BILL’S BLOG ENTRY #16

Bill’s Blog Entry #16

From “Discipleship and Discipline”, by William H. Hicks, copyright, March, 2005:

“A disciple of Christ cannot love without being kind; we cannot show self-control without being patient; a follower of Jesus Christ cannot demonstrate peace without gentleness; love and joy are but reflections of each other. We must demonstrate all of the attributes of the Spirit or we demonstrate none of the attributes of the Spirit. A person cannot say, “I love you!” and yet be faithless. Kindness and goodness go hand-in-hand. Love engenders joy, which brings peace and a desire to be gentle towards the one loved. Thus, Paul is certainly accurate in his transmission of the Holy Spirit’s message as the fruit of the Spirit is one (singular), having many manifestations, all of which are consistent with the other. In fact, bearing the fruit of the Spirit is an “all or nothing” proposition. You cannot grow half an orange, can you? Nor can you grow an orange a section at a time. Even when immature, a growing orange will evidence the presence of each section.”

About THE DISCIPLE

William H. “Bill” Hicks is a graduate of Wesleyan University, BA, Religion, 1971 who also holds a Masters in Public Health Degree (MPH) from the University of Oklahoma Hudson College of Public Health (1973). Bill also has studied at the Dallas Theological Seminary. He grew up in Harlem, New York City, USA during the 1950s and 1960s, graduating from high school before attending Mount Hermon Preparatory School and undergraduate school in Connecticut. He has spent most of his professional life in the public health arena, while being constantly in ministry. He received his license to preach the Gospel at Oklahoma City, OK in 1971. He has written extensively on Christian topics. He enjoys life in Chattanooga, TN with former District Public Defender Ardena Garth Hicks, his wife of 30 years. They have two daughters, Rachel (BA, University of Memphis magna cum laude, 2014) and Sarah (Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, Global Scholar, University of Tulsa, 2017).

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