just can't wait until all the plagues given in
the Book of Revelation start coming on the world."

"Why?" I asked.

"When all the plagues and famines come, people are going to repent."

I questioned, "What makes you think they are going to repent? We are told
in the Book of Revelation that they cursed God and repented not because of
the plagues."

"Oh," he said, "you know, I hadn't thought of that. Here I've just been
praising God because I thought famines would cause people to repent."
I pointed him to the verse in Romans 2:4: "or despisest thou the riches of
his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the
goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"

Barnabas had this fruit of goodness more than any New Testament character
other than Jesus, and people sensed that goodness of God in him. He was
also full of the Holy Ghost and faith. So with the combination of these
three, many people were added to the Lord.

Barnabas left Antioch and went to Tarsus to seek Saul, a still unknown
disciple. There was no reason other than the goodness of God leading him
there to seek out Saul. It was like he was saying, "Little brother, take a bite
of the fruit of goodness growing in my life." Little Saul of Tarsus reached
up and took a bite of that goodness, and was able to follow Barnabas to
Antioch and get started in his ministry. It was Barnabas who went to Saul of
Tarsus while he was yet an underdog. At this time he was not yet
recognized as Paul the magnificent Apostle. He was Saul, the unrecognized
disciple. No one wanted much to do with him. They were afraid he was
going to backslide, and some thought he was a spy. Some undoubtedly had
unforgiveness toward him, because friends and relatives were in prison due
to his unprecedented persecution of the church as a fireball Pharisee.

When Jesus wanted to minister to Saul He had to tell Ananias to go and

pray for him (Acts 9). Ananias' response was to recite to the Lord if He
hadn't heard how much evil Saul had done to His saints at Jerusalem. (The
Lord must get very tired of our arguments. We give Him advice as if He
didn't already know.)

The Lord's response wasn't, "No, Ananias, I didn't know that," but,
"INQUIRE OF JUDAS FOR ONE CALLED SAUL, OF TARSUS: FOR,
BEHOLD, HE PRAYETH."

And then told Ananias to put his hands on Saul that he might receive the
Holy Ghost.

You always see in Barnabas the willingness to give others a second chance,
the projection toward the victim of injustice or persecution, and this is the
fruit of goodness being personified. The name Barnabas means "the son of
consolation." He could weep with those who wept, and rejoice with those
who rejoiced. He was personally involved and interested in the needs of
individuals that surrounded him.

The Harvest For God. The third harvest—faith, meekness, temperance—is

a harvest for God. Faith pleases God.

Meekness is blessed by God.

Temperance will win the mastery with God.

The fruit of faith is much different from faith as a gift.

It is not a momentary impartation, but a growing of the measure of faith that

is within you. "... according as God hath dealt to every man the measure
of faith" (Rom. 12:3). This measure of faith is to grow. "... because that
your faith groweth exceedingly" (2 Thess. 1:3).

This fruit benefits the Father. Faith pleases Him. "But without faith it is
impossible to please him" (Heb. 11:16). If I'm not growing in faith I'm not
pleasing God.

This fruit that grows in your life blesses God. He is blessed by this fruit,
and it is not only faith, but it is also FAITHFULNESS. When we are judged
at the appearing of Christ He will say, "Well done, thou good and faithful
servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee
ruler over many things" (Matt. 25:21).

"Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful" (1

Cor. 4: 2). We are stewards. Nothing you have is yours. God has given us
all things as stewards, and it is required in our stewardship that we be found
faithful. All He bestows upon you, you are a steward of in the spiritual
realm.

The Apostle Paul said in Romans 14:22 that if I have faith, I'm to have it to
myself toward God. This faith toward God is referred to in Hebrews 6:1:
"... and of faith toward God." God looks for us to have faith (faithfulness)
toward Him.
Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit that is sadly lacking in the church today.
It is hard to find people who are loyal and faithful to the work of God.

Faithfulness is so important. Jesus said this would be His criteria regarding

us at the judgment. We read in Matthew 25:21: "... Thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Notice it wasn't in how many things
one has done, but "You have been faithful over a few things."

The fruit following faith (faithfulness) is meekness.

This is to grow in my life and is blessed of the Father.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, "I am meek." If we are to be like Him, this
fruit must be produced in us. When I was first baptized in the Spirit I would
rather He said, "I am mighty," instead of meek, for I wanted power. When I
talked about power He changed the subject and talked about purity.

Meekness is to be gentle or humble. God resists the proud but gives grace to
the humble. "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of
God, that he may exalt you in due time" (1 Pet. 5:6). "For thus saith the
high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell
in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and
humble spirit" (Isa. 57:15).

Notice that God said He would dwell with a man who is humble as much as
He would dwell in His high and holy place. God will dwell with me if I am
meek in the same measure as He does in Heaven in His great transcendent
majesty!

In Micah 6:8 we read, "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and
what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with thy God?" So humility and meekness bless
God.

