The Hill Church · 2026
Summer Fruit
Galatians 5:22-23 · A 9-Week Series
Tap any week to open the reflection card. Each card includes the main points, biblical truths, key scriptures, and a reflect prompt.
Week
1
Love
Agape · John 13:34
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"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."John 13:34
What is agape?
◆Agape - Unconditional love. The fruit focus this week.
◆Phileo - Brotherly love or friendship.
◆Eros - Romantic love.
Who, Why, When?
WHOEveryone we come into contact with.
WHYIt reveals who we belong to. The world will know we are His disciples by our love.
WHENAlways. That is the key to agape: love with no loopholes.
Love lies & truth
Lie 1
"Love is a feeling."
Love is a choice before it is a feeling.
Lie 2
"If I love them, I'll always agree with them."
Love speaks the truth in love.
Lie 3
"Love is soft."
Love can be gentle and strong. Love has boundaries.
Lie 4
"I have to earn God's love."
We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
Key scriptures
John 13:34-35
John 3:16
Ephesians 4:15
Romans 12:18
1 John 4:19
1 Corinthians 15:33
John 21:15-17
Reflect
This week
Where is God asking me to choose love before I feel love? Where do I need to speak truth in love? What would change if I truly received God's love before trying to prove myself?
Week
2
Joy
Chara · Nehemiah 8:10
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"Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."Nehemiah 8:10
Joy lies & truth
Lie 1
"I'll have joy when my circumstances change."
Joy is not the product of a circumstance - it's the presence of God in any circumstance.
Lie 2
"If I'm struggling emotionally, I'm failing spiritually."
Joy isn't pretending it's okay. Joy is knowing it's going to be okay.
Lie 3
"Joy is just a personality trait."
Joy is a fruit, not a personality. The Holy Spirit grows it in anyone who abides.
Key scriptures
Nehemiah 8:10
Psalm 43:5
Psalm 30:5
Psalm 34:18
John 15:1-8
Galatians 5:22-23
Reflect
This week
Which joy lie do I most need to confront? Where have I been postponing joy until life gets easier?
Week
3
Patience
Makrothumia · James 5:7-8
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"Patience isn't waiting. Waiting is waiting. Patience is what we do while we wait."Joyce Meyer
What waiting does for us
IExposes our weaknesses - humility, endurance, surrender of control.
IIEquips us for the journey - the process is as important as the destination.
IIIEstablishes our trust in God - His timing, His wisdom, His working.
Key scriptures
Romans 5:3-5
James 1:2-4
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Romans 8:28-29
Hebrews 12:2
Genesis 16:13
Reflect
This week
Which of the three is God doing in my waiting season right now - Exposing, Equipping, or Establishing? What does active trust look like for me this week?
Week
4
Peace
Eirene · John 14:27
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"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."John 14:27
Peace lies & truth
Lie 1
"Peace will come when my life settles down."
Peace is not the absence of storms - it's leaning on the presence of God during the storm.
Lie 2
"If I worry enough, I'll feel better and get the answers."
Peace comes with surrender, not certainty. Trust His heart when you don't understand His methods.
Lie 3
"Peace means avoiding conflict."
Peacekeepers avoid hard conversations. Peacemakers are committed to reconciliation and bringing truth into the middle.
Key scriptures
John 14:27
Colossians 3:15
Matthew 6:25-34
Proverbs 3:5-6
Matthew 5:9
Philippians 4:6-7
Reflect
This week
Which peace lie do I most believe? Where do I need to surrender control and trust God's heart - and am I a peacekeeper or a peacemaker?
Week
5
Kindness
Chrestotes · Ephesians 4:32
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"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."Ephesians 4:32
Kindness lies & truth
Lie 1
"Kindness is weakness."
Kindness is strength given away. Jesus was the kindest person who ever lived - and He was not weak.
Lie 2
"Kindness is a give and take."
The heart of kindness never requires repayment. God was kind to us while we were still sinners.
Lie 3
"Kindness won't make a difference."
Never underestimate the power of God in the moment He gives you. He wastes nothing.
Lie 4
"I don't really have anything to offer."
Kindness simply requires availability. Show up - God will do the rest.
2 ways to walk in kindness
1Wake Up and Plan - Ask each morning: who needs kindness today?
2Look as You Live - Keep your eyes open. God places divine moments in your path.
Key scriptures
Ephesians 4:32
Luke 6:35
Romans 2:4
Colossians 3:12
Reflect
This week
Which kindness lie do I most believe? Who is God asking me to show kindness to this week - and what is my one next step?
Week
6
Goodness
Agathos · Micah 6:8
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"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"Micah 6:8
Good lies & truth
Lie 1
"If I'm a good person, that's good enough."
