The goal of our teaching
In 1 Timothy, chapter 1, Paul begins the instruction of his young student in the ministry, by reminding him of the true goal of our teaching. It's important for us, as believers, to remember what we are trying to attain. Paul wraps it up in a neat little package here.

First, he says that the goal of our teaching is "love from a pure heart". A pure heart, which has been cleansed by the blood of Christ, has the capacity to love in a way that is often unexplainable. It's this love, God's love, residing inside of us, that makes it possible for us to love the unloveable, to love those who have hurt us, and to love those who oppose God.

Second, Paul says that the goal of our teaching is to have "a good conscience". A heart that is pure leads to a mind that is pure, and a mind that is pure leads to a good conscience. Paul taught us in Romans 12 to not "be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God."

Third, Paul tells us that the goal of our teaching is to have "a sincere faith". There are plenty of people today pretending to be something they are not. The world is saturated with these people. What God is looking for in His people is sincerity, and not just sincerity in the sense of well-meaning, but sincerity in the sense of living-proof. God has a higher standard for believers, and we need to live up to it.

Live up to it today!

Bro. Dave

The easy way out
The last segment of Paul's letter to the Galatian believers unmasks a common problem in the church of yesterday that is still present in the church of today. It's the desire to find the easy way out. Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying that we should all seek to be martyrs, but we should certainly not water-down our faith in order to avoid conflict.

In chapter 6, verse 12, Paul writes about those who compelled others to be circumcised, or try to make a good showing in the flesh, to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Folks, the reality of being a believer is that we do not have the right to seek the easy way out to avoid persecution. Never be willing to compromise your faith to avoid persecution.

In verse 14, Paul tells us that his only boasting will be done because of the cross of Christ, not because of anything that he has done. This too should be our attitude. We have nothing in and of ourselves to boast in, except that we are instruments in the hand of God.

In verse 15, Paul re-tells the resounding truth that he has been communicating throughout this letter, that all that matters is the new creation in Christ jesus. The works of the flesh don't amount to anything. As a matter of fact, the very best that we can do, in the flesh, is counted as "filthy rags" in the eyes of God. Does this mean that we should not strive to do things for God? On the contrary, it simply means that we need to always be mindful that it is God who works in us and through us to accomplish His purposes.

Have a Blessed day!

Bro. Dave

Sowing and reaping
In Galatians, Chapter 6, verses 6-10, Paul writes to us about the reality of reaping what we sow, and our attitude toward doing good.

In verse 7, He tells us that whatever a man sows, that is what he will reap. I often meet people who have the mistaken notion that just because they have asked the Lord to forgive them for some sort of sin, that they are no longer responsible to suffer the consequences of that sin. Friends, we need to understand that sin has consequences, and that if we choose to sin, we must be prepared to deal with the consequences.

So Paul gives us some great advice. In verse 9, he tells us to never tire of doing good. Doing the right thing is always the right thing to do.

He also says that we should look for opportunities to work for the good of all, those who do not know Jesus, because we can be a witness to them, and those who are of "the household of faith", because they are our brothers and sisters.

Live for Him today!

Bro. Dave

Our responsibility to a fallen brother (or sister)
In Galatians, chapter 6, verses 1 and 2, Paul gives us some insight to our responsibility to our fellow believers who have been "caught in any wrongdoing.

Let me preface our discussion this morning with this statement - Any of us are subject to be "caught in any wrongdoing". I think that we sometimes look down upon other believers who have made mistakes and i think sometimes our attitude is, "i knew it would happen" or, "I knew they would mess up".

But Paul tells us that we who are spiritual (Greek for "being governed by the Holy Spirit) are to attempt to restore that person with a gentle spirit. We must remember that following Christ means following the way that He lived, and He could be found, time and time again, restoring those who had fallen. We should do the same.

But Paul doesn't stop there. He also reminds us that it is our responsibility to assist with the load-bearing of our fellow believers. Ours is not a faith of seclusion, it is a faith of inclusion, and we that are spiritual should bear one anothers burdens. There is no better feeling in a time of crisis, than to know that you have someone that you can lean heavily upon.

Have a great day!

Bro. Dave

The Improper Practices of the Flesh
At the end of Galatians, chapter 5, in verse 19-26, Paul outlines the improper practices that the flesh causes us to be involved in, and then the spiritual fruit that will overcome these practices. Pay close attention to Paul's words.

The improper practices of the flesh are grouped in four distinctive sets, morality, faith, people, and conduct. Let's look at each one.

1. Morality - Pauls writes in verse 19 about morality issues. Sexual immorality, moral impurity and promiscuity, all prevalent problems in our culture today. What's the answer? Look at verses 22 and 23, the spiritual fruit that overcomes these problems is love. Love for God and love for others causes us to flee from the lusts of the flesh.

2. Faith - Paul writes that idolatry and sorcery are problems that we have to deal with, as well. Today, more than ever, people are putting many things before their relationship with God, and when that happens, that's idolatry. We also see nay people who are seeking answers to spiritual questions outside of the counsel of God. Both of these are dangerous places to be and Paul tells us in verses 22 and 23 again , that joy, faith and goodness overcome idolatry and sorcery.

