How to Know The Call of The Apostles And Disciples

The Voices of the Apostles and Disciples

2^nd Corinthians 6:1-13

The Testimony of the Apostles and Disciples:

¹We then, as workers together with him (disciples), beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. ²(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) ³Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

⁴But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, ⁵In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; ⁶By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, ⁷By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, ⁸By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; ⁹As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; ¹⁰As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

¹¹O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. ¹²Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. ¹³Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.

Introduction:

Last week we addressed the first four verses. We saw this whole passage as the voice of the Apostles and all true disciples at the time. They all were experiencing the Cost of Discipleship.

The Cost of Discipleship varies by location and time. Prior to 1947, one might not have faced punishment in what is now Pakistan, for preaching Christ publicly. Why?

Centuries of Colonial History

Because for centuries, Britain had ruled all of India as a colonial tributary, and the Church of England was still present, along with the Roman Catholics. So, many people of India had at least nominally embraced “Christendom” in the form of either Romanism or Anglicanism. Whether they actually knew the Lord, or were disciples, is hard to say: Their entire families took on the name of “Christian,” whether it was a genuine relationship with Jesus or just a religious preference.

But, ever since the mid-1800s, Britain had been gradually losing control of India, and after WWII, Britain made the decision to “Partition” India into two sovereign states, the “Dominion of Pakistan,” and the “Union of India.” The result was a bloodbath. Muslims slaughtered millions of Hindus, and many survivors fled the country permanently. But most could not. And those who survived and remained became a persecuted minority within what had been their own country.

The Result for Disciples in Pakistan

But a largely Hindu nation called “India,” and a supposedly entirely Muslim nation called “Pakistan” are the long-run Geopolitical result. And in that nation of Pakistan, even today, it is a dangerous place for followers of Jesus. In many other nations, it is also dangerous to stand for Jesus. It is dangerous to shine a light: Dangerous to sound the alarm of the Gospel! Disciples are in serious danger, there.

We pray for the disciples in Pakistan, who are risking their lives to teach Christian Discipleship. They are faithfully practicing it themselves, and we are deeply aware of the risk, and the potential cost.. Reading these verses in 2^nd Corinthians 6:1-13, we have a more “distant” view. But we still have still a real sense of the potential “Cost of Discipleship” in this fallen world.

How Should Such Knowledge Affect Us, As Disciples?

The Hebrew believers knew about the Cost: The danger in being a disciple. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews addressed the Cost of Active Faith, in Hebrews 11:35-40.

“³⁵Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: ³⁶And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: ³⁷They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; ³⁸(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. ³⁹And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: ⁴⁰God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”

We read of these disciples who lived horrible lives and died horrible deaths. And it troubles us to know the reality. They did not have some sort of “happy ending” appear. to “let them out of the trial.” They endured the trial, and they died in it!

But tin Chapter 12, He tells us how we ought to respond to this knowledge: The challenge to be Disciples.

How Should We Respond As Disciples? (Hebrews 12:1-4)

“¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ²Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. ⁴Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”

The witnesses are not “watching you.” They are testifying TO you: Bearing witness TO you, just as Paul testified to the Corinthian believers, and just as the disciples in Kenya and in Pakistan are testifying to all of us, today. They are witnesses to the Glory and Power of God, and they testify to us week by week, showing us the result of God’s Word in that hostile environment.

**Consider: How Do Weeds Respond?**

Oddly enough, if I consider how weeds respond to their environment, I can see that (because we don’t irrigate) the weed seeds in our hard-packed, crushed-rock driveway get exactly the same amount of rain as the weeds out in the grass we keep calling a “lawn.”

But, the weeds in the driveway have a great deal harder time growing, as they can only get a few roots down through the rock into the soil below. The roots have to go very deep to find reliable water and nutrients. So, the stunted plants mature at only 2-3 inches in height. Their stunted leaves are very small, along with that short little flower stem. But that stem bears a blossom, and that blossom goes to seed, and the wind scatters those seeds, to start new plants…exactly the same as the taller weeds do, in our neglected lawn.

The weeds in the lawn grow to 18-24 inches in height, and some of their flower stems branch out and bear more than one flower: The flowers themselves are larger and bear more seeds. And the wind also scatters their seeds. And their seeds go further, because they launched from a higher elevation.

But, Why the Differences?

Why do they grow taller? Because they have better soil, and an easy life. Why do they have multiple blooms on their stems? For the same reason: They are blessed with an easier life! Why do they bear more seeds, and thus, more fruit? It is for the same reason again!

But in the Body of Christ, at large, we see that the persecuted churches, growing in the most difficult and the most dangerous environments often display the deepest faith (think “deeper roots”) and they spread rapidly, in spite of the difficulty and danger.

We have a relatively easy, safe life with far more resources, and very little real opposition. Does it not follow that, as disciples, we should bear more “fruit,” and that our “seed” ought to be scattering and finding root everywhere? Give that some thought! Why is it that weeds will follow the correct pattern, while we, as believers, tend to just “coast?”

Consider the Salmon!

We see the same pattern in salmon: The ones who are willing to focus their lives on swimming upstream will overcome all obstacles, or die trying. They risk their lives to get to the specific gravel beds they seek. Those who succeed will spawn, and produce hundreds of baby salmon just like them. Any fish choosing to do otherwise removes itself from the gene pool by that choice. (To my knowledge, no salmon ever chooses to take the easy way.)

But! You may protest that: “Salmon do not have a completely free will: They only do what their instinct demands that they do!”

Aha! And therein lies the problem! You and I DO have a free will! God called us to Himself, and we responded by our own will, though originally, our only motive may have been “to flee from the wrath to come.” Since then, we have read and believed His Word: Again, by choice.

And, according to Romans 12:1 He calls us, daily, to serve Him as our reasonable service of Worship. He calls us to voluntarily offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, to serve at HIS will, not ours. But He always leaves us the option to say, “No, I would rather serve myself!” And, when we do so, the consequences of that choice are that we have no fellowship with Him. (Fellowship implies Partnership.) And, it means we do not join Him as “workers together with Him.”

