The Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Christianity is a life that we live in Christ. A Christian says, "For to me, to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21). The Christian's motto is: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). Christ is alive and He lives in anyone who believes in Him and abides in Him just as a branch abides in a vine and bears much fruit. Christ said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

Christianity was called at first "the Way" (Acts 9:2), because it was, and still is, a way of life revolving around Christ. It does not just consist in a set of dogmas, laws and practices. It is a life ruled by the law of love. Christ summarised all of His law in His declaration: "`Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: `You shall love your neighbour as yourself"' (Mark 12:29-31).

When we wonder how we can fulfill all the law, Christ's words give us the answer: "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). The more abundant life, then, is the purpose of Christ's coming to our earth through His birth from the Virgin Mary. Christ does this for whoever opens hs heart to Him so that He may come in and live in it by the Holy Spirit, resulting in much lasting fruit.

This book shows how Christ changes people through the work of the Holy Spirit in his heart, then how He takes possession of and reigns over his life. As a result, He enables him to bear the fruit of love, joy and peace in his relationship to God; longsuffering, kindness and goodness in his relationship with men; and faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in his personal life.

The author wishes the readers to experience all the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their personal life.

	The State of the Unbelievers

"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart; who being past feeling, have given themselves over to licentiousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness" (Ephesians 4:17-19).

Many believers in Christ came from an ignorant, pagan background, and carried with them the characteristics and customs of the pagan nations. The apostle Paul appealed to them not to walk as they walked before, nor as the rest of the pagans walked. He said to them, "I...testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind" (verse 17).

The apostle Paul knew the mind of the Lord, because He had revealed it to him, so he testified to, and in, the Lord who had asked him to be a witness to Him. He spoke in the name of the Lord and with the authority of Christ. Both readers and listeners would do well to obey the command: "Brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God" (1 Thessalonians 4:1).

The apostle asked that they "should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind" (verse 17). The Ephesians lived in ignorance and error, so God assigned the apostle Paul to take the message of salvation and light to them. He told him to "open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me" (Acts 26:18). Once their eyes were opened, they had to separate themselves from the old corruption and to touch nothing unclean (2 Corinthians 6:17). Their new behaviour was a new way of life that was totally different from the old one in which they used to walk. It is the new in their visible and invisible acts. It is a totally new life for them.

The apostle Paul did not speak of the pagans in contempt, as the Pharisee spoke of the tax collector, saying, "this tax collector" (Luke 18:9-14). The futile, pagan mind is the work of the devil, whereas pure conduct is the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart. The change did not happen in the hearts of believers as a result of their own efforts, but as a result of their acceptance of Christ's free salvation. The Roman writer Pliny the Younger wrote a message to the Emperor Trajan in the second century AD, in which he said, "Christians live a life of purity among much corruption." There is a world of difference between what they were, and what they had become. Thanks to the renewing grace of Christ.

The futility of the unbeliever's mind

Pagans walked according to the "futility of their mind." By the "mind" here, the apostle means the heart, the intellect and the conscience. These three bear the knowledge of God, and lead to sound wisdom. The "mind" of the pagans was futile, meaning that it was useless, aimless and empty of any truth, justice, nobleness and purity. It was futile because they did not use the power of the intellect, which God had given them, in doing good, but in doing wrong. They ought to have listened to the words of the prophet Isaiah: "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?" (Isaiah 55:2).

Their futility of mind manifested itself in that "although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened." As a result, "God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting." This is because "they suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:21,28). Such things cannot be done by believers who returned from falsehood to the living God, who created the heavens, the earth, the sea and all the things that are in them (Acts 14:15). How could they walk any longer as the pagans walked in the futility of the mind? They have been transformed by the renewing of their mind!

Seven characteristics of the pagans

The apostle presented in verses 18 and 19 seven characteristics of the pagans that were the ultimate futility and corruption. He wrote, "having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart; who being past feeling, have given themselves over to licentiousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." Let us study these seven characteristics:

1. "Having their understanding darkened"

   The understanding of the pagans was darkened by sin, because immersing oneself in sin darkens the mind and destroys the body. The effect of darkness in their hearts continued in spite of their knowledge of philosophy (which is the love for wisdom), which did not lend wisdom to their conduct. Pilate, the Roman governor, asked Christ, "What is truth?" (John 18:38). But he did not even wait to hear the answer, because his understanding, having been darkened by the futility of paganism, was not prepared to receive the truth.

   The pagans claimed they were wise, but they were in fact foolish. The light of knowledge that they had was darkness! Among the pagans were the Athenians who "spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing" (Acts 17:21).

   The apostle Paul explains why their understanding was darkened, saying that "The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). The ordinary, natural man, who has not been renewed by the Holy Spirit, does not receive spiritual things. He does not know the value of the truths revealed in the Bible by the Holy Spirit. Nor does he believe them or yield to them. He thinks they are useless foolishness. The ordinary, natural man cannot recognise spiritual things or value them, because those who love darkness do not know the value of light. No one can judge the spiritual revelations of God except the spiritual man who has been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, whose heart has been changed by God. The Gospel, however, is veiled to those who are perishing (2 Corinthians 4:3).

   It is true that the intellectual understanding of the pagans may have been enlightened by philosophy and science. But their spiritual understanding was darkened by sin and evil. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses the knowledge of Christ, thus losing his own soul?!

2. "Alienated to the life of God"

   The pagans alienated themselves deliberately from that holy, meaningful life that God gives! True, they were "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel," because God did make them part of the Jewish nation that was the recipient of His law, though this was not their fault. Yet, the fault they are guilty of was the fact that they willfully alienated themselves even further from the life of godliness that pleases God. They did not open their hearts to God and kept themselves away from His knowledge. They deprived themselves of His company, thus they lost "the life of God."

   God breathed a breath of life into Adam, and sinners detached themselves from it! But the physical, biological life is meaningless without the life of the spirit. The apostle Paul was appointed to open their eyes, that they might turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, and receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified (Acts 26:18).

3. "The ignorance that is in them"

   By "ignorance" the apostle means spiritual ignorance, of which Christ said, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God" (Mark 12:24). He pointed this out again in John 5:39,40 when He said, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." The audience knew the Scriptures on the intellectual level, but they did not grasp them in their heart. Their ignorance was of the spiritual kind, which springs from their evil surroundings, or from within themselves.

   The apostle Peter said to the sinners who rejected and crucified Christ, "I know that you did it in ignorance" (Acts 3:17). Again Paul said, "These times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). God had revealed His power to mankind through His creation and works, but their foolish hearts were too darkened to perceive it!

4. "The hardening of their heart"

   A hardened heart is a heart like a rock, petrified. The Greek word used here indicates a kind of rock that is harder than marble. It also characterises the "corn" on a toe or the "calcification" that affects the joints and other parts of the body, causing them to go dead and senseless, yet painful and tiresome.

   So the Bible must have meant that the hearts of those people were as hard as a rock, as dead and hurtful as a corn and full of calcification that hindered their advance toward goodness and truth!

   The hardening of the heart can be caused by Satan, the god of this age, who also has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them (see 2 Corinthians 4:4.)

   The hardening of the heart can also be caused by the person himself. Pharaoh hardened his heart, so God left him as hard-hearted as he was (Exodus 8:15,32).

   The hardening of the heart can be a punishment for the man who insists upon disobeying God. The evangelist says, "But although He [Christ] had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: `Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?' Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: `He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their hearts, lest they should return, so that I should heal them."' (John 12:37-40).

5. "Being past feeling"

   Their hard heart no longer feels sorry for the evil they do, nor does their conscience sting them any more. They no more feel ashamed of sin, and they fail at every attempt of self-reformation.

   They begin to sin gradually. Usually man is afraid of sin at first, and feels sorry if he falls into it. But after many times of committing it, he gets used to its hideousness and his conscience dies. Then he becomes like a drunkard who drinks in secret, but after he is full of drink he does not care if anyone sees him staggering on the streets.

