Fruit: Gentleness
November 3, 2019

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22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! —Galatians 5:22-23
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PASSIONFRUIT juice is often added to other juices to enhance the aroma.
● It’s not all about it’s self, it’s about making everything around it better.
● Better in it’s own way.
● It doesn’t take over, it enhances.

GENTLENESS

Gentleness involves self-control along with strength and courage.

Gentleness is strength in action.

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Let’s not confuse gentleness with weakness, because it requires a tremendous amount of strength to use gentleness.

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Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.
7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”
9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
11 “No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” —John 8:1-11
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Gentleness enhances the other qualities present that might otherwise get drowned out in a tense situation.

SPOILED GENTLENESS:
Hurtful aka harsh, blunt, mean-spirited, “truth.”

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. —Proverbs 15:1
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Truth gets lost without gentleness.

Door represents any person or relationship that stands between us and what we want.
How we attempt to get through that door will determine the outcome.
There’s 3 ways to handle that door.

  1. KNOCK - this is asking and waiting for permission to enter.
  2. KEY - You’re invited in, and you’ve been given permission.
  3. KICK - FORCEFUL ENTRY - Not given permission but you’re going to invite yourself in anyway!
    Truth w/o gentleness is a weapon where you’re trying to force yourself into a relationship.
    A by-product of gentleness is influence.
    Gentleness always invites authenticity.