Also, although God has “laid the foundation of Christ” in our lives, (By Grace, through Faith) the layers we add to that foundation during the time when we are “off, doing our own thing,” are “wood, hay, and stubble.” Human works without God’s blessing have no eternal value!

So, How Can We Change?

Like the weed-seeds, we may find ourselves in a rocky place. We may bemoan how we got there, and we may suffer remorse for all the bad decisions that brought us to this point. But, regardless of how we arrived here, we now have the same choice as the weed-seeds: Take root and grow where God has planted you, or don’t. In the plant’s experience, it means “Grow here or die!”

In our case, it may only mean, “Blossom and bear fruit where you are, or continue to waste the opportunities God offers you!” You may look around and feel that “But the land is so barren around me: There is no hope!”

Remember, after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, God told Israel, “Stay put, and obey Me, and that I will bless you!” They rebelled and ran off to Egypt, in Jeremiah 42:19-43:7. And they suffered the consequences of disobedience: No blessing, no sustenance, and no safety!

But, What Are the Consequences of Commitment?

Most of you would agree that when you began to try to seriously walk with Jesus, your life got harder, not easier. You entered into the spiritual warfare of the Christian Life, and discovered that the Enemy was actually YOUR enemy!

Could the apostles and early disciples have decided against suffering the Consequences of Commitment? Sure! And some did! Demas began as a co-worker with Paul. He was valuable in the work. (See Colossians 4:14, and Philemon 24. Paul included him as part of his team!)

But later, Demas decided it was costing him more than he was willing to give, to serve as an Ambassador of Christ. So, the last thing we hear of him, is in 2^nd Timothy 4:10. “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica.”

What a sad epitaph for one who began strong, but who ultimately “sold out cheap.” He wanted what the World offered, and he finally took the bait! Balaam did the same thing: He was a genuine prophet of God, but he sold out and, today, he is only remembered for his failure.

Don’t sell out! Make your walk with Jesus the core value in your life, and offer yourself to Him to be used as He chooses. That is the kind of choice God will honor and bless.

Lord Jesus, clear our minds, and let us see clearly the choices before us. Help us to make decisions that honor You and which draw us into a deeper relationship with You.

August 15, 2026August 15, 2026

Know How To Be Real “Workers Together With Him”

How Can We Be “Workers Together With Him?”

2nd Corinthians 6:1-4

Workers together With Jesus! What does that mean? And, How can we be those workers?

¹We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. ²(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) ³Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: ⁴But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

Introduction:

We are among the recipients of this epistle, though nearly 2000 years removed. We should take this passage personally, not as a theory. Yes, He calls us “workers together with Him.” God also directs us to take the Great Commission personally, as well as most of the epistles. (The few exceptions might include things like a personal greeting to an individual, by name…or similar passages. And such passages still have teaching for us.)

But, in this case, Paul begins to address the question of how we can be workers together with Jesus. In the next several verses, he gives personal testimony as to what it meant to the apostles. But we can apply these four verses directly to every believer. What does it mean to US?

WE, Then, As Workers Together With HIM

Is this the apostle Paul talking? Yes it is! And is the “we,” here, specific to the Apostles? Undoubtedly, yes! But the next three words are his plea. He begs that we follow in their steps, as they follow in the steps of Jesus! The Apostles worked together with Jesus. We are also workers together with Him.

This exactly matches what Paul said in 1^st Corinthians 11:1 “Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ.” How can we even imagine trying to “wiggle out of” such a calling? Our call is precisely the same as that of the apostles, with the exception that, though we are workers, we are not apostles.

But, we definitely are Ambassadors. And, Romans 8:28-30, says that we definitely are among “the called of God.” Workers, together with Him.

“²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ²⁹For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

Are You Called To Be A Worker With Him?

Most believers like to quote the first half of Romans 8:28. They claiming that “God will work all things together for Good” on their behalf. But that promise is only “to them who are the called, according to His Purpose.” If God hasn’t called you, then He does not offer that promise to you. And, according to the rest of that passage, if you aren’t called…you aren’t born again!

A genuine believer can’ t say, “Well, discipleship isn’t for everyone!” or, “Well, I just don’t feel called!”

Paul suggests that if we do that, and miss the central issue of discipleship, then we have “received the Grace of God in vain.” We have made it a useless and fruitless thing, both for God and for ourselves. That is sad even to consider, and somewhat frightening, as well. If we deny that He calls us Workers together with Him, then we cannot walk with Him, as He works.

In a Time Accepted, In the Day of Salvation

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured (helped) thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Jesus died at the right point in time, according to Romans 5:6. “⁶For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

God says Jesus died at the correct time in History. Frankly, that is just one more thing that is “over my pay grade.” Why is it that Revelation 13:8 calls Him “the Lamb Slain from the foundation of the Earth?” But we see Him crucified in Jerusalem, nearly 2000 years ago. How can both be true? And which one was the “Right Time?”

1^st Peter 1:18-20 says, “¹⁸Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; ¹⁹But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: ²⁰Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”? According to that passage the crucifixion was a “done deal,” in God’s perspective, before He created the Earth at all!

How Can These Things Be?

Ephesians 3:8-12 gives us a clue: “⁸Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; ⁹And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: ¹⁰To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, ¹¹According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: ¹²In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”

So, God had a plan before He created planet Earth! And, surprisingly, it did not center on people. It centered upon His Righteousness and Wisdom. His Eternal Purpose was, through the Church (that’s us!) to teach the Holy Angels (the ones still in heaven with Him, perhaps) the manifold wisdom of God.

**What Had Just Happened in Heaven?**

God does not give a precise timeline, but, immediately after God’s creation of the human race, the enemy set about to destroy us all through sin: And a blood sacrifice for sin was provided, right there in the Garden of Eden.

From Adam, through Abraham, to the Thief on the Cross, to the last person who ever chooses to trust in Jesus, we are all saved the same way: By God’s Grace, through Faith in God’s chosen Sacrifice: Jesus, the Messiah!

Judgment had already fallen on the angelic host who rebelled with Satan. But God had also already set up an eternal “object lesson” for the entire heavenly host. (Remember, this is still before the Creation!) His plan was to demonstrate His Own Wisdom through a group of People called the Church.