6. "Have given themselves over to licentiousness"

   Licentiousness means breaking away from balance, rebellion against the law, no moral restraint whatever, committing unchaste sins without the fear of God or the shame of man. Someone who has given himself over to licentiousness does not care if what he does annoys others as long as it brings him pleasure! Like Judas Iscariot who lost his balance, rebelled against God's grace, gave himself over to the love of money and sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver.

7. "To work all uncleanness with greediness"

   "Work" indicates that they have become unclean by profession. Uncleanness has become their trade, their craft and the business of their lives! As though it was not enough for them to work uncleanness, they were even greedy in working it. The apostle Paul describes those men in Romans 1:29 as "being full of all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness..."

   To be greedy is to seek more than what is your right. Greed is a rapacious desire to usurp what belongs to others, so much that one would trample on his associates to get what he wants!

Ignorance in the state of the Gentiles may be summed up in three points:

• 1-Their hearts are hard as rock, so they do not feel the wrong they are doing.

• 2-They are sunk into sin, so much that they lose all awareness and shamefulness of it.

• 3-They are under the yoke of their greedy desires, so much that they do not care if people are hurt as long as their own desires are fulfilled!

	The State of Believers

"But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:20-24).

After speaking of the total corruption and ignorance of the state of the pagans, the apostle Paul pointed out the difference between them and the believers. As introduction to this new theme, he said, "But you have not so learned Christ." "But" is used here to show a contrast. The Gentiles live in uncleanness, but the believers in true holiness. The pagans have learned evil, but believers have not so learned Christ! They have heard His new, unprecedented teachings, and have observed Him doing miracles of love that touched all aspects of life. Above all, they have learned through experience, and have known His power to change, which puts an end to their previous evil conduct.

The apostle Paul does not say they have not so learned about Christ, but he says they have not so learned Christ. It is not adequate to know only about Christ; we have to know Him personally. To know His teaching is not as important as to know Him personally as a Redeemer. What we need is to experience what the apostle said: "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" (Philippians 3:10).

1. Believers learn

   "If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him" (verse 21).

   It is not meant by "if indeed" to throw doubt on the fact that they have heard the message, but to emphasise and accentuate the fact that they have heard it. They have heard Christ's message through His apostles who taught them, and they have heard Him, after He had dwelt in their hearts, guiding them into all truth. So they have heard and learned the truth. Now, the truth refers to the true religion. So, since they now know Christ, they have to leave sin, because God is true and holy. They have heard and learned "in Christ," and have become a new creation. Now Christ's words can apply to them: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27).

2. Believers put off the old man

   "That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" (verse 22).

   Believers have learned the truth, so they should put off everything they used to practice concerning their former conduct. This means that they should put off the principles according to which they used to walk, as one puts off his old, filthy, worn-out clothes. Patching up the old is no good; we have to put it off and put on the new (see Luke 5:36-38).

   The "old man" is the corrupt nature which has not yet been regenerated by the work of the Holy Spirit. The apostle describes it as "old" because it is so old, worn-out and torn apart that it can no longer cover. And he calls it "man" because he has the corrupt, incorrigible human nature in view, which is in need of total change and renewal!

   If we try to reform ourselves, we are actually doing a "patch-up" job. But "in Jesus" we put off the old, worn-out self (the old man), that is the corrupt nature, which the apostle refers to as "another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members" (Romans 7:23). This is the way the apostle explains how it works: "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit; and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish" (Galatians 5:17).

   This corrupt nature within us brings us down. It grows more corrupt, and leads up to the destruction of the human soul. We have to put it off. It behaves "according to the deceitful lusts" because it is corrupt and is inclined to lusts. It deceives and kills us, as the Bible says, "For sin...deceived me,...and killed me" (Romans 7:11).

   There is the lust for illegal gain, the lust for vain glory and authority, and the lust for physical pleasure. All these are vain, futile and totally useless.

   The lust for vanity tempted Adam and Eve, so that they thought they would be happy if they ate of the forbidden tree (Genesis 3:6)! It deceived the foolish, rich man into thinking that he would live long enough to pull down his old storehouses and build up new and bigger ones. Yet, death came to him that same night (Luke 12:20)! It deceived the prodigal son into believing that he would find happiness in the far countries, away from his father (Luke 15:14)!

   The believer has to cast off the old man which grows corrupt according the deceitful lusts, together with all "the works of darkness" (Romans 13:12).

3. Believers are renewed

   "And be renewed in the spirit of your mind" (verse 23).

   It is not enough to put off sin; we have to put on holiness. The only way to do that is through the renewal and the change that the Holy Spirit produces in our hearts. Some people make up their minds to live a "godly" life, depending on their efforts, determination and self-righteousness. But they never continue because it simply does not work that way. Yes, a man may correct some of his mistakes by his own efforts; but he finds, at the same time, that he makes another mistake. What we need, then, is renewal through the work of the Holy Spirit. For "according to His mercy He [God] saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). Through this renewal the soul is restored to the image of God. There is always strength and beauty in the new things. Therefore we say, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).

   This renewal takes place "in the spirit of your mind." St. Chrysostom said that this means "the renewal of your minds and thoughts by the work of the Holy Spirit." The renewal that causes a change in the heart and mind of a believer, also changes his world-view, the principles according to which he has so far lived, his reactions and his evaluation of things. Paul summed this up in his command: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12: 2).

   This is not a change of outward habits and appearance, but a change of the inward principles of life by the renewing of the mind. The effect of this change appears in the outward actions: the crucifixion of passions and desires, pressing on in prayer and the study of God's word to strengthen one's spiritual life, and making Christ the supreme authority over one's whole life.

   "Be renewed" has a sense of continuity. Man is renewed day after day. Each day finds him closer to God, and in a better state than the day before.

4. Believers put on the new man

   "That you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness" (verse 24).

   After they repent and put off the old, believers are renewed and they put on the new man. The "new man" is the God-given new nature, for "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

   This new man is "created" because God creates it within us. And "created according to God" means that it is in the likeness of God and after His own image. The "man" that the Holy Spirit renews is the man who is after the image of God, the Merciful One.

   God created the first Adam "in His own image; in the image of God He created him" (Genesis 1:27), but man went astray and lost the original image. So what God did is to recreate him "in Christ" according to the original image he had. Therefore the apostle says, "...have put on you the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him" (Colossians 3:10). The apostle Peter says, "As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct" (1 Peter 1:15).

   The new believer is created in the likeness of God and after His own image "in righteousness and true holiness." Righteousness is an upright and just behaviour toward all men, and a righteous person is someone who is just and gives everyone what belongs to him by right. He renders to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. He is the one who "walks uprightly and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart" (Psalm 15:2). The Holy Spirit always proves to us that the righteousness of Christ is of a unique kind. All men have sinned, except for Christ who alone was perfect. He said to His enemies, "Which of you convicts me of sin?" (John 8:46). And no one dared to answer Him!

   "True holiness" is the holiness that results from the knowledge of the truth and the ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood. The truth sets us free from sin, which gives us joy and holiness. Christ is the way, the truth and the life; only through Him do we find the way to the Father and to holiness.

   God recreated us so that "we...might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life," as Zacharias the priest proclaimed (Luke 1:75). The apostle Paul also says, "...devoutly and justly and blamelessly we have behaved ourselves among you who believe" (1 Thessalonians 2:10).

From these verses we see that believers:

• 1- Put off the old and put on the new.

• 2- Put off the corruptible, and put on that which is created according to God.

• 3- Put off that which is according to the deceitful lusts, and put on that which is according to God in righteousness and true holiness.

	The Virtues of Believers

"Therefore, putting away lying, each one speak truth with his neighbour, for we are members of one another. `Be angry and do not sin' do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labour, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you" (Ephesians 4:25-32).

The apostle Paul described the corrupt state of the pagans in which believers had lived before their faith. He went on to clarify the state of believers who put off that corruption, were renewed and put on the new. Then the apostle shows the virtues of believers; stating the things they should refuse, the things they should live out and the motive that prompts them to refuse evil and do good.

1. Refusing to lie, and living in truth

   "Therefore, putting away lying, each one speak truth with his neighbour, for we are members of one another" (verse 25).

