Praise to those Who Live in the Fruitfulness of the Spirit of Christ.

2 Corinthians 8:16-24

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.

You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 

Matthew 7:16-17

• The fruit of the Holy Spirit motivates us to help others.
• Our praise is in ministering in the name of Jesus Christ.
• The fruit of the Spirit is honorable to God and people.
• Love should be shown to those who blossom with the fruit of Christ.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit motivates us to help others. “But thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.” 2 Corinthians 8:16 Titus was a person whose fruit was definitely from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. He cared for the Corinthians with only one purpose in mind, to contribute to their growth in the Gospel. When we care for others, it’s always in the name of Jesus and not to promote the “democratic” values of the mark of the beast.

“For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord.” 2 Corinthians 8:17 The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the fuel which motivates us to willingly help others, we don’t need to be told who to help and who not to help. For example, it’s showing good fruit to be self-motivated to help a person in a wheelchair reach a grocery item on a shelf. It’s less honorable to walk past the wheelchair bound person and have to be told to go back and help the person.

Many people will use and abuse us when they know we are Christians. People in Kroger’s do it to me frequently and residents in the apartments where I live do it also. They read “Jesus” on my clothing or see the wooden Cross I wear around my neck, and they translate that into, “Use me maliciously for any made-up task you can think of.” I know it happens in the workplace as well. As a follower of Christ, I make it known that the help Jesus Christ brings is not from human hands but from the hand of God. Our help first comes from Jesus Christ who atones for our sin, then help comes from each other. Jesus Christ does not lease us out as a service industry, He sends us to share the good news of His Gospel.

Our praise is in ministering in the name of Jesus Christ. “And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches, and not only that, but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind,” 2 Corinthians 8:18 When we are known by the fruit which blossoms through Jesus Christ, our praise comes for living by His Gospel. The opinion this world has about our Christianity doesn’t mean anything because they despise the Gospel and only praise us for what we do for them. What we administer to others is in the name of Jesus, not in the name of the “democratic” society of humanism rooted in the mark of the beast.

The fruit of the Spirit is honorable to God and people.  “…avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us— providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.” 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 As followers of Christ, we don’t want to misuse the stewardship we have over the things of his world. That would include using donated resources, money, etc. for personal gain, instead, we want to be in good standing with God and people. In our giving and stewardship, we want honorable fruit to blossom in the Spirit of Christ. We do not fraudulently hold back from one person to increase the benefit of someone else.

Love should be shown to those who blossom with the fruit of Christ. “And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you.” 2 Corinthians 8:22 A good word comes from other Believers when we are diligent in blossoming with the fruit of Jesus Christ. That diligence is faithfulness in letting people know that God loves us and when we believe in Jesus Christ, we will not perish but have eternal life. We are diligent in the desire to see others grow in Jesus.

“If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 8:23There is no better praise then to be called a partner in the Gospel of Christ and messengers from the Church of God, in the glory of Christ. “Therefore show to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.” 2 Corinthians 8:24 When one person shows the fruit of the Spirit of Christ, there should be a show of love from other Believers towards the person. Obviously, we live in a world where that reciprocity does not exist because Christians are separated and scattered within the society of those who live for the mark of the beast.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11