(Not through Noah, though he demonstrated a great deal about the coming Savior. Not through Abraham, though he was a great man of faith; and not through Israel, though it truly is the Chosen Nation of God. He chose to do it through the Church, which is a “motley mob of mixed-breed mongrels,” whom God has called from among both Jews and Gentiles.

So, What is the Church: The “Called-ones of God? We Are Workers, Too!

In 1^st Corinthians 1:26-31, we see what typifies the calling of God: It is not the best-educated, the ones with greatest physical prowess, nor the rich, etc. It is the common people.

He says, “²⁶For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

²⁷But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; ²⁸And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: ²⁹That no flesh should glory in his presence.

³⁰But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: ³¹That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”

That is the group through whom God has chosen to teach the angels something about HIS Wisdom! That is “our calling!” God says so! We may look like a “bunch of ignorant savages,” compared to the Angelic hosts who watch our progress (and whom God occasionally sends in, to give us a boost!) But He says that is who we really are. God deliberately chooses people with nothing much to offer, through whom to do His best Work.

He chooses, as a group, all those who will confess that they have nothing to offer of their own. He helped us: first by means of the Cross, then by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and finally by the Indwelling Holy Spirit and the Living Word of God.

And How Does He Want Us to Respond As His Workers?

^“3Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: ⁴But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses…”

God tells us that as a general rule, we are to be model citizens: We are not to cause offense…not to give people a cause to stumble, and so to reject the Gospel. Does God ever authorize disobedience to Civil Law? Very seldom!

In general, Civil Law does not go against God’s Law. (Can it do so? Yes, but it seldom actually happens.) It is good to remember that when Romans 13:1-7 told us to be in subjection to the civil authorities, they were living under the “Iron Fist” of Rome. This was not some progressive, nice-smelling, sweet-talking Utopian world-system! That specific Government heavily persecuted the church for three hundred years, but Romans 13:1-7 never changed. Jesus paid taxes, knowing full well that Rome would (at least partially) use it for evil.

When we make trouble, bicker among ourselves, stir up rebellion, or utter railing complaints against politicians, etc., we give cause for unbelievers to despise the Church, and with us, they despise Jesus. He says, “In all things” demonstrate that we are approved as the servants of God.

We are called to endurance in hard times and sufferings, in poverty in some cases. And through distresses of all sorts, we have the opportunity to demonstrate the Grace of God in the Christian Life. These are the kinds of things that demonstrate that we are approved as servants of God. Failing to respond well to those challenges demonstrates the opposite.

Jesus Gave The World The Right To Judge His Workers In Three Areas:

The Agapé Love among believers, (John 13:34, 35)
The Unity of the Spirit among believers, (Ephesians 4:3, John 17:21) and
The general pattern of “good dealings:” Good Works among and through the believers. (Matthew 5:14-16)

These are the criteria Jesus gave the World, by which to Judge the Church. That is why Paul reminds us to “Give no offense!”

What About Today? How Can We Be Workers Together With Him?

We have all known men and women who claim to be believers, some claiming special prominence in the Church, but who consistently deal with other people unkindly, and exhibit self-centered pride, instead of humble submission to a Holy, Righteous, but Merciful God.

The Pharisees claimed to be genuine believers, but were constantly at odds with Jesus, the very God they claimed to serve! He said that He sent the prophets to them down through the years, and those to whom He sent them rejected the Prophets, one and all, killing many of them.

The common people knew the Pharisees were arrogant, and that they were harshly judgmental of the common folk around them. They knew they were hypocrites. And, they could see that Jesus was the “Genuine Article,” where the Service and Character of God was concerned.

People need to be able to see that in our lives as well. Make certain that your relationship with Jesus is actually producing the pure character and genuine Agapé Love of God in you, not just a man-made piety.

Lord Jesus, raise us up to be workers together with You. Allow us to see the World and the Church through Your Eyes, and not judge by Human Standards.

August 7, 2026August 7, 2026

Continue With Us In A Walk Through Galatians (Part 3)

A Walk Through Galatians (Part 3)

(Part 3: Chapter 2 verses 1-10)

Introduction:

Last time we were here, Paul had been defending his authority as an apostle against Judaizers. They had been going behind Paul and his companions on his first mission. They had tried to undermine what he had originally taught the Galatian believers. Now, in the next 10 verses he is going to close the book on this part of his story.

Paul reminded the Galatian believers of who he was and what he was doing before he met Jesus. He told how he encountered Jesus, and believed who Jesus said he was and the Gospel (Good News.) Then he explained who he became afterward, and the training he had received. Paul fervently defended his apostleship, for the sake of the believers in Galatia and anyone else who might hear the Good News. The Good News that Jesus Christ paid the full penalty for sins: theirs, yours, and mine. He took the hit for us: He rescued them and us from being led by the false teaching and misguiding of whatever faith we had believed before.

The legalism that was being pushed was not from God, and those who preach legalism also are not from God. I will be blunt because I guess someone has to be, if you are trusting in anything other than what Jesus has done at the Cross then you are not a Christian. I’m not trying to be mean, it just needs to be said. I’m stoked that you are here and hope if you have not fully trusted in Christ that you will allow yourself to set aside your own understanding and open up yourself to humility and realize what is at stake. As we are told in Romans 3:23, we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

In Romans 3:22, Paul tells us ²²We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. And, Paul says, in Romans 5:6, “⁶When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.“

Romans 5:8 ⁸But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Remember to remind yourself if you are ever uncertain of the love God has for you, that he loved you before you ever turned to him.

Let’s Look at Galatians 2:1-10

I’m reading from the NLT, if you want to grab your Bible and turn to Galatians 2:1-10 you can follow along with whatever translation is your preferred choice. I also would like to give my sources credit they deserve, The NLT Life Application Study bible, A Layman’s Look at the Epistle to the Galatian Churches, and Bibleref app. Thank you.

(Read Galatians 2:1-10)

Galatians 2:1-10 ¹Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. ²I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing.

³And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile. ⁴Even that question came up only because of some so-called believers there—false ones, really—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. ⁵But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.

