DO YOU HAVE GODS HOLY SPIRIT?
Are you REALLY converted? How do you
know? How can you be sure? How can you determine if you HAVE GOD'S
SPIRIT. You need to know. Why? Because YOUR ETERNALLIFE DEPENDS ON IT.
When Jesus Christ returns, we will become literal members of God's Family!
Of course, this only applies to those of us privileged to really be in
God's Church at that time. Which makes the question of having or not
having God's Holy Spirit extraordinarily important. Because God's
Spirit is the sole factor determining whether or not we are in God's
Church at any time.
Do you have God's Holy Spirit? How can you know ? How can you know for sure? That's the purpose of this article.
A Religious Mystery
Some people think that God's Holy Spirit is an "essence" that has been
with you since birth. Others spend frantic hours trying to "pray it
down." These people look for a "feel," a "voice" — some physical
sensation "activated" by "the Spirit," usually accompanied by "speaking
in unknown tongues."
Now we in God's Church don't look to "speaking in tongues" as proof of
God's Spirit dwelling in us. Nonetheless many do think that the real
evidence of God's Spirit is some supernatural act or occurrence. Others
in God's Church, having been educated in our twentieth century's
"sophisticated society," still don't fully understand how God's Spirit
is manifested.
What about you? Do you really know what to expect from God's Spirit ?
You should. No, you must.
God's Spirit IS your eternal life — forever and ever. With it,
you'll become a Member of God's Eternally
Ruling Family. Without it, you'll be permanently extinguished, forever
unconscious, eternally dead. You need to understand — and have in
your life — the REAL evidence of God's Spirit!
By Your Fruits
Christ said, "... Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt.
7:20). He continues, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the
husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:
and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring
forth more fruit" (John 15:1-2).
This is the reason Christ calls and chooses His disciples — to
bear fruit! "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained
you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit
should remain..." (John 15:16). It is not a momentary sensual thrill or
experience — coupled with a "testimony" — that proves you
are one of Christ's. You must be led by God's Spirit to be His (Rom.
8:14). You must allow God's Spirit to guide you into all truth (John
16:13).
But what should God's Spirit lead and guide you to DO?
What Are the Fruits?
Fruit is classified as the edible, usable portion of a plant or vine.
Christ is the Vine, we are the branches. Our fruit is what we produce
as Christians that is usable to Christ. It is the good we produce
coming from the Vine — coming from Christ! A vine produces
fruits, not thorns. An apple tree produces
apples, not thistles.
The vine determines what fruit should be borne.
Christ determines what fruit we should bear as Christians. We don't
decide it for Him. All we decide is whether we are or whether we are
not going to obey.
The Apostle Paul, directly inspired by Christ, outlines those fruits
for us: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:
against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22-23). Notice there are nine
very specific fruits of God's Spirit mentioned — nine ways you
can tell whether or not you have God's Spirit!
This is the crucial point: You can be absolutely sure that you possess
God's Spirit by the presence in your day-to-day life of these nine
"fruits of the Spirit." And there is no other way.
You need to examine them carefully — and then utilize God's
Spirit to make them work in your life. Study and apply them in the
order which Paul gives.
1. LOVE
His commandments ..." (I John 5:2-3).
Notice the two necessary elements: (1) love God, and (2) love the
children of God — man. The Ten Commandments are based on these
two principles — exactly — the first four directed toward
service and love to God and the last six directed toward man. "Love
worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of
the law" (Rom. 13:10).
Did you notice that? Love works no ill! Rather, love is the opposite
— a deep concern and an intense desire to serve, help and
encourage others. If you have God's Spirit, this is the very first
fruit you must begin to show! You must think or work no ill toward
anyone, but learn, develop, think on and act on a profound concern and
a fervent desire to serve God and man! And the best way to do this? The
surest way to build Godly love? Get fully immersed in God's Work!
2. JOY
To some people, "Joy" is nothing more
than a dishwashing detergent that claims to be extra powerful! Others
think of "joy" as the end result of self-gratification — a new
toy, new car, new girl, new home, new baby, etc. Physically speaking,
when things go "your way," the emotion you
feel is "joy."
Joy is defined from the original Greek word as: delight, gladness,
rejoicing, exultation. These words can certainly be used to describe
the emotions caused by self-gratification — but the Bible gives a
much richer, deeper, and more meaningful sense to it. Notice Luke 15:7,
"I say unto you, that likewise JOY shall be in heaven over one sinner
that repenteth . . ."
