A WAKE UP CALL TO TODAY'S CHURCH
Greetings in the name of Jesus:
God's plan for us all along was to save us through the death of Jesus. We have been rescued by the power of Jesus from today's present evil age, which is a world ruled by Satan and full of cruelty, tragedy, temptation, and deception. The problem is the very ones who are trying to destroy us are trying to claim that they are our friends, and the sad fact is that we are being rolled to sleep by their words while we are ignoring their actions.
I think Paul knew all too well what was hidden behind the curtains of the religious lives of much of the leadership of the church of his day. When he started to write to the church of Galatia one of the first things that he made reference to his who it was that had sent him to speak to them.
In Galatians 1:1-5 Paul made it clear that" he was not sent to them by men, not even by a man, but by Jesus Christ and by God the father. Paul also said that it was God the father who raised Jesus from the dead, as well as all the brothers with me". I think first of all Paul wanted them to know who it was that had sent him to them with the message of salvation. He wanted them to understand that they were being rescued from a very evil place, but it didn't mean that they were being taken out of the world but they were no longer being enslaved by it.
I can't help but wonder how many of us who go to church each and every Sunday and listen to the word of God are really understanding what this rescue from Jesus Christ really means, and really is to us? Paul is saying here that each one of us have been rescued in our souls from the hate of the enemy and yet for many of us we have neither claimed, nor have we begun to live in that victory. Last week I ended the week's blog series with the idea that Jesus gave us which says"not all of those who say to me Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of heaven. I really believe that they're going to be many people who have been fooled into believing a different gospel other than that which has already been preached unto them. As an example, in Paul's time some were preaching "a different gospel." They were teaching that to be saved, Gentile believers had to follow Jewish laws and customs, especially the rite of circumcision. This reminds me quite frankly of much of the same kinds of differences in the Gospel that are proclaimed today, and which tend to lead people into a believe that they can follow a doctrine or a creed that better fits their lifestyle or which makes them feel better about themselves as they gently ignore the commands that Jesus gave that has said "no man can come unto the father except through me".
Paul begin to address this tendency to be drawn by a different gospel in verse 6 when he said "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no Gospel at all. Apparently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach any gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be certainly condemned." The word has told us, and Jesus has told us that there will be many in these days who will be coming to us proclaiming that they are from Christ, and have a new message for us. It amazes me how many of these people are drawing large crowds to themselves. It is definitely a sign of the times we are living in that seem to tickle the minds and the ears of those who will listen. We have a tendency to forget that it is God's Holy Spirit that first of all draws us to him so that we can hear the true word of God. Paul was saying to the Galatians in this first chapter that he in no way was trying to please or win the approval of men by presenting the gospel as he did. Paul said in fact if he were trying to please men he would not try to be a servant of Christ. I just like Paul have found that if I wanted to please men it certainly would not be through obeying God's commandments. In Paul's time just like today those who confuse believers and tend to pervert the gospel are usually very zealous in their efforts. There usually highly intelligent people who have adapted their own philosophies and beliefs around the gospel of Christ but never really adhering to the gospel of Christ. We should be very careful around such people. The idea in Paul's time was to get the believer to go through a different process before they came to Christ. These people wanted the Gentiles to come into the faith of Judaism first, and then into Christ, but the new covenant of Christ is not through Judaism nor is it through a doctrine of belief that is set in anything other than the Lordship of Jesus Christ as your personal savior. It has nothing to do with the healing power of the Holy Spirit, in speaking in an unknown tongue. Or in making a proclamation that you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. It is in the obedience to Christ by making him Lord of your life, and obeying his commandments for your life. May you richly bless God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
God's plan for us all along was to save us through the death of Jesus. We have been rescued by the power of Jesus from today's present evil age, which is a world ruled by Satan and full of cruelty, tragedy, temptation, and deception. The problem is the very ones who are trying to destroy us are trying to claim that they are our friends, and the sad fact is that we are being rolled to sleep by their words while we are ignoring their actions.
I think Paul knew all too well what was hidden behind the curtains of the religious lives of much of the leadership of the church of his day. When he started to write to the church of Galatia one of the first things that he made reference to his who it was that had sent him to speak to them.
In Galatians 1:1-5 Paul made it clear that" he was not sent to them by men, not even by a man, but by Jesus Christ and by God the father. Paul also said that it was God the father who raised Jesus from the dead, as well as all the brothers with me". I think first of all Paul wanted them to know who it was that had sent him to them with the message of salvation. He wanted them to understand that they were being rescued from a very evil place, but it didn't mean that they were being taken out of the world but they were no longer being enslaved by it.
I can't help but wonder how many of us who go to church each and every Sunday and listen to the word of God are really understanding what this rescue from Jesus Christ really means, and really is to us? Paul is saying here that each one of us have been rescued in our souls from the hate of the enemy and yet for many of us we have neither claimed, nor have we begun to live in that victory. Last week I ended the week's blog series with the idea that Jesus gave us which says"not all of those who say to me Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of heaven. I really believe that they're going to be many people who have been fooled into believing a different gospel other than that which has already been preached unto them. As an example, in Paul's time some were preaching "a different gospel." They were teaching that to be saved, Gentile believers had to follow Jewish laws and customs, especially the rite of circumcision. This reminds me quite frankly of much of the same kinds of differences in the Gospel that are proclaimed today, and which tend to lead people into a believe that they can follow a doctrine or a creed that better fits their lifestyle or which makes them feel better about themselves as they gently ignore the commands that Jesus gave that has said "no man can come unto the father except through me".
Paul begin to address this tendency to be drawn by a different gospel in verse 6 when he said "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no Gospel at all. Apparently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach any gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be certainly condemned." The word has told us, and Jesus has told us that there will be many in these days who will be coming to us proclaiming that they are from Christ, and have a new message for us. It amazes me how many of these people are drawing large crowds to themselves. It is definitely a sign of the times we are living in that seem to tickle the minds and the ears of those who will listen. We have a tendency to forget that it is God's Holy Spirit that first of all draws us to him so that we can hear the true word of God. Paul was saying to the Galatians in this first chapter that he in no way was trying to please or win the approval of men by presenting the gospel as he did. Paul said in fact if he were trying to please men he would not try to be a servant of Christ. I just like Paul have found that if I wanted to please men it certainly would not be through obeying God's commandments. In Paul's time just like today those who confuse believers and tend to pervert the gospel are usually very zealous in their efforts. There usually highly intelligent people who have adapted their own philosophies and beliefs around the gospel of Christ but never really adhering to the gospel of Christ. We should be very careful around such people. The idea in Paul's time was to get the believer to go through a different process before they came to Christ. These people wanted the Gentiles to come into the faith of Judaism first, and then into Christ, but the new covenant of Christ is not through Judaism nor is it through a doctrine of belief that is set in anything other than the Lordship of Jesus Christ as your personal savior. It has nothing to do with the healing power of the Holy Spirit, in speaking in an unknown tongue. Or in making a proclamation that you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. It is in the obedience to Christ by making him Lord of your life, and obeying his commandments for your life. May you richly bless God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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