“I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?”
Galatians 3:2
- With this post I want to explore the Spirit and what it means to receive the Spirit.
- There are 3 Greek prepositions concerning the Holy Spirit which are important to know: Para (With), En (In), Epi (Upon). The Holy Spirit is with us before we are saved. We know this because the Spirit convicts us of sin and draws us to God. (But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt [fn] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.- John 16:7-11). When we are saved the Holy Spirit came in us. (And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-to the praise of his glory.-Ephesians 1:13). Baptism of the Holy Spirit is when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Now there are so many verses where the Holy Spirit comes upon someone, that if I were to write them out this post would be huge so I will write out a few and list the rest. (But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."-Acts 1:8)
- Luke 3:21-22, Acts 2:4, Acts 8:14-17, Acts 9:17, Acts 10:44-46, Acts 19:1-7.
- Some believe you must speak in tongues to be truly baptized by the Holy Spirit.While this is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, not all of the verses listed above resulted in that particular gift. Some resulted in no immediate gift at all!
- Gifts of the Holy Spirit according to: Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, and 1 Peter 4:10-11
- Prophecy, Serving, Teaching, Encouraging, Helping Others, Leadership, Mercy, Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miraculous Powers, Distinguishing Spirits, Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues, and Boldness.
- I want to share how the Holy Spirit effected my life. When I graduated fifth grade, my Grandpa got me a guitar. After realizing you can’t just pick up a guitar and play it, it sat in the corner of my room being used as something to hang my clothes on. A few years later, a friend taught me my first chord and suddenly I began growing in my knowledge of guitar. The guy leading worship at a men's study moved away so I began playing guitar (The same 1 song every week) but I was terrified of singing so I didn’t. I was then invited to go to a worship leaders conference at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. During the final teaching, the pastor discussed baptism of the Holy Spirit. I knew that was something I want but I felt the Lord tell me to wait until I got back home. The day after coming back, it was the Men’s bible study night. The men laid hands on me and I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. I must confess I was still scared to sing. My Dad says I turned to him and said “Dad I can’t do this!” and he replied “You don’t have to anymore. The Holy Spirit will.” That was the first night I ever sang in front of a group. Since then the Holy Spirit has been growing my gift of worship.
- 3 Random things about the Holy Spirit:The Holy Spirit was present during creation- Genesis 1:2
- What the Spirit’s job description is:Our Comforter/Testifies of God-John 15:26
- "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for [fn] a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"- Luke 11:9-13
The Holy Spirit is the author of prophecy- 2 Peter 1:21
The Holy Spirit resurrected Jesus- Romans 8:11
Convicts us of sin-John 16:8-11
Intercedes for us-Romans 8:26-27
Reveals the things of God- 1 Corinthians 2:12-14
“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified” Galatians 3:1
· The word Paul uses here for foolish is not “Moros” which means someone who is mentally deficient. He uses “Anoetos” which means someone who can think but fails to use their power of perception. Perception is understanding so basically Paul was saying God had shown Himself to the Galatians through Jesus being crucified before their very eyes, but they were choosing to ignore understanding and believe that they could be saved by the law.
· I think we can take comfort in the fact that living by faith was hard at times, even for those who had seen Christ crucified. Even the people who had been around him and maybe even touched him, they were struggling with their faith when trials came up.
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” 1 Peter 1:6-8
The Galatians were having a crisis of faith. It was do or die time. Paul was saying “You can’t live on the fence between God and the Law.” Trials like what the Galatians were going through, a conflict between what they knew was right and what they had know their whole lives, trials like that come to build our faith, not tear it down.
· Throughout the Bible, there are verses that really show how powerful our faith can be.
· “He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20
· “Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.” Matthew 21:21
· Our faith is powerful! Trials don’t keep us from it, but make it stronger!
· “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1.
· “We live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7
· “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.” –Martin Luther King JR. There are things we won’t know until we stand before God. But we have the word. And that’s the step. And we have faith that this step leads somewhere. It would be foolish of me to NOT believe this. We have all seen God work in our lives and so our faith is acting upon that and taking the first step.
“But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified."But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness [comes] through the law, then Christ died in vain."
Galatians 2:14-21
- So basically Paul is saying “Why are you trying to put the Gentiles under the yoke of bondage, under Judaism, when you yourself have been set free?” “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."-Matthew 11:29-30 A relationship isn’t binding. It’s freeing! His burden is light if you are willing to learn.