Jesus said, "I always do the things that please the Father" (John 8:29),
and since He said He was meek then this is one of the greatest Christ-like
characteristics in the believer.
The last fruit is temperance. Self-control, or the ability to discipline. Not
only to discipline physical things, but also the ability to discipline to do
spiritual things. Not only dealing with the physical appetites but also
dealing with the spiritual devotions.

1 Corinthians 9:25 tells us "and every man that striveth for the mastery
is temperate in all things." INALL THINGS!

If a person eats properly, but does not pray properly that person is not
temperate. By the same token, if a person studies the Word and prays much,
and yet has fleshly appetites in excess, he is not temperate.

Temperance is a fruit that marks one for the mastery.

"And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible"
(1 Cor. 9:25). That is, being temperate IN ALL THINGS so you may gain
the mastery.

The Sealing Fruit of the Harvest

Every third fruit can be underlined because every third fruit is the sealing
fruit of that harvest.

Love, joy, PEACE. If you have PEACE you have love and joy.

How can you have these fruits in your life? It all begins with love. Love is
the greatest. The way to receive and manifest the love of God is to pray and
ask for it. "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing,
ye shall receive" (Matt. 21:22), and this includes love.

Believe you receive and you will have it.

Love, when expressed, causes joy to be experienced. If you express love

you experience joy.
Many ask me to pray for them to get joy. The only way you are going to get
joy is by expressing love. When you begin to say, "I love You, Jesus" you
start experiencing joy, for you are expressing love. You can't have peace
without joy. Joy effervesces into peace, and you can't have joy without love.
"Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend
them" (Ps. 119:165).

In the harvest for others it takes longsuffering, gentleness, GOODNESS. If

you have goodness you have longsuffering and gentleness. You can't have
gentleness without longsuffering, and it takes longsuffering and gentleness
to have goodness.

In the harvest for the Father it takes faith, meekness, TEMPERANCE. If

you have temperance you have faith and meekness. In order to be temperate
you have to be faithful. Many times I have said, "I am not going to overeat,"
and I didn't that day. I wasn't temperate because I wasn't faithful.
Faithfulness requires diligence, and we have to have God's grace. Well, who
does God give His grace to? The meek, the humble. You have to have
faithfulness and meekness in order to be temperate.

We can consider the three harvests not as individual but as all together. As
we begin in the harvest for me, we grow into the harvest for others, but
ultimately we bring forth the harvest for God. And if we aim for the harvest
for God, we'll have the first two. To bring forth the harvest for God, we'll
have a harvest for me and for others. If I have the harvest for God I have the
thirtyfold, sixtyfold if I am hundredfold. You see, God doesn't want us to
have our eyes on ourselves. Have you ever been around Christians who are
constantly reporting, "God is blessing me, thrilling me, filling me—me—
my—my." Me and mine. Us and ours.

That is all they talk about. Some are "I" centered. The middle letter of P-R-
I-D-E is I, and the middle letter of S-I-N is I. If you have too many "I"
problems you lose sight of Jesus.

When you get in an airplane, fasten yourself in a seatbelt and all you see is
ME, but when you go down the runway and get in the air you look around
and you see others. That is what God does to your second stage of spiritual
growth where you get your eyes off of you and on to others. In John 4:35
Jesus said, "... look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest."
Where were their eyes? Who are the fields? They are OTHERS.

However, when you have your eyes on others too much you become need-
oriented and work yourself to the bone.

Jesus was not need-oriented, He was FATHER-ORIENTED. Had He been

need-oriented, He would have raised everyone up at the pool of Bethesda.
He wasn't motivated by needs. He was motivated by the Father. "...for I do
always those things that please him" (John 8:29). If you get too need-
oriented, you get under too much of a burden.

When I was in the Philippines there were so many needs I began to feel
helpless. I felt helpless because I had my eyes off of God and had my eyes
on the needs. So the Lord said, "Grow some more. You get rid of selfishness
by looking at others, but now get rid of the burden by looking at Me." This
is what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Whether therefore
ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." In
Hebrews 12:2 we are admonished to "looking unto Jesus."

When we look unto Jesus desiring to bring forth fruit that will bless Him
we'll have the first two harvests. He will minister to you and He'll minister
to others through you as you look at Him.

When a gift of the Spirit is manifested we say, "Oh, praise you, Father, no
way could that man do that, glory to You!"

When the fruit of the Spirit is manifested we say, "He has such a sweet
spirit," or, "That sister has so much love."

We should give God just as much glory for the fruit as the gifts. Forever we
must remember "In my flesh there dwelleth no good thing" (Rom. 7:18).
God uses others to help produce the fruit in us.

You can choose which harvest you will have, thirtyfold, sixtyfold,
hundredfold. There is no limit.

So this is the fruit of the Spirit:

The harvest for me.

The harvest for you.

The harvest for God.

When you go from one harvest to the other, you don't lose the harvest
before it, you add to it. You add to your faith, and add to your harvest and it
becomes ripe, it matures.

