Joshua and Judges: The doctrine of leadership part 58 - Essential qualities of leadership: The filling of the Spirit; Gal 5:22-23.

Title: Joshua and Judges: The doctrine of leadership part 58 - Essential qualities of leadership: The filling of the Spirit; GAL 5:22-23.

 

Announcementsopening prayer:  

 

 

Principle: The Spirit produces Christian character. Compressed into nine words, the fruit of the Spirit is a condensed description of the life of Christ that the Spirit is to work out in each believer's life.

 

GAL 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

 

GAL 5:23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

 

The word fruit is in the singular. This reveals that the believer is to have all of them and not just some. All of them together comprise the justified, righteous, and holy or sanctified life of the new creature of divine nature. All of them are produced by the Spirit in the yielded believer. The Father is glorified when we bear much of all nine. All are essential in spiritual leadership.

 

"joy" - cara, [chara] = joy that has a spiritual basis rather than a circumstance basis. It exists even in tribulation.

 

1TH 1:6-7

You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

 

1PE 1:8

and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

 

"peace" - eivrh,nh [eirene] = literally to bind together. As the opposite of "war" it connotes a unity between the believer and God and a unified soul that is not in conflict with itself.

 

This would mean a prosperous soul. A soul without chaos is one that understands his position in Christ and is clear on the plan of God for his life, his personal sense of destiny, and knows how to handle problems. God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. So then the believer at peace with God is humble and submissive. The flesh wars with the Spirit and the Spirit with the flesh. So then the believer at peace in his soul understands how to walk with the Spirit and not give an opportunity for the flesh. The conflict in his soul between the flesh and the Spirit, which once looked like the battle of Gettysburg at its greatest intensity, has quieted as the believer understands the plan of God, how to recover quickly without guilt, and chooses much more often to yield to the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in his life.

 

JOH 14:27

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

 

Php 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

 

Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

Peace is a common title for God.

 

Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

 

Php 4:9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you.

 

"God of peace" is used five times in the NT.

 

GAL 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

 

GAL 5:23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

 

"patience" - makroqumi,a [makrothumia] = literally "long tempered"; emphasizes longsuffering with people who harm you or steadfastness under provocation.

 

It includes the idea of forbearance and patient endurance of wrong under ill-treatment, without anger or thought of revenge. Its synonym, hupomone, refers to endurance of patience while under trial and adversity, while  patiently waiting for God's deliverance.

 

"kindness" - crhsto,ths [chrestotes] = benevolence or goodness towards others. It is a heart of agape love towards all others.

 

It's opposites would be vengeance, malice, slander, anger, judging, and contentiousness. We find that the opposites of these nine characteristics are common to fallen man. These are divine, and being from God they are not dependent on people or circumstances.

 

COL 3:12-13

And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

 

TIT 3:3-5

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us