- Peter’s problem was pride. He was worried about how the Jews from Jerusalem would view him if he was hanging out with Gentiles. So he separated himself from them and in doing so put the yoke of bondage back onto himself. God is so good that even in the times of us being disobedient (Which Peter was being), He helps us out of it. God sent Paul to stop him from this.
- Paul isn’t saying that the Gentiles are sinners and the Jews are not. That is totally contradictory to what he wrote in Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”. No one was perfect not even the Jews. Paul is talking about the eating of foods the law said were sinful like Pork.
- If there was one man on Earth who would know how justifying the law was, it would be Paul because he kept it to a tee. In the sense of the law, he was blameless. But in the sense of the Word, he was to be blamed. The works of the flesh hold no credibility before God. So Paul is saying “Knowing we can’t save ourselves, (Only Jesus can), we believe in HIM, so He can save us and not our works. My deed’s cannot save my flesh.” The gap between man and God cannot be bridged by works and deeds. It can only be bridged by the acceptance of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
- In the first part, Paul says God doesn’t approve of sin. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”- Romans 5:8. God doesn’t love our sin, He loves us. If Paul had tried to rebuild or go back to his former life which he had destroy and crucified with Christ (Will go into that a bit more in the next blog post), he would be a transgressor. The old life has dead.
- While trying to be justified by faith, Paul was dead. The law was unkeepable so he was condemned. “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”- James 2:10. So if you stumble in even the smallest point of the law, you are guilty. And the price is death. So he was dead so he could live for God.
- What a mind blowing concept that we have been crucified with Christ. I can admit that there have been area’s in my life where I have been like “I have this, I give you, POOF it’s gone”. Many other areas are a constant struggle. I did a little research on crucifixion and here's what I found: a crucifixion didn’t instantly kill. It took anywhere between hours to days. The war against the flesh is a constant one, which will be fought your whole life until the day you stand before God.
- The old life is gone. The self-serving, self-centered life is dead. The new life, with God at the head lives.
- This all comes back to God’s unfailing love. Jesus gave himself away so that I might live. Jesus bridged the gap between God and Man by dying for all of mankind. If we could earn our way by good works, well then the Saviour of the world died in vain. But our works cannot save us, only Jesus can. Trust in Him with all your heart!
“But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.”
Galatians 2:11-13
- So here, Paul opposes Peter to his face where just a few verses ago he took the disciples aside privately. This is a big change in the way Paul handled two issues. There are two possible reasons for this:
- To know the first, we have to have a look into what was happening at the time when Paul opposed him. We need to look at the setting. They were having an Agape Feast (Love Feast). Basically everyone brought some food and they had a pot luck. Not only was this one of the only good meals some of the people would have in the week but it was a time of unity among various believers from different backgrounds. This was unifying the Jews and Gentiles. So Peter, by only eating with Jews, is causing a division in a feast that is meant to be filled with love.
- The second is that Paul saw Peter slipping back into following the law. So when it says “Pail withstood him to his face” it wasn’t like he got all up in his grill. Paul cared enough for his brother to let him know and you can bet money that his response was in love. Peter didn’t want the Jews to see him in a bad way, so fearing them, he ignored the Gentiles.
- “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”-Proverbs 29:25. Living your life for the approval of man binds you from doing the will of God. To be in His will you need to be sold out! Snares in life will come but we put our trust in God who is our shelter and fortress.
- Peter was allowing the Jews to enforce their gospel that the Gentiles were unclean. “About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."-Acts 10:9-16. God knew that this day at the Agape Feast would come and He was preparing Peter for it. After His time on the roof, Peter joined in fellowship in the house of Cornelius with Gentiles. So Peter began to really enjoy the fellowship of Gentiles until these Jews came and swayed him. And even Barnabas! Its kind of like Acts 17 where there was a victory, then a defeat, then a victory, then a defeat. Satan used the fear of man to attack the work of God, which is a weapon in his arsenal to this day! So watch out and know that the fear of man brings a snare!
- “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”- 2 Timothy 1:7
"On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do."
Galatians 2:7-10
Galatians 2:7-10
- So here Paul was entrusted to preach to the Gentiles and Peter to the Jews. This totally blows my mind! Like I talked about in the last post, if man were trying to run this, you would reverse their roles and send Paul to the Jews and Peter to the Gentiles.