   On another occasion the apostle Paul said, "Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him" (Colossians 3:9,10).

   We must put off lying because it is one of the characteristics of the devil, who is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). The prophet Zechariah says, "Speak each man the truth to his neighbour; give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace" (Zechariah 8:16).

   The Greek society allowed lying if it was useful.

   Muhammad, the founder of Islam, claimed that lying is permissible in three situations: in war, in reconciling quarrelling parties, and between husbands and wives! The Bible, however, teaches us to put away lying and speak the truth always.

   People lie in order to evade a problem, to avoid blame, or to show they are good. They may lie openly and shamelessly, calling it "a white lie", or they may lie by just passing over a fault in silence and not revealing the truth. But the believer who has put off the old should put away all lying for "no lie is of the truth" (1 John 2:21).

   The reason we should put away lying and speak the truth is that we are "members of one another." John Chrysostom says, "Can the eye deceive the hand?" A wise man asked, "If the nerves tell the brain that the hot object is cold, and that the body may touch it without any harm, won't the body burn as a result?!"

   Lying harms the whole "body". The body is the society, the church and the family. We are members of all these bodies. How could we harm the body we belong to?

2. Refusing sin and practicing lawful anger so as not to give place to the devil

   "`Be angry and do not sin' do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil." (verses 26,27).

   This verse may mean: "Do not let your anger lead you into sin" or "Be angry only on the one condition that you do not sin." Most probably it is the second meaning that is intended.

   There is a sinful anger, and there is a lawful anger. The lawful anger is the one directed toward sin, and the sinful anger is the one directed toward the sinner. The latter is unjustifiable. It ensues from grudge, and leads to harm.

   Christ was provoked to lawful anger when He saw the religious leaders of the day using the house of God as a marketplace for selling merchandise. So He cleansed the temple, making a whip of cords and driving the sellers and money-exchangers out of it (John 2:13-16). He got angry with the religious leaders of His time because they hindered the doing of good. He rebuked them and looked at them in anger and in sorrow because of their hard hearts (Mark 3:5). The apostle Paul, therefore, commands us to "give place to wrath" (Romans 12:19), meaning that we should give time for wrath to go away and vanish.

   Yet, we need to be careful because he says, "Be angry and do not sin." We can so quickly get angry and sin. Let us be careful not to get angry because of our own interests, or because of a personal offence against us; for this is the sinful anger.

   "Do not let the sun go down on your wrath," means: Do not harbour anger in your hearts, for "anger rests in the bosom of fools" (Ecclesiastes 7:9). The day you quarrel with somebody should be the day you get reconciled with him. A Jewish rabbi commanded his disciples not to go to bed before they have cleared their souls of all the negative things they held against others, on the grounds that if they did not seek reconciliation quickly they would probably never get reconciled at all. The Greek philosopher Pythagoras told his disciples to greet the ones they got angry with before sunset.

   The Jews calculated sunset as the beginning of the day. So the apostle Paul tells us not to begin a new day with hearts harbouring sinful anger!

   The reason for putting away sinful anger is to "not give place to the devil." This is because "your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). So if we, by getting angry, give him a chance, he will devour us. Give him an inch, and he will take a mile, as the saying goes. If you give him a little, he will take more and more till the whole place becomes his. So we must not give him any place from the very beginning.

   If we get angry and sin, we find ourselves getting into an endless cycle of sins! And we give place to the devil! How many families have been divided, friendships lost, and churches weakened as result of sinful anger which the devil exploited!

   The psalmist says, "Be angry, and do not sin" (Psalm 4:4). David said this to his followers after the failed insurrection his son Absalom led against him. But they were driven to anger, so they sinned and committed murder. They gave lots of place among them to the devil. The same thing happened to Moses, who got angry and sinned by speaking rashly with his lips, thus losing the opportunity of entering the promised land (Psalm 106:33).

   Do not give place to the devil to accuse you when you sin. If he accused the righteous Job who did no sin, how much more will he accuse you who get angry and sin? Nor give place to the devil to make you get into deeper anger and bigger sin. Be careful of the first fault because it drags along the second and the third. Do not believe the devil's accusation against your brothers and sisters, so that you should hate them, be angry with them, and speak evil of them.

   The one who does not love his brother gives place to the devil (1 John 2:11).

   The one who gets angry benefits nothing and does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:20).

   Therefore, the apostle Paul says, "Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians 2: 10,11).

3. Refusing to steal and practicing good works

   "Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labour, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need" (verse 28).

   Stealing was a common vice among the Gentiles, especially in two places: at ports where ships come to anchor, and in the public baths where people left their old clothes and put on new clothes that belonged to others. They also said that one may steal to help the poor.

   The apostle Paul says that whoever used to be a thief, and came to know Christ the Saviour, should not revert back to stealing anymore. He has put off the old, and put on the new.

   There are different sorts of theft in society:

   When an employer does not pay full wages to his employee, he actually wrongs and robs him. In the same way an employee steals from his employer when he does not do his job as he should.

   When a person slanders people's reputation, he steals their good name and upright character.

   When a man borrows money but does not pay it back, he robs the one who lent to him.

   When someone gambles and wins, he steals the money of his fellow gamblers.

   When someone claims that he is poor and asks for help, although he can help himself, he steals people's charity and financial support.

   When someone does not pay tithes, he robs God of His right to his money. God says to such a thief, "You have robbed Me...in tithes and offerings" (Malachi 3:8).

   "Let him...steal no longer, but rather let him labour, working with his hands what is good." Christianity holds work as sacred, because work is a duty and an honour. "If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). The apostle Paul set us a good example when he said, "These hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me" (Acts 20:34). He commanded the Thessalonians to "aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you" (1 Thessalonians 4:11).

   The reason for abandoning stealing and working what is good is "that he may have something to give him who has need." Whoever can work should have a job, only the handicapped who cannot work deserve to be helped by those who can. Whoever is fit should work to help the one who is invalid, for none of us lives for himself: "But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (1 John 3:17). "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10).

4. Refusing corrupt speech, and speaking what is good

   "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (verses 29,30).

   Corrupt speech proceeds out of a corrupt heart. For every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it on the day of judgment (see Matthew 12:35,36). Corrupt speech consists in bitter words that upset the hearers (Psalm 64:3), and it comes forth from a deceitful mouth and perverse lips (Proverbs 4:24).

   The word "corrupt" means in the original Greek: rotten, putrid, unfit for use and of poor quality (see Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, p.87, under "bad"). That is why the psalmist prays, "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3).

   It is required of us to use words that are "good for necessary edification." Because Job's words were good for edification, his friend Eliphaz the Temanite said to him, "Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have strengthened the feeble knees" (Job 4:4). Let our words be good, so that they could build up the personality of him who hears them, and be refreshing to his spirit, mind and body. This way he can be in a better state after hearing them.

   Our speech should be "necessary," namely that it should be according to need and suitable for the situation at hand. The Bible says of this, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver" (Proverbs 25:11).

   Also, it has to "impart grace to the hearers." Let our speech be good, pleasing to the hearers, and able to beautify their lives by the grace that is poured upon our lips (Psalm 45:2). Then we can keep the apostle's command that says, "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one" (Colossians 4:6).

   We should abandon corrupt words and adhere to good ones, in order to "not grieve the Holy Spirit of God." The Bible teaches us not to resist the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51), not to quench Him (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Here the Bible tells us not to grieve Him, which is a warning to us not to rebel against or grieve His Holy Spirit (Isaiah 63:10) as the children of Israel grieved Him by their disobedience and unbelief (Psalm 78:20). We must not grieve Him by using corrupt words, but instead we should offer Him our worship and honour through good, edifying words which impart grace to the hearers.

   "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are" (1 Corinthians 3:16,17).

5. Refusing evil reactions, and developing attitudes of kindness

   "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you" (verses 31,32).

   On another occasion the apostle also said, "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do" (Colossians 3:12,13).

