Galatians 1:18-24 Truth Sets Us Free

Galatians 1:18-24  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.

Paul affirms in his letter to the Galatians that he received his ministry and message directly from the Holy Spirit.  In the above passage he indicates that three years had passed since his conversion before he went to Jerusalem to talk to the leaders of the church.  His conversations with Peter confirmed the Holy Spirit's work in Paul, that He was preaching and teaching the pure gospel of Christ, the same gospel the disciples learned from Jesus' own lips.  Peter and the community of believers must have been amazed that this man of terror to the church had now become a lover of the church, a defender of the gospel of Christ.  Paul was a prime example of Christ totally changing a person, bringing him from darkness to light.  His life was a miracle walking.  The church praised God because of Paul's conversion.  The news spread quickly: The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.  Yes, their hearts must have been filled with joy to hear the news that the one who had wanted to destroy the church was now preaching the Good News and bringing others to Christ, especially the Gentiles.  When Paul and Barnabas were in Perga, large crowds came to hear them after Paul preached in the synagogue.  When the Jews were jealous and spoke against them, they answered back, "We had to speak the word of God to you first.  Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.  For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"  (Acts 13:46-47)  We can see that Paul's commission was similar to the disciples who were told to go into all the world and to preach the gospel.  The Holy Spirit was making sure that the world knew God had called Paul as his Apostle.

Since Paul is doing the work of a spiritual father as he writes to the church at Galatia, he wants them to see him as a credible messenger, not in his own right but under the leading and direction of the Lord.  When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said he did not come in strength but in fear and trembling, totally depending upon the Lord, wanting only to know Jesus Christ.  He said, And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.  (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)  Likewise, Paul wants the Galatians to know that he depends upon the Lord and the resident Holy Spirit for wisdom, and he wants them to do as he has done. He is saying, you can listen to me because I am approved of God, and He has given me a message for you to hear.  He has already said he wishes them peace and grace, but he is not trying to please men, and he has warned them not to receive any false messages, even if an angel comes to bring them.  So he has made it clear that what he is saying is more important than building a relationship with them.  He cares about their souls, their standing with their Savior and their God.  And as we have already read, he immediately stated the seriousness of their situation: I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.  (Galatians 1:6-7 KJV)  Paul knew they were listening to people who wanted to pervert the true gospel, to take away from the gospel of grace.  This was a problem he encountered at other times and in other places.  Paul had to warn the church at Ephesus that they no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.  He prayed as he surely did for the Galatians: Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  (Ephesians 4:14-15)  Spiritual maturity means walking in the Spirit, listening to the Spirit, avoiding deception and false teachers.  This was Paul's desire for the church.

Many modern Christians would find it hard to believe they are deceived, but we are.  We are deceived by a world the glitters with one deception after another, one false god after the next.  We have so many altars where we can worship.  We may not realize we are worshipping, but perhaps it is time we stopped for a tally of our time and our resources.  One of the definitions of worship is adoring reverence or regard or the feeling of reverence or regard for any person or thing.  That changes our thinking a bit.  Where have we been worshipping lately?  One measure of our regard for someone or for something is the amount of time and money we commit to that person or thing.  Oops, did we actually say time and money?  Yes, and the Bible says, Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.  (Exodus 34:14)  If we make a chart and eliminate essentials such as food, housing, and other basic needs, where does our money go?  Where do we give our time?  How much time do we commit to our Lord, our jealous God, our loving Savior?  When Jesus wanted his disciples to pray with him at Gethsemane, they could not stay awake.  He came to them and said, “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”  (Matthew 26:40-41)  Is that the way of all flesh?  Is that our way?  There is no substitute for yielding to the Lord, committing to the Holy Spirit's leading.  Paul is telling the church he has a message for them, and God has sent him to them with a word of correction, a word of hope, a word of life.  He wants them to know he is called of God and knows the truth.  He is saying listen to me, dear brothers and sisters.  I used to persecute the church, but now I am here to help you, to lead you back to the truth, and if you will turn back to the truth, the truth will set you free!  (John 8:32)  We pray freedom in Christ for you today!    

Galatians 1:10-17 Saving Grace is Free

Galatians 1:10-17  Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?  Or am I trying to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.  I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.  I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.  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 and called me by his grace, was pleased 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. 