In Philippians 3:4-7, Paul lists all his reasons to put confidence in the flesh. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews, Circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a pharisee, a persecutor of the church, and as for legalistic righteousness: Faultless. Paul was like a role model for every Jewish person out there. And Peter was a fisherman, who left his nets to follow Jesus. So here the lowly fisherman is being sent to the proud Jews and the Model of the Jews is going to the gentiles. God gives the ministry! Things could have gone horribly wrong if they had done it mans way. - A ministry every believer on Earth shares is evangelism. This is the root ministry. 2 Timothy 4:1-2 says:
"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction."
- If you are where God wants you, in the middle of His will, you will be used effectively. Now this doesn't mean there won't be times of dryness. It means that after those periods the harvest will be great. If you think of a farmer, he tills and waters and prepares the ground and does all this work but after planting the seeds, he basically sits and waits for months until the harvest is ready.
- Revelation 3:12 says:
"Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name"
- We are the pillars of the church. Now don't think for even one second that this means the church is dependent upon you or any one person. We are supporting the body as leaders. We support by serving. We are the physical examples to new believers. If you think about the role pillars, they connect the roof to the floor. That's what we need to do. When believers come to you, lead them to the Father. When there is a problem, lead them to the Father. That's your job as a pillar.
"As for those who seemed to be important-whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance-those men added nothing to my message."
Galatians 2:6
Galatians 2:6
- One of the guys at our church uses the phrase "black belts" when referring to people who have known the Lord for a while. God doesn't use just black belts! God is not looking for ability but for availability. God took everyday people and did great things through them:
New Testament:
- Simon, James, Andrew-Fisherman (This job wasn't anything to write home about)
- Matthew- Tax Collector (Tax collectors were hated)
- Paul- Not only a zealous Jew who persecuted the church but a tent maker (Paul wasn't just an OK guy like these other guys, but he actually was attacking the church)
Old Testament:
- Nehemiah- Cup bearer (He basically drank the kings wine before the king did to see if it was poisoned. What a terrible job!)
- Rahab- Prostitute (Enough said...)
- David- Shepherd to king (He was a young shepherd and became king. He had many highs and lows)
- If men were to start a church today, they wouldn't pick this rag tag group of people. They would have Bill Gates ushers and Donald Trump preachers. But since the Creator of men is the head of the church, you get me!
- Ministry is not a business. Things like reputation and popularity don't factor in to God's choice of who to use. God looks past our attempts to look good with our painted on smiles and goes straight to the heart. "But the Lord said to Samuel 'Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart'". 1 Samuel 16:7.
- Christ set the example of a servant. Read Philippians 2:5-8 and you get an idea of just how far he was willing to go to serve. He lowered and humbled himself. Its a lot easier when you humble yourself than when God has to do it for you. "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:43-45. Jesus was a servant and that's what he saw in these people: a willingness to serve.
- I've heard it said that Jesus is like the Sun rise. If you lower yourself and become a valley, He will only be seen earlier. And he will pick you up to meet Him. And if you make yourself a mountain, you only take away from the glory of the Sun rise and he will take you down.
- So the question is, are we going to humble ourselves and leave everything behind so He can use us mightily or are we going to cling to pride and social standing? Because that's like being lost at sea and passing up a life raft to float on a toothpick!
Be sure to read the post under this. Its an update from the Cate's that was posted last week. I forgot to post telling everyone about it so make sure to give it a look over!
"And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you."
Galatians 2:4-5
Galatians 2:4-5
- Satan won't always attack from the outside. When you think of any war, a key part is having people inside the enemy's camp. Satan will try anything to crush the work of God. He has many tricks up his sleeves. At our Men's study we are going through Nehemiah right now and it really shows the ways the enemy attacks. In chapter 4, Satan attacks from the outside using Sanballat and his people who said they were going to attack. In chapter 5, Satan attacks from within using poverty. In chapter 6, Satan sneak attacks using Sanballat to try and scare Nehemiah.
- They didn't give in, not even for a second. There are 2 things that made this possible. 1. They were equipped with the armor of God and were able to extinguish the fiery darts of the enemy. So when he attacked, they saw it for what it was an stood strong. 2. They had a strong foundation in God, Matthew 7:24-27 talks about the man who built his house on the rock and was strong in the storm. If your prayer and devotional life is sandy, when the fiery darts come, you will be taken down. The greatest example in the word is when the crowd shouted "Crucify Him!" Just a few chapters before they were laying down palm branches when he entered the city. They went with the crowd because it was easy. They didn't have rock solid foundations so they were washed into condemning Jesus. Paul saw that making a stand on this point was vital because if they hadn't stood strong it would have changed the whole gospel.
