The Children's Chapel - Award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids www.childrenschapel.org [picture of colorful fruit] Fruit of the Spirit [picture of colorful fruit] by Linda Sue Pochodzay Edwards "Bethany, there's a letter for you," Greg yelled as he entered the house, letting the screen door slam behind him. [picture of envelope] Bethany jumped up and down, clapping her hands joyfully. She had been waiting a l-o-n-g time for the letter from her grandmother to arrive. She carefully opened the envelope and peaked inside before removing the letter. Granny often enclosed small gifts and Bethany wanted to be sure she didn't lose anything. Bethany was never disappointed with Granny's letters, even if there wasn't a gift inside. She dearly loved her grandmother and looked forward to reading the funny stories Granny wrote about her farm animals. After reading the entire letter, Bethany folded it, placed it back in the envelope, then put it in her special box for safe keeping, along with her other treasures. [picture of fruit divider] [picture of cherries] Paul was a great missionary and Bible teacher. He was despised by most leaders in the Jewish temples because he preached that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and could forgive sins. Paul also taught that /everyone/ could love God and keep his commandments, which angered the leaders even more, because they thought that only Jewish people could worship the true God. Everywhere Paul went, the Jewish leaders caused trouble for him. He ended up in prison on more than one occasion for preaching about Jesus. [picture of grapes] Even though he was in a cold, dark dungeon, sometimes hungry, and sometimes even chained to his prison guards, Paul didn't waste his time sulking, griping, or complaining. He continued to preach to everyone who would listen, that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and could forgive their sins. Even some of the meanest guards who had cruelly beaten him chose to become Christians because of Paul's preaching and the godly life he lived. [picture of apple] Day after day passed by, and Paul began thinking about the many friends he had made in so many different cities and countries throughout Europe and Asia. His friends in /Galatia/ had been especially kind to him when he was sick and he missed them very much. Not only had they shown kindness to Paul; they had also joyfully accepted his teachings about Jesus. Since it was impossible for him to visit his friends and there wasn't much to do in prison, he decided to write them a letter. [picture of Paul writing letters] [picture of pear] His letter started out pretty much the same as any other letter, with a greeting to his friends and wishing them well, but it certainly did not end up to be a normal, everyday letter! Paul was a preacher of the gospel of Christ and even in his letters he couldn't help preaching and teaching about Jesus. Paul had so much to say to his friends; he kept writing and writing. The letter grew longer and longer. When he was finally finished, the letter was so long; it had turned into a book with /six chapters!/ When Paul was satisfied that the letter contained everything he wanted to say to his friends, he sealed it carefully and found a messenger willing to travel to Galatia to deliver it. [picture of peach] His friends were excited to receive the letter and called together everyone they knew. They carefully read it over and over and tried their best to follow Paul's teachings about how to be like Jesus. They took very good care of the letter for it was very precious to them. [picture of cherries] In the fifth chapter of the letter, Paul wanted his friends to learn that people who are /Christians/ ? which means /followers of Jesus Christ/ ? have different characteristics than people who don't care about Jesus and don't want to live a godly life. Paul called these characteristics /fruit/, and explained that it is easy to tell which people love Jesus and which people don't because of the fruit they exhibit in their daily lives. [picture of grapes] He listed some of the fruit of an ungodly person, such as, lying, hatred, envy, drunkenness, murder, and many other evil characteristics. Then he listed the fruit of a person who follows the teachings of Jesus: *"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."