What causes the angels to joy? Is it something personal they receive?
Is it adding to or gratifying the self in some way ? No, it is none of
these! Their joy is in seeing others receive something good for them
— in this case, repentance, which leads to entering into the
Kingdom of God! They delight in seeing human beings begin to learn the
way that will give them the good, lasting, permanent things of God's
Kingdom. Nothing of the self here!
Christ is the prime example, as Paul states, ". . .
Looking unto Jesus the author and
finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured
the cross..." (Heb. 12:2). How could Jesus get joy out of suffering?
Most get joy only from that which satisfies the self and gratifies
their own selfish urges. Christ was willing to suffer for real joy
— the joy of seeing fellow Sons in God's Kingdom made possible
through His sacrifice. What is the difference?
"Joy" received from personal gratification is temporary. The car wears
out, the ball game is over, the baby grows up, the stomach empties.
None of these physical things are, or can be, a real and lasting joy.
It only satisfies for a short time. Christ and the angels receive the
real joy from the outgoing, giving of themselves for others. This kind
of joy lasts for all eternity and does not require constant bolstering
and rejuvenating with more and more objects and things.
The key to real joy is in serving and thinking of others, rather than
the self. Use this as your guide. If you feel "blue," sad, or just
"down" for some reason, realize that this will usually be because you
have been and are still thinking primarily of yourSELF — your OWN
trials and troubles! The cure for those "blues" is to replace it by
real joy. Put your mind and energies to work serving someone else.
How can you best do this? Sacrifice more of your time, energies and
earnings for God's WORK. Try it — and see how successfully it
works every time!
3. PEACE
Peace is what everyone talks about, but
so few really have! To many, it never comes, and to others, it comes
only in the form of a tranquilizing pill. It has been demonstrated that
worry, anxiety and frustration can bring on ulcers, high blood pressure
and heart trouble. The key to peace has been virtually lost today!
To have peace means to be tranquil, serene, calm, quiet and orderly of
mind. God says, "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing
shall offend them" (Psalm 119:165). How does this apply?
Take a thief for example. When a policeman turns to look at him, or if
he sights a police car driving by, does he have peace? Is he calm and
serene? He may look it on the outside, but inside he is a seething
cauldron, hotly activated by adrenal glands! He has to always be
prepared to run and escape! This man can never find real peace because
he has broken one of God's laws!
The liar is no better off. He must keep on lying to cover up lies
already told! It may seem good to him at the time, but it will always
catch up with him! Solomon wrote, "Bread of deceit is sweet to a man;
but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel" (Prov. 20:17). He
must always be on the alert to keep from having to "eat his words"
— and they will taste like gravel! A liar cannot have peace with
this pressure on him all the time! No one who breaks God's Law can have
real peace of mind. If he does not have fears and frustrations, he will
surely have a guilty conscience!
On the other hand, you cannot of end one who keeps God's Laws, because
this person knows he is doing what is right. His goals and purposes are
stabilized. He meets no uncontrollable frustrations in his daily
living. He has no guilty conscience. He is at peace with God, with
himself and with his neighbor! This is an automatic fruit of diligently
keeping God's Law!
4. LONGSUFFERING
Longsuffering is another way of saying
patience. It is also forbearance and clemency — which is the
ability to have mercy. One who is short-tempered and easily upset with
the faults and inabilities of others is inviting real trouble on
himself — physically as well as spiritually. This self -centered
approach will almost inevitably, if let run rampant, generate ulcers,
high blood pressure, colitis, and even a possible stroke.
If you have no capacity for mercy or patience, your frustrations will
soon take their toll on your body and mind! Christ gave us the example
in Matthew 18:21-22, "Then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how oft
shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but,
Until seventy times seven"
Do you realize how many times that is? Seventy times seven is 490
times! It's hard enough to -imagine someone making the same mistake
that many times, much less having to forgive him the same number of
times! Hard as it is for humans, this is one of God's greatest
attributes. (See Eph. 2:3-5.)
God forgives the most heinous sins to enable all of us to enter His
Kingdom. But there is a "string" attached: You must likewise forgive
your fellow-man. "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain
mercy" (Matt. 5:7).
Although it is humanly so difficult to have a merciful, patient,
longsuffering attitude, it is a giant prod to realize that you won't
get mercy from God unless you learn to show mercy yourself. Every time
you get short-tempered and impatient with someone else's shortcomings
(which will always be the ones different from your own), just ask
yourself how you would like God to react to all your weaknesses. You
will be surprised at how it will help you to be more longsuffering
toward others — and how much sweeter and nicer your whole life
will become!