- So how do we spot false brothers? Phillipians 2:5-8 shows what WE should look like: humble, a servant, and obedient. Having a rock solid prayer life is key. God will reveal the counterfeits by the Holy Spirit in you. So don't be afraid to make a stand!
"Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:" Galatians 2:1-3
- Here Paul is describing his second trip to Jerusalem. This time he took Barnabas (Acts 4:36-37, Acts 9:27, Acts 15:12) and Titus. Barnabas, Paul and Titus are like generations. Barnabas was like the father and vouched for Paul before the apostles. Acts 9:27. Titus on the other hand was like Paul's spiritual son. Titus had been one of the many Paul had led to the Lord in Tarsus. Paul and Titus were a team. 2 Corinthians 2:13, 2 Corinthians 7:6, 2 Corinthians 8:23. The reason they were united is because 2 Corinthians 8:6 says that Titus had the same earnest care for the people that Paul did. They were united by their love for the people. This made me think of a huge battle (In my mind it was something like Lord of the Rings but for you older folks it may be World War 2 :P). When they attack they fight side by side. When people separate, its easier for the enemy to pick then off. We as Christians will be much more effective if we band together like Paul, Barnabas, and Titus.
- Paul went up because God told him to. He understood the importance of being in God's will. In his ministry, Paul probably had first hand experience with spiritual warfare and knew he was vulnerable when he was outside of God's will by himself. When you are smack dab in the center of His will, you are under his control not the enemy's.
- During the time of this visit, the church was having an issue over gentiles (Non-Jewish believers). Some said gentiles could be saved only if they became Jews first. So the leaders of the church wanted to know what Paul taught so he "communicated the gospel he preached to the gentiles."
- I love the sensitivity of Paul in these verses. He had to correct the leaders but he did it in private. Paul having unity in his heart was trying to build up not tear down so he took the leaders aside and laid it out for them. The whole situation was bathed in love and grace which is always how we should handle the situations in our life.
- Paul was seeking to avoid a split with the church. He knew this was a hot point and didn't want to give the enemy any room to work. If he had cause division with the Jerusalem church, false teachers would have destroyed his work thus far and made his work in vain. I am so quick to say "Oh why God, are you letting Satan attack me! Poor old me!" when I am the one who opened the door up for the enemy to attack in the first place! Paul was quiet, attentive, sensitive, and graceful and because of this he avoided a fight and denied the enemy a foothold.
- When you are faced with a problem, take the attitude of Paul and "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." Lower yourself and let God do the rest! Cover the whole situation in prayer and the enemy won't have room to move!
"For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from birth to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord's brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard the report: The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy. And they praised God because of me." Galatians 1:13-24
- First off, forgive me for not posting! I have been down with the flu and have just started getting better. I didn't forget about you guys!
- Paul was the best of the best. Before being saved, he was going all out for Judaism. He was raised and lived his whole life to further Judaism. Philippians 3:4-6 says "though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless." He was living the life everyone wanted. He had done everything perfect and was advancing in Judaism straight to the top. When God met Paul on the Damascus road, he did a 180 and left all of that behind because he "counted them as loss for Christ." He dropped reputation, pride, friends, and his future in Judaism to follow Christ.
- After his conversion, Paul didn't go to man or go to the apostles to learn from them. He went straight into the deserts of Saudi Arabia and spent 3 and 1/2 years studying and listening to God. He didn't want to have any influences from man in his teachings but wanted to sit before God and just listen. So this gospel Paul taught was birthed through a time of intimacy with God. This shows the importance of alone time with God. We cannot grow if we aren't listening for that still small voice of God. James 4:8 promises that if we draw near to Him, he will draw near to us and meet us where we are at just like he met Paul where he was at.
- The reason Paul had all the answers is because he was searching for them in the Word and through prayer. James 1:5. God will give wisdom to those who ask for it. And he has given us all the answers in His word but we need to dig in and search them out.
- After Paul's 3 and 1/2 years in the desert, he returned to Damascus as a teacher instead of a persecutor . He spent 3 years teaching them before finally going to Jerusalem.
- Paul stayed with James for 15 days. This is not James brother of John the fisherman because that James had already been martyred before Paul arrived. This was James brother of Jesus who wrote the book of James. After Jerusalem, Paul went back to Tarsus and went back to his old profession of tent making. Again this seems like a job where he would have plenty of time to think and talk to God. He grew in his relationship with God because he spent time with Him. If two people get married and never talk to each other, the relationship will never work. Every relationship requires that intimacy. Draw near to Him!
