Is the fruit of the Spirit more important than His gifts?

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Question: “Is the fruit of the Spirit more important than His gifts such as speaking in tongues?” [Love, joy peace, longsuffering… Gal. 5:22-23,]

Answer: Paul wrote, “One might speak in different kinds of tongues more frequently than others,” (1 Cor. 12:10.) One might cast out demons until one drops. One might have supernatural faith to do incredible miracles… which are all wonderful gifts of the Spirit. However, if believers do not, (on a mental level,) grow in, and become obedient to real Scriptural Truth, and begin to bear the real Holy-Spirit fruit, (the true Character of God, as described in Gal. 5:22-23,) they will simply experience another ‘spiritual hype.’ Another ‘feeling.’ Another meaningless but very deceptive ‘experience,’ (1 Cor. 13!) There is no doubt that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are real, supernatural, and manifested solely at the discretion of God, and not of His human vessels, (1 Cor. 12:4-11.) Jesus’ believes do not all have the same gifts, as everyone forms an individual part of the body of Christ — for example, hands, mouths... However, many sincere, obedient, and dynamic believers never experience the gift of tongues — but they can discern spirits, prophecy, etcetera!

None of the gifts is more important than the other gifts. “There are diversities of gifts… [to empower] different ministries and activities… And the manifestation of the Spirit’s gifts is given to each one [as the Spirit wills] for the profit of all…” 1 Cor. 12:4-11. Jesus said, “If you abide [stay] in My Word, you are truly My disciples. And [then] you will know the truth, [taught and explained by the Holy-Spirit Himself in your born again human spirit and often through His true disciples,] and the truth will set you free!” - Jn. 8:31-32; 6:63.

Living in Christ is not without feeling but it is not about feeling either. Spiritual hypes will quickly dim in the flames of the devil’s fiery darts, which will strike sooner or later, while, in Jesus’ words, obedience to the [contextual] truth of the Word in the power of the Holy Spirit will always keep us standing in the grace of God, (Mt. 7:13-29.)

Jesus Himself said they will know the true children of God by their fruit — (the true ‘evidence’ of who we are,) which is our Godly Moral character that continually resembles the holy, righteous, and truthful Character of God Himself; manifested through our faithful obedience to His New Testament commandments, (Jn. 13:34.)

Jesus did not say they will know us by our tongues, charisma, anointing, or by any gift, sign, or miracle! Although Jesus wrought countless miracles and manifested all the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, most Hebrews did not accept Him as the prophesied Savior sent by God the Father, (Jn. 21:25.) Millions through the ages, amazed at the miracles He performed, acknowledged Him as a human prophet and teacher, but they never knew Him personally to discover His True Character, which typifies Him as the One and Only Most Holy God, Creator, Everlasting and Almighty Father, God With Us, the Light of the World, and the Only Truth, Life, Light and Way to heaven, (Rev. 1:7-8; Col. 2:9; 1:14-18.)

Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My [New Testament] commandments — [you will choose to obey the Truth of My Word…] and I will love you and manifest [or reveal] Myself to you… and My Father will love you and We will come to you and make Our home with you. He who does NOT love Me does NOT keep My words...” Jn. 14:15, 21,24. Not everyone who declares the Name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit is a real disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible, (Mt. 7:21-14.) Acts 5:32, “We are witnesses to the [miraculous ministry of the Holy Spirit through His sincere believers,] and so also is the Holy Spirit Whom God has given [for free and without any human effort or intervention,] to those who OBEY Him.”

When those professing the Name of Jesus remain disobedient to God’s Word, perverting the contextual truth of the Scriptures to their own advantage, they are not filled with the Holy Spirit, although they might speak in tongues. Demonic tongues, the counterfeit for this gift of the Holy Spirit, is commonplace in the occult and also received in churches through the unscriptural laying on of dirty hands, unbiblical doctrines, and chaotic and strange spiritual manifestations. Such leaders are “pleasing men and not God,” preaching “another gospel, another spirit, and another Jesus,” (Gal. 1:6-10, 2 Cor. 4,14.)

It is very sad but true that this second ‘spirit baptism with the evidence of tongues’ is the instrument that forces believers to submit to dangerous, unscriptural practices, which actually place the person under the false ‘authority’ of self-glorifying teachers, prophets, and pastors instead of teaching the believer to remain under the Scriptural authority of Jesus Christ. These Scripture-twisting ‘god-men and women,’ (so-called manifest sons of God,) are intent on binding Jesus’ believers to their system of showmanship and materialism, supported by their oppressive doctrine of tithing. By unscripturally re-baptizing their followers with a strange spirit, they are actually initiating them into a corrupt system, based on greed and false miracles, signs and wonders. Satan is the great imitator of God and pervertor of everything true, good and holy. Thus, it is not strange to find that most of the modern, chaotic church ‘miracles,’ (like getting hysterically drunk and ‘slain’ [or killed] in the spirit; so-called ‘holy’ farting, howling, barking, levitating, sticking to chairs, etcetera,) all originated from the occult.

