Posts

The Foundation of our Faith

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Deuteronomy 32-34; 1 Corinthians 2   “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:4, 5 We reproduce who we are. We can only give to others what we ourselves have received. Paul had the theological training to use wise and persuasive words in laying the foundation for the church in Corinth, yet he chose not to. Rather, Paul relied daily on the living presence of Jesus within him by the Holy Spirit to demonstrate Christ’s power to deliver, heal, and forgive. Seekers in Corinth experienced the presence of Jesus before they understood all the truths of God’s Word. Their faith rested on God’s presence and power to change their lives. In a generation that is asking if God is real, rather than whether God’s Word is true, this is important. If we bring our experience in the living Christ through the power of the Spirit, we, too, wi...
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The Gift of Humility

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Deuteronomy 30-31; Psalms 40; 1 Corinthians 1   “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 The Lord loves humility! The Lord deliberately chooses the foolish, weak, lowly, and despised things of this world as recipients of his grace and a testimony to his saving power. Why these dramatic testimonies? – “…so that no one may boast before him” (1 Corinthians 1:29). Our continual dependency on the Lord for all things, not just our salvation, is God’s best for us in Christ. The momentum in church multiplication is not coming from the wealthy, educated West; but rather, from the ‘margins’ of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It is the poor who are becoming rich in salvation. It is those without proper medical care who are ...
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Restore Gently

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Deuteronomy 28-29; Galatians 6   “Brothers [and sisters], if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1, 2 The law of Christ was that we would love one another as Christ has loved us. This love is tested when our brother or sister is caught in a sin. Our tendency can be to judge that person, gossip about them, or separate ourselves from them. Instead, Paul calls us to gently restore that person to right relationship with God and others. We restore one another gently because we recognize sin’s deception, our own vulnerability to temptation, and Christ’s incredible mercy and gentleness toward us. When we walk with each other in this ministry of restoration and soul care, we are carrying each other’s burdens to the feet of Jesus and inviting Christ to heal, cleanse, free, and restore. This ministry of caring fo...
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Freedom

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Deuteronomy 25-27; Galatians 5   “You, my brothers [and sisters], were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” Galatians 5:13 Paul contrasted the freedom of God’s family to serve one another in love to the freedom to indulge our sinful nature (the flesh). Freedom is not the absence of all restraint; but rather, it is the power to do what is right and good. Indulging the sinful nature leads to habits, addictions, and misery. The power of the Spirit gives us freedom to humble ourselves and serve others with love. Loving God and our neighbor becomes our focus, rather than indulging our own wants. We were called to be free. Are we living this kind of freedom? What indulgences do we need freedom from? Will we humble ourselves before the Lord and invite his deliverance, forgiveness, and freedom so our heart is light and full of the Spirit’s love, joy, and peace? The fruit of the Spirit describes freedom, while the a...
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How God’s Family Multiplies

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Deuteronomy 22-24; Galatians 4   “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now…God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba Father’. So you are no longer a slave, but God’s son…” Galatians 4:19, 20, 6, 7 Paul used family images to describe the identity of the Galatian disciples of Christ as God’s children. We have the Spirit of the Son, Jesus Christ, indwelling us through the Holy Spirit. We have intimacy with our holy father God through Christ. However, Paul goes deeper and describes his role as the Galatian church planter - like a birthing mother. The pains of childbirth, like ‘intercession-travail,’ marked the birth of the church. Paul was in intercession-pain as he called them to Christ.   He was contending for Christ to be “formed in you.” Have we, like the Galatians, been birthed into the family of God by a spiritual mother or father? Are we birthing o...
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Curse Broken

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Deuteronomy 19-21; Galatians 3   “If man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.” Deuteronomy 21:22, 23 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” Galatians 3:13 The penalty of sin is death. God’s law required those guilty of intentionally taking another life to be killed by hanging. This public death communicated God’s curse on those guilty of taking another person’s life. Jesus took our penalty for our sin by becoming a curse for us through his death on a cross. He atoned for defiling sins which pollute our land. God’s answer to the bloodguilt which has defiled every nation through the shedding of innocent blood is the blood of ...
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Life in Christ

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Deuteronomy 16-18; Psalms 38; Galatians 2   “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:19, 20 There are many ‘shadow-missions’ we can pursue in life, rather than finding our life in God and his inheritance for our lives. Paul’s religious upbringing as an observant Jew meant that the Mosaic Law was where he looked for life until he met Jesus Christ. In entering into Christ’s death and resurrection, Paul gave us the key to finding life in Christ. This path of death, resurrection, and life can be ours. Will we die to our false self which trusts in religious performance, good deeds, and being nice, and invite Christ to live through us? Life in Christ requires daily faith that Jesus’ loving presence in us is enough. “Lord Jesus, live in me and through me, for your glory...
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