* [picture of apple] The letter that Paul wrote to his dear friends in Galatia, almost 2000 years ago, was copied over and over and translated into many languages, including ours. You can even read this letter yourself! It is in the second part of your Bible, which is called the New Testament, and the letter is known as the Book of /Galatians/. What a privilege it is to have this treasure that has been passed down to us over the centuries! It is just as important for us to learn about the fruit of the Spirit and how to be like Jesus as it was for Paul's friends when they read the letter for the very first time. [picture of fruit divider] THINK! # Why was Paul in prison? # How did Paul spend his time in prison? # Where were Paul's friends? # What does it mean to be a Christian? # What is the fruit of the Spirit? # In what book of the Bible can the fruit of the Spirit be found? REMEMBER: The fruit of the Spirit are Christ-like characteristics that every Christian should have. A VERSE TO LEARN "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). LET'S PRAY [picture of Dog and boy praying] **************************************************** Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to be our greatest example of how to live, and for Paul who wrote many books of the Bible that teach us how to be more like Jesus. In Jesus' Name, amen. **************************************************** CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE? Galatians 5:19-26 STORIES IN THIS SERIES: Love Joy Peace Longsuffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance [picture of fruit divider] [picture of coloring crayons] [picture of Fruit Basket] God Wants Us to Bear Good Fruit Fruit of the Spirit Tree Fruit Fruit of the Spirit Bible Story Coloring Pages V2 (Reproducible ) New Testament Bible Story Cards Coloring Book My Bible Coloring Book (Shirley Dobson ) Children's Coloring Books Smart Coloring Books [picture of child reading stories] Bearing Fruit Are You Letting Your Fruit of the Spirit Get Squeezed? Fruit of the Spirit (Arch Books ) The Fruit of the Spirit Life Is an Adventure with Ernie The Fruit of the Spirit Is Jesus in Me 365 Read-Aloud Bedtime Bible Stories (Barbour Publishing ) Awesome Book of Bible Stories for Kids Pilgrim's Progress for Kids 365 Activities For Kids: A Bible Story And Activity For Each Day Of The Year 100 Bible Stories 100 Bible Songs w/2 CD Baby's First Bible Beginner's Bible Bible In Pictures For Toddlers Bible stories Early Reader's Bible Five Minute Devotions for Children (ages 4-8) Little Hands Story Bible The Children's Illustrated Bible The Preschoolers Bible Toddlers Bible Pilgrim's Progress for Kids Children's Books Spanish Children's Books The Picture Bible (my children's favorite!) [picture of activities] Story Cards To Keep and Share The Fruit of the Spirit (pdf) (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ) Fruit of the Spirit Online Game Fruit Encounters of the God Kind Online Word Search Fruit of the Spirit Maze Fruit of the Spirit Online Jigsaw Puzzle Online Word Search Online Hangman Crossword Puzzle Word Search Unscramble Online Coded Bible Puzzle Coded Bible Puzzle Online Fruit Basket to Arrange Online Animated Jigsaw Puzzle Online Animated Slide Puzzle Amazing Bible Mazes Best Book of Bible Activities Encyclopedia Of Bible Games For Childrens Ministry The Humongous Book of Games for Children's Ministry Memory Verse Games for Kids (Take Me Through the Bible Series ) Big Book Of Bible Puzzles (Reproducible ) Bible Puzzles: Word Search Big Book Of Bible Story Activity Pages V1 (Gospel Light Big Books ) More Bible Time with Kids Christian and educational toys Children's Activity Books Children's Puzzles Crossword Books Sticker Books [picture of musical notes] Fruit of the Spirit (sheet music/MIDI) I Want To Be Like Jesus (sheet music/MIDI) Fruit of the Spirit (mp3) The Fruit of The Spirit Song/MIDI/CHORDS Fruit of the Spirit Cadence Action Bible Songs (Cedarmont Kids ) Bible Songs on CD 100 Singalong Songs For Kids (Cedarmont ) 25 Favorite Sunday School Songs (includes Fishers of Men) (Veggie Tales ) Children's Music [picture of CDs and DVDs] Auto B Good Fruits of the Spirit DVD Music Machine: Fruit of the Spirit Shop Now God's