Quick Bible quiz: How many fruits of the Spirit are there? This is open book – Galatians 5:22–23. But be careful – it’s a trick question!
If you answered “one,” you’re right! “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” (Gal. 5:22–23). If you answered “nine,” you’re in good company. Many people look at those same verses and see a list of nine worthwhile aspirations.
The Bible actually gives us one enormous promise: in Christ we are made new.
Let’s do a little Bible study. The first two words in 5:22 show us what Paul is getting at: “By contrast….” Every human being comes into this world fully equipped with all kinds of very human desires which, if allowed free reign in our lives, produce “works” like the ones Paul lists in verses 19–21. By contrast, when we hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, God’s Spirit begins to work in us. The first evidence of this is our faith in Christ as the risen Lord and Savior. Then God’s Spirit begins to move us beyond our self-focused human desires toward a life that more fully reflects God’s plan and purpose, and His coming Kingdom. The “fruit” produced by this transformation is natural and lasting – a reality, not just a nice idea.
While it’s true that even without the Spirit’s help we can experience moments of patience, kindness, or generosity, these moments don’t last. Think of a Christmas tree and an apple tree. The Christmas tree is beautiful – covered in lights and ornaments. By contrast, an apple tree seems plain and boring. But, shortly after December 25th, the Christmas tree will either be dragged to the curb or packed away in a box along with all its lights and decorations. Meanwhile, that boring old apple tree is storing up energy to produce delicious fruit year after year after year.
What does this have to do with music ministry?
All of us who follow Jesus are influencers. The “fruit” people see in our lives impacts their understanding and expectation of what the Holy Spirit is capable of doing in their life. This is especially true for those of us who lead people in music and worship. How many times have we heard this story: someone hears the Good News and wants to follow Jesus but eventually turns away from faith because what they see in Scripture and what they experience among God’s people are two very different things. We can help to change that.
Part of the change comes by example. Your people will reflect what they experience in you. As a young choral director, I could be tyrannical – especially in the final rehearsals before a major work. I got the choir’s attention and produced a good performance, but at what cost? And it certainly wasn’t ministry. I look back on those moments with a wish for a do-over that comes from growth in the fruit of the Spirit.
As a Christian music minister, how do you help the aging soprano find her changing place, or care for a cantankerous alto, or confront the drummer who misses rehearsal half the time? How do you handle complaints and criticisms? You can try to put on a good face and smile through gritted teeth, or you can call on the Holy Spirit to strengthen in you the spiritual fruit you need to meet the challenges of ministry with the patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control… of Christ.
What tone do you set for your rehearsals – what do you expect from others? Do your people experience love and joy – and even peace? A man in a high-stress occupation who was in a bell choir that rehearsed late on a weekday afternoon often said, “I don’t care what kind of a day I’ve had, when I leave here my heart is at peace.” That is ministry through music, reflecting a corporate encounter with the Holy Spirit in that bell choir.
The fruit that comes from the growth of God’s Spirit in us is a reality that has enormous implications for our personal joy and fulfillment as well as our relationship with our family, our friends, our congregation, our community – and even our outlook in these very tense times. And the promise of this kind of spiritual growth is as real as the promise of salvation itself.
But be patient. Spiritual fruit, like any other kind of fruit, grows over time. As a pastor I’ve counseled many people who feel like they’ve failed in their faith because they lost their temper with their kids, treated someone unkindly, or lost their self-control in a tense situation. The evidence of the fruit of the Spirit is not perfection but growth – you realize you handled a difficult situation better than you would have six months ago, or you realize there is more genuine peace in your heart than there was a year ago. This is the Spirit at work in you! This is also what we can be watching for, nurturing, and affirming in the lives of the people around us.
PRAYER:
O raise our thoughts from things below, from vanities and toys,
then shall we with fresh courage go to reach eternal joys.
— Isaac Watts (1707)
