What Is a Disciple? Here is the short answer: someone who lives like Jesus. 

“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” —Galatians 2:20

What would it look like if Jesus lived your life?

Not in some metaphorical, “What Would Jesus Do?” kind of way—but truly took over your thoughts, your tone of voice, your internet history, your relationships, your calendar, your bank account. What if His priorities became your instincts? What if His character slowly and quietly took over your life, not through force, but through union?

Here’s the good news: that is exactly what He intends.

A disciple is not someone who just tries really hard to act like Jesus. A disciple is someone who is learning to want what Jesus wants and to do what Jesus would do—because Jesus is actually living inside them.

That’s not poetic language. That’s reality.

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” —Colossians 1:27

When we’re connected to Him, we begin to bear fruit. Not because we’re forcing it—but because we’re becoming rooted in Him.

The Fruit of the Spirit: Nine Signs You’re Growing

Jesus said, “Make the tree good, and its fruit will be good” (Matthew 12:33). The apostle Paul gave us a vision of what that fruit looks like in Galatians 5:22–23. This isn’t a checklist for spiritual superstars—it’s a snapshot of what begins to grow in ordinary people who walk with Jesus over time.

Let’s walk through each one, and along the way, see what it looks like in the real world.

1. Love

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” —John 13:35

Love is the foundation of everything else. Not sentiment. Not surface kindness. Not politeness. Real love is sacrificial, costly, and persistent. It moves toward people, not away. It includes enemies, not just friends.

Illustration: Corrie ten Boom forgave a Nazi guard

Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch Christian, survived the horrors of a concentration camp after helping Jews escape the Nazis. Years later, while speaking at a church in Germany, she was approached by a former SS guard who had worked at Ravensbrück—the very camp where her sister Betsie had died. He told her he had become a Christian and asked for her forgiveness.

Corrie froze. Hatred welled up. She didn’t want to forgive.

But then she remembered Jesus’ words: “Forgive as I have forgiven you.” She later wrote, “Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.”

She extended her hand and forgave the man who had caused her so much pain. That’s not human strength. That’s fruit.

2. Joy

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” —Nehemiah 8:10

Joy isn’t giddiness. It’s not ignoring grief. It’s a deep well of gladness in the presence of God, even when life is hard.

Illustration: Richard Wurmbrand singing in prison

Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian pastor, was imprisoned for 14 years for preaching Christ. He was beaten and tortured. He was locked in a tiny cell. And yet, Wurmbrand said he and other prisoners would sing at night. The guards would beat them for singing, so they would smile and say, “Now we have something more to offer our Lord.”

Joy that sings in prison is not circumstantial. That’s fruit.

3. Peace

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” —Isaiah 26:3

Peace isn’t just the absence of noise or conflict. It’s a sense of settled trust that God is in control—even when you’re not.

Illustration: Horatio Spafford wrote 'It Is Well' after tragedy

In 1873, Horatio Spafford lost all four of his daughters in a shipwreck. His wife survived and sent a telegram: “Saved alone.” As Spafford sailed to meet her, he penned the hymn “It Is Well with My Soul”—not after healing, but in the midst of heartbreak.

“When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll...
It is well, it is well with my soul.”

That’s not denial. That’s deep peace. That’s fruit.

4. Patience

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” —Ephesians 4:2

Patience means you can wait—without resenting the wait. It means you don’t explode when things don’t go your way.

Illustration: Abraham Lincoln and Edwin Stanton

Edwin Stanton called Abraham Lincoln a “gorilla” and a “clown.” But Lincoln later appointed him Secretary of War because he believed Stanton was the best man for the job. Lincoln endured Stanton’s insults with grace. Later, Stanton stood at Lincoln’s deathbed and said, “Now he belongs to the ages.”

That’s patience. That’s fruit.

5. Kindness

Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Kindness is grace in action. It notices people. It blesses without asking for return.

Illustration: Fred Rogers and Jeff Erlanger

In a famous episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Fred Rogers welcomed a young boy in a wheelchair named Jeff Erlanger. They talked honestly about disability and sang together. Rogers' kindness was gentle, unscripted, real.

Years later, when Rogers was inducted into the TV Hall of Fame, Jeff surprised him onstage. Rogers wept. The world saw what discipleship looks like when it moves at the speed of kindness.