Grateful that I got to share a blessed opportunity to talk about spiritual gifts and spiritual skillsets and callings and Fruits of the Spirit. This was for “Pledge Sunday” – where we make a commitment to the church financially for the year. I also shared the Children’s Message – for which I had paper bags filled with a few items – from the words of the Fruits of the Spirit – to coins for the offering – to pumpkin seeds to share – to sunflower seeds to plant – explaining that we share our gifts and talents to show people and encourage them to pray and know their gifts from God too. – some seeds were big and small – and unique – we are all unique in our skills and how we fit together as the body of the church. I also included little scripture cards, explaining that it was most important to share the Word, as God IS the ultimate WHY!

Here is the sermon (and as I spoke I added reminders to the items I had shown in the children’s message)

Good morning – what a BLESSED morning to share a BLESSED subject – what great weather and prayers for a Holy Spirit filled day! I am going to start from a part of Psalm 1

Psalm 1    Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.

I used to sing this song in a praise band with my friends – “I will delight in the Law of the Lord – I will meditate day and night – Then like a tree firmly planted I’ll be – Grounded in Your Word.” Love that song – I actually have the lyrics posted on my wall. “Bless-ed is the one who follows the Way of the Lord – bless-ed is the one.”

I love the imagery and understanding of growth and planting and harvest and especially being grounded – secured – stable – as well as watered, nourished and filled with the holy spirit to do good works – to share our knowledge of Jesus. Harvest – this is the season of harvest in life and people – (we ARE ever closer to end times)  – and what a great calling we have in setting good fruit for the future generations.

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The scriptures are full of Trees / Vines / Fruit  – Jesus even introduced in the Old Testament with this imagery of Trees – A BIG prophesy from Isaiah, the prophet who found himself sharing God’s direction and Hope in a divided set of kingdoms – he spoke looking toward to promised times of Jesus coming out of the stump of the tree of Jesse through the house of David.

Jesus Himself said “I am the vine – you are the branches – Our Father is the Vinedresser” – What a great amazing ability to be the fruit-bearing tree from Jesus’s Line!  I think of God’s fruit as not being TOO HEAVY – when Jesus is holding us up – we can share these fruits of HIS LABOR.

Another great scripture speaks of our Fruitful Growth in the Faith – which Mike shared – adding one attribute to another – interlocking them – building upon them –  These are told by Peter, who learned a thing or two about His faith and His maturity by His interactions with Jesus as God directly on earth and the Holy Spirit understanding after He rose. We are all a bit like Peter – what a great example God gives us for a flawed but “perfecting saint” in Peter – the rash and emotional one –  he got scared so much that he denied his Lord and Savior to whom He swore he would fight the world for – JESUS FORGAVE – Peter who learned a lot about the nature of Christ – about his gentleness as well as firmness…  Peter said we are to learn these “skillsets” so that we won’t be un-fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter urges us to make our call and election sure – for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In Romans 12, Paul asked all of us – reminding us – we are many parts in His Body of Believers – we are all part of God’s puzzle. A friend once showed that to me – at a retreat – imagine each of us a puzzle piece God has made.

Paul would write:  in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Galatians – the FRUITS of the SPIRIT – I have this great brochure, loved this as soon as I got my hands on it. – the scriptures and imagery – the lessons. I thought of some observations and questions for ourselves from these fruits – remember God hangs these fruits on us for HIS GLORY to be known

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.   JOY is different from happiness. Can we be JOYFUL FOR the Lord’s benefit? Bear fruit on our branch for nourishing His future harvest? Can we be JOYFUL for the benefit of His people? – No one likes a Grumpy Gus – yeah we laugh at the Oscar the grouches but some people actually have to deal with them – perhaps they need our reminders of JOY. If we have known Joy – in the Lord – from KNOWING that He has everything under control – long term – from Knowing our salvation and His Love – can we be JOYFUL????

