(This sermon was preached at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 12/16/12, and is the 9th in a ten-part series on the Fruit of the Spirit)
“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
Over the past several weeks, we have been considering the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives as we endeavor to walk with Christ. We have looked at seven fruit thus far, those being love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity and faithfulness. Today, we want to look at gentleness. The apostle Paul said that one of the fruit of Spirit is gentleness.
We are perpetually reminded that these are troubling times in which we live. These are times when it seems that aggression has overtaken us in many respects. We talk aggressively, act aggressively and even think aggressive thoughts. One of the most common themes of this day is “No Fear.”
“No Fear.” I believe that this in some way is a sounding cry in response to the violent nature of the world. Many people are actually afraid for their well-being, their security and safety, and thus we cry out “No Fear.” No Fear – as a response to the mean-spirited nature of our world.
Indeed, this is a world where it is not uncommon to hear about violence in our schools, violence on our streets, violence in the malls, violence in places of worship, and even violence in our homes. We live in a perpetual state of fear and terror – awaiting the next senseless and random act of violence against God’s people.
And thus the question for church – for you and me – is “How are we as Christians supposed to respond to this spirit of meanness that so permeates our reality today?"
Paul said that “the fruit of the Spirit is gentleness.” If we are walking in the Spirit of Christ, we are walking in gentleness. The context of the text here is Paul’s concern about what was going on the church in Galatia. Paul was concerned about how Christians in the Galatian church were treating each other. It’s clear that they were having problems being gentle with one another. We get the sense that they were struggling on a relational level with how they were to walk in the Spirit, and at the same time walk with each other.
This would lead Paul later in his Galatian letter to elaborate on the matter of reaping and sowing, and remind the people that you indeed will reap that which you sow. In other words if they were to continue sowing seeds of dissension, division, meanness, vengefulness and anger, they should expect to reap the same in their lives.
But if they were to sow seeds of love, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, and yes gentleness – they could only expect the reap the blessings of God in their lives.
There’s the story of the woman who would always go to a branch post office in her town because the postal employees there were friendly. She went there to buy stamps just before Christmas one year and the lines were particularly long. Someone pointed out that there was no need to wait in line because there was a stamp machine in the lobby. "I know," the woman said, “but the machine won't ask me about my arthritis."
There’s a saying that gentleness makes a person attractive. If you would win the world, melt it, do not hammer it.
Indeed, it is our task as the church, as Christians – in the midst of the meanness of the world, to search for ways that we might live with compassion and humility and gentleness toward one another.
Yes, it is always tempting for us to conform to the world’s standards of how we are to treat each other – to submit to the ways of those around us who may not know the Lord. But it is our divinely ordained task – as the church – to somehow discover ways to live out compassion and humility and gentleness.
Paul said that he fruit of the Spirit is gentleness. The Greek term that Paul uses for gentleness here is “prautes” (pra-u-tes). This term embodies a number of qualities including meekness, humility, kindness, and even the peace and patience that Paul speaks of as other fruits of the Spirit.
The measure of gentleness is thus taken from our everyday acts – the way we treat each other – the way we treat family, co-workers, church members, and even strangers on the street.
And certainly, there are some people who think that gentleness indicates weakness - that meekness is weakness. They say that only weak people are gentle, and that gentle people are bound to be taken advantage of.
Now gentleness does not mean that we weak. Gentleness does not mean that we are unwilling, or afraid or unable to confront evil in our midst. Gentleness does not mean that we should sit idly and silently, and passively watching and accepting evil as it is perpetuated and perpetrated in our midst. It just means that we are going to find ways to confront evil in gentleness.
Notice Paul’s words in Galatians chapter 6, verse 1:
“My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit, should restore such one in a spirit of gentleness.”
In other words it is our divine responsibility as the church to confront evil and transgression in our midst. We are called by God to confront wrongdoing and sin and brokenness, and we are to do it, not in judgment of one another, but in gentleness. We are to speak truth to power, but we are to do it in gentleness. We are to do our part to turn a broken and sin-sick world upside down and right-side up – and for Christ’s sake we are to speak the truth in love – and do all that we do, and say all that we say, in gentleness.
Why gentleness, you ask? First, if we are going to walk in the image – the likeness of Jesus, we are going to walk as Jesus walked. And Jesus walked gently even in the midst of his strength. The Lord was gentle even in the midst of the adversity that swirled around his life.
I picture the Lord, as he encountered the Samaritan woman at the well. While there were others among the Jews who would have nothing to do with Samaritans, because their culture – their ethnicity was different, here was Jesus gently taking time to offer this unnamed, unknown Samaritan woman, in the midst of her loneliness and brokenness, in the midst of her being ostracized and criticized by others, some water and a word of hope. Jesus was gentle.
Why gentleness? Gentleness affirms our life and our humanity. Gentleness affirms that we understand that God’s grace is present and evident in our lives. It says that we know that there have been times when we didn’t deserve it, but that God has been gentle with us. Paul reminded Titus (Tit. 3:2), “to be gentle, and show courtesy to everyone… for we ourselves were once foolish.”
Why gentleness? Gentleness has some fruit bearing qualities. We need to be gentle because our gentleness just might be contagious enough to rub off on somebody else. The gentleness that you convey as a child of God just might be catchy enough to lead somebody else into a closer relationship with Jesus.
I’m glad that Jesus showed gentleness toward us. He did not have to do it, but while we were yet sinners, the Lord died for you and me. While the world was sinking deep in sin, God sent Jesus to love us and rescue us. The Lord is gentle.
That’s why we can sing….
Pass me not
O gentle savior
Hear my humble cry.
While on other thou are calling,
Do not pass me by.
Savior… savior
Hear my humble cry…
While on other’s thou art calling…
Do not pass me by…
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