Mission Finder Podcast #34 | Season 2
Hosts: Andrew Michael Arroyo & Don Nava
This week, Andrew Arroyo and Don Nava explore two things every believer carries but few fully understand: the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. The fruit shapes our character; the gifts equip us for service. Both come from the same Spirit, and understanding how they work together is key to living out God’s will.
Growing the Fruit
Like natural fruit, the fruit of the Spirit takes time to ripen. Andrew outlines five things that cultivate it: abiding in Christ (John 15:4–5), yielding to the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), renewing the mind (Romans 12:2), practicing obedience (John 14:15), and pursuing community (Hebrews 10:24–25). As Francis Chan writes in Forgotten God, the fruit isn’t something we produce by effort — it’s the natural result of the Spirit’s presence in a surrendered life.
The Gifts of the Spirit
Where the fruit builds character, the gifts are supernatural abilities given “for the profit of all” (1 Corinthians 12:7) — tools for ministry, not personal achievement. Jesus modeled all nine gifts Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 12:8–10: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. Andrew groups them into three families — revelation, power, and speaking gifts — and quotes Chuck Smith’s Living Water: “the gifts of the Spirit are not toys to play with; they are tools to build with.”
Don’s Take: Why the Hesitation?
Andrew asks Don why so many believers shy away from gifts like prophecy, tongues, or discernment. Don’s answer: the Spirit comes in with all nine fruit and all nine gifts — treating the gifts as optional is like a body with one side paralyzed. He points to 1 Corinthians 14:1, where Paul calls believers to “earnestly desire spiritual gifts,” and shares that word of knowledge and discernment are central to his own coaching ministry — not the exception, but “normal kingdom living.”
A Life That Reflects Christ
The fruit and gifts aren’t competing priorities but two expressions of the same Spirit-filled life — one forming Christ’s character in us, the other empowering us to serve others with it. Andrew and Don close with a simple invitation: ask the Holy Spirit to grow both in you.
