The Fruit of the Spirit
"In Step with the Spirit" walks through the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — one life in the Spirit expressed nine ways. Across six messages, each fruit is explored through Greek and Hebrew word studies, scripture, and real stories from the congregation. The series opens and closes in love, showing it as the root every other fruit grows from.
love (agape) and joy
Kicking off a new series, "In Step with the Spirit," exploring the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5. This week we look at the first two: love (agape) and joy — not manufactured by us, but cultivated in us by the Holy Spirit as we walk in step with Him.
Peace and Patience
Continuing "In Step with the Spirit," this week's message digs into two more fruits of the Spirit: peace (shalom) and patience — including stories from Israel and a powerful real-life testimony of patience under pressure from the congregation. A reminder that God's peace and patience aren't things we manufacture, but fruit He grows in us as we yield to His Spirit.
goodness and kindness
Continuing "In Step with the Spirit," this week explores goodness and kindness — using a lighthearted "8 ways to spot a good man/woman" dating checklist as a launching point into what real, Spirit-produced goodness looks like. Goodness is the inward moral character; kindness is its outward, practical expression toward others. .
Faithfulness and Gentleness
Continuing "In Step with the Spirit," this week looks at faithfulness and gentleness — drawing on Marine Corps values, Old Faithful, and the tenderness of God toward Moses to show what these fruits look like in action. Faithfulness is trust that's active and dependable; gentleness is strength that leads with humility rather than force.
Self Control
Concluding "In Step with the Spirit," this service opens with an update on the church's medical supply shipment to persecuted believers in Nigeria, then closes the fruit of the Spirit series with self-control — the final and, in many ways, most foundational fruit. A look at why regulating our impulses and emotions matters both practically and spiritually, plus a special "Fruit of the Spirit" cross ceremony connecting the congregation to their wider church body.
Love
Closing out "In Step with the Spirit," this final message returns to where the series began: love as the root of every fruit. Paul writes "fruit" in the singular — nine expressions of one life in the Spirit — and this message walks through all nine one more time, each redefined in terms of love: love delighting (joy), love resting (peace), love waiting (patience), and more, ending with the call to abide in the vine.