MID-WEEK MANNA FROM PASTOR NAT’S DESK:
May 7, 2025
The Faith ‘Fruit’ of the Holy Spirit (Part 2)
THE FAITH OF JESUS PRODUCES THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT IN THE FAITHFUL SAINTS
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:12, Authorized Version (KJV).
The true saints of God, specifically in these most solemn, closing hours of the ongoing pre-advent, investigative judgment that commenced in October 1844 (per the 2300-day prophecy of Dan. 8:14, and announced by the First Angel’s message, Rev. 14: 6,7), have three major distinguishing features or “marks” all combined at once, from all the rest of the “faith community of professed believers” in mainstream Christianity. These are:
1) They have the “patience of the saints.” They are certainly not dead “canonized” saints when shown to John in vision, but faithful, often suffering and persecuted for righteousness sake (Matt. 5: 10, 11:; 2 Tim. 3:12, etc.). The untranslated Greek for patience means “long endurance,” or long-enduring; enduring to the end.
2) They “keep”, that is, obey out of love, preserve by practice and thus are true custodians of “the commandments of God”, that is, all ten but particularity the fourth which is God’s only divinely appointed and sanctified Memorial Day of both Creation and Redemption (see Exo. 20:8; Eze. 20: 12, 20. It is identified and called the Sabbath day by no less than the Lord of the Sabbath himself. (Matt. 12: 7: Mark 2: 27, 28; Luke 6: 5, 6).
3) They have “the faith of Jesus.” And like the two previous distinguishing marks, they “have” by practice and preservation, the true knowledge of the “faith of Jesus,” not just “the faith of the church or a religion,” or a personal “belief,” etc.
Since the whole Bible, the New Testament in particular, was the product of “holy men of God who spoke and wrote “as the Holy Spirit moved them (2 Pet. 1: 21), the “fruits of the Spirit” are inevitable “fruits” of human “branches connected to the living Vine,” Christ Jesus (John 15: 1-8) through the indwelling Holy Spirit. These “fruitful branches” have “present their bodies a living (not dead) sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God as their reasonable service” to and for Him. (Rom. 12:1).
Thus their yet-mortal bodies become sanctified “temples where God and the Holy Spirit dwell.” (1 Cor. 3:16, 17; 6:19, 20). They strive by grace to “live, move, and have their being” “by EVERY WORD that proceeds out of the mouth of God” in Christ the living Word (John 1:1-3).
While on earth Jesus glorified only the Father, never Himself. One the clearly defined works of the Holy Spirit as Christ’s Vicegerent was to do for Him what He did for the Father: Jesus told His disciples: “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth is come. . . . He (the Holy Spirit) shall GLORIFY ME: He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you.” (John 16: 13, 14).
Hereunder is just one of many Testimonies on what “the faith of Jesus” is in relation to His word, our corresponding works, and resulting “fruits.”
“The time has come when we are to expect large blessings from the Lord. [But] WE MUST RISE TO A HIGHER STANDARD OF FAITH. WE HAVE TOO LITTLE OF FAITH. The Word of God is our endorsement. We are to take it, SIMPLY BELIEVING EVERY WORD. With this assurance we may claim large things, and ACCORDING TO OUR FAITH, it will be unto us. . . .
“The WORK OF FAITH means more than we think. It means GENUINE RELIANCE UPON THE WORD OF GOD [not on fellow mortals of man-made institutions]. By OUR ACTIONS we are to show that we believe that God will do just as He said. . . We must have an ADVANCING, WORKING FAITH, a ‘faith that works by love’ [Gal. 5:6] and purifies the soul FROM EVERY VESTIGE OF SELFISHNESS. IT IS NOT SELF, BUT GOD, that we must depend on. We must not cherish unbelief. We must have faith that takes God at His word. . .
“True faith consists in DOING just what God has ENJOINED, not MANUFACTURING THINGS He has not enjoined.
“JUSTICE, TRUTH, MERCY, ARE THE FRUIT OF FAITH. We need to walk in the light of God’s law: then GOOD WORKS WILL BE THE FRUIT OF FAITH, THE PROCEEDS OF A HEART RENEWED EVERY DAY [by the baptism of the Holy Spirit ‘with fire.’]. The TREE must be made good before the FRUIT can be good. We must be WHOLLY consecrated to God. Our WILL must be made right before the FRUIT can be good. We must have NO FITFUL RELIGION. [Meaning]. ‘Whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God’ (1 Cor. 10: 31). [God’s glory and grace is Christ’s character].
“When our faith works by love, just such a love as Christ revealed in His life, it will be a FIRM texture [in the character ‘robe’ or ‘garment’]; it will be the FRUIT OF A WILL SUBDUED. But NOT UNTIL SELF DIES can Christ [through the Holy Spirit] live in us. Not until self dies can we possess a FAITH that works by love and purifies [sanctifies] the soul.” -E. G. White, That I May Know Him, p. 226.
To be continued next MWM, God willing. Bless all, NMF.