Story from Creation to Eternity (listen & watch online) Children's DVDs [picture of crafts] Fruit Printing Fruit Basket (pdf) (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ) Fruit of the Spirit Crafts Draw 50 People from the Bible Bible Crafts & More (Ages 6-8) Bible Crafts On A Shoestring Budget (Ages 5-10) Big Book of Bible Crafts (Ages 3-12) Encyclopedia Of Bible Crafts For Preschoolers Praise God With...Craft Series Praise God with a Paper Plate (PreK-Grade 2) Really Big Book Of Cool Crafts For Kids w/CD-Ages 4-12 (Reproducible ) Children's Crafts & Hobbies *RESOURCES FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS* Story Idea Notes About This Lesson and Answers to THINK Questions All-in-One Bible Fun: Fruit of the Spirit - 13 Lessons for Busy Teachers Betty Lukens Fruit of the Spirit Felt Flannelgraph Set Experience the Fruits of the Spirit Fruit of the Spirit Banner Fruit of the Spirit Bulletin Board Set Fruit of the Spirit Characters Fruits of the Spirit and How We Can Show Them to Others Experience the Fruit of the Spirit Fruit of the Spirit Fruit Bowl Fruit of the Spirit Fruit of the Spirit activity book The Fruit of the Spirit Lesson Plan Fruit of the Spirit Anagrams Fruit of the Spirit Name Tags Fruit of the Spirit Puppet/Skits Scripts Apple Snacks Chocolate Covered Strawberries Fruit Kabobs Fruit of the Spirit Pizza Fruit of the Spirit Game God's Kids Grow Children's Ministry Kit Penelope and Wilbur Puppets on the Fruit of the Spirit Please Pass The Fruit (Game) Fruit of the Spirit Necklace (Memory Tool) Fruit of the Spirit: a Childrens Bible Study of Galatians 5:22 Shop Now Kids Travel Guide Fruit Of The Spirit Shop Now Fruit Of The Spirit Bookmark Shop Now Fruit Of The Spirit Bulletin Shop Now Fruit Of The Spirit Laminated Chart Shop Now Fruit Of The Spirit Bracelet Shop Now Fruitz Of The Spirit Game (2-10 Players, Ages 7+) Shop Now Little Angels & Fruit Of The Spirit Game (2-4 Players. Ages 3+) Shop Now Poster Set-Fruit Of The Spirit & Armor Of God Shop Now Bible Memory Games (Creative Bible Activities for Children ) Bible Story Coloring Pages (Reproducible ) 30 New Testament QuickSkits for Kids 801 Questions Kids Ask About God (Focus on the Family ) Absentee Postcards African American Resources Almost Every Answer for Practically Any Teacher (Bruce Wilkinson ) Bible Crafts and Activities for Any Story Big Book of Bible Games (Gospel Light ) Bulletin Board helps Chicken Soup for the Teacher's Soul Children's Church Resources Children's Sermon Church Nanny Sos: Teaching Discipline Essentials for Preschool Ministry Volunteers Church Supplies Closing Prayer Edible Object Talks That Teach About Jesus (Edible Object Talks ) 52 Games That Teach The Bible Flannel Graph Story Sets to Purchase Free educational videos God's Servants Teach Me (Instant Bible Lessons ) God's Wisdom for Little Boys: Character-Building Fun from Proverbs Help! I'm a Sunday School Teacher (Focus on the Family ) Hermie Scripture Memory How To Lead a Child To Christ King James Version Award Bibles Leading Little Ones to God: A Child's Book of Bible Teachings Lord Teach Me To Pray For Kids (Kay Arthur ) Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours Memory Verse Ideas Memory Verse Resources Object Talks Opening Prayer Parenting Power Point Presentations of Various Bible Stories Pray & Play Bible for Young Children Puppet Scripts Resources for Teachers Seven Laws of the Learner (Bruce Wilkinson ) Spanish Resources Sunday School Attendance Boosters: 165 Fresh Ideas Sunday school resources Talking to God (Instant Bible Lessons ) Teachers' Reproducible Classroom Pages Teaching children Teaching Children Memory Verses Ages 4-5 Teaching Children To Pray Ages 4-5 Teaching to Change Lives (by Howard Hendrickss ) The Big Book of Bible Skits Things To Make Craft Activities 20 Bible Verses Every Child Should Know /CD (Heritage Builders ) Vacation Bible School What Every Sunday School Teacher Should Know (by Elmer Towns ) [picture of fruit divider] BIBLE STORY ARCHIVE http://misslink.org/children/bibstory2.html <../bibstory2.html> Add/update a Bible story resource The Children\'s Chapel - Award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids Copyright © 2011 by Linda Sue Pochodzay Edwards. 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