Is It Fruit or Fake? — Galatians 5:13–26

Written By Tim Anderson

Warm Opener

Start with:

"Have you ever seen fake fruit? It looks real at first... until you bite it. Some Christians are like that—on the outside, they say all the right things, but when life hits, there’s no real fruit. Tonight, we’re asking: Are we really walking by the Spirit—or just pretending?"

Section 1: Freedom Isn’t About You

Galatians 5:13–15

Mini Talk: Paul says we’re free. Not to do whatever we want, but to love others. If freedom makes us selfish, it’s not the Spirit’s kind of freedom. Love is always the test.

Questions:

  1. What do you think it means to “use your freedom to serve one another in love”?
  2. Can you think of a time when someone used their freedom to be selfish?
  3. Why do you think loving others is the first thing Paul brings up in this section?
  4. What’s one way we can serve others in our youth group?
  5. How does freedom in Jesus look different than freedom in the world?

Section 2: Two Paths Inside You

Galatians 5:16–18

Mini Talk: Paul talks about a fight inside us—Spirit vs. sinful nature. One wants peace, the other wants control. One wants truth, the other wants drama. One leads to life, the other to regret.

Questions:

  1. What’s one example of a moment where you felt the Spirit and the flesh pulling in different directions?
  2. Why do you think this battle doesn’t just go away when you follow Jesus?
  3. What does it mean to “let the Holy Spirit guide your lives”?
  4. Why do we sometimes think God’s way is harder or less fun?
  5. Can you still struggle with sin and be led by the Spirit? How do you know?

Section 3: The Fake Fruit List

Galatians 5:19–21

Mini Talk: This is the “fruit” of the sinful nature. Not all of them are wild or dramatic. Some are secret. But Paul says people who live like this consistently aren’t walking with God. These aren’t just bad habits—these are signs of being disconnected from Jesus.

Questions:

  1. Which things on this list feel most common in your generation?
  2. Why do you think Paul puts things like “jealousy” and “selfish ambition” next to “wild partying”?
  3. What’s the danger in brushing off these things as “not a big deal”?
  4. How can we tell if we’re falling into these behaviors?
  5. What does this list show us about the human heart without the Spirit?

Section 4: Real Fruit Grows Together

Galatians 5:22–23

Mini Talk: It’s fruit of the Spirit—not fruits. These 9 traits grow together. You can’t have love without patience. You can’t have peace without self-control. Real fruit shows you’ve been changed from the inside.

Questions:

  1. Which of the 9 fruit do you see most in someone you admire?
  2. Why do you think all 9 fruit matter—not just a few?
  3. What’s the difference between pretending to be kind and truly being kind?
  4. Can someone grow in these if they’re not close to Jesus? Why or why not?
  5. Which of the 9 would you love to grow in most right now?

Section 5: Crucify It, Walk It Out

Galatians 5:24–26

Mini Talk: Paul says people who belong to Jesus crucify the flesh. That’s not a soft word. We kill selfishness, not babysit it. And we don’t just believe in the Spirit—we walk in step with Him every day.

Questions:

  1. What does it mean to “crucify the flesh”?
  2. Why does Paul connect this to pride and comparison in v.26?
  3. Why do Christians sometimes still act like they’re better than others?
  4. How can you stay in step with the Spirit this week?
  5. What’s one small step you can take to feed the Spirit more than the flesh?

Final Challenge

“The world doesn’t need more fake fruit. It needs students who are really walking with the Spirit. People will see your fruit—real or fake. What do you want them to taste when life bumps into you?”

Prayer or altar moment idea: Invite them to pray with their group if they want to crucify something or ask the Holy Spirit to grow one of the fruit more in their life.

Tim Anderson http://www.twitter.com/vtowntim