RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDENT’S MANUAL Y.A.Y.A. EDITION FOR SUNDAY 19TH MARCH 2023

*SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMN*

*1.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,

O how I love Thee well,

I am happy, it makes me glad

To rejoice at Thy birth.

*2.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,

Thy friend friendship suits me well,

Both young and will sing Thy song,

We long for Sunday School.

*3.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,

Christ was Thy first teacher,

The Holy Spirit, great teacher,

Does manifest in thee.

*4.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,

This testimony is sure,

That God, the Father Almighty,

Poured His blessing on Thee

*5.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,

Though the sun be so bright,

Or if the clouds be black with rain,

I’ll be in Sunday School.

*6.* O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day

I rejoice to see Thee,

Will thou pass over me today?

Without my being blest?

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

One of the reasons Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit is to help us learn how to be more godly (John 16:12-15). The Holy Spirit will convict us of our sin (John 16:8) and guide us in choosing well when faced with temptations, thus producing godly characteristics within us (Ephesians 3:16; John 16:13). This is what the Bible describes as the ‘fruit of the Spirit.

The Bible uses a lot of agricultural metaphors because they were easily understood by the highly agricultural culture of the time. The “fruit of the Spirit” refers to the “results” we should see in our lives after receiving the Holy Spirit and working on our hearts over time (Romans 8:9;12:1-2). The Apostle Paul gives us the component of the ‘fruit’ as “……love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control…… Galatians 5:21-22(NKJV)

The ‘fruit’ metaphor helps us see our faith as a tree with branches that may or may not produce fruit, depending on how well we take care of the tree itself. If we give the tree nourishment (God’s word) -1Peter 1:23;2:2, then it will grow bigger. If we clear away weeds and insects (sinful tendencies) -Ephesians 4:22-31; Colossians 3:8-10, then keep the tree healthy. If we consult the professional Gardener (God) -1Chronicles 16:11- then we will ensure we are on the right track.

If you are a Christian, and you are not exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit, at best, you will experience stagnation-no growth (James 2:14-26). At worst, the result of “bad fruit” is death (Romans 6:20-23; Proverbs 14:12). Notice that Galatians 5:22 start with the word “But.” The Apostle Paul tells us that the opposite of these spiritual fruit. Let us take a look at the verses just before the fruit list: “Now the work of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred , contentions, jealousies, outburst of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissension, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like: of which I tell you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” -Galatians 5:19-21(NKJV). This is a list of things that someone who does not have the Holy Spirit’s influence would have problems with.

Our sinfulness produces rotted, poisoned fruit that reflects our sinful nature and hurt us in the end. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit produces beautiful, nourishing fruit that reflects God’s nature and will ultimately benefit our lives.