Paul in his zealousness for Judaism sought to destroy the people who were following what was known then as the Way, the followers of Christ.  He did not realize he was actually battling the God of his fathers and those who served that God and honored the patriarchs, beginning with Abraham.  His desire to eradicate the church of God came from his desire to keep the purity of the Law he knew well as a Pharisee.  Paul speaks of his fleshly authority in his letter to the church at Philippi: 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.  (Philippians 3:4-6)  Paul is so zealous in his persecution of the church that he sought permission from the highest authority to stop the Christian movement.  At the same time the disciples were reaching the lost, the Book of Acts records this description of Paul (then Saul):  Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.  He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.  (Acts 9:1-2)  Here is a man whose great hatred for the church of Christ caused him to stand by and assent to the death of the Lord's beloved Stephen.  How his hatred must have festered after this stoning.  The Bible says: And Saul was there, giving approval to his (Stephen's) death.  On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.  Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.  But Saul began to destroy the church.  Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.  (Acts 8:1-3)  So here we have a man whose reputation goes before him, whose purpose was clear for all the world to see, whose evil passion erupted against the church of the living Lord.  What would you do with such a man, how would you treat him, what fate would you hold in store for him?

Immediately after receiving his letters to the synagogues in Damascus, Paul sets out on his journey to arrest believers, but he is interrupted by a light flashing around him.  He falls to the ground and hears, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  Confused, he asks, “Who are you, Lord?”  The voice says, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  Most of us have read or heard the story that Paul is blinded for three days and during that time he follows the Lord's instructions and goes to Damascus to meet a man named Ananias.  God gives Ananias a vision that he is to go and pray for Saul to be healed of his blindness.  Ananias questions this because he has heard of Paul's persecution of the church and his intention to arrest people in Damascus.  God tells him: This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.  Ananias obeys the Lord and meets Paul at the house where God sends him.  He prays for Saul and his eyes are opened as if scales fall from his eyes.  He is filled with the Holy Spirit as well and gets up and is baptized.  He spends several days with the disciples in Damascus and begins to preach the gospel.  (See Acts 9:4-25)  The rest of his history can be read in Acts and his letters to the various churches.  This was God's plan for such a man as Saul, and the man who became Paul, God's chosen apostle to bring the Good News to the Gentiles.  Paul understood his position and his calling.  He knew he was called by God.  He said, For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.  (1 Corinthians 15:9-10)  He did not boast in himself.  In fact, he said this about himself, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  (1 Timothy 1:15)  This is grace.  Paul's life was a grace gift to the church.  There is nothing we can do that is good enough to gain God's gift of salvation, and there is nothing we can do that is bad enough to keep us from receiving God's salvation gift if we accept Christ as Lord.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wants to be very clear.  He is not trying to win the approval of men and women.  He is not coming to them based on his pedigree: his background, experience, education, contacts, or accomplishments.  He is writing to them because he was called by the Lord on the road to Damascus; and since that experience, since the Lord called him by name, he has never been the same.  He has a message to share: the Good News of the gospel of the Kingdom of God.  He is concerned for the church at Galatia because they wanted to add something else to that gospel, something that is not the gospel at all.  They wanted to go back to the old law, a system that never did work as a solution to the problem of sin, a system that showed us our sins but was powerless to free us from our sinful nature .  We could make sacrifices for our sins according to the law, but the law could not change our hearts.  Paul knew what Jesus said was true when He told the disciples, Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  (Luke 12:1)  Paul did not want the church to tell people they were saved by the grace of the Lord and then impose Old Testament laws upon them because this was hypocritical.  Paul knew from his own experience where this could lead.  He also knew it was the unconditional love and the unfailing grace and mercy of the Lord that had led him to Christ.  Jesus had called Paul from a life of passion and commitment, but he was passionate for and committed to the wrong things.  Finding the Son of God and learning Jesus died for our sins changed Paul completely.  He wanted the believers to understand they did not have to keep any laws or fulfill any special religious practices to keep their position of grace with God.  We want to remind each of you today that you are alive in Christ right now.  You have been adopted into his family, and you are living in the year of the Lord's favor.  Stand up Church of the Living God: Rejoice and be glad!  