   In these two verses the apostle asks us to put off bad reactions, and put on loving attitudes. The reason for this is that Christ has already forgiven us. We must put off all "bitterness". Bitterness is the feeling of distress one has whenever he reacts to the offences of people and inequalities of life. It causes a man to be ill-tempered and implacable. It is the opposite of sweetness. As poisonous as a sharpened spear; bitterness spoils and often destroys our lives. When King Hezekiah was delivered of bitterness in his life, he said, "Indeed it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness; but You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back" (Isaiah 38:17).

   Let us put off all "wrath". Wrath could be interpreted as a strong, revengeful anger that burns as quickly as a fire burns dry straw. It burns the mind and stops it from thinking rationally.

   Let us put off all "anger". Anger is a quick reaction to insults from people, which is stored in our memories and hearts till it turns into hatred and rancor.

   We have to put off all "clamor". Clamor means the loud voices of people who are having a heated discussion or argument. A wise man once said, "When your voice gets loud, you should stop speaking." The Bible said of Christ, "He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets" (Matthew 12:19).

   We have to put off all "evil speaking" against God and our fellow men. James said, "Do not speak evil of one another" (James 4:11).

   We are to put off all "malice" Malice is the state of a corrupt heart, from which proceed all kinds of evils. Chrysostom said that malice is the fire that burns the fuel on the inside, without being noticed by people, but they all touch its destructive effect.

   As we put off these evil reactions, we should also put on loving attitudes.

   "And be kind to one another." Kindness means to help and support others. It is a fruit of the Spirit. The word "kind" that occurs in this verse is the same word in Greek as "light" that is used in Matthew 11:30 to describe the burden of Christ.

   "Be tender-hearted." Tenderness means compassion and consideration for people. It implies treating people as brothers and sisters, as the Bible says in 1 Peter 3:8: "All of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tender-hearted." A tender-hearted man will show compassion for people in their weakness, and not cause them harm without reason.

   "Forgiving one another." To forgive others means to forgive them their faults, just as we ask God to forgive us ours. After this we should forget them, just as God forgave us and cast our sins behind His back, that He may forget them and never remember them any longer!

   The reason we should get rid of bad reactions and put on loving attitudes is given in the following part of the verse: "Just as God in Christ also forgave you." Christ forgave us while we were sinners, enemies and no good at all. He forgave us not expecting anything in return from us. So we have to forgive and overlook others' faults according to His example: putting off anger, clamor and malice!

   Clement wrote in one of his messages, "To avenge ourselves on those who offend us is human. To not avenge ourselves on those who offend us is philosophical. But to do good to those who offend us is divine."

   "The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light" (Romans 13:12).

   Let us put off the old and the worn-out, and be renewed each day. Let us also put on the new that is in the likeness of God in righteousness and true holiness.

	Who is the Holy Spirit?

It is of paramount importance to know who the Holy Spirit is. Is He a mere divine influence, or a great spiritual power or the Spirit of God, the third person of the Godhead?

[The word "person" is the Latin translation to the Greek word "hypostasis", which denotes a real personal substance or person. In philosophy it signifies the underlying or essential part of anything, as distinguished from attributes which may vary. In its theological application, it indicates the consubstantiality (unity of essence) of the divine Persons, and at the same time, that they may have different roles, functions or manifestations.]

The Christian creed says: "We believe...in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father." Now, if the Holy Spirit were a mere divine influence or power, we could receive Him by right to use in our spiritual life, church activities and spiritual work. But since the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, who gives life to those who are dead in sins, then we are obliged to offer Him our worship, believe in Him, dedicate ourselves to Him, love Him, give ourselves over to Him, so that He may use us as He wills. There is a large difference between the Holy Spirit using us, and we using Him.

Anyone who reads the Bible can see clearly that the Holy Spirit is definitely a person, possessed of divine character, and executing divine acts. He is the One who gave great blessings to the believers who knew Him and committed their lives to Him as the third Person of the divine Trinity. The Bible attributes to Him, as a person, certain faculties, such as intellect, knowledge, and feelings of love and sadness. In addition people take attitudes toward Him as a person: rebelling against Him, lying to Him, blaspheming Him, insulting Him, and grieving Him. The Holy Spirit, then, is neither an influence, an excitement, nor just a power; He is the person of God Himself. He is the Spirit of God, and one of the three divine Persons of the Trinity: "For there are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one" (1 John 5:7).

The Holy Spirit is given many names in the Bible. Some of these names are: "The Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, and the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (see Isaiah 11:2). "The Spirit of grace" (Zechariah 12:10). "The Helper" (John 14:26). "The Spirit of truth" (John 14:17; 15:26). "The Spirit of holiness" (Romans 1:14). "The Spirit of life" (Romans 8:2). "The Spirit of Christ" (Romans 8:9). "The Spirit of adoption" (Romans 8:15). "The Spirit of His Son" (Galatians 4:6). "The Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13). "The spirit of wisdom and revelation" (Ephesians 1:17). "The Spirit of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:19). "The Spirit of glory" (1 Peter 4:14).

Calling the divine Spirit "the Holy Spirit" signifies His invisible enlightenment, renewal, sanctification of, and guidance to our spirits. He is the one who initiates all virtues within us. Calling Him the Holy Spirit also distinguishes Him from all other created spirits, which are immeasurably less holy than He is.

1. The Holy Spirit is consubstantial with the Father and the Son:The Bible presents us God, the Holy Spirit as being on an equal footing with God, the Father, and God, the Son. It says that He was hovering over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2), signifying His participation in the act of creation. It says that God gave Moses and his companions power by the Spirit of God (Numbers 11:17,25). God poured out His Spirit upon His people to bring them back to Him (Isaiah 44:3). God said, by way of referring to His great might and glorious power, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit" (Zechariah 4:6). Christ said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28: 19). Christ did not say, "...in the names of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," but "...in the name of" the One and Only God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The apostle says in the benediction: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all" ( 2 Corinthians 13:14). The apostle John begins his revelation by greeting the believers and saying to them, "Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne [namely from the Holy Spirit in His diverse and perfect attributes and acts, who is one in essence], and from Jesus Christ" (Revelation 1:4,5). It is unthinkable to associate the name of another person with God unless he is equal to God.

   Come along in reverence to see the three divine Persons together at the baptism of Christ: The Father announced from heaven that this is His beloved Son with whom He is well pleased, the beloved Son was baptised on earth into the water of the Jordan River, while the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the bodily form of a dove (Matthew 3:16,17). And in adoration and respect we see Them in the prayer God the Son offered to God the Father to send God the Holy Spirit (John 14:11,16). When the devil tempted Christ, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness where He faced the tempter (Matthew 4:1). Christ said, when He declared His message in the synagogue in Nazareth, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor" (Luke 4:18). As He was accused by the elders of the Jews of driving out demons by the power of Beelzebub, He said, "I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matthew 12:28). On the last and great day of the Feast of Tabernacles Christ cried out, saying, "`If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive" (John 7:37-39). Later, Christ told His disciples He would send the Holy Spirit to them when He said to them, "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me" (John 15:26).

   In veneration we listen to the apostle Peter speak of the three divine Persons on the Day of Pentecost, saying, "Therefore [Jesus] being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit , He poured out this which you now see and hear" (Acts 2:33).

   Thus we see the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the third Person of the Trinity, who is worthy of our worship, reverence and magnification. So let us come before Him in complete veneration, and give our heart and life into His hands.

   The word "spirit" means "a breath" or "a breeze". The Holy Spirit is the breath of the Almighty God. Christ said to Nicodemus, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). Here Christ compares the Spirit to the wind in its irresistibility, for it blows wherever it wishes. The wind is invisible, and likewise is the Spirit. The wind cannot be examined, for you "cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes," and thus is the Holy Spirit. Without the wind (the air) we die; for we need air in order to breathe. And in the same way we need the life-giving Holy Spirit who invests us with power to sustain our spiritual lives, as Christ breathed on His disciples and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22).

   The work of the Holy Spirit in us is like the effect the mind has on the body. The mind controls the body and uses it however it wishes, in a way that we cannot begin to grasp. This can also be true of the influence a man may exercise on someone else's mind, managing to persuade him to do certain things.

