CHAPLAIN’S WORD

12^TH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, SUNDAY OF 19^th AUGUST 2018

You are most welcome for this 12^th Sunday after trinity in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Our topic today is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity. He is God the spirit. According to Ephesians 5:18 we a commanded to be filled with the spirit and not to be drunk with wine which is corruption, Acts 19:2-4 states,”……….have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? And they say unto him, we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost…..” Many believers today are ignorant of their need for the Holy Spirit like these Ephesian believers. The naked truth is that all believers need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and are to bear fruit of the Holy Spirit as follows;

1. Love. Everyone must have love for God and for our fellow human beings. If we love as we are required to, we shall obey God and do his will and the world will be a very wonderful place for everyone to enjoy.
2. Joy. Joy is the attitude that exalts God as the master of everything in life and therefore there is no Need to frown or to feel bad. When things are not going on well, we should let God be God and have his way. Rejoice always in the Lord. Sing a song of praise and worship to the Lord.
3. Peace. Let the Peace of God which surpasses all human understanding be in your heart. This means you can afford to be peaceful even when there is trouble all around you. The Kind of peace which God gives us doesn’t mean the absence of war. Peace makers shall be God’s sons (Mathew 5:9)
4. Patience. This refers to having the ability to stay put and wait without feeling uneasy. Many of us may appear to be gentlemen or ladies but whenever we are tested on our patience, and then we can bring out our true colour. May God help us.
5. Kindness. A Kind person is one who extends acts of mercy to another. Seeing another person in need of help, you get out of your way and decide to give help. Those shoes a kind hear. Jesus teaching the beatitudes said “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown Mercy.” We need to be kind to others so that we can also be shown Kindness.
6. Goodness. To be good is what everyone would desire. However none of us may attain goodness on our own, we need the Holy Spirit
7. Faithfulness. This has to do with remaining true to our words.
8. Gentleness. In these words this also implies humility. God resists the proud but exalts the humble. (1^st Peter 5:5). If we want God to use us, we must humble ourselves, repent of our sins and pray to him.(2Chron 7:14)
9. Self-control. This means applying restraint when needed. In areas of human desires such as sex, food anger and other emotions there must be restraint. However things do not just happen. We need a super natural power to exert the control. The Holy Spirit helps us to achieve this.

Conclusion: In conclusion, “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passion and desires. Since we live by the spirit, let us keep in step with the spirit.  Blessings in Christ Jesus…………….Galatians 5:24-26

Udongo A. F. (Rev.Canon)

CHAPLAIN