3. People - How we treat others is important to God. Paul writes that hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions and envy are not pleasing to God. The way to battle these issues is the peace, patience, kindness and gentleness (verses 22 and 23).

4. Conduct - How we conduct ourselves is also important to our Heavenly Father. Drunkenness, carousing and things similar often lead to the other issues that we discussed above. God's answer...self-control.

the great thing about God is that He has provided us with ways to deal with the flesh. We simply have to decide that we are going to do things His way!

Have a great day!

Bro. Dave

Walking, Warring and Winning
Today, in Galatians, chapter 5, verses 16-18, Paul gives us an outline of the war between the Spirit and the flesh.

The Proper Walk - In verse 16, Paul tells us about how we are to live our lives before God. He tells us that if we walk by the Spirit, under the complete and total influence of the Spirit, we will not carry out the desires of the flesh. Does this mean that we will live sinless lives? Not likely, but it does mean that we don't have to dwell in defeat, either.

The Present War - In verse 17, Paul speaks of the contiual war that rages in each and every person, the war between the Spirit and the flesh. He makes it very clear that the desires of the Spirit (that's the Holy Spirit), are completely opposite to the desires of the flesh (that's your sin nature), and this conflict causes us to not do what we want to do.

The Promised Win - In verse 18, thank God there is a win promised to all those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, who have made Him Lord of their lives, and who are led by the Spirit of God. The bible tells us that the bondage we were in, we are no longer in, that Christ has freed us from the bondage that sin had us in. Praise be to God, who sets us free in Christ Jesus!

In Christ,

Bro. Dave

Running Well
In Galatians, chapter 5, verses 7-115, Paul calls on believers to recognize several things:

First, he calls on them to recognize that their desire to stray from the truth does not come from Christ, but from their flesh. God never leads us to disobey His Word. Everything that God prompts us to do will be in line with the teaching of scripture. There are many people today who try to justify their actions by incorrectly applying scripture to what they are doing. But Paul reminds us that "this persuasion did not come from Him who called you".

Second, Paul emphasizes the fact that those who "trouble" the work of God will pay the penalty for their actions. There are many groups today that stand against the church, and her purposes, and the reality is that those who are "troubling" the church "will pay the penalty".

Finally, Paul stresses the importance of not using our freedom in Christ "as an opportunity for the flesh". In other words, do not seek self-gratification, "but serve one another through love".

Stay close to the truth, don't "trouble" the work of God, serve one another.

Great biblical instruction.

Have a Christ-centered day!

Bro. Dave

What matters most
Galatians, chapter 5, verses 1-6.

In todays passage, Paul is reminding the Galatian Christians, once again, to focus on the grace of God as the catalyst for the things they do, not the law of Moses.

He reminds them that Christ has liberated us into freedom. Therefore, we should be careful not to submit to the yoke of bondage that people often try to put on us. Liberty does not mean license, but liberty gives us the freedom to live our lives as Christians in a way that is not free from structure, but free from bondage. No longer do we have to keep the feasts and festivals of the Old Testament law. We have freedom in Christ.

He also reminds them that to attempt to be justified(made acceptable) by the law results in the Grace of God having no effect on our lives. Pauls statement 'fallen from grace' does not mean that you can lose your salvation, it means that when we try to add things to the grace of God, it makes God's grace of no effect in our lives, because we return to the bondage of the things that we try to add.

Paul finishes this segment of scripture by telling us that "what matters is faith working through love".

Have a blessed day!

Bro. Dave

Children of promise
In Galatians, chapter 4, verse 21-31, Paul again reminds the Galatian Christians that they are no longer under the bondage of the law, but they have been set free by faith in Jesus Christ.

Don't misunderstand, when I say that they(we) are no longer under the bondage of the law, it does not mean that we are not bound to observe the laws of the land, two different things here. It means that the guardianship position that the law held has been replaced by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Now, we who have been born again, are no longer guided by the law, but by the moving of the Spirit of God inside us.

Paul gives the illustration of the children of the slave versus the children of the free woman. Now that we live under the dispensation of grace, we are no longer children of bondage, but we are children of the promise. I know it's a little hard to get your mind around sometimes, but it's worth the trouble to do an in-depth study of the book of Galatians, because it outlines our freedom in Christ.

Paul ends the chapter with the words, "Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman."

John 8 34-36 - 34 Jesus responded, " I assure you: Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. 36 Therefore if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.

Friends, our freedom is found in Christ Jesus , and in Him alone!

Live for Him today!

Bro. Dave

Paul's burden for the Galatians
In Galatians, chapter 4, verses 8-20, Paul pours his heart out to the Galatian believers to not be led astray by the false teaching that swirled around them.

He told them in verse 11 that he feared that his labor had been wasted on them, because they were more concerned with 'looking spiritual' by "observing special days, months, seasons, and years, than they were with 'being spiritual' by living obedient, pleasing lives before the Lord.

I thnk we would do well to take a look at our own lives in light of this passage. Are we just doing our best to 'look spiritual', or have we committed ourselves to 'being spiritual'? Out world today needs believers who are genuine, without agendas (except for God's), and who truly love serving God.

This is the mark of what Paul called having "Christ formed in you". Here's the question. Is Christ formed in you?

Honor Him today!

Bro. Dave