Dear Galatians:
Series Overview:
We all like to receive letters. These days they come primarily in an e-mail but in Biblical times, letters were handwritten. The apostle Paul wrote a lot of letters, many of which are included in the Bible. His letters were intended to help the early church sort out what it meant to really follow Jesus. But the Galatians may not have been too excited to get Paul’s letter to them because Paul was mad. The Galatian church was a mess. People were saying that what Jesus did on the cross wasn’t enough. They were looking around them and determining who was in with God, and who was out. So Paul set out to bring some clarity to the situation in the passionate, sound way that only He could. And while this may seem like a great look back in history, we probably have more in common with the Galatians than we would care to admit.
Session One: Jesus + (7/11/10)
If Paul was around today, he would be emailing and tweeting all the time—and for good reason, people needed his help. God had placed Paul in a strategic point during the early church to help bring some clarity to the chaos. And there was chaos . . . a lot of chaos. People were trying to add to the gospel, saying Jesus’ death and resurrection weren’t enough. That it needed a few extra things to help someone “be a Christian” and be “in” with God. That got Paul fired up, and he set out to clear things up. And thousands of years later, Paul’s words are a great reminder for us because it’s easy to think and act as if what Jesus did wasn’t enough.
Session Two: The Checklist (7/18/10)
What does a Christian look like? Stop for a minute and think about that, because aside from the basic belief that Jesus was the Son of God, He died for our sins and rose from the dead, there are some things that most of us would add to that. Maybe our response would be someone who reads the Bible or helps people in need. Maybe it’s someone who prays every day and attends church regularly. Maybe it’s someone who has memorized a bunch of Bible verses and knows a lot about the Bible. But we also have some responses we probably wouldn’t feel very comfortable saying aloud—things like the kind of music someone listens to, what someone wears or what someone says. So what does a Christian look like? The answer is probably a lot more simple than we make it out to be.
Session Three: With Love (7/25/10)
So with all this talk about what it does and doesn’t mean to be a follower of Christ, does that mean that a Christian doesn’t do anything? Not exactly. It’s not always about what you do, but your reason for doing it. For example, are you reading your Bible because you want to love God and others more, or are you reading it to prove how spiritual you are to anyone who asks? It’s the “why” factor. So are you doing what you’re doing because you’re motivated by love—love for God and love for others—or by something else?
Family Experience: Imagine the End
The Galatians lost their focus and started emphasizing the wrong things. That’s easy to do, isn’t it? In the sometimes chaotic world of raising a family, sometimes we can lose sight of who and what we are ultimately pointing children towards.
I’m Not God
By Reggie Joiner
As a father of almost-grown children, I have lived through several stages of parenting. I remember walking into my office one day and looking at the rows of books I had collected on family issues. One of my daughters had been through an extremely difficult situation, and I was panicked and frustrated. As I grabbed books off the shelf, I recall saying out loud, “The problem I’m dealing with right now is not in any of these books!”
Sometimes I don’t have an explicit revelation from God that tells me immediately what I’m supposed to do. Sometimes there are no simple solutions, no clear paths of action, no quick fixes; there is just God. Somewhere along the way I have learned to lean on a principle I refer to as “imagine the end.”
The fog usually begins to lift when I mentally fast-forward to the final chapter of my children’s lives and ask a pointed question: Who do I really want them to become? I know that in the middle of that answer is an understanding of who God is. Then I imagine the end and remember that God is writing His narrative. When it comes to my children, the most difficult thing I have ever done is to trust God to show up and do what only He can do. (Did I mention that I have control issues?) Some days I just need to be reminded that my family is part of a bigger picture and that God desires to demonstrate His redemptive power through us. He even leverages the most frustrating conflicts in my family life to remind me that He is God. That day in my office, it was if He seemed to say,
I am not trying to make them happy;
I want them to really live.
In the middle of their pain,
I can be a better friend than anyone, even you.
I am the only one who can really love them unconditionally, forgive them forever, and be a perfect Father.
So maybe you just need to trust Me enough so they can see Me.
Besides . . .
With all your issues, I think it’s probably better for them to trust Me more than they trust you.
Isn’t it more important for them to love Me more than they love you?
I can heal their hearts; you can’t.
I can give them eternal life; you can’t.
I am God; you’re not.
YOU CAN’T COMPETE WITH GOD
As strange as it sounds, I think I have made the mistake of sometimes trying to compete with God. Instead of pointing to Him, I tried to be the hero. There is a critical difference between being an influence or leader in my kids’ live and trying to be everything to them. I have always believed wise leaders in the church work hard to keep God in the spotlight, and the same principle applies to parents. Smart parents will strive to make sure they are not trying to become a substitute for God.
I am learning how important it is to fast-forward to who I want them to become. When I imagine the end, it enables me to distinguish more clearly between what matters and what matters most. And as much as I want my relationship with my children to be everything it should be, it’s much more important that they are pursuing a right relationship with God.
I am really excited about this series, it is going to be great! I look forward to seeing you here.