5. GENTLENESS
Gentleness is almost always associated with femininity. For example, a
good nurse is considered to be a gentle person — one capable of
caring for children or sick people in a gentle, reassuring way. But
gentleness is not just a feminine trait — it is perhaps more
important for a man!
Some misunderstand and think to be gentle is to be a "sissy," or a "panty-waist" of some sort.
Nothing could be further from the truth: Godly gentleness is powerful.
Gentleness means first of all usefulness — then willingness,
graciousness, affability, one who obliges. A gentleman is one who is
gracious, affable and useful! He has taken the time to learn social
graces and how to be attendant to other people's needs. He knows how to
escort a lady and be concerned about her as the weaker vessel.
And it is more. Notice Paul's statement to the Thessalonians, "But we
were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children" (I
Thes. 2:7). He used this analogy to describe how he, as
God's minister, dealt with the people in God's Church
— as a nurse with children. A nurse must be firm and loving, kind
and sure, able and compassionate — all at once! She must clothe,
feed, train — and clean up the messes of — her charges. It
takes a qualified person to be a good nurse!
In the same way, Paul shows that God's ministers — and all of
God's people — must be specially trained and willing to be
gentle: useful and gracious, as well as firm. A gentle person can never
be harsh. "The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto
all" (II Tim. 2:24). The gentle person is willing to take extra steps
to look out for other people's needs. He goes out of his way to be
helpful. He would dirty his hands to clean up a mess, the same way a
nurse is willing to change a baby's diaper.
This is God's attitude toward us! He is concerned about our needs, and
is always there to gently help us out of our troubles whenever we call
on Him. Can you describe yourself this way? Think it over.
6. GOODNESS
Christ said, "There is none good but one, that is, God" (Matt. 19:17).
Goodness is an English word derived from the word, "God" —
possessing Godlike qualities of virtue, uprightness and true character.
This fruit of God's Spirit could probably be described as a summary
fruit — describing a person who is applying all the other eight
fruits in his life and, as a result, becoming daily more Godlike in his
character!
But there is only ONE who is really good. We don't yet qualify. We can
have "good" characteristics — but we can never be really good in
this fleshly existence. Rather, this is our goal: "Be \become~\ ye
therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect"
(Matt. 5:48).
7. FAITH
Mountains of material have been written and spoken about faith.
Millions have sought it, but few have really attained it. For many,
faith is just an "elusive spiritual essence."
The original Greek word is pistis — which means firm conviction,
assurance, fidelity. Fidelity is
another way of describing one who is "careful
to preserve that which has been committed to his trust." You cannot
have faith unless you are faithful.
We use the term, "faithful" (meaning full of faith), more often than we
realize in our daily lives. For example, what is a faithful employee?
He is one who arrives at work on time. He does not cheat. He does not
steal. He can be counted on to do his job well. He is loyal to his
employer. In other words, he is careful to preserve that which has been
committed to his trust — his job!
A faithful husband respects his marriage vows. He does not chase other
women. He provides for his family, and fulfills his obligations to the
home. He works hard at being a father and husband. He is careful to
preserve that which has been committed to his trust.
Likewise, the faithful wife respects her obligations to her husband,
home and family. She remembers her vows and responsibilities. The
unfaithful wife runs around, leaves her house dirty, neglects her
husband and children. The faithful wife is careful to preserve what has
been committed to her trust — a husband, home and family!
How does the faithful Christian differ from the faithful employee,
husband or wife? He doesn't. A Christian must be "careful to preserve
that which has been committed to his trust" BY GOD!
Now, faith is not some vague idea or thought — but something you must DO!
Notice the examples in the "Faith chapter" of the Bible (Heb. 11) of
what the great men of old DID to become faithful men. "By faith Abel
offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice ... By faith Noah . . .
prepared an ark ... By faith Abraham . . . went out ... By faith Moses
. . . refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter .. . forsook
Egypt ... kept the Passover . .. passed through the Red Sea . .. [and
others] through faith SUBDUED kingdoms, wrought [worked] righteousness,
obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions." And the accounts
continue on!
Faith to these men was not just a mere word! Faith was active and
alive. They had a charge — a responsibility before God to keep.
Each one had been given a commission to fulfill, and they were faithful
to that commission. Each man had a particular work to do — and he
did it !
