In the Book of Galatians, Paul presents to the people of Galatia a message of grace and love, a message that commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves and walk in the newness of life.
Paul urges his brothers and sisters in Christ with this simple message. True freedom came with a cost, the cost of the life of Jesus. And, true freedom will require us to also lose a life(not physically, but spiritually). When you hear the phrase, "die to the flesh," it may be difficult to understand exactly what that means. In Galatians 5, Paul makes it clear to us what this phrase means. When we are water baptized in Jesus name and receive the Holy Spirit, we die to the flesh and become a new person in Christ. Our flesh includes many different things: jealousy, hatred, selfishness, among others sins. We all know that we would be here all day if we tried to make such a list. However, Paul's message is a message of grace and love! When the Holy Spirit lives inside of us, these old things(sins) will pass away. It does not mean that we will no longer struggle, but it does mean that we have been given a new life, and from that new life, the fruits of the Spirit will will shine into all the earth. And, then, that fruit will multiply. Our memory verse this week comes from Galatians 5:13. "It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows." (MSG) With the freedom that God has given us, it does not mean that we can then go about our days and do whatever we want, whispering under our breath that God can forgive us later. No, instead, it means that with this freedom and new life, we are to love our neighbors and live differently, a life that portrays Jesus living on the inside. In Galatians 5:22-23, it states, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (NKJV) As we live in the freedom that is found in Christ, may we continually pray that the fruits of the Spirit be exhibited in our life. The fruits of the Spirit are not forced. Instead, they will come through the relationship that you have with Jesus Christ. As you continue to grow in Him, you will experience His freedom more and more with each passing day, no matter what comes your way.
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by Nick Guzman
In Acts 19, Paul travels to Ephesus where he finds certain disciples who had not received the full message of the gospel - only knowing the baptism of John. Paul teaches these twelve men about Jesus and “the Way” and they are open to receiving this revelation. “ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:5-6). These men help Paul to spread the gospel to the entire province of Asia in just over two years! Paul stayed in Ephesus to preach for three months in the synagogues, but many people were not open to the gospel of Jesus. He eventually leaves the synagogues, and teaches daily in the school of Tyrannus for two years. God confirmed the gospel message with powerful encounters and miraculous demonstrations. “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them” (Acts 19:11-12). In these confrontations with evil, God decisively manifests his power and His Way overrules all lesser authorities that are contrary to Him. Towards the end of the chapter, Paul sends Timotheus and Erastus to Macedonia while he stays in Asia for a little while longer. Paul meets Demetrius, a silversmith in Ephesus, who raises an uproar against Paul. This riot is described as a “great disturbance about the Way.” Sometimes Christians can use the legal system to protect them from unfair treatment. “ The city clerk quieted the crowd and said:..If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.’ After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly” (Acts 19:35,39-41). Paul may have used his amiable relationship with city officials to escape from the immediate threat of an angry mob, but we can see a change in the government of Ephesus as a result Paul’s preaching. God worked greatly in Ephesus, but so did the devil. This may be one reason why Paul wrote specifically about the spiritual battle each Christian faces against the powers of darkness in his letter to the Ephesians. This chapter in Acts teaches us an important lesson: when the church has true revival then the society-at-large will have a bold movement of worldly attitudes and beliefs. We should not be surprised during times of spiritual revival if the devil shows up knowing that his time is short. As I read Matthew 27, I was reminded of a song by Travis Greene, called "You Gave it All." If you have Spotify, or YouTube, or iTunes, you should definitely give the song a listen this week! The bridge of the song goes like this: "You left heaven just to get me there with you, You left heaven just to get me, You gave it all for me, Now I'm free to live for you."
This is what Matthew 27 is all about. In the beginning of the chapter, Judas recognizes that he has betrayed an innocent man. He returns all of the silver that he had attained, realizing that riches and popularity with the crowd were worth absolutely nothing in the end. The next scene is an intense one. Pilate looks Jesus in the face and asks him one simple question. "Are you the King of the Jews?" His answer is simple, but profound, a statement that reveals that He is not only the King of the Jews, but the God of Israel, the Lord of Lords. He reveals himself in the same way that God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush. Jesus answers, "I AM." He is the Great I AM of our lives and can be whatever we need Him to be: Provider, Healer, Father, Friend, the list goes on. However, this "I AM" statement is one of the most powerful of all as his response indicates that He is to be the Saviour of our lives. As Pilate questions Jesus once again and false accusations are thrown in his face, Jesus remains silent. I don't know about you, but when someone accuses me of doing something that I did not, I become quite frustrated and do everything in my power to reveal that I did not do what that person is accusing me of. Jesus, on the other hand, responded in silence. Why? Simple. He left heaven to get you and I there. He took the punishment and the false accusations, so that one day, when we are accused of the things that we did do, Jesus can wrap us in His arms with the covering of His blood and silence the crowd. We should never take the cross for granted. Read Matthew 27. Stripped of His clothes, brutally beaten, His body unrecognizable, His face covered in blood, carried the heavy cross to his deathbed. Before He even arrived at Golgotha, He should have been dead. Hanging on a cross, His body appeared to be inhumane. His nakedness was an act of humiliation. He appeared to be no more than dirt. As Jesus drew his last breath, the Temple curtain was ripped in two. In the entirety of the Bible, this is one of my favorite scenes for it symbolizes that you and I can now freely enter into the Holy Place with the Great I AM. In the temple, only the high priest was allowed to enter beyond the veil, but as Jesus took his last breath and did what He had left heaven to do, the new covenant took place between God and man. Wow. What a chapter. This week, take the time to meditate on this chapter, to read it aloud and thank God that He gave it all for you and I. This week, we are reading through Genesis 22. I don't know about you, but as I read this familiar story, I began to realize something: Abraham had a crazy lot of faith.