⁶And the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.) ⁷Instead, they saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews. ⁸For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles.

⁹In fact, James, Peter, and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews. ¹⁰Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do.

(Reading Galatians 2:1)

¹Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. Fourteen years have gone by since he was last in Jerusalem which we see in Acts 9:26-30 where he was seen by Barnabas and introduced to Peter, and James. He was only there for 15 days before he was sent away due to an attempt to murder him.

We can see that in Acts 11:25-26 that Barnabas went to look for Paul (at the time still called Saul) in Tarsus and then he brought him to Antioch where he was serving. Barnabas didn’t try leading by himself, but found a coworker in Paul. Those in ministry can look at Barnabas as an example, he found someone to work alongside him, their partnership brought accountability, fellowship, support, and encouragement. In all honesty we are all in this together. Each one of us brings something to the table and are just as important as any other.

We can see in 1 Corinthians 12:7 ⁷ A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. And we are all part of the same body united in Christ. We can see this and some of the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:27-28

²⁷ All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. ²⁸ Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.

This also can be seen in Romans 12:4-8 ⁴ Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, ⁵ so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. ⁶ In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. ⁷ If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. ⁸ If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

I will recommend a book, if you’ll allow me. If you already haven’t read it, or even if you think you are not in such a position and it doesn’t apply to you and it’s not needed, you probably should read it: It’s A Layman’s Look at The Work of the Shepherd by C. O. Bishop.
(Yes, that is Chet.)

(Galatians 2:2-3)

²I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing. ³And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile.

We saw that Barnabas went and found Paul in Tarsus and somewhere during that fourteen years, Paul was joined by Titus, too. It is not exactly mentioned when they joined together. He must have been a part of the “local believers” that accompanied them, as mentioned in Acts 15: 2, but Titus’ role was no less important. God revealed to Paul that he should return to Jerusalem and he finally met with the Leaders there. This encounter is shown in Acts 15.

This important meeting acknowledged the apostles’ approval of Paul’s preaching. Paul sought to make sure he was in agreement with the leaders in Jerusalem after a confrontation with the Judaizers in Antioch, who were teaching that “unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” He wanted to be sure that his teaching aligned with what they also had been taught.

Sometimes we can avoid the hard conversations for fear of disagreement or fearing that arguments may take place. Instead, we should openly share our plans and actions with one another. Good communication will help us understand each other, reduce gossip and create unity within the church. Paul preached what Jesus gave to him to say: His account of this showed that what he was taught was the same message the other apostles preached.

Paul’s message to both Jews and Gentiles was that God offered salvation to all people regardless of race, sex, education, background or whatever else, and that Jesus already did it all at the Cross. Anyone who puts their trust in Christ will be saved. In Romans 10:8-11 we see this truth:

“⁸ In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: ⁹ If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. ¹¹ As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”

(Galatians 2:4-5)

⁴Even that question came up only because of some so-called believers there—false ones, really—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. ⁵But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.

We see that when Paul, Barnabas, and the accompanying believers arrived in Jerusalem they were met by the whole church including the apostles and elders, along with (as Paul puts it) some “so-called believers”, who were insisting that Gentile converts must be circumcised and follow the law of Moses. I imagine this is referring to Titus since we know he was a Gentile. So, who are the False believers, the “spies,” as Paul calls them, in the church today?

It’s anyone who introduces extra rules or practices as being required for salvation. They twist scripture to validate their opinions. Paul mentions this about Israel in Romans 10:3-4 ³ For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. ⁴ For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God. Paul and Barnabas didn’t back down to these demands, and they had the approval of the apostles in Jerusalem.

What are some marks of a false gospel being preached? Anyone who treats Christ’s death as meaningless, or who says that people must obey the law in order to be saved, or who includes trying to find favor with God by obeying certain rituals, and counts on keeping laws to be right with God.

(Galatians 2:6-9)

⁸For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles. ⁹In fact, James, Peter, and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews.

Titus, a Gentile believer, who was with Paul and Barnabas became a “test case.” Would the apostles and leaders insist that Titus be circumcised and follow the laws of Moses to be saved, or was Titus’ faith in Jesus’ death on the Cross enough? We received the answer back in Galatians 2:3 “ ³ And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile.”

This is God’s will, and what Jesus himself taught, we can see in John 6:40 “⁴⁰ For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” Remember God does not accept human religion as a substitute for faith in Christ. We are saved by Grace alone, through Faith alone, in Christ alone. It is easy for us to rate people based on their status and be intimidated, but Paul was not intimidated, because all believers are equal in Christ and our ultimate allegiance, and the One to whom we are accountable, must be Jesus. We are to serve Him with all that we are.

He alone knows our hearts, 1 Samuel 16:7 ⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Peter, John, and James had nothing but support for what Paul and Barnabas were preaching, in fact they realized that God was using Paul and Barnabas to reach the rest of the known world, just as God used Peter to reach the Jews, and they gave their approval for them to continue to work among the Gentiles.

The important fact here is that Paul and Peter preached the exact same message: “All must come to salvation by God’s grace through faith in Christ.” Acts 15:11 says, ¹¹ We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”

(Galatians 2:10)

¹⁰Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do. Paul has written in this letter that the other apostles, Jesus’ own disciples during His time here, have given full approval for both his role as an apostle and the message he preached for salvation.

This was the opportunity to correct Paul, or rebuke his message, if there ever was one. But Peter, John, and James recognized it as truth. The only thing that was asked of Paul is that they keep remembering the poor. At the time, the Jerusalem church was struggling financially, being impacted by a severe famine referenced in Acts 11: 28-30.

We must stand firm against anyone who tries to twist scripture or add to the Good News. We must put on the whole armor of God as it is given to us in Ephesians 6:14-17 ¹⁴ Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵ For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. ¹⁶ In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ¹⁷ Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And we know we can have rest because of what Jesus told us in Matthew 11:28-30
“²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Thank you Jesus!

Amen!

August 1, 2026August 1, 2026

Understand That the New Birth Comes With a New Job!

