RCCG Sunday School Students Manual 3rd December 2017 Lesson 14 — The Fruit Of The Spirit: Love As A Component

TOPIC — THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: LOVE AS A COMPONENT [SUNDAY, 3RD DECEMBER 2017]

MEMORY VERSE: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” – Galatians 5:25

BIBLE PASSAGE: Galatians 5:22-23

INTRODUCTION:

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the result of the Holy Spirit’s presence and operation in the life of a Christian. “Fruit” is the natural result of growth. And “of the Spirit” explains exactly Who causes that growth – it is not our striving or straining, but the power of the Holy Spirit. No amount of human toil or gritty determination can produce spiritual fruit, but the Spirit’s influence in a yielded heart can work miracles. The Bible makes it clear that everyone receives the Holy Spirit the moment he or she believes in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:9; 1Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13-14). One of the primary purposes of the Holy Spirit coming into a Christian’s life is to change that life. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to conform us to the image of Christ, making us more like Him. Our sinful flesh produces certain types of fruit that reflect our nature (Galatians 5:19-21), and the Holy Spirit produces types of fruit that reflect His nature.

LESSON OUTLINES:

1. Components of the fruit of the Spirit

2. Love

COMPONENTS OF THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

The fruit of the Spirit is one with many characteristics. Galatians 5:22-23… “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:…”. Ephesians 5:9… “for the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth”. James 3:17-18… “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.”

The Christian life is a battle of the sinful flesh against the new nature given by Christ (2Corinthians 5:7). As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit producing His fruit in us and we have the Holy Spirit’s power available to conquer the acts of the sinful nature (Philippians 4:13).

LOVE

Love is the first of the characteristics of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The English word love has very broad meaning, but the Greek language is very precise. There are three fundamental categories of love: Eros, Phileo and Agape. The love which the Holy Spirit manifests in believers in agape. This love is not a feeling, but a choice. It is the choice to be kind, to sacrifice and to consider other’s needs greater than one’s own (Philippians 2:3). Agape has a sense of hardness and difficulty in its expression (John 15:13; 1John 3:16; Luke 6:35). It is because of this kind of love that God carried out His plan to save the world (John 3:16). God desire to show His perfect, selfless love to the world that is routinely confused about what true love is (Romans 5:8). God’s children are the conduits of His love, as they are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The love Christians are expected to demonstrate as a fruit of the Spirit is based on the two great commandments: love God and love your neighbour (Matthew 22:35-40). Therefore, love can be defined as outgoing concern demonstrated by following the commandments, God has written in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13:4:8a… “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…”

CONCLUSION:

The fruit of the Spirit is what God desires our lives to exhibit and, with the Holy Spirit’s help, it is possible!

QUESTIONS:

1. What are the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit?

2. Describe love as a characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit