OVERCOMERS With the Fruit of the SpiritSampl

 Mere Humans Representing God 

  One of the most wonderful things about God is His willingness to be represented by man. How can it be possible for a mere human being to even remotely represent the architect of the universe? It certainly would not be possible by mere human effort or ambition. But we have a promise that eclipses human determination yet equips us for the task — a promise found in Luke 3:16. 

The ascension of Christ was the great fulfillment of all His work, all His endurance and all His suffering cumulated with His ascent to the right hand of the Father. He could send the Spirit and let the fire fall only when His work here was done — that was the price of it, the price of our being baptized with the Spirit and with fire. The fire-Christ is the Bible Christ. A fireless Christ is not the Bible Christ. If we preach a Bible Christ, then we should exemplify that fact by keeping “in step with the Spirit,” because “we live by the Spirit.” And as we live by the Spirit, we bear the fruit of the Spirit enabling the man to become the message.

Jesus was not a messenger from God, He was the message just as we are by His image maturing in us through the fruit of the Spirit. The Spirit’s purpose is to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:18). That has always been His concern. He is with us for that sole purpose, and in keeping step with the Spirit, His fruit in us is what convicts the world. So, “since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).

Keeping in step with the Spirit, we become the message as we bear His fruit. And just as Jesus was the message, it is His image that flourishes in us through His love, joy, peace, and all the rest of the fruit of the Spirit, making us the message also… Through our fruit-filled lives, we glorify our Father just as Jesus said, “This is to my Father‘s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8).