Good people aren't good enough. None is righteous, not one. (Romans 3:10)
Lie 2
"I can't be good because of my past."
You can be who God says you are. He works in you both to will and to work. (Phil. 2:13)
Lie 3
"Culture defines what is good."
God defines good, not the group. Be transformed by the renewal of your mind. (Romans 12:2)
Big Lie
"Goodness is behavior modification."
Goodness is life transformation. God doesn't want a better version of the old you - He wants a new you.
When you've done wrong - 3 steps
1Repent - Ask God to forgive you and turn around.
2Respond - What am I going to do next?
3Redeem - God doesn't waste our worst moments. It was through David's line that Jesus came.
Key scriptures
Micah 6:8
Romans 3:10
Philippians 2:13
Romans 12:2
James 4:17
2 Samuel 12
Reflect
This week
Which good lie do I most believe? Where have I settled for behavior modification instead of life transformation? Is there something I need to Repent, Respond to, or trust God to Redeem?
Week
7
Gentleness
Prautes · Numbers 12:3
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"A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare."Proverbs 15:1 NLT
What is gentleness?
◆Prautes = meekness - boldness governed by wisdom and love. Not passive, not weak.
◆Aristotle: the balance between uncontrolled anger and apathy.
◆A wild horse broken to ride - same strength, now useful. Strength with direction.
Gentle lies & truth
Lie 1
"Gentleness is weakness."
Moses was the meekest man on earth and stood before Pharaoh. Gentleness is power on purpose.
Lie 2
"My personality is just blunt."
You can be right in what you said and wrong in how you said it. You can never be gentle and wrong at the same time.
Lie 3
"I have to protect myself."
Gentleness responds instead of reacts. Pause → Breathe → Respond.
Lie 4
"Gentle people avoid conflict."
Gentle people are highly confrontational - they just confront differently. They push for restoration.
Key scriptures
Numbers 12:3
Proverbs 15:1
2 Timothy 2:24-25
Galatians 6:1-2
Acts 26:22
Acts 27-28
Reflect
This week
Which gentle lie do I most believe? Is there a hard conversation I've been avoiding - and what would it look like to address it with gentleness and courage?
Week
8
Self-Control
Egkrateia · Spirit Control
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"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."2 Timothy 1:7
The key question
◆Not "Am I controlled?" - but "Who or what is controlling me?"
◆Self-control = controlling myself under His desires. The standard is not me - it's Him.
Self-control lies & truth
Lie 1
"My emotions are my identity."
Your emotions are real - but they don't control you. Walk through them, don't park there.
Lie 2
"Self-control means I don't struggle."
Self-control isn't the absence of temptation - it's the presence of surrender. Jesus was tempted, yet didn't sin.
Lie 3
"I can do it by myself."
Self-control is Spirit-produced, not self-empowered. Apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
Lie 4
"Small compromises don't matter."
The direction of your life is determined by the decisions you repeat. Catch the little foxes. (Song of Solomon 2:15)
4 practical steps
1Win the next 2 minutes - small manageable moments.
2Get back up - falling isn't failing. Staying down is. (Proverbs 24:16)
3Set yourself up for success - remove the temptation. That's wisdom, not weakness.
4Invite truth in the room - call someone. You were never meant to fight alone.
Key scriptures
1 Corinthians 9:27
Hebrews 4:15
John 15:5
Song of Solomon 2:15
Proverbs 24:16
Acts 9:10-17
Reflect
This week
Which self-control lie do I most believe? Is my struggle about control against something, or control to do what God is asking? What is my next step?
Week
9
Faithfulness
Pistis · Matthew 25:23
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"Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities."Matthew 25:23 NLT
The core idea
◆Faithfulness ≠ Fruitfulness. Don't confuse showing up with the results of showing up.
◆Faithfulness is built in small moments when nobody is watching - not in big moments on a big stage.
◆"Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong." - Polycarp
Faithfulness lies & truth
Lie 1
"Faithfulness is about big moments."
The feeding of 5,000 happened because someone faithfully packed a lunch. Small faithfulness. 2,000 years of story.
Lie 2
"My failures disqualify me from being faithful."
Faithfulness isn't never falling - it's continually returning. Peter, Paul, David, Noah all came back. So can you.
Lie 3
"If I don't see results, it isn't working."
Noah built the ark and it hadn't rained. Do good because you love God - that's enough. Don't give up. (Galatians 6:9)
Key scriptures
Matthew 25:23
Galatians 6:9
Proverbs 24:16
Judges 16:22
John 6:5-9
2 Kings 4:8-10
Reflect
This week
Which faithfulness lie do I most believe? Where am I waiting for a big moment instead of being faithful in the small one right in front of me? Is there an area where I've quit - and what would it look like to keep building even if it hasn't rained yet?