Series Overview:
We all like to receive letters. These days they come primarily in an e-mail but in Biblical times, letters were handwritten. The apostle Paul wrote a lot of letters, many of which are included in the Bible. His letters were intended to help the early church sort out what it meant to really follow Jesus. But the Galatians may not have been too excited to get Paul’s letter to them because Paul was mad. The Galatian church was a mess. People were saying that what Jesus did on the cross wasn’t enough. They were looking around them and determining who was in with God, and who was out. So Paul set out to bring some clarity to the situation in the passionate, sound way that only He could. And while this may seem like a great look back in history, we probably have more in common with the Galatians than we would care to admit.
Session One: Jesus + (7/11/10)
If Paul was around today, he would be emailing and tweeting all the time—and for good reason, people needed his help. God had placed Paul in a strategic point during the early church to help bring some clarity to the chaos. And there was chaos . . . a lot of chaos. People were trying to add to the gospel, saying Jesus’ death and resurrection weren’t enough. That it needed a few extra things to help someone “be a Christian” and be “in” with God. That got Paul fired up, and he set out to clear things up. And thousands of years later, Paul’s words are a great reminder for us because it’s easy to think and act as if what Jesus did wasn’t enough.
Session Two: The Checklist (7/18/10)
What does a Christian look like? Stop for a minute and think about that, because aside from the basic belief that Jesus was the Son of God, He died for our sins and rose from the dead, there are some things that most of us would add to that. Maybe our response would be someone who reads the Bible or helps people in need. Maybe it’s someone who prays every day and attends church regularly. Maybe it’s someone who has memorized a bunch of Bible verses and knows a lot about the Bible. But we also have some responses we probably wouldn’t feel very comfortable saying aloud—things like the kind of music someone listens to, what someone wears or what someone says. So what does a Christian look like? The answer is probably a lot more simple than we make it out to be.
Session Three: With Love (7/25/10)
So with all this talk about what it does and doesn’t mean to be a follower of Christ, does that mean that a Christian doesn’t do anything? Not exactly. It’s not always about what you do, but your reason for doing it. For example, are you reading your Bible because you want to love God and others more, or are you reading it to prove how spiritual you are to anyone who asks? It’s the “why” factor. So are you doing what you’re doing because you’re motivated by love—love for God and love for others—or by something else?
Family Experience: Imagine the End
The Galatians lost their focus and started emphasizing the wrong things. That’s easy to do, isn’t it? In the sometimes chaotic world of raising a family, sometimes we can lose sight of who and what we are ultimately pointing children towards.
I’m Not God
By Reggie Joiner
As a father of almost-grown children, I have lived through several stages of parenting. I remember walking into my office one day and looking at the rows of books I had collected on family issues. One of my daughters had been through an extremely difficult situation, and I was panicked and frustrated. As I grabbed books off the shelf, I recall saying out loud, “The problem I’m dealing with right now is not in any of these books!”
Sometimes I don’t have an explicit revelation from God that tells me immediately what I’m supposed to do. Sometimes there are no simple solutions, no clear paths of action, no quick fixes; there is just God. Somewhere along the way I have learned to lean on a principle I refer to as “imagine the end.”
The fog usually begins to lift when I mentally fast-forward to the final chapter of my children’s lives and ask a pointed question: Who do I really want them to become? I know that in the middle of that answer is an understanding of who God is. Then I imagine the end and remember that God is writing His narrative. When it comes to my children, the most difficult thing I have ever done is to trust God to show up and do what only He can do. (Did I mention that I have control issues?) Some days I just need to be reminded that my family is part of a bigger picture and that God desires to demonstrate His redemptive power through us. He even leverages the most frustrating conflicts in my family life to remind me that He is God. That day in my office, it was if He seemed to say,
I am not trying to make them happy;
I want them to really live.
In the middle of their pain,
I can be a better friend than anyone, even you.
I am the only one who can really love them unconditionally, forgive them forever, and be a perfect Father.
So maybe you just need to trust Me enough so they can see Me.
Besides . . .
With all your issues, I think it’s probably better for them to trust Me more than they trust you.
Isn’t it more important for them to love Me more than they love you?
I can heal their hearts; you can’t.
I can give them eternal life; you can’t.
I am God; you’re not.
YOU CAN’T COMPETE WITH GOD
As strange as it sounds, I think I have made the mistake of sometimes trying to compete with God. Instead of pointing to Him, I tried to be the hero. There is a critical difference between being an influence or leader in my kids’ live and trying to be everything to them. I have always believed wise leaders in the church work hard to keep God in the spotlight, and the same principle applies to parents. Smart parents will strive to make sure they are not trying to become a substitute for God.
I am learning how important it is to fast-forward to who I want them to become. When I imagine the end, it enables me to distinguish more clearly between what matters and what matters most. And as much as I want my relationship with my children to be everything it should be, it’s much more important that they are pursuing a right relationship with God.
I am really excited about this series, it is going to be great! I look forward to seeing you here.
Be Blessed