     

Galatians 1:6-9 Gospel of Grace, Not Works

Galatians 1:6-9  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.  Evidently 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 a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!  As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

The key question about today's scripture is, What gospel is Paul advocating and what is "no gospel at all?"  Paul is writing to the Galatians to express his concern about inserting the law and its regulations as an essential part of being a Christian.   Paul contends that this action destroys the true gospel and that it really is no gospel at all, for the law is powerless to redeem men and women from their fallen state.  Paul was afraid they would forfeit their place with God by relying on their human efforts instead of God's grace, trusting in their works, not his works.  Why did Jesus die on the cross if the law and its regulations could achieve salvation for mankind?  Why did He die and why did the millions of animals who were sacrificed for sin die if righteousness could be attained through following the letter of the law?  Why would anyone die for such an anemic gospel that is so easily attained by people doing and thinking better?  Why?  Why?  Christianity has many facets, many motivating principles to inspire a person to follow Christ.  Some are based on bettering the flesh and society here on Earth, and some our based on spending a better eternity in heaven.  But the overall Good News is that Christ came to save sinners.  Basically Christianity relies on faith in Jesus Christ and his works, not man's works.  Jesus said, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)  Jesus points to eternal life as the reward of faith in him.  The disciples gave their energy and life for this cause.  Even though good works are important in Christians' lives, Paul, Peter, James, and the rest of the disciples went not into the world to meet the people's needs for food, water, and shelter.  No, they risked their lives to tell men and women that God sent his Son to save them from sin and to give them life eternal.  Paul wrote, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.  (2 Timothy 4:7-8)  They gave all because they knew they were bringing freedom to captives who would then spend eternity with Christ. 

Are we not to do good?  Of course we are!  The fruit of the Holy Spirit--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control--produces good works.  The product of these wonderful attributes of the Holy Spirit will be the feeding, clothing, and sheltering of people in need as an outgrowth of our faith in God.  As temples of the Holy Spirit, Christians will reflect God's goodness to all people and behave as good stewards of our environment: plants, animals, water, everything.  We will not contaminate God's wonderful creation with violence and destruction.  We will be caretakers of this Earth that God concluded is "very good."  The psalmist wrote, The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it.  (Psalm 24:1)  But the goal of the early church and Paul's mission was not to make people aware of the concerns of the world but to present the salvation message of Christ to a fallen people.  Paul wanted to protect this gospel and that is why he was so troubled about the Galatians returning to the old law and its regulations?  Why does he consider this a different gospel or not a gospel?  He knew it was dangerous because adding works to grace fits so well into the basic waywardness of mankind.  Since the fall in the Garden, mankind has always wanted to be a god unto himself.  His nature is to prove that his ability to do good rests in himself, not in God.  His will, not God's will.  "Who needs God, for I can function on my own."  "Give me the map God: give me the directions and then watch me do it."  "Watch me do the right thing."  "Watch me be like you."  "I will be good like you."  "I WILL DO IT."   Jesus said, Why do you call me good?  No one is good — except God alone.  (Mark 10:18) This is the basic sin that corrupted mankind from the beginning.  The Israelites when presented with the Law said:  "We will do it.  We will fulfill our side of the covenant."  But they failed miserably.  The Old Testament was a schoolmaster to teach us one thing: We need a Savior, someone who can fulfill our side of the covenant of righteousness with God.  Only Christ could bridge the gap that separated us from our God; only Christ could sign his name to the new covenant.  

