Bear Good Fruit

The children will identify godly people from ungodly people by the type of fruit each group bears.

TOPICS: Faith, Fruitfulness, Holy Spirit, Joy, Kindness, Love, Self-Control MATERIALS: One ripe banana and one rotten banana Knife DURATION: Approximately 10 minutes

PREPARATION:

Before class, allow a banana to become visibly rotten. Also obtain a banana that is fresh and ripe.

WHAT YOU WILL SAY:

Which fruit would you prefer to have? (Hold up both the ripe and rotten banana.) Why?

The Bible states, "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. ” Luke 6:43-45 NIV

This scripture makes us think about what is stored in our hearts. The Bible tells us “Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.” We are recognized by what is in our hearts and what comes out of our mouths. We can tell which banana is bad by looking at the outside, but let’s look at the inside. If I cut these two bananas in half, do you think there will be a difference on the inside as well as the outside? (Cut the fruits in half.)

If we use mean words when we speak to others, they will think we are mean and ungodly. Those mean words are not just words. They come from what is inside us, which is full of mean things. When we use kind words, people will see us as kind and godly. Those kind words come from our hearts, which are full of kindness. We want to fill our minds with the Fruit of the Spirit, because when we have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control in our hearts, the words on the outside will be good words. When the inside is good, the outside will look good as well.

Think about what is coming from your mouth because that will tell you what is in your heart.

Discussion Questions:
1. If you were a tree, would you bear good fruit or bad fruit?
2. What do you think is coming out of your mouth, evil or good?
3. What would your friends or family say about you?

Let’s take a minute to repent from any evil that we have stored in our hearts.

Father, forgive me for filling my heart with evil and for saying evil words. Show me how to fill my heart with the Fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self- control. Amen.