Yes. JOY

Peace is a fruit of the Spirit.   Can we share PEACE? Look for inner PEACE branching from that special place inside us?  How many times – even at work – people look to a church faith filled person for that peace – NOT necessarily that we are stepped over or on by our easygoingness  but that we are steadfast – but that we offer ourselves and our attitudes in peace.

Yes. PEACE 

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit.  Can we be PATIENT as His branches grow in us? Taking their time each growing season to work and each winter season to rest? Will you demonstrate listening to the Lord before you act?  BE STILL

Yes. PATIENCE

Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit.   Can we branch off His Vine of being KIND? Will we be KIND even if others are not kind to you? 

Yes. KINDNESS

Generosity is a fruit of the Spirit.   Can we find an opportunity to share the means that were/are truly is gifted by the Lord? Including His generous Spirit? Will we give from not just our excesses but willingly extend our branch so His Vine can bless others?  (this is a great attribute for pledge Sunday) – and this is NOT JUST MONEY – this is of our time and our talents – service the Lord by not becoming that ineffective dead branch – because you know that the Lord throws those into the fire!!!

Yes. GENEROSITY

Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit.   Can we FAITHFULLY trust and then FAITHFULLY act? Will you let the Lord grow your branch stronger? Will you step out a little further in faith because He makes you strong?

Yes. FAITHFULNESS

Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit.   Can we flow His gentle touch to those who need compassion and help? Will you prepare the fruit of your vine to bite-sized pieces? Make it more shareable with all?

Yes. GENTLENESS

Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit.   Can we calmly show His strength without overbearance or flaunting? Can we take a step back to listen before charging forward blindly, even if “for Him”? Will we be an example of self-control?

Yes. SELF-CONTROL

Love is a fruit of the Spirit.  Can we SHINE JESUS LOVE? Will you both LOVE until it hurts and LOVE until it helps? Will you Love because Jesus loves? Will we recognize Love even in correction by God?     Jesus reminds us:   As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.     YES LOVE

And people don’t always know to use the gifts – or maybe they do and we don’t notice, but yes, sadly we notice when people don’t use their gifts – nor look to God to help them be productive – it is just sad – and Jesus even says: “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Luke 6:43

He said: If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. …..This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

And that brings us to the ultimate WHY – why do we have these gifts??? – as we all do have gifts – and we are all unique – SO we are to share them – Why share these gifts? – we show ourselves to be disciples – we help create new disciples and we share the Word

The ULTIMATE WHY IS ALWAYS FOR GOD’S GLORY –

Our stewardship of gifts, our fruit of the Spirit given by God – onto our Branch of His Vine Jesus – our ability to be sharers of His Fruit. Kindness and Generosity hand in hand. Yes, stewardship of finances and also ALL of our gifts from God, to share – and our spirit WILL look for opportunities to share – IF WE DECIDE TO HELP THE VINEDRESSER AND HELP THE VINE JESUS FLOW THROUGH OUR VEINS.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.

It also says the person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. – but we do know them and therefore we need to share these things to help other people know about God  – know that He is generous and know that they can pray like we can pray and talk to God.

So many of us grew up in a building like this. A church filled with church people who love God. But more and more these days, people don’t come into buildings like previous times. And they don’t get to hear the things that we are hearing. And they may not know anything in this Bible about God let alone Jesus. So that’s why we’re going to share our talents, our food, and some of our money as well.

Most important thing is for them to know God better. Tap into endless Spirit   

Yes, we like a nice church, sure, but we have to remember it is not always about us – hardly ever should it be – and You and I ARE BLESSED, we Holy Spirit landed in this little church with a big impact. But we know we do need to NOT keep all this for ourselves. It needs to be a springboard to the week, a trampoline… to spread the Word of God out to those people who are lost. We invite people to have opportunities to hear the heart changing Word – the Salvation assurance – the HOPE of JESUS – that is the ultimate why.

And with that let me leave you with this one scripture and then we will have our pledge message.

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.

 Amen