The New Birth Comes With a New Job

2^nd Corinthians 5:17-21

¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

¹⁸And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

¹⁹To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Introduction:

Last week we finished on 2^nd Corinthians 5:17… “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Here we see that, though we still possess our old Sin Nature, God no longer defines us by it. The Holy God who deliberately became a Man, died as the full sacrifice for the sins of the human race. Now, still as the Holy God who hates sin, He provides a new birth. Thereby, He provides a new nature. He gives eternal life to all who place their faith in His completed work at the Cross. John 10:27-30.

He also chose to indwell all those who believe in Him, in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Further, He chooses to know and relate to those who believe in Him. But He only does so as to those who are His new Creation in Christ. He says Sin has contaminated our old nature. It cannot become agreeable to the Spirit of God. Romans 8:7 says “it is not subject to the Law of God, neither can it be.”

God Himself cannot repair the damage done to our old selves when Adam fell. But, what He did do was even more miraculous. He provided a new Birth. As a believer, you are a New Creation.

So, the last five verses of 2^nd Corinthians 5 tell us the result of that New Creation, and what our new job entails.

What Is The Result Of That New Creation?

¹⁸And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

That verse sums up our New Life! Everything in our existence as those alive from the dead, and members of the Body of Christ, is here, in brief form.

It is all from God…our existence, our Hope, our sustenance, and our defense against the enemies of our souls.
He has (past tense) reconciled us by Jesus Christ, to Himself.
And, we have a new purpose in life: we are representatives of God, with an eye to the reconciliation of other lost souls. They are to be part of His New Creation.

So, What If We Don’t See Things That Way?

I have jokingly commented in the past that “You’ll notice that, if you try to look out through your nose instead of your eyes, it seriously limits your field of view.” Of course that is just a joke, at the silly notion that we might have more than one choiceas to “how to physically see the world.”

But the truth is that we often look “through the eyes” of our old sin nature, and we see hopeless chaos all around us. That makes sense! There are eight billion souls in the world. And all of us want to go our own way and to express our own individual wills. And Romans 1:18-32 allows us to see the result, from God’s perspective.

As believers, God tells us to see through the eyes of faith. We do not deny the evil in the world, but we can clearly recognize the source. We also see the incredible beauty and order in the creation, despite the ruin and corruption caused by sin.

**God’s Call to See things His Way**

So, God calls us to look beyond the things of the World, and the inclinations of our old nature. He calls us to confess with Him that the things of the New Creation are indeed all new.

2^nd Corinthians 5:7 reminds us that “We walk by faith, not by sight.”

Ephesian 1:18 lists Paul’s prayer, “that the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened.”

Philippians 3:20 says “Our citizenship is in Heaven…” (KJV translates the Greek word, politeumo as “conversation”: but it means “citizenship!”)

None of these ideas are even approachable in the flesh. Our old sin nature is not only blind to these concepts, but it angrily denies that they are real at all. This is because of what Psalm 14:1 says: “The fool says in his heart, ‘there is no god!’”

And Romans 1:21-28 confirms it: (“When they knew God they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imagination…Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image, made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beast, and creeping things… And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind…” )

So, yes, God says we now have a choice. We can look through the eyes of faith, and see things from God’s perspective. (That is part of reconciliation to God.) Or we can go back to seeing things the way the world sees them, and live outside His direction and care.

Does He Continue to Love us?

Yes, your Heavenly Father still loves you and will stay with you forever. (By the way, this is not just a title: He is your real Father, through the New Birth!)

But you will not be conscious of His Love and Care as clearly as when you were in fellowship with Him and seeing things His way. Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” It is a rhetorical question, with the implied answer being, “NO!”

1^st John 1:7 says, “If we walk in the light as He is in the Light, we have fellowship one with another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.”

If you actually belong to Jesus, as a New Creation, through the New Birth, then He will continually work to persuade you to “see things His way.” (And to DO things His way!)

What Is “Reconciliation?”

In terms of finances, and bookkeeping, when there is a discrepancy between two sets of records, it becomes critically important to discover which account is correct, and to “reconcile” the incorrect record to match the correct record. In terms of world view, God’s account is correct! Every other view is in error at one level or another.

God reconciled us to Himself: Not the other way around. I recently read an article wherein the financial records of a particular organization had consistently been at odds with the records of their bank. It turned out that the company bookkeeper had somehow been altering the bank reports to match her records, instead of re-checking her own arithmetic and reconciling her own books to those of the bank. You can imagine what a mess that was making.

God HAS Reconciled Us to Himself!

But God says that He “Has (past tense) reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ.”

That is our new position in Christ. God “corrected” us, through the New Birth, so that it is possible for us to agree with God. Our old sin nature can never agree with God. Only our new self: Only the New Creation can be in agreement with God, and so, be qualified to walk with Him. And when we choose to follow our own ideas, we become temporarily “separated” from the mind of God, and we behave (to one degree or another) as though we were never reborn.

Years ago, I knew a woman who declared that it would be “immoral” for her to attempt to share her faith with another person. She claimed she was a believer, but she declared that Jesus’s “marching orders” were wrong…immoral!

That was a very disturbing thing to hear coming from a woman I had known and respected as an older sister in Christ. It left me wondering whether she was even a believer. As far as I know, she never changed that viewpoint. But…who needed to change? Who needed “reconciliation?” Did Jesus need to change His orders? Or did she need to confess that the world had heavily influenced her mind, and that she was wrong?

**What is the Ministry of Reconciliation?**

¹⁹To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Paul goes on to explain The Ministry (service) of Reconciliation: He says it began with God, acting through Christ (God the Son…Jesus, the Messiah. The word “Christ” is just the Greek word for the Hebrew word “Messiah.” Both mean the “anointed One.”) He concludes that the immediate result of reconciliation is that God no longer imputes (“credits”) the sins of the reconciled individuals to them, even though they were the guilty parties. He no longer treats us as sinners. He treats us as His offspring…His dear, young children, because, through the New Birth, that is what we are!

God Passed On That Ministry To Us!

Again, it is past tense. He “… has committed unto us the Word of Reconciliation.” That is our new job! The result is clear:

“²⁰Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

One might protest that this was only true of the apostles: That the “we,” here, is the apostles, and the “ye,” here, includes the readers. But the Great Commission also included us by implication!