It is dangerous to think that someone is saved and anointed by God just because that person has the ability to speak in tongues, prophecy, etcetera. Satan has the power to distort the Holy Spirit’s Scriptural gifts into demonic tongues, fortune telling, casting lots, and so forth! Do not believe me — read the account of Pharaoh's magicians, who could imitate all the miraculous signs, which God showed through Moses — except the death of the firstborn, as only God Himself has power over life and death. Satan can never give even a flicker of life to anyone or anything. God Alone is the Creator, (Job 2:6.)

If we are disobedient to the true context of God’s Word, not testing and ‘proving’ all spiritual teaching and supernatural manifestations as God commanded (1 Ths. 5:21; 1 Jn. 4:1-4) we will become so deceived, we will even accept Satanists as born again children of God into our fellowship. Jesus Himself said we will know them by their continual and lasting fruit or behavior, not by their ‘anointing,’ gifts, long prayers, religiosity, knowledge, etcetera, (1 Jn. 1:1-4; Mt. 7:15-20.)

Real Godly miracles and Holy-Spirit gifts always glorify Jesus and never draws attention to, or glorify the speaker. Even sincere servants of Christ are mere instruments in God’s Hand, (1 Cor. 12:11; Jn. 16:14!) God’s gifts and miracles spring directly from the Holy Spirit Himself when, as, and how He Alone chooses to manifest them, (1 Cor. 12:11.) Most importantly, the Holy Spirit always reveals His miracles, and uses the ministration of His gifts based on necessity; not to impress people and never to make disciples for a false church system, (Jam. 4:1-3.)

When the Spirit manifests a particular gift through one of His disciples, God often answers the person’s prayer immediately. He might also delay the answer a day, a week, or twenty years, but God will always answer. Point is, Divine miracles and signs such as tongues and prophecy cannot be generated solely by human will, effort, and timing! For instance, the Spirit often uses someone to prophecy, or manifest a word of wisdom and knowledge in the course of a normal conversation without that person’s knowledge! God is not into showmanship, that is Satan’s forte. If we encounter a ‘prophet’ that prophesies to everyone in turn as and when he chooses, it is likely that this is a diviner/psychic/medium operating under the guise of Christ. Trying to force God’s hand, timing, and will, extort an answer from God, and induce the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit by human means, is the basis of all the false signs, miracles and wonders we witness in churches.

Question: “If a man, who was baptized in the Spirit after 28 years, was ‘possessed’ by the Spirit from the moment he sincerely accepted Jesus, why was there no evidence of this baptism or possession in his life?”

Answer: If a person could be a sincere believer without Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit, and of course, without the Spirit’s baptism into Christ and into His body, (which is the indwelling or possession of the Spirit at the rebirth, Rom. 8:9,) that would ‘nullify’ the entire New Testament Covenant and Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus Himself declared, “Unless one is born of water [sincere acceptance of the Word or Jesus Himself, 1 Pt. 1:23,] and of Spirit, [Jesus’ baptism with the Spirit, which is the powerful indwelling possession of the Spirit, Eph. 1:13-14,] he cannot enter the Kingdom of God… [The Kingdom of God or the Spirit cannot be “within” him, Lu. 17:20-21.] Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My Word and believes in Him Who sent Me has [present tense] everlasting life… [and] has [past tense] passed from death into life… for God does not give the Spirit by measure!’ (Jn. 1:12-13; 3:3-5; 5:24.)

Paul stood on the firm foundation of Jesus’ teachings concerning the rebirth and Jesus’ baptism with (or indwelling possession of) the Holy Spirit when he wrote in Gal. 4:6, ‘Because you are sons [from the moment of your rebirth or since your sincere acceptance of Christ, Jn. 1:12-13,] God has sent forth the Spirit… into your hearts…’ [Your human spirits.]

The S.F. Bible 1991 explains, “‘God does not give the Spirit by measure,’ means that Jesus’ own endowment of the Holy Spirit suggests a similar unlimited resource of Holy Spirit fullness... [Hence, the term ‘filled with,’ ‘indwelt,’ or ‘possessed’ by the Holy Spirit!] All [sincere] believers have the Holy Spirit within them. Anyone who does not have the Holy Spirit within is not [a saved, born again believer.]’ Therefore, Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 5:17 and Col. 2:8-10, ‘If anyone is in Christ, [spiritually,] he is [present tense] a new creation… Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men… and not according to Christ. For in Him [Jesus] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead [Father and Holy Spirit] bodily, and ] you, [all sincerely born again believers,] are complete [present tense] in Him, Who is the Head of all principality and power!”

