Our second day of our trip to Mozambique, June 16, 2024, included time at Pastor Banda’s church in Moatize, Mozambique. Pastor Omar Fisher taught on the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. A couple of questions posed I thought would be good for all. First of all, whose spirit is it? In John 14, Jesus Christ speaks of going back to heaven to prepare a place for us but giving us another Helper, which we know to be the Holy Spirit. That is the Spirit of truth that dwells in the believer in Jesus Christ and should bear fruit such as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, and self-control. Another question was asking why we need the Holy Spirit? Romans 1 depicts what we would be like without God and without God’s Spirit, and it speaks to how we would be malicious, wicked, murderers, evil-minded, unloving, and unforgiving. So, we need God’s Spirit to save us from ourselves. Another question was, what is the difference between the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit? That is very simple. God gifts us differently based on His plan for our lives. The same Spirit provides each of us with different gifts. If you have been blessed with multiple children, you probably do not give each of your children the same gift on holidays or birthdays because they are different. One child might be more athletically inclined, so you gift them a soccer ball, or another child might be more artistically inclined, so you gift them some paint and paint brushes. The Lord has gifted us differently according to how He has made us and what his plan is for our lives. But the fruit of the spirit is the evidence of God in our lives. An outsider might not be able to distinguish your child by a pair of shoes you have given them or a toy you have given them, but that child will always look like you. The fruit of the Spirit is what makes us look like God.