The price for the fulfillment of our side was the death of the perfect man, Jesus Christ.  He knew no sin, the perfect sinless lamb.  The gospel is that the Lamb was placed on the altar for all people for all time.  John wrote, If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  (1 John 1:8)  If we know the truth at all, we know all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  (Romans 3:23)  None of us will be placed in God's intimate presence without the sanctifying blood of the Lamb, cleansing and covering us.  Jesus alone pleased God completely.  The Bible says, The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  (Hebrews 1:3)  In other words, Jesus is perfect, holy and right in all that He does, for as He said when He walked on Earth, his only desire is to please the Father and to do his will.  This is the gospel: while we were yet sinners, He gave his life for us.  Paul was zealous for this message, gave his life for this message.  Paul, the intellectual and Pharisee of the highest regard, knew no man could please God by obeying the law.  In Acts the disciples asked, who can obey all the law, implying: none of us.  Paul was asking the church at Galatia and we much ask ourselves why we strive to be good or pleasing to God by trying to obey the law or by our good works.  Paul knew that all men needed a gate of righteousness in their lives to take them to God.  He also knew he was saved by grace alone.  Paul told the Ephesians they had been lifted up into heavenly places with Christ because of God's grace.  He went on to say, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.  (Ephesians 2:8-9)  We are not going to just recoup the position Adam and Eve had with God in the Garden.  That was a "very good" existence, but the gospel states that we will be known as adopted children in the household of God.  This is what Paul considered the results of the true gospel.  The plans God has for us in his family are beyond our imagination.  What a new heaven, a new Earth, will look like is beyond our comprehension or experiences.  But we know Jesus went to prepare a place for us, and He said, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  (John 14:3)  

Galatians 1:1-4 Give Grace and Peace

Galatians 1:1-4 Paul, an apostle — sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead — and all the brothers with me, to the churches in Galatia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever.  Amen.

When Paul writes the above words to open his letter to the church in Galatia, he is claiming literally that what happened to him on the road to Damascus was of supernatural origin.  He is not saying he is an apostle to the Galatians because of his own desires or because he was sent by others to minister to them, or even because he has had some spiritual revelation or some powerful conversion, (even though it was powerful and dramatic), he is saying that Jesus Christ himself commissioned him to preach the Good News to all people.  As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.  “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:3-6)  Indeed, Paul's arrival in Damascus was not as he anticipated.  Initially coming as a firebrand zealot for God and his laws, instead he arrived as a helpless, blind man, dependent on others, who did not eat or drink for three days.  Then God called a believer, Ananias, to go to Paul and tell him what his mission on Earth would be from that time on: But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go!  This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.  I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”  (Acts 9:15-16)  Paul's life was immediately transformed from a hater of Christ and his followers to a proponent of Christ's teachings and to a love of his followers.  Thus we have Paul preaching and teaching the good news to the unsaved and to the church.  

Paul's mission to the world was not to redeem the good from the bad: his mission was to redeem all people from this evil world, for all have sinned.  All have a death sentence upon them because of unrighteousness.  On the Damascus Road, Paul found the answer: But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.  (Romans 3:21-25)  Paul's directive from Jesus to go into all the world to preach his word was not an easy order to accomplish, for with the implementation of Jesus' command would be trials and personal suffering.  He experienced all kinds of deprivation and persecution in his given mission of spreading the good news, mostly at the hands of "good people," the self-rightious,  who denied they needed a savior.  Since they were made in the image of God, they believed they had a special place with God.  They believed good teaching, laws, and conditioning can redeem man from his wicked ways.  As the Communists believe, "good people" often believe if they get children early enough in their lives and condition them well to do good, then they will work for the benefit of others and society.  Of course that philosophy failed miserably in Russia and in many other utopian societies, for people in their fallen nature are gods in their own eyes and work for their own good.  "My will be done, not God's will" is their creed.  As the Bible says, We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (Isaiah 53:6)  One time when Jesus tried to go away to a solitary place, when he got out of the boat, He saw many faces before him.  When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.  (Mark 6:34)  Outside of Christ, people wander into the confusion, frustration, and chaos of sin.  

Jesus Christ came to rescue us from this evil age, to deliver us from our broken spiritual bodies, our broken lives.  He came to make us whole, to free us from the captivity of sin and all its ravages.  This was Paul's message: freedom from sin and darkness.  Many received, some did not.  Those who did not receive this message of grace and mercy turned to increased hatred and maliciousness toward the one who brought them a message of life eternal.  Paul said this to those who boasted in Corinth: I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.  Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move.  I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.  I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.  (2 Corinthians 11:23-27)  They followed Paul from city to city, stirring up crowds against the message of peace and redemption.  They spread gossip about Paul in the secular world as well as the church of Christ.  Their intentions were to prove goodness came from man's efforts, by following the law, or as the Gentiles tended to believe, the right gods or principles.  This attitude of independence from the Creator is ingrained deeply into man's fallen nature: "I will make it on my own, I am right with God, He will accept me for who I am.  I don't need a savior."  Paul came with a contrary message: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age.  Paul believed the world needed a Savior.  His faith was so strong in that belief that he gave his all, even his life.  Do we hold to a faith that energizes our lives?  If we don't really believe the world needs a Redeemer, we will merely share good ideas, a nice way of living: doing good is better than doing bad.  But if we believe the world needs a Savior, we commit everything to God and his salvation message.  James said, Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  (James 2:18)  HOW MUCH DO YOU BELIEVE?  