   And if the devil is able to lure us and egg us on to evil, bringing our hearts and minds into powerful temptations, will God not be able to lead us into repentance, set our lives right, and guide us into doing good by His Holy Spirit?

   The influence of the Holy Spirit and the free human will are linked together in a way that is above our understanding. He does whatever He wishes with humans and influences them to choose with their own free will what He wants them to do for their own good and the good of others. He never forces them to do something that goes against their wills. Through His loving influence on them He makes them want and choose the same things He wants, in a way that does not deny them their freedom or take away their responsibility for what they do.

2. He creates:Job, who is our example of patience, says, "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life" (Job 33:4). The psalmist says, "You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth" (Psalm 104:30).

3. He gives new birth:The new birth is a spiritual rebirth, which totally changes us when we receive it and start living a new spiritual life, having hated sin and sought after holiness. This is why we say the Holy Spirit is the life-giving God. The apostle Paul said, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:11).

   The Holy Spirit convinces man of his sinfulness and need for someone to save him from the wrath of God, which is the deserved lot of those who are far away from Him. Christ said, "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). When a sinner is convicted, and repents, the Holy Spirit gives him a new birth, as Christ said to Nicodemus, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). The apostle John said, "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world" (1 John 5:4).

4. He sanctifies life:The Holy Spirit sanctifies whoever gives Him a chance to work on Him, causing Him to grow in holiness and in knowledge. And the words of the apostle become true of him: "But you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11). The Holy Spirit works out His holiness within by controlling our emotions and giving us His ceaseless companionship and guidance, so that our bodies may become holy temples for Him, and that the Spirit of glory and of God may rest upon us (1 Peter 4:14).

5. He inspired the Holy Scriptures:The apostle Paul said, "All Scripture is given by inspiration" (2 Timothy 3:16). "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet" (Acts 28:25). The apostle Peter said, "For [true] prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through isaiah the prophet to our fathers..." (Acts 28:25). And Luke the evangelist re-emphasises this, saying, "The Lord God of Israel...spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets" (Luke 1:70). So it was God the Spirit who spoke through the prophets of old.

6. He is omnipresent:The psalmist says, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me" (Psalm 139:7-10). Also Christ said, "The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you" (John 14:17). The Holy Spirit dwells in every believer and rests in power upon the Church.

7. He is omniscient:Christ said, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and brings to your remembrance all things that I said to you...However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth" (John 14:26; 16:13). Also the apostle Paul said, "`Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-11).

8. He is everlasting:He was hovering over the face of the waters before the foundation of the heaven and earth (Genesis 1:2). The Scripture also tells us that "By His Spirit He adorned the heaven" (Job 26:13). It is written, too, that Christ "through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God" (Hebrews 9:14). Who else can be called eternal but "the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy" (Isaiah 57:15).

9. He has the authority:It was the Holy Spirit who commanded the disciples to "separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them...So being sent out by the Holy Spirit...they sailed" (Acts 13:2,4). The disciples have also "been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia." And when they tried to go to Bithynia "the Holy Spirit did not permit them" (Acts 16:6,7). Concerning the gifts the Bible says, "To one is given wisdom by the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge, through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:8-11). These works of authority are the characteristics of God who alone is wise (Romans 16:27).

   The Scripture testifies that the people who argued with Stephen "were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke" (Acts 6:10).

   It says in the prophecy of Ezekiel, "Then He [the Lord] said to me [to the prophet], `Prophesy to the breath [the Spirit], prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, "Thus says the Lord, `Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived and stood upon their feet, and exceedingly great army" (Ezekiel 37:9,10).

10. He works miracles:The Bible says that only God does wonders (Psalm 72:18). And the apostle Paul says that mighty signs and wonders were done "by the power of the Spirit of God" (Romans 15:19).

    Let us put off our shoes and stand in awe before God the Holy Spirit, asking how we can be filled with Him, or rather how can He take hold of us and control our actions.

	How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit

To be filled with the Holy Spirit means to be totally possessed by the Holy Spirit. It means that He is in control over our bodies, minds, emotions, time and money. It does not only mean that He dwells in a believer, but that He totally owns his life, that He may have the preeminence in all things in the life of a Spirit-filled person (Colossians 1:18).

When we receive Christ as our Saviour, our lives are renewed and the Holy Spirit dwells in us, making us His temple. At the beginning our knowledge of the Lord is limited, because as babies in the faith we desire the unadulterated milk of the word, that we may grow thereby (1 Peter 2:2). The newborn believer is a baby that needs food in order for him to grow, and the holy word of God provides this food.

Salvation and renewal of our souls are the beginning of our friendship with Christ. Friendship, however, is not complete until friends fellowship together and get deeply acquainted with each other for a long time. A newborn believer should assume that he has attained holiness. He is at the beginning of the road, and he needs of ever-increasing spiritual knowledge to know the deep things of God, and become a partaker of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Rebirth is like standing at the river bank of faith. First, the believer steps into the river of grace, till water come up to his ankles. He then steps deeper into the river, so that water comes up to his knees. When he reaches the deep, water comes up to his waist. Soon the waves of grace draw him into the depths of a river that cannot be crossed (see Ezekiel 47:3-5). In the depths, waves carry the believer, and he does his ministry in obedience; for both the will of God and his own will agree together. This is the sea of the infilling of the Holy Spirit, or the river of spiritual overflowing.

The infilling of the Holy Spirit is a privilege that God grants to every believer. Yet, many do not have it, and deny themselves the fruitful, abundant life God promised to all those who believe in Him. What is it then that hinders their getting this privilege? How can they get it?

Hindrances to being filled by the Holy Spirit

Once there was a little village that used to draw water by means of a small pump that often broke down. As a result, the people of the village had to go without water many times. So they thought about getting water down from a lake that was situated at the top of a nearby mountain. They fixed a pipe to bring the water over to them. One day one of the villagers noticed that the force of the water gushing out the pipe was powerful enough to generate electricity. Accordingly, the people began to use this force in operating a number of factories. The village thrived and grew into a big town. One day, however, water stopped coming through the conduit. The factories stopped working and the people had no water left to drink! After searching to find out the secret behind what happened, they found out that some old rags had clogged the pipe and kept the water from running!

I wonder what it is that stops you from getting filled with the Holy Spirit. What are the hindrances that kept the living water from flowing into you heart?

Here is a list of some of the things that hinder the Holy Spirit from filling us and stop the flow of blessings into our lives:

1. Lack of repentance

   Repentance is the chief condition for receiving the Holy Spirit, as the apostle Peter said, "Repent, and let everyone of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit " (Acts 2:38). One of the reasons why we do not get filled with the Holy Spirit is sometimes due to not abandoning some sins that are known to us.

   Is it not amazing that some people want to be filled with the Spirit of life, yet, at the same time, cling to death? Is it not strange that someone who wants to be filled with the Spirit of holiness clings to uncleanness?! The psalmist says, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear" (Psalm 66:18)!

   Once a godly man said, "Suppose I came to your home, and you invited me to come in, but you put a heavy weight behind the door. How can I come in then? You can tell me, `Please come in,' invite me with all persistence, and use every impressive expression all you like! But I cannot go in because the heavy weight behind the door practically shouts at me, saying `Do not come in!"' It is the same with the Holy Spirit; He will never come into your heart to take possession of it as long as you place sin behind the door of your heart, which you are quite aware of.

   When God points at something in your life that does not please Him, leave it at once! Know that your hand has to be empty before you can reach out in faith to be filled. Abandon every favourite sin you cherish, that you may be filled with the Holy Spirit. Have you not heard that your offering cannot be accepted as long as there is a sin of quarrelling in your life? (Matthew 5:23). Now if you lay your life as an offering to God at the altar of consecration, and there you remember that you harbour a certain sin, leave your gift there at the altar and hurry to settle the account with your brother first. Then, come back to offer your sacrifice to God!

   One day a minister of God met a great spiritual leader and complained to him that he was spiritually weak and lacking the filling of the Holy Spirit, despite his frequent prayers for it. The great leader asked him several penetrating questions that helped him realise that there was sin his life, which he cherished. At once he decided to let go of it. Immediately the Holy Spirit overwhelmed his heart. In the same place there was another believer seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but he did not get filled until he returned a certain amount of money he had borrowed but never paid back. He, too, was filled.