I wrote in ‘Relationship VS Religion’ that the rebirth is a spiritual position, which sincere believers occupy in Christ. It is a spiritual place in God’s Kingdom, (1 Pt. 2:9-10.) A state of blessedness and salvation in which we constantly live, (1 Jn. 3:2-3; Gal. 3:26; 2 Pet. 1:3.) The rebirth has to do with who we are in Christ and not so much about the gifts we might manifest, but it is definitely also about the constant fruit of the Holy Spirit we must display as He leads, (Jn. 1:12-13; Gal. 4:6.)

Real evidence of the rebirth is often overlooked. Due to false perceptions of Jesus’ so-called baptism “in” the Holy Spirit, real evidence of Jesus’ baptism “with” the Holy Spirit is often overlooked, as the indwelling “Kingdom of God does not come with observation,” (Lu. 17:20 KJV.) [Jesus does not place us “in” the Spirit; the places the Spirit inside us.]

It is possible that people were judging this man’s spiritual life according to gifts not according to fruit, as Jesus commanded in Mt. 7:19-20, and as Paul explained in Gal. 5:16-22. However, if this man really did not bear fruit in the Holy Spirit, the problem could have been a lack of personal sincerity, (therefore he was not really born again or saved;) a lack of commitment to Christ; (therefore he could not be a real disciple or follower of Christ,) a lack of knowledge through his belief in false doctrines, (which ‘nullifies’ the power of the Word — Mark 7:13,) or a combination of these factors, (Lu. 13:23-30; 14:33.) It remains a fact that one either belongs to Christ or to Satan, (1 Jn. 5:19.) One is either possessed by Satan as the whole world without Christ that is “in his power” or under his deception, or one is possessed by the Holy Spirit and under His Scriptural power. Difference is, the Holy Spirit does not overpower, but empowers us to voluntarily know and do God’s will.

Demons may also be the cause for a lack in bearing fruit. All sincere believers [sometimes] sin, (1 Jn. 1:7-10.) But for various reasons, (such as persistent sinful disobedience to the truth of the Word or a lack of knowledge,) God may allow demons to suppress believers; (not possess;) and steal their fruit and boldness; stunt their emotional or mind growth, vex them - even control their minds and, with their permission, use them to do evil. However, until that moment when believers willfully decide to “believe lies” and thus forsake Jesus by remaining in deliberate disobedience to His Moral Law, the Spirit’s possession of the sincerely born again believer is not in question. (This is not the once saved, always saved gospel, where believers may sin as they please and allegedly ‘remain saved!’ 2 Ths. 2:9-11; 2 Tim. 2:19; 2 Cor. 5:10; Mt. 25:31-46.)

Question: “Why do you disagree that ‘the kingdom of God is a geographic territory that the church occupies? [This guy then provided many Old Testament verses to ‘prove’ his point.] We will not see the kingdom amongst us as it should be unless we displace the enemy as the ruling power over our locality… In Mt. 12:22-32 Jesus commanded that we should bind the ‘strong man’ that rules our territory, and because the Pharisees accused Him of doing the works of the devil, they committed the unpardonable sin, blaspheming against the Spirit.’

Answer: It remains a Scriptural fact that Jesus commanded us to ‘test and prove everything to see whether it is of God, for we must “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, to see whether they are of God,” (1 Jn. 4:1-2 and 1 Ths. 4:5:21.) The Spirit Filled Bible 1991 comments as follows on Mt. 12:22-32, “The Pharisees slandered the Holy Spirit by knowledgeably attributing Jesus’ work to the devil. Their sin was the willful and deliberate rejection of the truth concerning Jesus, not just His ministry... In choosing to insult the Spirit, they forfeited His ministry and that will never be forgiven.” If one rejects Jesus the Savior, there can never be forgiveness of sin. Many people from the Pentecostal/Charismatic quarters, nonetheless, use this portion of Scripture to beat believers into submission to accept their false doctrines and the incredibly false manifestations that accompany them, such as ‘slain in the spirit,’ etcetera. To discern, test, and prove all spiritual manifestations, teaching, and ministry is a commandment of God and not blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

It is also necessary to understand that “the church” is a physical, religious, manmade system and not akin to Jesus spiritual blood-cleansed body and bride. God commanded His true believers to get out of that church system, (Rev. 18:4.)