Mark 16:15-20 Preach the Good News

Mark 16:15-20  He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;  they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”  After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.  Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. 

As we look as today's verses, we want to state up front that we have read some of the commentaries that discuss the controversy regarding the ending of Mark. In the early manuscripts of Mark several versions exist: some are shorter than the one we have in our Bibles.  To solve this problem, some Bible scholars believe there is evidence to support that the ending on the longer version was added in the second century.  We believe that God oversaw the making of the Bible and the Holy Spirit came upon people to write the words He wanted us to have for all time.  Nonetheless we realize the canon was debated when the final cut was made as men made the decisions concerning which books would be included and which manuscripts would be followed.  We did find it interesting that the NIV Commentary said, "Nowhere else do the Scriptures promise immunity from snakes and poisons, certainly not in the Gospels.  It is doubtful that the Lord would have promised this unconditionally to all believers."  In support of this, we know the snake handling religious sects do get bitten and sometimes die.  This seems an activity that does not glorify God but borders on making faith into a carnival event.  On the other hand we find evidence that completely supports Christ's commission: Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.  When Jesus was preparing his disciples for his departure, He said, I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.  (John 14:12-14)  Jesus often declared He was the way to the Father as He prepared his disciples to carry the good news of his saving grace to the world.

Certainly, throughout the New Testament, we see the disciples going forth to fulfill God's desire that people believe and be baptized in Jesus' name.  When Paul and Silas were in Jail, praying and singing hymns to God and a great earthquake opened all the doors of the cells, the jailer was about to kill himself; for he thought the prisoners had escaped.  But when Paul called out,  The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.  He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"  They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household."  (See Acts 16:25-31)  Paul and Silas knew the answer to that important question: they were about their Father's business.  Whether walking the dusty roads from town to town or singing songs in prison, their purpose was to go into all the world and save sinners.  Without a doubt, Jesus sent out his disciples.  Paul wrote to the Romans: How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”  (Romans 10:14-15)  God sent out messengers to reach the lost, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to do this task.  When Paul sent his letter to the church at Galatia, he was saddened by their behavior.  He asked them, 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?  Are you so foolish?  After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?  He was asking them how they functioned, how they operated as children of God.  Where did their strength come from when they spoke to an unbeliever?  He goes on to ask, Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?  (Galatians 3:1-2 & 5)  You are performing the miracles Jesus promised you would do, Paul says, but where does the power originate?  It is through observing the law or through the resident Holy Spirit given to you in abundance? 

How easily we forget the source of our hope, our strength, our joy, our peace, our victory over sin and death.  How soon we can turn to our own fleshly endeavors: human observances, rules, regulations, schedules, good works, and the like.  We hope as we put everything in order that we will please our Lord and make ourselves more acceptable to him.  Paul told the Galatians: Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.  (Galatians 3:6-7)  Yes, we must CONSIDER ABRAHAM if we are to live in the Spirit and please God.  We want to have the faith of Abraham, yet we are in a much stronger position to have that faith, for we are children of the promise.  Paul explains, The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”  So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.  (Galatians 3:8-9)  As we walk in this blessing, we are known as the children of Abraham, those who walk by faith, and the children of God, now lifted up with Christ who arose from the dead.  Because Jesus won the victory over death, we are his miracle-working ambassadors who go forth with a mighty message of faith that brings light into darkness.  By faith we count on the Holy Spirit within us to reap a harvest of the fruit of the Spirit as we interact with others.  As they see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in action through us in our everyday dealings and actions, they will see Jesus.  We do not go out and serve Jesus because we are bound by a law or because that is what Christians are supposed to do.  We go out because we are adopted into a family that loves the world.  Jesus said, By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.  (John 13:35)  This is our calling, this is our family spirit: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  (John 3:16-17)