30-60-100

We read in Mark 4:20 a remarkable description of what we have been

talking about. "And these are they which are sown on good ground;
such as hear the word, and receive it and bring forth fruit" [this "fruit"
is the same word that is used in Galatians 5:22] "some thirtyfold" [the
harvest for me], "some sixty" [the harvest for others],

"and some an hundred" [the harvest for God]. 30-60-100!

You would think if it were 30, 60 that the third would be 90, but that is not
the way it is. When you bring forth a harvest for God it is 100!

Some persons are only interested in a "harvest for me."

This is the babyhood stage—love, joy, peace. You can be a charismatic

baby and can have all the love, joy, peace and be shaking your little rattle in
your playpen and never mature to what the Father wants you to be. This is
the thirtyfold Christian.

There are also those who have reached the adult stage, such as those spoken
of in 1 Corinthians 10:31: "Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or
whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." This is the hundredfold
Christian. He continually asks, "Will this please God?" Everything is to be
done to the glory of God. The baby Christian asks, "Will this please or
gratify me?"
Mark 4:28 tells us: "For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first
the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear."

First the blade—the thirtyfold Christian.

Then the ear—the sixtyfold Christian.

After that the full corn in the ear—the hundredfold Christian.

Spiritual Growth

In 1 John 2:12-14 we read about "children, young men and fathers." This
is not to pre-teens, teen groups and adults, it is to SPIRITUAL BABES,
SPIRITUAL ADOLESCENTS and SPIRITUAL FATHERS.

Each of us is at a different level of spiritual growth.

Note the characteristics of the little children. What do the little children
know? "Your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake." "You have known
the Father." A little child in Christ knows that God is his "daddy," and that
his sins have been forgiven. These are babes in Christ, showing forth the
"harvest for me." First the blade, or the thirtyfold harvest.

The Church is just like little children. John the revelator saw a great
multitude and they were singing "salvation"

(Revelation 7:9-10). That was all they knew, they couldn't sing about
anything else. They just barely made it into the kingdom—just little
children. The new birth produces a babe and it is in the spiritual as it is in
the natural: first the natural, and afterward that which is spiritual (see 1

Corinthians 15:46). In the natural you don't begin as a father, you begin as a
babe, a little child, then a young man, and ultimately a father. Babyhood,
adolescence and then maturity.
What do the YOUNG MEN know? "I write unto you, young men,
because ye have overcome the wicked one"

(1 John 2:13). The young man is strong, the Word of God abides in him and
he has overcome the wicked one (v. 14).

David was a young man when he overcame the giant Goliath, and when we
are young men spiritually we can overcome the devil.

We have been used to being little children so long that when we see a
teenager we call him a grown-up. We say they are mature. But when you
look at their life they are just STRONG. They are just developing muscle.

There is another difference between little children and young men in the
natural sense, and that is young men growing out of childhood have a voice
change. When you receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit you get a voice
change. You will get a new tongue. You'll never be fully mature without it.
You'll not be able to do those spiritual push-ups, or edify yourself without
this change.

The young man learns his authority as a believer, he rebukes the devil and
puts him under his foot. "... the word of God abideth in you ..." (1 John
2:14).

You may say, "That's a victorious, mature Christian."

No, that is just an adolescent, the ear, the sixtyfold harvest.

What are the FATHERS like? "I have written unto you, fathers, because
ye have known him that is from the beginning" (v. 13).

The fathers, mature, full grown, know the deep things of God. They know
the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

They know the Eternal One. They have gone deeper in the Spirit. "But God
hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Cor. 2:10). Here we have the full
ear of corn, the hundredfold harvest.
When I become as mature as my Father (see Matthew 5: 48), then I will be
a father, and I will know Him who is from the beginning. But I can't jump
from being a little child into fatherhood. From childhood I have to grow
into adolescence. Adolescence is a painful time in the spiritual, as much as
it is in the natural.

Most of us in the Full Gospel movement are approaching adolescence, we

are approaching young manhood. We are not yet mature in the deep things
of God.

We are just learning how to put the devil under, and how to walk by the
Word of God. We are learning how to be strong.

We are to move from a thirtyfold realm to a sixtyfold realm, and on to the

hundredfold realm.

Don't you want to bring forth a full mature harvest and have a full reward?

ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE AUTHOR:

God Cannot Lie

The Precious Blood

Awake, Church!

The Mind of Christ

The Balm of Gilead

The Trees of the Lord

Jesus Bore Our Sorrows

The Prayer Habit

Fear: the Tormentor

The Fields Are White
 Table of Contents
1 The New Nature...................................................
2 Works or Fruit............................................................
3 Gifts and Fruits (Bells and Pomegranates).
4 The Three Harvests........................................
5 The Sealing Fruit of the Harvest.......................
6 30-60-100.............................................................
7 Spiritual Growth...............................
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