   Kneel down and calm down your heart before God. Ask Him to reveal to you the sin that hinders you from getting filled with the Holy Spirit. Tell Him, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23:24).

   If you sincerely and honestly lift up this prayer, God will reveal to you every wicked way in your life, because sin is made manifest by the light of holiness. He will tell you, "This is the sin the kept you away from blessing. Leave it!" He will bring to the light every sin in your life, however small you think it is. Lift up to God the prayer that Elihu prayed: "Teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do no more" (Job 34:32). Ask God to tell the things you were unable to see, so that you do not do them any more.

2. 2- The purpose is not holy

   The Holy Spirit will never fill a person who seeks Him only because he wants to gain a lofty position among people, to be the best preacher, to attract crowds to him, to have a distinguished standing among the believers, or for any other selfish purpose.

   So why do you seek to be filled? Is it for your own interest, or for His glory? The apostle James said, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:3). The Holy Spirit will never fill anyone unless they want to glorify God.

   The "oil of anointing", which symbolised the Holy Spirit, was set aside for anointing the temple and its utensils, that they night be most holy. It was also set aside for anointing Aaron and his sons, to sanctify them, that they might minister to the God. The oil of anointing was not poured on the body of any man (Exodus 30:22-33). This means that the Holy Spirit does not fill anyone with any unholy purpose! The incident of Simeon the magician shows us that when the purpose is unholy, not only the filling of the Holy Spirit will be stopped, but also the selfish seeker gets hurt (Acts 8:9-25).

3. Lack of total dedication

   When we keep something that is not dedicated to Christ in our lives we do not get filled with the Holy Spirit. Everything that we keep for ourselves and do not dedicate to Christ will be the cause of misfortune. The lack of dedication to Christ is the cause of all defeat that we meet. Let us, therefore, give everything over to Him and keep nothing whatever for ourselves.

   Once a godly man was praying and wanted to commit himself totally to the Lord. When he got deep into prayer, he saw himself, in what seemed like a dream, holding a key-holder in his hand. It held the keys to every important thing he had. He also saw Christ standing in front of him wanting to get that key-holder. The man took out one little key from the key-holder and kept it for himself, then gave the rest of the keys to Christ. He was surprised, though, to see that Christ refused to receive the key-holder. It was only after the man gave Him the small key, together with the big ones, that Christ received it. At that point the man's heart was overwhelmed by joy as the Holy Spirit filled him.

   "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1). Christ will not receive the offering of your dedication and the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit will not come down upon it unless the whole sacrifice is at the altar, not missing a single trifling thing! Give the keys to your life to Christ: the key of time, the key of gifts, the key of thoughts. Give Him everything, and then you will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

4. Ignorance of how faith works

   Christ's disciples assembled together in Jerusalem waiting for Christ's promise to be fulfilled through the Holy Spirit falling down on them. They did not know when or how the promise would be fulfilled, yet they were sure it would be fulfilled. But for their faith, they would not remain waiting in Jerusalem.

   Many people confuse faith with emotions. They wait for tangible feelings and signs to assure them that the Spirit of God filled them. This wrong understanding of faith has kept many people from reaching the ultimate goal of being filled with the Spirit. We do not live by emotions, but by believing God's clear promises. I cannot imagine, though, how we can fail to believe God's promises! God does not give the Spirit by measure (John 3:34), and He promised to give the Spirit to those who ask Him in obedience (Luke 11:13; Acts 5:32). You can believe God's promise (that if you have given everything over to Him), and trust that you are filled, even if you have no physical or emotional feelings. Perhaps the reason you have not been filled so far is that you depend on your feelings and emotions, while you should walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

   A lady came to the pastor of her church to complain to him that her prayers for the filling of the Holy Spirit were not answered. He promised to visit her to discuss the problem with her. Not long after that he paid her a visit at home. She had made some tea, and he asked her for a cup. She handed him the cup but he never reached out to take it. He just repeated his request for a cup of tea. He kept on repeating until the lady got upset. Every time she gave him exactly what he asked for but he never reached out to take it! She sat there at a loss, not knowing the reason why. The pastor had never behaved that way before! So the pastor explained to her that she behaved with God in a similar manner. She had asked the Lord, the Lord gave her what she asked for, but she never reached out in faith to take it. She just repeated her request!

   The Lord offers the filling of the Holy Spirit to every believer who seeks Him, because He wants His children to be strong and victorious. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. Reach out your hand in faith to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, that is if you have decided to obey Him with all your heart.

   A little girl asked her grandpa to buy a certain kind of candy that she liked. Grandpa promised to get her what she wanted. In the morning the grandfather went out and drove his car to do some things that needed to be done. When he put his hand into his pocket he found a piece of paper with childish handwriting on it. The writing said: "Grandpa, I thank you for bringing me the candy!" The girl's faith in her grandfather's promise was so big. Let your faith in God's promises be as big as that of the little girl.

5. Making the filling of the Spirit bound by other requests

   Some people impose different conditions for the filling of the Holy Spirit. Some people imagine they will walk on the water when they get filled with the Spirit, as Peter did! Some people even let their imagination go as far as thinking that they will soar into space when they get filled, as Enoch and Elijah did! Others ask God for the filling of the Holy Spirit on the condition that they speak in tongues; otherwise they will not consider themselves Spirit-filled! In order to be fair to those who do speak in tongues, and to those who do not believe in it, I say, "Was it obligatory for all who got filled with the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues?" No, some spoke, and some did not! Jesus our Lord did not speak in tongues, even though He told of the great things of God! When the apostles prayed, the place where they gathered was shaken, and they all were filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the words of God boldly, yet it is not mentioned that they spoke in tongues (Acts 4:31). When Ananias lay his hands on the apostle Paul to regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit, the latter saw, was baptised and ate. Yet, it is not mentioned that he spoke in tongues (Acts 9:17).

   The Holy Spirit gives manifold supernatural gifts and ministries to the believers. The Holy Spirit gives to the believer whatever the Spirit wants to give him. There is no believer who possesses all the gifts, as well as no believer who has no gifts. Some of these are related to social and administrative ministries (Romans 12:8; 1 Corinthians 12:28), and some are gifts of teaching and organisation (Ephesians 4:11), while others are spiritual. In addition to these, God has bestowed natural gifts upon all. We should use them without pride or selfishness. You may have a certain gift that someone else needs and does not have; and you need your brother to minister to you with his gift, which you do not have. In this way we serve each other by the gifts, since we need one another.

   Do not hinder the outpouring of the Spirit on you through the conditions you place on the Lord, or through the specific gifts you want as a sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit. If you act like a boss, and make Him your servant, you will only deny yourself many blessings!

6. Lack of love

   A life of love and obedience is the condition for getting filled with Holy Spirit. Christ said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said, "Perfect holiness is perfect love for God believers, and sinners." Having no love for any man denies the filling of the Spirit! Notice that love must be perfect, even for those who criticise you, insult you and defame you! Do you have such love? Are you willing to have such love?

   If you do not forgive people their sins, then God will not forgive you. Christ taught us this truth after He taught us the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6:14,15). Love is the first fruit of the Spirit. Your spitefulness toward the people who mock you proves your lack of faith. Your hatred of them proves that you are a long way from the Spirit of Christ, who prayed for those who crucified Him, saying, "Father, forgive them" (Luke 23:34)!

   The Lord sees you as a believer who has passed from death to life, not because you do not commit sin -- for no one is infallible -- but because you love the brethren (1 John 3:14)! Love is the gospel. It is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10). Even God Himself is love (1 John 4:8,16)!

   Now, ask yourself and search inside you: What is it that hindered your getting filled with the Holy Spirit?

The way to be filled

Spiritual infilling is for all. This is the high note in the melody of spiritual life, even if some people ignore it. Once a registrar who was engaged in writing down a symphony of Beethoven's noticed a very high note. He thought it was wrong and did not bother to record it. After finishing the transcription, he started to play the melody, but to his surprise he found that the melody did not sound proper without that high note! The melody of spiritual life does not sound proper, either, without the filling of the Holy Spirit. Therefore a spiritual man said, "O, how much we thank God that the filling is for all, for without it we cannot live victoriously!"