Isaac was Abraham's pride and joy, his beloved son. There is no greater love than between a parent and a child. And, God asked Abraham to do the unthinkable. God asked for a sacrifice. Not a $5 in the offering sacrifice, but a sacrifice that tested Abraham like never before. God asked for his son. God wondered, "Abraham, do you trust me? Do you really trust me with all that you are?" That kind of trust requires a relationship, a really strong relationship that is built upon a solid foundation of faith. Have you ever done the trust fall with your friends? You stand there, either terrified or completely at ease, as you fall back into your friend's arms. With a knife in hand, he is about to kill his only sun, the craziest of all trust falls. Right before he does, God speaks to Abraham. Not only does he provide a ram for the offering, but He goes on to tell Abraham that he will be blessed due to His faith. God wants us to be at ease as we fall back and trust Him with all that we are. We must learn not to lean on our own understanding. We must acknowledge that the omniscient God of the universe knows best. There are times in our lives that things don't make sense. Life is hard, that's without a doubt. However, God is calling and asking us, "Do you have faith like Abraham?" Abraham's faith is a crazy kind of faith. Yet, we, too, thousands of years later can have that kind of faith. Pray for faith and seek faith through the Word of God. After reading Genesis 22, my faith has definitely been encouraged. I hope yours is as well. "Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” Genesis 22:13-14 Have you ever wondered, "God, are you really there?" "Are you actually listening to my prayers?" Sometimes, we sit down to pray and it sort of feels like we are just speaking to the white wall sitting in front of us. If you have every felt any of these things, you are not alone. We have all been there.
In Jeremiah 29:13, it states, "And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." When we pray, the Scriptures say that we will find Him when we search for Him with ALL off our hearts. Not-half of our heart, not even 99% of our heart, but ALL of our heart. So, the next question is this: How do I search for God with all of my heart? God desires our FULL attention. This might mean putting down the remote, the iPad, the cell phone, or whatever else it might be for a little while. Have you ever gone to great heights to get something that you really wanted? That's how God wants us to approach Him. And, the best part is that you are guaranteed all of Him if you give all of you. God makes it very clear that we must desire and seek Him with all off our heart, above all other things. And, the first step towards seeking Him with all of your heart is seeking Him in faith. Faith is the key to a relationship with God. Without it, we would continue to stare at the white blank wall, believing that in fact He doesn't hear our prayers. But, He does. He hears you, and He wants you to know this absolute truth, just as the Psalmist writes: "Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath." Psalms 116:2 The greatest way to increase your faith today is to read the Bible. It sounds simple, but it's true. Romans 10:17 says 'Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." And, with a spoonful of faith, you'll begin to knock on God's door, knowing that He is the same God who answered Jonah when he was in the belly of the whale, the same God who heard Daniel in the lion's den, and the same God who heard David as he played his harp. He's listening to you and I today. Continue to seek Him with all of your heart and as you draw nearer unto Him, you will begin to see the Scriptures come to life. by Nick Guzman The passage of scripture in this week’s G52 is Psalm 139. This passage is about how God is everywhere and how He knows where we are at all times of the day, no matter what is going on. This Psalm is a prayer to God to examine our hearts and find out our true devotion to Him. The message that this Psalm conveys is that God knows us and loves us in an intensely personal way. At various points in the Psalm, the writer talks about his deep relationship with God which mirrors our own connection with God. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. The Psalmist who wrote this passage is not trying to hide or evade God in any way, he is just amplifying that God’s knowledge is above human ability. Another implication that the Psalmist makes is that God’s discernment can never be limited because He is sovereign over the entire universe. The Psalmist also praises God and gives God thanks for giving him a unique awareness of His presence. In knowing these things, we have confidence that God has a specific purpose for all of us. We can create our own song of praise about His love and concern for us because He knows and cares about all of the details of our life. Poem by Crishawna and Caleb Easley Who do we serve? We serve the King of Kings The Lord of Lords The Giver of Salvation Who do we serve? We serve the Holy One The Perfect One All knowing God Who do we serve? We serve He who knows beginning to end The God who heals our every sickness And delivers us from evil Who restores our broken heart And wipes our every tear Who do we serve? We serve the King The bright and morning star The ruler of all the nations The giver of salvation The godhead three in one The Father, Spirit, Son We serve JESUS Thank you, Crishawna and Caleb for sharing your heart. I echo their words and am thankful to know that the One that we serve is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And, what a beautiful treasure it is to find that this Almighty King left His throne and robed Himself in flesh so that you and I may enter into an awesome relationship with Him.
Take a moment and ask yourself: "Who do we serve?" When you begin to answer that question, as found in the poem above, you can't help but be in absolute awe of the King that we serve and His name is Jesus. |
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November 2016
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