Fruit of the Spirit [Paperback]

Bill Hybels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1997 | Series: Interactions (Book 9)

It takes the power of God to produce the character of God.

Putting others’ needs ahead of our own. It’s the ultimate expression of love--and the hardest. Fortunately, we don’t have to go it alone. In Fruit of the Spirit, you’ll learn about the life-transforming qualities God wants to cultivate inside you. And you’ll discover the supernatural Agent who empowers you to attain them: the Holy Spirit, working within you to produce each kind of spiritual “fruit.”

In the Holy Spirit’s power, you can live a supernatural life that transforms every relationship you have. And in the process, you’ll discover the one route to a truly satisfying life: serving others.

Interactions--a powerful, challenging tool for building deep relationships between you and your group member, and you and God. Interaction is far more than another group Bible study. It’s a cutting-edge series designed to help small group participants develop into fully devoted followers of Christ.

If you are the discussion leader, you will find additional suggestions and helpful ideas in the Leader's Notes.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Bill Hybels, founder and pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, is the author of several books, including Honest to God?, Too Busy Not to Pray, and the previous titles in the Interactions series. He is also coauthor of Rediscovering Church, Becoming a Contagious Christian, and the best-selling Fit to Be Tie

From the Back Cover

It takes the power of God to produce the character of God.

Putting others’ needs ahead of our own. It’s the ultimate expression of love--and the hardest. Fortunately, we don’t have to go it alone. In Fruit of the Spirit, you’ll learn about the life-transforming qualities God wants to cultivate inside you. And you’ll discover the supernatural Agent who empowers you to attain them: the Holy Spirit, working within you to produce each kind of spiritual "fruit."

In the Holy Spirit’s power, you can live a supernatural life that transforms every relationship you have. And in the process, you’ll discover the one route to a truly satisfying life: serving others.

Interactions--a powerful, challenging tool for building deep relationships between you and your group member, and you and God. Interaction is far more than another group Bible study. It’s a cutting-edge series designed to help small group participants develop into fully devoted followers of Christ.

If you are the discussion leader, you will find additional suggestions and helpful ideas in the Leader's Notes.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 16 and up
  
• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (September 8, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310213150
• ISBN-13: 978-0310213154
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #366,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Reference > Topical

More About the Author

Sherry Harney (B.A., Calvin College; M.A. in Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary) has worked on church staff ministries for over two decades in the area of children's ministry and staff leadership. She has also worked as a school teacher and she is presently a free lance writer and editor for Zondervan. . She also does speaking for women's conferences as well as teaching on topics such as home-based evangelism, leadership, small group ministry and marriage.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rice Cakes for the Spirit, June 11, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Fruit of the Spirit (Paperback)

Yes, Bill Hybels is a giant in American Evangelism and a powerful advocate of the pragmatic and effective seeker-sensitive approach. However, this modest book illustrates what happens when the watered-down, non-threatening approach meets the written word medium-- not much there.

The chapter exercises are of appropriate length for a 90-120 minute small group session, and each focuses on different aspects of human attitudes and behavior, and offers points of reflection, and ample space for a reader to scawl on the page answers to the self-reflective questions. The relevant verses cited for reference and biblical passages and anecdotes seem well-chosen.

My disappointment in the book lies in what others may actually find as a strength-- it's simplicity. At times, the reflection questions seem geared toward the a child in Sunday-school. The importance of cultivating all these fruits (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Sensitivity, and Faithfulness) are so self-evident that the material became tedious after a time. After a small group session using this book, I felt like I did after I once ate a rice cake. I guess I was eating something-- my jaw moved, my teeth mashed some organic matter, yet it didn't really fill me up intellectually.

This series seems fine for most people, and the points are certainly theologically spot-on and in accord with how God would want us to be, but I would have liked to see something a little deeper.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome-great for small groups, September 3, 2009

By 

Kathryn E. Arnold "Katie" (Virginia Beach,VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fruit of the Spirit (Paperback)

My husband and I each got this book for our small group. It was great to work on separately and then talk together about our responses. Highly recommended.