“¹⁸And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. ¹⁹Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ²⁰Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

On the basis of the Full Authority of Jesus, He commanded the Apostles to go and make disciples, and to teach those disciples to do ALL that He had (just) commanded them. So, He included us in that plan! There was a Spiritual Chain reaction begun at the Cross, and we are part of the result.

If we fail to do what He commands, it results in the “shutting down” of that chain reaction. We stop the Divine Flow of redemption and reconciliation and revival. We quench the Holy Spirit, and there are long-range consequences of that choice. Ultimately, people die because of that choice.

A Harsh Reality

We think that sounds harsh, but God explains it in Ezekiel 3:17-19 “¹⁷Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. ¹⁸When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. ¹⁹Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”

We realize that this warning was given specifically to Ezekiel, who was sent as a prophet to Israel, during the captivity. But the concept is clear: People are condemned as sinners…it is true of the whole human race, not just Israel! And if they hear the call to repent and receive the gift of eternal life, they have a choice: they can believe, and be saved, or reject it and stay condemned.

Our Choice

But if we choose to ignore the ministry of reconciliation, not only do they stay condemned: we are partially responsible. (Remember James 4:17 “Therefore if a man knoweth to do Good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”)

Our choice, day by day, is whether to do (or not to do)what God has called us to do! Jesus made His choice: He chose to take our place at the Cross, becoming SIN on our behalf. God judged our sins at the Cross, along with those of the whole world, according to 1^st John 2:2.

The result, to all who choose to believe, is a New birth, a New position in Christ, a New Citizenship in Heaven, a New Nature, and a New Job.

We simply have to choose, day by day and moment by moment, how to respond to Our New Relationship with God.

Lord Jesus, Please awaken us to our New Relationship and New responsibility as the Ministers of Reconciliation. Fill us with Your supernatural Love and care for the souls around us. Lead us to Walk with You in the Light of Your Word.

July 24, 2026July 24, 2026

How to Understand the Motivation of Apostles and Ambassadors

Understanding the Motivation of the Apostles and Ambassadors

2^nd Corinthians 5:11-17

¹¹Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. ¹²For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart. ¹³For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.

¹⁴For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

¹⁵And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. ¹⁶Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. ¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Introduction:

Last week we studied how to set priorities as believers. Today we will see what motivated the Apostles, and how that motivation should set an example for our own lives.

The Fear of the Lord:

Five Judgments

Last week we ended on verse eleven, “¹¹Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.”

We saw five of the main judgments that a human can face. And all five are a source of fear for us.

We know that we were born sinners and that we faced God’s eternal judgment.

Next, we know that Jesus offered the only way to escape that judgment. He took the sins of the entire world upon Himself at the Cross. Thereby God judged our sins, at the Cross, instead of us bearing that judgment ourselves. That is God’s Grace: We respond in Faith and He saved us.

God tells us, here in chapter 5, about the Judgment seat of Christ. There we either receive (or fail to receive) reward, based on how we responded to Jesus during our life. And He explains how it works, in 1^st Corinthians 3:11-15.

Also, He tells us about the Judgment of the Living Nations. It will occur right here on planet earth, just after the end of the Tribulation. That judgment will be a terrible, fearsome thing. People either enter the Millennial Kingdom in their natural body after surviving the Great Tribulation, as believers. Or they will enter Hell, having survived the Great Tribulation as an unbeliever and still an enemy of God.

Finally, we saw the final Great White Throne Judgment. There, those who rejected the Lord’s Grace will face God’s irrevocable judgment.

Godly Fear Moved The Apostles

God says that “knowing the terror of the Lord” is part of what motivated the Apostles to serve faithfully. They did not have to fear punishment: God judged their sins at the Cross. But they were fully persuaded that the whole world does face the wages of sin. And they did not wish that judgment upon anyone at all. So, they committed themselves to Being Ambassadors. They lived to persuade their fellow humans to be reconciled to the Holy God whose Judgment they otherwise will face.

Judgment is Already Here, But it is Also Yet To Come

That judgment is already in place, and has been since Genesis chapter three. That is where Adam fell into sin and dragged all of us with him. Jesus said “He who believes is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he does not believe.” It does not say, “he will be condemned IF he does not believe.”

I was already under God’s judgment as a rebellious sinner and as an enemy of God. I’m grateful that God had many believers praying for me. I’m grateful that someone finally shared the portion of God’s Word that broke through my defense. God poured out His full Judgment upon Jesus at the Cross.

However, I know that I will face the Lord Jesus at the Judgment Seat of Christ. I fear feeling ashamed at His appearance, because I have wasted so much time in my life. I know he has made us each an ambassador for Him. But I feel that I have spent far too much time distracted by the “urgencies” of daily life, instead of realizing the eternal cost of dealing with a slack hand.

What is the Alternative?

Paul said, along with that fear of the coming judgment, He has given us a desire for transparency, so that the Light of Christ can shine through us to the dark World.

Others, those who only wanted to “look good” were deliberately cloaking their motives with false piety and claims of great spiritual gifts. Paul says (v. 12) that was not his motive at all. He had no desire to boast, or make false claims. He wanted to provide the believers with a cause for thanksgiving, as they saw God at work in him, and in their own lives.

The false teachers claimed that they were the “real thing” because they “looked better” than Paul. They were an on-going problem . (And, after continuous hardships, savage beatings, and stonings: No, Paul didn’t look too good!)

Someone once told my wife, that initially, they assumed I could not be a valuable teacher. Why? I failed to dress well enough to impress them. But their heart was open, and within a few classes, they decided that “how I looked” was not a reasonable predictor of the value of the teaching. (Glad to hear it!)

Also, some (Acts 26:24) accused Paul of “going mad,” due to excessive study and learning. His reply was that if he really was “beside himself,” he was accountable to God for whatever excess he demonstrated. (v.13) But, if he was actually “sober” (seeing things clearly: preaching reality: Compare Romans 12:3) then it was for their benefit, and, ultimately, they would be accountable to God for their response.

The Love Of Christ Constrains Us: WHY?

¹⁴For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: ¹⁵And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

¹⁶Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

Paul says everything has changed for him and the other Apostles, (and, in fact, for all believers!)