- The church in Jerusalem was a little fearful because of Paul's old life. He has harshly persecuted the church and we responsible for many deaths. But when they received the report that he was serving God they rejoiced. Paul's story gives me hope. That God would take someone who imprisoned and killed HIS people and not only use him for His glory but to love him. This shows we can never mess up to the point of no return. He will always love you and will never leave you nor forsake you.
- I encourage you to make alone time with Him. If you set aside that time He will make the most of it! Not only will you grow in a deeper relationship with Him but you will, like Paul, begin to have those answers.
"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught [it], but by the revelation of Jesus Christ" Galatians 1:11-12
After reading this, I begin contemplating the authenticity of the Bible. I have always heard arguments where people say "The Bible was written so long ago, we cannot prove its accuracy." or that there is no historical evidence of in favor of the Bible. So I decided to take a day and scour the web to try and find if our Bible 1. Is the Word God intended for us to have and 2. Has any historical standing.
When compared with other works, I was very surprised! Here is what I found:
OLD TESTAMENT:
Up until 1946, the oldest complete copy of the Old Testament was "Codex Babylonicus Petropalitanus" from AD 1008, more than 1,400 years after the Old Testament was completed. In 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. These scrolls close the gap to about 200 years. So in that gap when man could have added whatever he wanted, such as prophecies about Christ, did he? The answer is: No! There were no changes between "Codex Babylonicus Petropalitanus" and the Dead Sea Scrolls. This shows the Jewish people were great at keeping records and that the Old Testament we have today is completely reliable and trustworthy.
The Bible mentions the Hittites forty times, but for centuries there was no secular record so they were presumed to not exist. In 1906, a German archeologist uncovered what is now known as the Hittite Empire capitol. This shows the Bible knew things before any human ever did!
NEW TESTAMENT:
WORK WRITTEN Earliest Copy Time Span Number of Copies
- Herodotus------------488-428 BC-----AD 900------------1,300-----------------8
- Thucydides-----------460-400BC-----AD 900------------1,300-----------------8
- Tacticus--------------AD 100---------AD 1100-----------1,000-----------------20
- Ceasar's Gallic Wars--58-50 BC-------AD 900------------950------------------9-10
- Livy's Roman History-59BC-AD17----AD 900------------900------------------20
- New Testament------AD40-100------AD 130------------300------------------5,000 Greek, 10,000 Latin, and 9,300 others.
From the table, we can see that the earliest existing documents concerning Roman history were found 900 years (Almost 1 whole Millenium) after the events happened and only 20 copies exist. Yet Roman history is taught as complete fact even to this day. The Bible manuscripts date from only 30-150 years after they happened and more than 30,000 copies exist. By comparison, Roman history becomes a mere fairy tale.
What makes the bible so special?
The Bible was written over a period of about 1,500 years by more than 40 authors from various backgrounds (Joshua-Military General, Daniel-Prime Minister, Peter-Fisherman, Nehemiah-Cup Bearer, ETC) in many locations (Wilderness-Moses, Prison-Paul, Patmos Exile-John, ETC) on three different continents (Africa, Asia, and Europe) and in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek) yet the Bible is in complete unity. There is not one place where it contradicts itself.
2 Timothy 3:16 is true where it says that all scripture is God Breathed. He gave us His very word and protected it for thousands of years. The Bible has not only proven the test of time, but it has history backing it up.
"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ."
Galatians 1:6-10
The way this whole false teacher business came about was that as Paul was travelling throughout Galatia teaching, a group of false teachers (the Judaizers) followed his every move. When he would stop in a city, some of the false teachers would branch off from the group and would stay behind to challenge his teaching. It was like they were playing a giant game of Wack-A-Mole, trying to crush the churches as they were popping up.
As Christians, we are not free from sin. When we get saved, a bubble doesn't come down and protect us from every sin and temptation. But this is for our good! Romans 5:3-4 says "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;and perseverance, character; and character, hope." The definition of tribulation is: pressure, affliction, distress. When tribulation is "pressing" in on us it develops character, perseverance, and hope. So when we go through trials, no matter how hard it may be, we need to see them as something that betters us. 1 Peter 5:8 says "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." The enemy is always seeking to tear us down. Satan's goal is not to make ys bad or to further his kingdom. Its to make us ineffective in the Kingdom of God. Where we as Christians fail today is when we attempt to fight to fight off the enemy on our own. Psalm 46:1 says "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble." God will fight for us but it is a choice we have to make in those trials.
