Lesson Continued...

• Ask: What if I told you that an apple came from an orange tree? What would you say? (Provide time for their responses.) It would be impossible for an orange tree to produce an apple! Only apple trees produce apples and only orange trees can produce oranges. God made different kinds of plants and trees to produce certain fruits and only those fruits.

• State: In the Bible, God teaches us that people produce fruit as well. Before we know God, what kind of fruit do you think we produce? We are only able to produce bad fruit. We constantly produce fruit like anger, hatred, jealousy, and greediness. After we become followers of God, He gives us His Spirit. Because we have His Spirit living inside of us, we are able to produce good fruit, fruit that comes directly from Him. Sometimes we will still continue to produce bad fruit because it is impossible for us not to sin, but just as sunshine, rain, and good soil cause an apple tree to produce apples, as we seek to know God, learn from Him, and listen to Him, the fruit of the Spirit is produced in us.

• State: First, I want us to look at Galatians chapter 5, verses 22-26. Would two of you like to read this for us? (Give them each a couple of verses to read. This depends on the age range and reading abilities of your particular group of children. Adjust the lesson accordingly. Take time to explain this verse a little so they are able to understand exactly what it means.)

• State: After we believe and trust in Jesus Christ, He gives us the Holy Spirit, who lives within us. It is the Spirit who produces this fruit in us as we abide in Him, and apart from Him, these things would be impossible for us to have in their purest form. This does not mean it is always easy to show these characteristics in our lives, but it does mean we are now able to respond in love or self-control or patience in difficult situations because we have the Spirit within us.

• State: So today we are going to learn about love.  Let’s see what God can show us through His Word! We want to discover together what love looks like for those who have God’s Spirit within them.

• State: Turn to Matthew chapter 22 verses 37-39. (Help each child find the passage.) Jesus says, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Jesus calls these two commands the greatest commandments! So love is not just a fruit of the Spirit, it is a command from God!

• Ask: So how do we know what love looks like? (Allow time for response.) We know what love is by looking to God. First John 4:7-11 says this, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” Chapter 3 verses 16 and 18 state, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers…let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

• State: So we know that love comes from God, God is love, and God showed His love to all of us by sending Jesus Christ to die for us so that we may know Him. We also know from 1 John that love is not just something we say, it is what we do. Jesus showed His great love for us by dying for us. We can show love to one another by putting others first and thinking of them more than ourselves, loving them like Christ loves us.

• State: Before we can truly love others, we must know and love God. How do we keep the greatest commandment, to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind? (Discuss.) One major way to love God is to come to know Him more and more through His Word and through prayer. You know through His Word that God died for you and for me! This should cause us to overflow with love towards Him! As we come to know Him, learn from Him, and listen to His voice, we are abiding in Him. As we abide in Him and He in us, the fruit of love is produced in our lives.

• State: After we learn that love is from God, His love for us and our love for Him can overflow into the people around us. 

• There are many ways we can show love to people all around us. Love is a command from God, a choice we make daily, and a fruit produced by the Holy Spirit as we seek to know and abide in Him.

• State: I want you to take time now to write down how you can show love this week to the people in your life, whether it is your parents, your brothers and sisters, a friend, or kids at school you do not even know but who may need a friend. (Pass out a notecard to each child.) I want you to place this somewhere at home or school where you will see it everyday, and I want you to do these things! Remember, 1 John told us to not just love in words, but with our actions!

• Spend time in prayer together, asking God to help each of you produce the fruit of love each day, particularly this week in the ways that each child has written down.

• Work with them on memorizing Galatians 5:22-23. 

Directions

1. Have the kids cut 9 strips of construction paper and write each of the fruits of the Spirit on them as shown in the picture above. Punch a hole in the bottom and top of each strip and then the kids can use a pipe cleaner to attach them as shown in the picture. They can also cut a leaf shap for the top of their fruit if they want. 

Directions

• Divide the class into teams. Each team will be given a pool noodle and a ball to run a relay to push the ball toward the finish line/cone. When their ball is across the finish line, they will pick their ball up and run back to the team where the next team player will continue to play until all the players have pushed the ball. The ball represents a fruit of the spirit.

Directions

This game is just hot potato except use a small ball to represent a "fruit" of the spirit.

Have the kids sit in a circle and pass the ball around while the music is playing. When the music stops whoever holds the ball is out.  Remind the kids that we are practicing showing our fruits of the spirit... so no pouting, getting mad, or upset if you get out!