The Love of Christ Constrains Us… Why?

Because the apostles understood (and were teaching others to understand) that when Jesus died as our representative, we died with Him! God addresses this concept over and over. Romans 6:8 says we are dead with Christ so that we can Live with Him…living inHim, and forHim!

In Galatians 2:19-21, Paul states it as a personal reality for him: “¹⁹For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. ²⁰I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. ²¹I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

The Law did not constrain Paul’s behavior. The Love of Christ did. He knew the Law had demanded his death. He also knew that Jesus had died as his representative. Therefore, according to God’s Law, he, Paul, was dead to the Law, and the life he now lived was not his own.

He openly confessed that no works of his did anything to qualify him for God’s gift of eternal life: Rather, he boldly stated that if it is possible to gain righteous standing before a holy God on the strength of one’s own works under the Law, then Jesus had died for nothing!

The Conclusion?

Paul and the other Apostles (and the lesson is for us, too!) no longer looked at other humans the way they did before. We must not allow our old flesh…our old sin nature…to control how we see others. We need to see them as precious souls for whom Jesus gave His life.

And even for those who once knew Jesus during his life on earth, (and for those of us who tend to remember him from during that time,) He says, we are not to see Him that way anymore. We now see Him as the Savior, and as the Incarnate Creator, God, and as the Eternal Judge of all the Earth, and as the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords!

We see (at least we should see) Him in His exalted, present state, as our Intercessor and as our Lord and Master, as well as our loving Heavenly Father. Of course, we should be looking to Him as our Great Shepherd, to guide us and to provide for us, and to defend us from all enemies.

And, we should be looking for His return as the Conqueror of all nations, and the King of the Millennial Kingdom. God says for us to no longer see Him only as “Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild.” That is not what He now is offering to the World, nor, even to the Church!

**We Are New Creations in Christ!**

¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Compare Ephesians 4:24…the new nature is a new creation, created in the likeness of God, in righteousness and true Holiness. We have a difficult time grasping this truth, because we daily experience the reality that we also still have our old Sin nature.

From God’s perspective, the Old Sin Nature is a dead thing, and He makes no effort to correct it or give it life. Romans 8:7 says that it is not subject to the Law of God and it cannot become subject to God’s Law. So, God recognizes only our new nature and desires to bless, teach and encourage our new nature. He addresses the New Creature, and says that everything about it is new!

How Can God Love A Sinner Like Me?

Sometimes we wonder. “How can God Love me, when I continually fail Him?” But that is not how He sees you! He sees you as His precious child. He leads you along through the hard times, and encourages you to learn to walk with Him.

Does He still hate sin? YES! But He has separated you from your sin, “as far as the East is from the West.” (Psalm 103:12) He recognizes that the real culprit is the sin that still dwells in us, according to Romans 7:17. He works to cleanse us and correct us, and to love us into a stable walk with Him. But He will never condemn us again. Jesus said so! (John 5:24)

If any of you have questions about these things, please call me or text me. We can address your questions personally.

Lord Jesus, please work Your Love so deeply into our consciousness that we no longer fear Your Judgment, but rather, we will anxiously desire to please You as Our true Heavenly Father. Bring us to understand that we died with You and that we now liv in You. Teach us the reality of walking with You by faith.

July 18, 2026July 19, 2026

Do You Know How To Establish Your Priorities as a Believer?

How To Establish Your Priorities as a Believer

2^nd Corinthians 5:8-11

⁸We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. ⁹Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, (whether we live or die) we may be accepted of him. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. ¹¹Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

Introduction:

Last week we talked about what happens to believers when they die: (What happens when we leave these bodies?) We saw that God created us as eternal creatures, created as three-part beings: Body, Soul and Spirit. When our non-physical parts (Soul and Spirit) leave our bodies, we call it “death.” Our Soul and Spirit have separated from our body. And every time scripture addresses “death,” it has to do with some sort of separation. Physical death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body.

In Genesis 2:17, when God warned Adam “…in the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die,” He meant it! But there was an instantaneous result, (Genesis 3:7) when Adam ate that fruit. God separated both Adam and Eve from spiritual fellowship with Him. Adam died physically, 930 years later. But he and everyone who proceeded from him (including Eve, and the entire human race) died spiritually at that very moment.

So, How Does God Save Sinners?

God offered a coming Savior, in Genesis 3:15…the “Seed of the Woman.” Adam believed that promise, (Genesis 3:20) and God re-established the relationship (Genesis 3:21) through the first blood-sacrifice, looking forward to the Cross. God offered Grace in the form of a Savior. Adam responded in Faith, and God accepted him on the basis of faith. I hope that sounds familiar to you all. God saved Abraham, in the same manner, though there was less detail about the promise. God offered Grace in the form of a Promise. Abraham believed God, instead of believing his own eyes, his own experience, or the evidence in nature. And (Genesis 15:6) God declared Abraham righteous on the basis of that faith.

That is the only way God has ever saved anyone in the history of the World. As someone famously said, long ago, “God saves us by Grace, through faith, plus nothing!” In fact, I tried to find out the source of that quote, using Google, and it took me straight to Ephesians 2:8, 9! (“For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”)

Anyone who confesses he or she is a lost Sinner, and throws himself or herself upon the Mercy of God, provided by Grace, through the Blood of Jesus, is restored to fellowship with God, and permanently joined to Him by the New Birth.

But, What About The Future?

Can I lose that “Fellowship” with God? Well… temporarily, Yes! But not the Relationship.

As believers, though we are eternally saved, we can be separated from fellowship with God, through sin. In that condition, we are behaving as though we were spiritually dead. God offers to restore us to fellowship through a second promise: 1^st John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

That is the future of believers, in this life: We desire to walk with God in holiness, but we often fail. We admit our failure is sin, and we approach the throne of God with nothing to offer but confession. He then restores the fellowship so that we can go on walking with Him.

But, an unbeliever, who rejects God’s warning and promise, and thereby maintains their original separation from God, has never been born again. They have never become God’s child. If they persist, and physically die, as an unbeliever, they face eternal separation from God, in the Lake of Fire. God calls that Eternal loss the “second death.”