False teachers don't completely change or make a new religion: They subtly change an existing one. If they made a radical, obvious change people would notice. If they were to change one of the core beliefs such as the divinity of Christ, people would recognize the lie and steer clear of it. False teachers work on trickery and subtlety. The way to see false teachers is this: they always leave a wake of hurt, confusion, and trouble because their work is not of God. Romans 16:17-18 says "Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple." We need to be rooted in the word so we can easily spot the fakes and stay away.
God has called believers by His grace and here Paul is telling them not to trade that in for a false teaching. It is easy to see false teachers when you know what you believe. The more you are in the Word, the easier it is to see through deception. When you have a crystal clear understanding of what the whole Word says, you can easily see when a teacher shares a message full of cracks.
Accursed means "Cursed to the lowest hell". That's some strong stuff! When I think of all the false teachers who have led millions away from God, who have hurt people in the name of God, it doesn't seem so harsh any more. These people pervert the truth for their own appetites.
Again Paul has stuck his neck out there and says he isn't seeking the approval of man. He lived his life to please God. Romans 12:1-2 says "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." We are called to live a life like Paul, a life where we live totally for Christ no matter what the repercussions. Paul had it down! He presented himself to God and God renewed his mind. And because of this he was able to share with the gentiles what was good and acceptable. And he had such a close relationship with God he knew the perfect will of God and he lived it. We need to learn from Paul and find God's will and live it.
"Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren 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, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom [be] glory forever and ever. Amen." Galatians 1:1-5
OK here's a bit of a geography lesson. Galatia was not a city, it was a territory. Paul travelled throughout Galatia and planted several churches: Iconium, Lystra, Pisidian Antioch, Derbe, Tarsus, Syrian Antioch, and Jerusalem.
Since Paul was constantly travelling, he guided the churches through writing letters.
Jewish teachers had crept in and started perverting the gospel. Paul had taught that man is saved by grace but these teachers were saying man was saved by a combination of works and grace. Many people today think that by simply being a "good" person or following the ten commandments they can be saved. The law was never made to be kept by man. In fact, its impossible for man to keep the law. God's standards are so high that lust is adultery (Matthew 5:27-28) and that anger/hatred towards a brother is murder (Matthew 5:21-22). So if man was incapable, what was its purpose? The purpose of the law is to reveal the sinful nature of man and to lead man to Christ.
So Paul is writing to the Galatians to correct this false teaching. (False teachers will be a big subject to come in Galatians) At first I thought "What kind of people were they that they could meet Paul and be taught by him, and after he leaves slip into this false doctrine?" When you think about it, these people had lived under the law. This wasn't a radical new doctrine they were teaching but they took the message Paul had taught and added a little something. (How false teachers work!) These false teachers (Jewish teachers called Judaizers) went in for the kill by attacking who they thought was leading this movement: Paul. If they would have stopped and listened to Paul's teaching or read his letters they would see Paul always declares he surrendered to God, that he is an apostle of God, and had been sent of God. So in a sense, they were coming against a soldier when they thought they were attacking the commander!
Paul had to remind the Galatians that Jesus delivered them from that bondage of trying to earn salvation through works. When is enough enough? You could say "I helped that lady cross the street." and someone else could say "I was just in a plane and the pilots passed out and I broke into the cockpit and landed it and saved everyone." Well I would say helping the lady would pale in comparison. But then would all men need to land a full plane to be equal and earn salvation? You can either 1.Confess and believe in Christ and be secure in your salvation or 2.Try and be Good all your life, hoping your good outweighs your bad and not know until the day you die. God gave Himself for us to deliver us from trying to earn salvation. He gave us a free gift!
By its very nature, man seeks to earn salvation. If you want to please someone or get something from them, you do something for them. If I want some money from my Mom I might do the dishes or wash the car. This is Legalism. Legalism is a problem when you view God as the best image you can imagine X10. "Man likes it when I was the car and do the dishes so God must need something too." What would be the purpose of Christ dying on the cross if you could earn salvation through works? This shows you cannot believe in the Bible, and believe in Legalism. They are in conflict!
