No Other Gospel...

Paul in this week's passage used some very powerful choice words in speaking with the churches in Galatia. In part two of his salutation, he offers a warning against a false gospel.

 According to Barna Research “One of the most frequently used phrases in Christian circles is "the gospel." What is amazing is that very few adults can actually define what this term means. It could either refer to its literal translation, "good news;" or to the perspective that salvation is available only through the sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ and a person’s acceptance of Christ as their savior.

Among born-again Christians, only 60% correctly identified at least one meaning of “the gospel.” We see that the problem goes even deeper though in that we are facing a Biblically illiterate culture. Research shows fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Many Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples. Finally, 60 % of Americans can't name even five of the Ten Commandments. These are but a handful of the stats that are out there. 

This week we start to see the core of this letter in that the people at Galatia have turned away from the life-changing truth of God’s word to a false gospel. 

Paul’s message for us is that the real gospel stands alone, it doesn’t need any additions because it alone is what guides us to saving faith in Christ. The gospel alone is what brings about life change. Thus perverting or distorting the gospel is proven detrimental.

Paul is telling the churches if anyone including himself comes in and preaches a new gospel drag them out by their hair and let them be damned. Ouch...

Then he begins the transition to the next paragraph in verse ten which happens to be one of my favorite passages. Such wise words to live by.

Check it out for yourself – Hope to see you Sunday!

Galatians 1:6-10 

(6) I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from Him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— (7) not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to change the good news about the Messiah. (8) But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! (9) As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!

(10) For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.

The Freedom of Grace

Short post this week as we are getting ready to start a new series working our way through the book of Galatians. Over the next 15 week's we will be looking to redefine everything using the gospel of Jesus Christ as our cipher. As we lay our foundation this week in Galatians 1:1-5 we see some critical information needed for us to construct the filter which we will use in living our lives. 

"Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me: To the churches of Galatia.

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. To whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

(Galatians 1:1-5)

In these first five verses, we see our author (Paul, an apostle). We recognize the authority by which he writes (not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father). We see Paul's Associates  (all the brothers who are with me). We also see the audience (the churches of Galatia). Verses 3-5 provide further insight with Pauls asperation (Grace to you and peace) and Christ's sacrifice (who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age). Finally, the need for our submission to God's sovereignty in our salvation (according to the will of our God and Father).

Who would have thought there would be that much packed into these five short verses! We will be digging in with more detail this Sunday. I hope you will join us as we walk this journey together! 

See you Sunday! 

Faith that Prays

This week we close out our 12 week series in the book of James looking at James 5:13-20.

I love how James starts off this section, keep in mind he knows exactly what they are going through so these questions are more rhetorical in nature – James is saying if you are suffering? PRAY! Are you happy? PRAY! Are you sick? PRAY!

James is reminding us that our first response should always be God, upward…

Prayer is not measured by its length—it is measured by its depth. It has been said that faith moves mountains, but prayer moves God…

Unfortunately, all too often He is not our first response… we seek to find comfort from other people, or we try to take things into our own hands… Think about it... You should be so in love with God that your first instinct in the good times and the bad is to call out to him... 

For many Christians, the extent of their prayer life is at the dinner table. “Good food, Good meat, Good God, let’s eat...” And you know what the devil doesn’t mind those types of prayers, because they go nowhere. Just empty words uttered in ritual...

If we want to be effective-if we want to experience something powerful…it comes through prayer.  And James says, stop and pray! The person you need to talk to is God!

“The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” (James 5:16b)

You know when you are just madly in love with someone and you have good news, and you want to tell them… or if you’ve got bad news, you want to tell them first… That’s the idea behind what James is saying… the idea that God is supposed to be the very center, the core of your life…

Simply put, if I’m going through a trial, I should come before Him, before anyone else… and if things are great I am to just immediately burst out in praise because I realize it all came from Him… When it comes to trials and difficult times, we often tend to throw in the towel before we throw up our prayers.

Isn’t it amazing that our prayers can move the heart of God who created the universe?

…so let’s talk about prayer… See ya Sunday! 

Concerning Patience

We live in an on demand society... Want to watch a certain movie? Not to worry, open up any number of streaming services, pay a few bucks and you have your movie... No movie rental store, no need to have a huge stack of VHS or DVDs laying around...

Likewise, want to research a topic? Just pull out the phone, pick up the iPad, or open the computer up and ask Siri or Google depending on your preference... In 10 minutes on the computer you can amass more data than you could in a week in the library...

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking these things... None of these things are problems on their own but what they and numerous other things just like it have cost us is the ability to wait. We have lost the discipline of patience....

James addresses the need for patience in this weeks passage 5:7-12... He gives us two little words that bring us so much trouble... "be patient..." 

Therefore, brothers, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.

Brothers, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!

Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

Now above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. Your “yes” must be “yes,” and your “no” must be “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment.

Twice in verse 7, once in 8 and 10 and then verse 11 talks about enduring which comes as a result of patience it is pretty clear what the theme of these four verses is... Our need to "be patient" until the Lord comes....  

James gives us three great examples in the farmer, the prophet, and the Lord's servant Job. Hope to see you on Sunday as we will spend time looking at each of these in more detail. 

However, I want to leave you a nugget to chew on til then...  In each of these pictures of patience we are called not just to wait upon the Lord but also to honor the Lord in what we do while we wait.

What are you doing while you wait?   

See ya Sunday!