Þ Concerning the ‘geographical territory of God’s Kingdom,’ the simple answer is that we live under the spiritual New Testament’s spiritual Covenant not the ousted physical Old Testament covenant, (Heb. 8:13; chapters 7-9.) Jesus prophesied that, after His death and resurrection, and since Pentecost, His true disciples will have the Holy Spirit living inside them. He said in Lu. 17:21 (KJV,) “...The Kingdom of God [is spiritual and] is within you.” In contrast, 1 Jn. 5:19 teaches, ‘The whole [entire] world is under the power of the evil one.’ The S.F. Bible explains, “Satan exercises dominion over the world as its ruler (see Mt. 4:8-9; Jn. 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2; 6:12.) The ‘world’ does not refer to the physical creation, [or merely a physical place on earth,] but to the sphere of evil operating in [the minds of people who are] under the dominion of Satan.” Nevertheless, Kingdom-Now teachers quote Old Testament Scripture to defend their false beliefs and actions of allegedly making this fallen world into a ‘good’ world, while they forget that Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate – blood oozing from His terrible wounds and dripping onto the shiny marble floor, while He declared, ‘My [spiritual, New Testament/Covenant] Kingdom, [the Kingdom of God inside truly born again believers,] is not of this world,’ (Jn. 18:36; Isa. 53:3-11.) Jesus manifested His spiritual Kingdom in the born again hearts or human spirits of men, while spiritually, they became ‘squatters, sub-farmers,’ sojourners and pilgrims in ‘the [unbelieving] world,’ which is under Satan’s spiritual rule: 1 Pt. 2:11.

Nonetheless, in their unscriptural quest for a physical kingdom here on earth, Christians go out to allegedly ‘claim’ whole cities or countries ‘for God.’ For instance, they walk around a mosque ‘claiming’ that territory ‘for God,’ ‘pulling down that stronghold.’ [Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 10:3-6 that we must pull down strongholds or captivating lies and deception in the minds of people, so they can understand the truth! ] Consequently, that mosque will remain standing as the territory of Satan by consent of its owners until That Day when Jesus returns to earth, (Rev. 11:15; 2 Pt. 3:10-14.)

Þ That is why Jesus never commanded New Testament believers to ‘tear down the temples” of this world. He commanded them to ‘go into all the world, preach the [True] Gospel and make disciples…’ (Mt. 28:19-20.) Of course, in dealing with the ‘fortresses’ or deceptions in the minds or thoughts of people, we must do spiritual battle, but also not according to what Roman Catholics, Protestant Reformers, Charismatic Pentecostals, and other denominations taught us, but according to the truth of Scripture and only as the Holy Spirit leads us, (2 Cor. 10:4-6.)

Þ The real “battle” is for the minds of men, not for physical territories, temples, and countries. One can only dedicate one’s personal space, (your life, work, home, etcetera,) to the Spirit of God, bind any familiar spirits that withstand you in obeying the Truth of God’s Word, and cast them out in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, (Mark 16:15-18.)

However, if they have ‘legal ground’ there such as unrepented sin in the home and real occult objects of worship, church and temple ceremony, and ritual to attach to, (e.g., tribal masks, dream catchers, ‘lucky charms,’ prayer beads, crosses, and statues of ancestors, Mary, angels, Buddha, etcetera,) the evil spirits will not be compelled to leave until that ‘graven image’ or sinful idolatrous stronghold such as false church affiliations, deception, fornication, drug and alcohol abuse, adultery, etcetera, is destroyed.

Þ But beware of so-called “cleaning house” instructions by so-called “deliverers!” They are replacing true faith and the glory of Christ with fear of the devil and occult superstition, and demeaning and stealing the talents He entrusted to people such as authors and artists by perverting the talents and marvelous creation He gave to benefit humanity! Not all art such as paintings, statues, story books, instruments such as drums and guitars, and other non-religious objects are of the occult and “evil” just because they were made by unbelievers. If that were true, your fancy American car, English style house, French furniture, cell phone, television, computer, and most of everything else in this world, (churches especially because God does not live in buildings made with human hands,) must also be destroyed, because they were invented and made by the unbelievers and occultists of the world, (Acts 7:47-48.)

Þ Read for yourself what God really commanded in Ex. 20:1-6. “You will have no other gods, [false beliefs and objects of worship, ceremony, superstition, and ritual] before Me…” However, all forms of art, (which are gifts from God,) animals such as cows, dogs, cats, monkeys, owls, koi fish and even bonsai trees, as all natural things, can therefore not be of the devil. Ps. 24:1-3 triumphantly declares, “The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness…” ‘Bonsai’ simply means ‘a tree in a pot,’ and although people do use some bonsais religiously, the little tree still remains part of Jesus’ innocent creation.] Unless rocks such as the beautiful colored crystals that God made were sculpted into occult objects, they can simply be dedicated to God by thanksgiving and prayer, to “cleanse” them of all occult influences — which I highly recommend as part of our personal dedication to God. However, Jesus is the Only Creator of everything that lives — and also of all natural things. Satan’s evil agents have no right to rededicate God’s creatures and creation to him. Therefore, the born again disciples of Christ have a “legal right” to cleanse and dedicate all Godly objects to Jesus and to enjoy His wonderful talents, and the rest of His creation!

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