Something I took from Paul here is that he wasn't afraid to stand up and defend the faith. He was willing to put his neck on the line to defend it. He wasn't worried of what people would think of him or if he would be ridiculed for his beliefs. There's a source to that power and bravery and Paul shares with us what that source is. He opens the letter by stating he is an Apostle of God and not of man. Paul straight out says "I have no connections to man. God sent me, God is empowering me, and God is using me." When we are in that kind of relationship with Him, He uses us too. There's a difference between Disciple and Apostle. Apostle means "Messenger, he that is sent out" and comes from the Greek word Apostolos. Disciple means "to follow his precepts and instructions" and comes from the Greek word Matheteuo. So one was raised up a disciple and sent out an apostle.
We as Christians can take a lot from the life of Paul. If he had backed down because of his own pride, Christianity would have reverted to a Jewish sect under the weight of the law. He used God as his power source instead of using his own strength. Its like comparing the power of a bike, with the power of something like a space shuttle.
Galatians opens the door between God and Man and destroys legalism. We will never be able to build a ladder, built of our own works and deeds, that is big enough to reach God. And if we could, our God isn't very big is He? How many people are going to stand before Jesus with a grin on their face because they opened doors for people but find themselves hearing God say "I never knew you." The people in your town are dying. They are literally inching closer to death with each second that passes and we hold life in our hands: The Word of God. If that doesn't spur us on to defend the faith like Paul regardless of how people view us, nothing will.
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
This was the verse in a daily bible study I have been doing a few days ago, and it was so impressed on my Heart. It was like when I read it it was etched onto my Heart and it was all I could think about. I feel like this is a call on our lives! The thing that stood out to me most about this is it was an answer to a phrase I have heard so many times.
Over the years, I have heard many people pray "Lord Bring Revival!" or "We pray for Revival." or some other variation of that. Its easy to say "God bring Revival" then go home and live our Lives. This verse shows that Revival doesn't start in the hearts of the unsaved, but in HIS church! God lays out the steps to revival:
1.We must Humble Ourselves. When we have that mentality that we are nothing and God is everything, we are right where we need to be. The bible says "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags."Isaiah 64:6 and "Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor." Psalm 39:5. If we come at the unsaved world in our own strength thinking God will help us, we will fall. We are nothing, while He is everything. As a friend once told me "At best, you are a surrendered vessel at the Mercy of the desires of the Master." We need to humble US and let God work in us and through us.
2.Pray and seek Him. This makes me think of war movies. (I am a huge WW2 fan so bear with me!) Before major invasions, the leaders of the army come together and stratagize and plan their assault. This is a vital step! If they were to just say "Lets just deal with it when we get there." we all know what would happen. It would be a disaster! Its the same with missions, Evangelism, or even just sharing the Good News with a friend. If we skip this step, Seeking Him and His will, we jump out in our own strength and we will fail.
3.Turn from Sin. A house divided against itself falls. Luke 11:17. This is our hindrance against revival in our heart and in our communities. The same friend I quoted earlier also said "Satan's goal is not to make you bad, or to further his kingdom, its to make you ineffective in the kingdom of God." Sin is a crippling disease that make you ineffective. The definition of Ineffective is : Not capable of performing efficiently or as expected. When we turn TO the Cross, that means we turn FROM sin. We as the church need to turn from our sin because Satan is using it as a hindrance to make you and the rest of the body ineffective.
Next God tells us what his promise is if we fulfill these three commands.
1. He will hear. What a comfort to know God is listening! Waiting for us to turn to him! An analogy would be this:
Imagine in one hand you are holding a rope that is connected to God and in the other a rope that's connected to the world. God isn't having to fight for you, or fight against the power of the world. Yes, every now and then he gives a little well needed tug, but it isn't that God has to battle the enemy for us. If we just let go of the world, we can climb directly to God. And that's the beauty of it. He is waiting for that moment.
2. He will forgive our sin. He will wash us anew. The definitions of Forgive in Hebrew are: to Cover, to Relieve, to release, to pardon. This is the power of the blood of Christ. He covers our sin and releases is from sin. He will look upon us with Mercy, with Love and he will forgive us. His Love is greater than my sin! We know that all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. (Romans 3:23) "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 Christ died so we could be healed from our sin, from our shame. "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5.
3.He will heal our Land. He will bring healing to our land. This is what we pray for when we pray for revival. He will pour out His Spirit on our land, on our people and we will have revival.
So I challenge you with this. Now you have read this, Next time you pray for revival, look at your heart and ask God to find the parts that are unsurrendered, Are sinful, and give it to Him. Revival begins in OUR hearts, not the hearts of the unsaved. And if you have read this and have not made a decision to come to the Lord, the bible also says "And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Acts 2:21. I encourage you to call out to the Lord and seek him. He has shown his love for you, he bore our transgressions and iniquities and has offered you the healing power of his blood. Call on God and be saved!