Look at these examples and then understand why Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong
says so much about the Work that must be done today! He has been given
a special commission that is also OUR commission. He has been given a
special trust by God that he has been, and is, careful to
preserve!
Years of experience have shown that the only ones who grow and remain
faithful are those who have their whole hearts in this Work —
those who yearn and strive to be an active part of God's Work! We must
constantly strive to remain careful to preserve that which has been
committed to our trust — the Work of God!
If your faith has been doubtful, examine yourself and begin to actively
keep what God has entrusted to you: active participation in God's great
end-time Work. And watch your faith automatically grow!
8. MEEKNESS
Meekness has often been confused with
weakness! Many think that the terms are synonymous. The typical idea of
a meek person is one who is "cowed," reserved and restrained —
"Henry Milktoast" in person — someone to be pushed around and
continually taken advantage of.
Let's take the example of one of the meekest men who ever lived on
earth — Moses! "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the
men which were upon the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3). He was meek,
all right, but this is the same man who could single-handedly
completely overwhelm an entire nation.
When Moses found out that the Israelites had turned from God and molded
a golden calf, he charged down the mountainside, broke the two tables
of stone, melted down the calf, ground it to powder, scattered the gold
dust on the water and made over three million rebellious "hard-heads"
drink it!! (Exod. 32:19-20.) How could he do such a thing and still be
called the meekest man alive? Simply because a meek man is not a "Henry
Milktoast."
The primary meaning of meekness is "no feeling of REVENGE." When God
was about to disinherit and destroy all Israel because of their
rebellion, Moses — in spite of Israel's personal accusations
against him — entreated God to save them (Num. 14). He had no
revenge in his heart.
Moses naturally had what Paul had to instruct all leaders and ministers
to have. They should be ". . . apt to teach, patient, in meekness
instructing those that oppose themselves . .." (II Tim. 2:24-25). If
your attitude is to "get back" at the world, you cannot be a successful
leader and teacher.
No matter what another person does or says to you, if you are meek you
will not seek revenge! God further clarifies, "Dearly beloved, avenge
not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written,
Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord"
(Rom. 12:19).
If you want to really "get back" at someone who has hurt you, God has a
ready-made formula available — and it works every time!
"Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him
drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be
not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (verses 20-21). The
evildoers look for a reprisal. They expect you to seek revenge to repay
their evils. And they know what to do when you do what they expect
— because they are well prepared! But when you start doing good
for every one of their evil acts, their guilty consciences will tear
them to shreds! They will writhe and twist in mental torment, because
they will not know how to handle the situation — almost as if you
had literally poured hot coals down their back!
Think about this principle and apply it. Keep your "coals" handy at all
times! There may even be some times when you will want to pour a whole
bucketful over some particularly obnoxious person's head! You can be
amused at their reactions and at the same time be doing what is right.
Put this into practice and grow in Godly strength. Become a truly meek
person.
9. TEMPERANCE
"Temperance" means total abstinence from
alcohol in all forms?
No, it doesn't! The world has completely misunderstood the
meaning of the word. Temperance means temperance, not abstinence.
Temperance means self-control, continence, SELF-government, moderation
— particularly in reference to sensual appetites. No person
without self-control and self-government can be in God's Kingdom! The
Bible is jammed with the condemnation of those who do not control their
appetites.
Paul admonishes, "Set your affection on things above, not on things on
the earth" (Col. 3:2). Those who mind earthly things — those who
have their minds and energies devoted entirely to the physical
satisfying of the flesh — will not make God's Kingdom, nor will
they achieve real happiness in this life!
The athlete who succeeds must have self-control. A businessman who
reaches the top must learn to govern himself. No matter what the job or
goal, the only real successes are those who have learned to control
their own natural desires and appetites — forcing themselves to
give up certain things that might restrict their advancement.
God asks no more! Become success-minded for God's Kingdom! Learn and use temperance in your life.
Fruit GROWS
Remember, fruit does not appear overnight on a tree! It takes time to
grow. This is true of the fruits of God's Spirit. You must grow in
them! You must work at it, regularly and daily — practice them
— just as an athlete works out daily to become a real star. Peter
admonishes, "But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18).
Have confidence.
God desperately wants you to succeed beyond even your wildest
imaginations. Your Heavenly Father is not a sadist — He knows
you're not perfect. All He wants is for you to try to be perfect
— to try to implement these nine fruits of His Spirit in your
life. Just try with your whole heart — and then He has promised
to do the rest.
Have confidence in your God. "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them!" (John 13:17.)
by Bill McDowell Good News July-August Issue 1970
