Paul ends his list of the fruit of the Spirit with self-control. Almost a contradiction. How is self-control something of the Holy Spirit, who is God? Does God need self-control? Can God be tempted? Is Paul causing the reader to look back and see the whole passage, verses 16-26 in the light of our partnering with the Holy Spirit for God's transformation in our lives? Jesus modeled self-control on the earth, and through the Spirit we are being transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ.

What does it mean to be gentle? What does it mean to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, the character of Jesus, in gentleness? How was Jesus gentle, and how can we honor God the Father by being like Jesus in gentleness? Jesus said we give glory to the Father when we are fruitful and prove that we are his disciples. To be a disciple is to follow and be shaped by the way of the rabbi, and live as he lives. We are gentle because Jesus is gentle. We allow the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of Jesus, to work in us and through us to produce the same fruit that Jesus had in his life. We abide in the vine, and the vine produces fruit through us.

God is faithful. What does it mean for us to be faithful? And what does it mean for us to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us to produce the faithfulness that Paul would equate to the very fruit of the Spirit? The Spirit of God, who is faithful, desires to work in us toward our faithfulness to God. We are not alone in our endeavor of honoring God, but God is with us, working in us and through us to produce out of our lives the fruit, the character, that He Himself exhibits.

Goodness, the third in a series of character qualities that the Spirit wants to work in and through us that have a direct impact on our relationships around us. Patience, Kindness, and Goodness can be seen as being more predominantly about our relationships with people. It makes sense. Paul says in Galatians 5:14-15, and in Galatians 6:1-2, which surround this conversation of the Spirit's fruit, that we must be intentional to work at having good relationships in the body of Christ.

What does it mean to be kind? And what does that look like when we talk about kindness as a fruit of the Spirit of the Living God? If God wants to produce in us kindness, in the same way that Jesus was and is kind, what will our lives look like? How will they change in comparison to the rest of the world around us? If Scripture says it is the kindness of God that leads people to repentance, does that really mean kindness is that important?

Patience might be the character trait that gets tested the most. But when Paul writes about patience as a fruit of the Spirit, what is it that he has in mind? Is it simply being able to wait patiently, or is there more to this word that some translations write as "long-tempered", "long-suffering", and "forbearance"? There is more to patience than being simply patient!

The Bible talks about different aspects of peace. It talks about having Peace with God, this is having a confidence in salvation that is only through faith in Jesus Christ, by God's grace. There is also the peace we feel in our hearts and minds as we learn to not be anxious, but seek first the kingdom of God. And there is the peace that grows in us as we grow in Christian community. This requires making peace, pursuing peace, and learning to truly love one another.

As we continue our journey through Galatians 5 and the Fruit of the Spirit, we are taking this week to look at Joy. What does it mean to have the Joy found in the Holy Spirit? Is it being happy all the time? Is it having no worries, no problems? Or is it more? Scripture tells us that it was Joy that was set before Jesus that gave him the strength and courage to endure suffering and brutal execution on the cross. Is that kind of joy available to us?

Paul tells us in Galatians 5 that there is meant to be an outcome in our lives of the Spirits work. Fruit. What is that? How does that happen? And how do we experience the fruit of God's Spirit growing in and out us?

Galatians 5:16-26 says that we are to walk by the Spirit. What does this mean? Are we changed first, experiencing the fruit of the Spirit so that we can adhere to the call that God has for us, or do we make choices before, which allow the Holy Spirit to produce in us the fruit He alone can produce? We follow by being close to the Holy Spirit, listening to his direction, and obeying.

What does it mean to be brought into the Kingdom of Heaven as a follower of Jesus, who modeled a perfectly Spirit baptized life? The promise of the Father (the Holy Spirit) was made by Jesus and fulfilled on Pentecost in Acts 2. What does that mean for us today, 2000 years later?

Some see the Holy Spirit only as power, some see Him only as the seal, the guarantee of our eternal inheritance, but the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, who wants to know you and be known by you. Does He have power? Of course. He is God. Is he the seal, guaranteeing our inheritance? Of course. Ephesians tells us so. But He is much more.

Peter, quoting the prophet Joel in Acts 2:17 tells us that when the Spirit of God came at Pentecost it was the fulfillment of a prophecy that God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh, that the sons and daughters would prophesy. There is not one Holy Spirit for men, and another for women. And the Gifts of the Spirit are exactly that, the gifts of the Spirit, not of our human flesh. In light of recent events, we take a look today at what the Bible says about men and women in relation to ministry and gifts within the church.

As we have gone through the book of Ephesians, it is apparent that Paul relies on the Holy Spirit for the formation of the church, both individually and corporately. He consistently points the believer to the work of the Spirit. What is the work of the Spirit? How do we engage with that work? And what does it look like to live a life filled and overflowing with the Spirit of God?