(Overview)
If we
1.Humble ourselves
2.Pray and seek Him
3.Turn from our sin
He will
1.Hear us
2.Forgive us
3.Heal us
This week I wanted to do something a little different and just share a few of the verses the Lord has really used in my life the past few weeks. I pray that you are blessed, encouraged, and challenged by them just like I was.
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.Selah" Psalm 46:1-3
"When I am afraid, I will trust in you.In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" Psalm 56:3
"Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:13-14
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." Psalm 9:9
"Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption." Psalm 130:1-7
"And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Joel 2:32
"He said: "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior- from violent men you save me. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears." 2 Samuel 22:2-7
"You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great." 2 Samuel 22:29-36
"The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who puts the nations under me, who sets me free from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me. Therefore I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name." 2 Samuel 22:47-50
God really spoke to me through these verse the fact that He is big enough to take care of our problems! He is a stronghold that keeps me safe in times our trouble. When we are in the valleys in our lives, God is always with us, keeping us safe. He fights on our behalf! We only need to step back and let Him move. He sees the whole picture, from first to last and he knows the plan that had been laid out for our lives. So stand back and let God be God! He is a greater refuge than we could ever find, a more caring Father than we could ever have, and he never leaves us nor forsakes us. Another thing that God really spoke to me about these verses was that He hears every word I cry out to him. He is always listening! How often I abuse the connection I have to him through prayer! Prayer is our lifeline, our direct connection to God. Call on his name! He is waiting for you to turn to HIM for safety and deliverance.
"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. Brothers, pray for us." 1Thessalonians 5:23-25
If you're my friend on Facebook, you may recognize this as my "theme song." It was written by a student at the School of Worship in Costa Mesa, CA and so perfectly sums up where we all need to be with Jesus. The Lord laid it on my heart to do this song, but I didn't feel like He was leading me towards a specific verse for it. On Fridays, we have our Youth Night and we started doing a study of Joshua. There was one verse that jumped off the page at me:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."-Joshua 1:9.
The end of the verse is what I love most. It says "Don't be Terrified". That's not just scared, but terrified! Joshua was in a position where he had reason to be terrified. God says "Don't be terrified" and then He says that He will be with us wherever we go. What a promise to hold on to. When we are in valleys, God with us! When we are in darkness, God with us! Whether we know it or not, God is always with us! How comforting that is. No matter what the world will throw at us or where in the world we are, we have Jesus to rest in. When we need strength, we find it at His feet. When we are weak, He is strong. Best of all, when we are faithless, He still loves us! He is the perfect match for us. These past few weeks have been really hard on me, but God is faithful!
So here's my question.... Is all that's in you Blessing Jesus? Or are you holding a little something back? No matter how small that little something is, Jesus wants it. Surrender all to Him, and He will take you places you couldn't even imagine.
Here's a quick sum up of what I wanted to share...
1.Emmanuel, God with us, He is the “WITH US” God. No matter where we are, no matter who we are, and no matter how we are doing.
2.Is all of you Blessing Jesus? Are you giving Jesus your 100% or just 99%?
I pray that whoever reads this would really search their heart in prayer to see if there's something that they are holding back. Jesus is so worth leaving everything for and giving everything to. He is our comfort, our Shelter, and our Provider. I challenge you to surrender all to Jesus and see the amazing things he does with you and through you. It will blow you away!
“Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” “May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.”-2 Thessalonians 3:1-3 and 2 Thessalonians 3:5
"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."- Acts 2:17-21
Two things stand out to me in this verse. First, that God will pour out his spirit on his people. As Jared said in the first blog, England is now such a Spiritually dead place. Great churches, once full of life, now stand empty. In the past, England sent out some of the greatest missionaries the world has ever known. I believe England is ready for a fresh outpouring of God's Spirit. England is ready for and in need of revival! The second part of the verse that stands out to me is that "Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved". This is the first step towards having an outpouring of the Spirit. "The Name of the Lord is a Strong Tower; the righteous run to it and are safe." Proverbs 18:10. The people here turn to everything but Jesus. There are a few things you could pray for:
THat the people here would run to Jesus.
That God would pour out His Spirit in England and raise a generation of People for Him.
And lastly... Pray for revival in England and around the world!
Yours prayers are so appreciated. I love and miss you all!
God Bless
Mac