You have the right to be filled with the Holy Spirit; moreover it is your duty to be filled. Christ prayed for you as much as He prayed for His disciples to be filled. The disciples received the promise, so why would you not receive it? The believers who do not enjoy the filling of the Holy Spirit are "orphans" (John 14:18)! Why should you stay an orphan while the Holy Spirit is ready to fill you?

The Bible calls the first infilling "baptism," and calls the following times "being filled". We find this in the following references: Acts 1:5, 2:17-21, 11:16,17. After this "baptism" we see that there is a repeated filling. Peter and Paul, for example, were filled with the Holy Spirit several times after their baptism.

And now, have you been baptised in the Holy Spirit? Have you received the power of the Spirit? Do not be like that girl who saw the Christmas gifts and said to her brother, "These are not for us. They are too expensive!" Rather, step up in faith and say, "Yes, I want to receive my inheritance."

Man has imposed many conditions on the infilling of the Holy Spirit that confuse anyone who seeks the truth, and makes the path unclear before him! The Bible, however, only has two conditions for it: obedience and faith.

The first condition: Obedience

The apostle Peter said, "...the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him" (Acts 5:32). The genuine proof of love is obedience, the obedience that is out of love, not out of compulsion. Obedience means to consecrate our will to God and give everything we have over to Him.

Dedication is your duty as a believer. You are the one who is going to offer yourself to Him voluntarily, and He will receive what you offered Him. The truth is that you are not your own; you are Christ's. You are His by right of creation, for He is your Creator: "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:3). You are also His by right of purchase, for he redeemed you by His precious blood. The apostle Paul says concerning this, "For you were bought at a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20). You are His by right of providence, because He has provided you with all you need. You say, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1). You are His because you have been given Him by the Father. In this respect Christ said to the father concerning us, "...those whom You have given me" (John 17:11).

The following true story illustrates the idea. A boy made a boat and went out on the lake by his home to play with it. However, the boat sank! The boy felt so sorry for it. One day when he was taking a walk through the town, he found his boat on sale in one of the stores. He went in and demanded it from the assistant. Off course the man would not give him the boat unless he paid for it. So the boy worked hard until he was able to save up some money and bought the boat. When he had it, he hugged it tightly and said, "My dear boat, you are mine two times; once because I made you, and once because I bought you." Christ calls you and says "You are Mine four times; once because I made you, once because I bought you, once because I took care of you and once because you have been given Me by the Father."

So, you legally belong to Christ, and through your dedication you become His voluntarily, when you say to Him, "I am Yours; take possession of me." Yes, you belong to Christ legally, but you may not be dedicated to Him. You have to come to Him in submission and commit to Him everything you do and are in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Yet, many people are afraid of committing their lives entirely to Christ, lest He should demand them to do difficult things or give them arduous tasks to fulfill. However, the psalmist says, "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday" (Psalm 37:5,6). This was the problem of one lady who was seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit. She was afraid of dedicating her life to the Lord. Her pastor said to her, "Assume that your son threw himself into your arms and told you, with genuine emotion, that he was ready to do all you tell him to. Would you think of sending him to the desert, or of making him do the hardest jobs ever?" At that point the lady realised that God loved her more than she loved her own son. The lady committed her life entirely to the Lord with joy and without fear!

What great blessings we have when we consecrate our lives to the Lord! The greatest blessing of all is the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The way to experience this is to come to Christ and drink of His overflowing well, that we may be filled and have rivers of living water flowing out of us (John 7:38). The Indian poet Tagore wrote a poem in which he said that a beggar went around begging from the passers-by on a main road. One day he saw the royal procession passing by, and waited for the king to give him a big gift. The royal procession stopped when it passed by him, the king went to the beggar, and asked him to give him all he had! In utter surprise, the astonished beggar took out some grains of wheat from his pocket and gave them to the king! The king took the grains, gave them to his minister, and told him to give the beggar as much gold as the grains weighed! Then the beggar shouted in sorrow, "I wish I gave him all the wheat I had." He spoiled his chance.

When the King of kings asks you to hand over everything, He will give you something better than gold in return. He will give you the filling of the Holy Spirit. Do not hesitate, but hand everything over at once to be filled with the Spirit.

Can you repeat this wise prayer? "Lord, make me Your servant, for then I will become free. Compel me to give up my sword to You, so as to be victorious. In order to reach the throne I have to throw down my crown at Your feet; and in order to lift up my head in triumph I have to bow down before You."

Have you learnt how to give everything you have over to Him? The revivalist Jonathan Edwards wrote in his memoirs, while still a pupil: "Today I gave the Lord everything in me, and handed Him over all I have. I am not my own, for I have no right to my body. I gave all my strength over to the Lord; I do not ask for any right for myself either now or in the future."

Sing with psalmist to the Lord: "You are my King, O God" (Psalm 44:4); with the bride of the Song: "My beloved is mine, and I am his" (Song of Songs 2:16); with the apostle: "to whom I belong and whom I serve" (Acts 27:23); and with the man of God who said, "God, be mine, and let me be Yours. I have neither silver nor gold; I have only my life. So take possession of it, O God."

Frances Ridley Havergal was reading a book entitled All is Christ's when she stumbled over the secret of Christ's possession of her and the need to consecrate her life to Him. She completely committed her life to the Lord. Her sister wrote of her: "All her previous experience were like a feeble candle against this experience, which shone like the sun." Havergal wrote down the following devotional song:

Take me life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee; take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love; take my lips, and let them be swift and beautiful for thee. Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King; take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from thee. Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold; take my intellect, and use every power as thou shalt choose. Take my will, and make it thine: it shall be no longer mine; take my heart: it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne. Take my love; my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure-store; take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee. Frances R. Havergal (1836-79)

Come now and consecrate your whole life to Him: your time, hands, feet, voice, lips, will, money, intellect, emotions, soul and everything...thus you will be filled with Holy Spirit.

The second condition: Faith

The apostle Paul said, "that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:14).

After having committed yourself totally to the Lord, and determined to obey Him with all your heart, pray in faith and ask the Holy Spirit to fill your heart. Christ said, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him" (Luke 11:13). The Holy Spirit was poured on the disciples in the upper room while they were asking for His outpouring. So pray now that the fire of God, which He promised us, may come down on the burnt offering which you offered at His holy altar, that you may be baptised with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11). Trust that the Lord has sent the Holy Spirit to fill you, so that you may receive, through faith, the promise of the Spirit. Christ says that whoever believes in Him will be so filled with living water that it will overflow from his heart, that is the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39).

When you pray, do not say, "If you want to fill me," because He does want to do so. Rather pray, "Fill me now, my King." Know and trust that He will give the filling of the Holy Spirit at once. You may feel nothing, but do not be afraid; for it is not a matter of feeling, but a matter of divine promises. Feelings may deceive you because they come from the flesh, and we do not walk according to the flesh. All the feeling of the world cannot change the word of God. When God reveals to a believer that he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, he may be sure that he is filled with the Holy Spirit despite what he feels.

You can pray as follows:

"Good Father, my Master and King, owner of the authority over my body, soul and all that I have, here I am putting at your feet all I possess. Have me as your own, that I might be yours all the days of my life. And I ask You to pour the Holy Spirit on me and to baptise me now into Him according to Your blessed promise."

"And now I thank You because you fulfilled Your promise to me, and because now I can enjoy being filled with the Holy Spirit. Receive my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen."

Now that you have been filled with the Holy Spirit, you will experience more and more every day that He is the person of God who dwells inside you. The filling of the Holy Spirit means that this satisfying spring gushes all over your life to control all its aspects. So if the rebirth through the Spirit is a beginning of Christ's life in you, the filling of the Spirit is the continuous flowing of this life in you, until Christ is formed inside you (Galatians 4:19). You will walk according to the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit will grow in you, and thus you will continue the journey of faith victoriously and triumphantly through the continuous work of the Holy Spirit within you.

