Tuesday February 17, 2015

Weekly Challenge:

Seek to develop and write out your testimony of how Christ has worked in your life. Your testimony should be about 3-4 minutes long and should focus on Christ and His work in you. See the article later in this week’s notes. Seek to share your testimony of Jesus at least once this week. When you have done this, upload a video or script to our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ChristLifeToowoomba

Read Galatians 1:1-2:10

 The Apostle Paul, before his conversion, was no saint. In fact, he was the exact opposite. He was a zealous persecutor of the church. Paul himself gives us a brief biography in these verses. He intensely persecuted the church of God and tried desperately to destroy it. He was extremely zealous in his religion and was quickly advancing in Judaism above and beyond his peers. He was actively waging war against Jesus and the new church that had formed in Jerusalem and spread around the region.

But God intervened and Jesus was revealed to Saul, soon to be called Paul (See Acts 9). Paul would begin a life of ministry, preaching Christ to Jew and Gentile alike. Paul made two trips to Jerusalem to meet the other Apostles and received from them the right hand of fellowship. They accepted him and the gospel he preached. They were confident that this was the gospel of grace that they also preached.

And we are told that certain false brothers had already infiltrated the brotherhood to spy on their freedom in Christ and to make them slaves again to the yoke of the Law. Paul tells us that not even Titus was compelled to be circumcised in accord with the teaching and demands of the Judaizers. In 2:5 Paul lays down the basis of the matter. He did not give in to these Judaizers so that the truth of the gospel might remain. To add to the gospel in any way, shape or form is to destroy the gospel. To be saved a person needs to believe in Jesus’ work at the cross – his sacrificial death on your behalf, his taking of God’s wrath on your behalf, his rising to eternal life on the third day, his ascension to heaven and his sending of the HS to all who believe. Hear this very carefully. It is believing in Jesus that makes you Christian - not praying, not singing, not circumcision, not church attendance, not religious ceremonies, not a priest’s absolution, NOT anything EXCEPT BELIEVING in Jesus.

Of course when we become Christian, a certain lifestyle will flow outwards. The change in our hearts necessitates and guarantees this lifestyle change. But that is a far different cry from saying that certain actions can save you.

You are saved by grace and grace alone. Live in it. Enjoy it.

Prayer:

Use the day’s reading notes and Bible passage to pray meaningfully:

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· Ask the Lord to watch over the Committee of Management as it seeks to meet next week. Pray that God would integrate the new members quickly and easily and that the goal for the entire  committee would be to bring glory to God via its stewardship of the church’s assets.

· Pray that God would open up opportunities to share your testimony and that you would be able to make a disciple or 6.

 Discussion & Reflection

1. How would you describe the change in Saul’s life after he met Jesus?

2. List the people in your life that are like Saul before Jesus. How does today’s passage help you in praying for them?

3. How can sharing your testimony lead to opportunities to make disciples?

4. What are the pros and cons of sharing your testimony?