	Introduction

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22,23).

The Holy Spirit came upon the disciples fifty days after the resurrection of Christ and filled them with power and boldness. Their lives changed completely and everything about them became new. What a difference between "before" Pentecost and "after" Pentecost! There will also be a radical change in your life if you let the Holy Spirit take full control of your life.

Are you dissatisfied with your spiritual life as it is now? Do you seek to be lifted up spiritually? Do you want to change for the better, become more profitable to Christ's ministry and fulfill what the Lord expects of you?

This is only possible if you remove the obstacles that keep the Holy Spirit from controlling you, and open your heart to Him to fill you up. For then God will fulfill His promise to you: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me" (Acts 1:8). Christ said to His disciples that, after His resurrection and ascension to heaven, He will not leave them orphans: "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him...I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you...But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you...But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you will also bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning" (John 14:16-18,26; 15:26,27).

One Fruit

The apostle Paul presents us with nine fruits, which he mentions as one "fruit". Using the singular depicts unity and homogeity. Some Christian commentators have compared these nine qualities with nine grapes hanging in one cluster, or nine glimmering pearls threaded on one necklace. Perhaps they so interpreted the usage of the singular, bearing in mind Christ's words: "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that does bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit" (John 15:1-2). Christ wants us to bear more fruit and He wants our fruit to last. The more we abide in Christ the more the Holy Spirit takes possession of us and reigns over our hearts, making us bear more of this one, homogeneous fruit.

We will meditate on the fruit of the Spirit, which the apostle Paul listed in his first Epistle to the Galatians, saying, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22,23). These nine qualities are naturally divided into three trios:

Man's relationship with God: love, joy, peace.

Man's relationship with his fellow-men: longsuffering, kindness, goodness.

Man's relationship with himself: faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

If we let the Holy Spirit control our lives our relationship with God will be filled with love, joy and peace. Our relationship with others will be an exemplary relationship controlled by longsuffering, kindness and goodness. Also our relationship with ourselves will be brimming with the confidence of faith, gentleness and self-control. How happy is the man who gives the Holy Spirit the chance to possess his heart and reign over his life in order to bear such great fruit!

Before listing the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit, the apostle Paul listed the sins of people who are not controlled by the Holy Spirit. He called these sins "the works of the flesh". There is contrast between the fruit of the Spirit and the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21):

* The apostle Paul lists the works of the flesh in the plural because they are many and contradictory. They represent the chaotic state of a man's life who is ruled by his physical inclinations that contradict God's will. This is the opposite of the life of the man who gives the Holy Spirit control over it.

Our world is in a desperate need for examples of virtue in the life of a believer who bears the fruit of the Spirit in his daily life. The world has grown weary of hearing speeches, lessons and theories about virtue. It needs to see this nine-fold fruit being applied practically in the everyday lives of believers, who bloom and bear fruit to the blessing of the world.

The Holy Spirit calls each of us to bear such fruit and to pray that the fruit might increase in us.

* This nine-fold fruit comes by the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer; it is not an outward beautification of the old man such as culture, civilisation and personal efforts would do. It is not achieved by man's attempt to change himself gradually, working on a part of his corrupt soul at a time. It comes by committing the soul totally to the Holy Spirit, who then takes possession of it and changes it completely. The fruit comes about in a natural way from within man as an inevitable result of the work of the Spirit in him. This fruit is as beautiful as the lilies of the field, of which the Lord Jesus said, "Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of them" (Matthew 6:29). Christ does not mean by this that the colours of the lilies of the field are more costly than those of Solomon's clothes, for certainly Solomon's clothes cost much money. Neither does He mean that the colours of the lilies of the field are more than those of Solomon's clothes, for Solomon's clothes certainly had more colours. Christ meant that the lilies are arrayed more gloriously and magnificently than Solomon, because Solomon was arrayed in outward clothing, which he put on and off at will, whereas the colours of the lilies are natural and do not fade away. They do not change under the effect of the sun, nor are they influenced by natural factors as long as the lily lives.

We may put on outward qualities to seem good in people's eyes. Christ, however, demands us to bear fruit and to have inward beauty that appears naturally and unaffectedly in our daily conduct. You can clothe a dry stalk with outward greenness and hang colourful flowers onto it, but soon the greenness will dry up, the flowers will fade away and fall off, and the dry stalk will return once more to its original ugly shape! We do not need a believer covered on the outside with artificial beauty, but one with an open heart to the activity of the Holy Spirit, who will bear all the fruit of the Spirit and whose fruit will spring from being possessed by the Spirit of God Himself.

	The Fruit of the Holy Spirit

The First Fruit: Love

"God is love" (1 John 4:8,16).

"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).

Could the great and holy God condescend and love the weak and sinful person? This thought transcends man's logic, but it reached the realm of mankind when God condescended and demonstrated His love toward us "in that while were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Will a person who experienced the love of God be able to love God and his fellow-men?

God has taken the initiative by demonstrating His love toward people when He provided the Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve and placed in it everything that could bring gladness into their hearts while on earth, before He even created them. And when they fell, He demonstrated His love for them in a deeper way, by covering their nakedness with the garment of godliness and righteousness and granting them the promise of salvation, forgiveness and redemption. Through the story of the prophet Hosea's love for his wife Gomer, despite her fallen state, God illustrated to the Old Testament people how much He loved them in spite of their fallen state and deception of Him! (Hosea 1,3). In the New Testament we see love spelled out in a perfect example: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). And in the name of this love God calls us to love Him, and to love each other. For the love of God teaches us how to love Him and how to love the people around us.

A teacher of the Mosaic law asked Christ, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: `The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: `You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:28-31). The apostle Paul said, "But through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: `You shall love your neighbour as yourself"' (Galatians 5:13b,14).

Love, then, is the first fruit of the Spirit in the cluster that grows on each branch of the vine of Christ: A love for the Lord, and a love for others that comes as a natural result of the Lord's love for us, and the filling of the Holy Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is the love of God

Everyone possessed by the Holy Spirit bears the fruit of the love of God, which is manifest in:

1. A desire to talk with God

   Anyone possessed and ruled by God will love, call upon and talk with God often, because he wants to have an intimate relationship with Him. When you love somebody you communicate with him, talk to him, spend a long time with him and even consider the time you spend without communicating with him as wasted of your life. How much more do you have to speak with God because you love Him! Loving God with all one's heart means continual communication and conversation with Him. The psalmist said, "Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up" (Psalm 5:1-3).

   The Bible calls this talking with God "prayer". Prayer is not an obligatory duty on the believer, but a friendly, ample and regular talk with Him. David describes this by saying, "I give myself to prayer" (Psalm 109:4).

   Christ is the best example of expressing His love for the heavenly Father through talking with Him. For He used to begin His day "in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed" (Mark 1:35). He began His day alone, away from His disciples, in order to spend a quiet time in the company of His heavenly Father. And He used to end His day by the same: "And when He sent them [the disciples] away, He departed to the mountain to pray. Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land" (Mark 6:46,47). He also spent all the night in prayer (Luke 6:12). When the disciples saw how often He spoke with the Father, they asked Him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). Christ, the Son of Man, gave us this model prayer to teach us how desperately we need Him; for the believer who loves the Lord much is the one who will spend much time alone with Him. He will talk deeply, intimately and continually with Him.

   In order to increase the time you spend with the Lord, I suggest that you pray while doing any sort of work that does not require concentration. For instance, when you do a routine work (such as driving the car, waiting for a train, working in the kitchen or arranging the house) I suggest that you invest this time in talking with God and engaging in conversation with the heavenly Father. In doing so these times of mental inaction will turn into times of prayer. Your spiritual life will become richer and your relationship with God will go deeper. Your love for Him will come from all your heart, mind and will, as Asaph said, "But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God" (Psalm 73:28). For after many doubts, mental questioning and several complaints Asaph found out that the best thing for him was to draw near to God, to talk to Him and rely on Him.

2. A desire to study His word

   When we get a letter from someone dear to us we are eager to read it, reread it and think over its words time and time again. And b