So, As Believers, How Does the Rebirth Change Our Priorities? (v. 8, 9)

2^nd Corinthians 5:8, 9 speaks only to believers. As a believer, I can honestly say that I look forward to being eternally free from the struggles of this life: The constant struggle of trying to walk with God as a saved sinner. That is why verse 8 says, we would rather be with Jesus!

I have two natures: the one is a deadly enemy, and I long to be free of it. The other is the new person, created in the likeness of God in righteousness and true Holiness. (God says so, in Ephesians 4:24.) Do I feel righteous or holy? No! I am keenly aware of my old nature which is still attempting to regain dominance.

But as a believer, yes: I look forward to “going home!” And because I am aware of His presence, and I’m aware that His righteousness is perfect, I am anxious to live in such a way that, whether I live or die, I will not be ashamed, before Him.

What About the Judgment Seat of Christ? (v. 10)

Hebrews 9:27 says “…it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment.”

If that were the only teaching on the coming judgment, it would sound as though all people face the same judgment. But there are at least five judgments listed in scripture, that can affect people. Not all apply to everyone.

The General Judgment (condemnation) of the World. (John 3:18, 19; Romans 1:18, etc. This one affected all of us!)
The Judgment of Sin at the Cross. (Colossians 2:14; 1^st John 2:2 Jesus died for all the sins of the entire Human race, though not all respond in faith.)
The Judgment Seat of Christ (2^nd Corinthians 5:10; 1^st Corinthians 3:10-16 This one affects believers only, and it is an awards judgment, giving reward to believers who allowed Jesus to work through them. He rewards us as if “we” were the ones who accomplished the work, when, by necessity, only He could do it!)
The Judgment of Living Nations (Matthew 25:31-46 This one affects the living believers and unbelievers, after the Great Tribulation, when Jesus Returns to Earth.)
The Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15 This one affects only theunrighteous dead, and it is final.

All the Judgments are Fearful to Consider:

Original Judgment

As we look back and consider the Judgment in the Garden of Eden, we are sobered and chilled to see the permanent consequences of Adam’s sin. In fact, reading through the rest of Genesis, we see that very often, sin had permanent results. All the sons of Abraham that were produced in the flesh (by his own ability and choices) ended up being bitter enemies of his promised son, Isaac, later on. There are many other such examples. But Romans 5:12 says all the sin and death in the world was ultimately because of that one sin!

Judgment of Sin at the Cross

When we see the suffering of Jesus at the Cross, and His torments leading to the Cross, we are grieved to see the awful results of Sin, as it affected Jesus, our Savior.

2^nd Corinthians 5:21 tells us that Jesus literally “Became Sin” for us, so that God could pour all His wrath upon Jesus at the Cross, thus allowing us to become the righteousness of God in Him.

But it also explains why Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken Me?” Yes, He was quoting Psalm 22, which is a prophetic Psalm, clearly predicting the Cross. But it was also a fact that God turned His face away from the monstrosity of our sin, completely personified in Jesus at that moment!

Judgement Seat of Christ (Judgment of Believers’ Works.)

The Judgement Seat of Christ is an awards ceremony of sorts. But we feel anxiety about it, knowing that everything I do (or fail to do) in this life will be considered and judged in that day. All the time I have wasted. The many wrong notions I have entertained, contrary to God’s Word. All of them will be exposed for what they are. How?

1^st Corinthians 3:11-15 tells us that the things we have built into our lives, as believers, are either of eternal value, or are eternally non-valuable. And it says that the determination will be made “by fire.” The things that I found attractive, but were eternally worthless, will go up in a cloud of smoke. The things that originated in Jesus, and which He did, using me as a tool, will survive that test, and will be the cause for eternal reward.

Abraham’s nephew, Lot, stands as an example of one who lost everything because of his life choices, but who still was saved. We can’t see it very clearly, but God says he was saved. It’s possible for a believer to be just like him. They have gone their own way their whole life, and done things that felt religious and pious, but have not submitted themselves to Jesus as a tool in His hand.

1^st Corinthians 3:15 tells us that we can lose our rewards through self-will and sin. We do not lose our position in Christ, but we escape God’s judgment as one escaping through the flames. I fear the results of this judgment. I know I am not a very consistent servant of Christ.

Judgement of the Living Nations

At the end of the Great Tribulation, the Lord Jesus will return (Revelation 19) and will set up His throne in Jerusalem. (Zechariah 14, among others.) But His first order of business, before the promised Kingdom Age can begin, is to sort out the survivors of the Great Tribulation. (Remember: According to Revelation 6:8 and 9:18, more than half of the world’s population will have died during that terrible seven years!)

The Lord Jesus will sort the survivors, according to Matthew 25:31-46, by how the people demonstrated faith in the way they cared for God’s people (or failed to do so.) It is a fearful thing to consider the judgment happening right there for everyone to see. Yes, if you are born again today, you will be absent during the Tribulation. But you will be present to see the Judgment of the Living Nations! How do I know? Jesus said that where He is, there we will be also! And Ephesians 2:6 says God has already seated us in the throne with Jesus.) I am not looking forward to witnessing these final two judgments!

The Great White Throne Judgment

In Revelation 20:11-15 we see the final judgment of Sin and sinners. All the unrighteous dead of all time will stand before that Throne for final Judgment. Who is the Judge? It is Jesus, again. John 5:22 says, “the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son even as they honor the Father.”

But, we will be there, sitting in the throne with Jesus! I really am not looking forward to this experience. All the unsaved folks I knew will be there! It will include those to whom I had the chance to share the Gospel, but who never received His forgiveness. It also includes the ones with whom I failed to share. And I will watch their judgment, and it will be too late to intervene!

**Therefore, Knowing the Terror of the Lord, We Persuade Men**

This is one of our motives for Evangelism! All of the Judgments mentioned in scripture are worthy of our dread! Yes, Jesus took away our sins, at the Cross! But even if we no longer have to fear God’s eternal judgment, others still face that judgment!

We are made manifest unto God; and also made manifest in your consciences.

We also seek to be transparent to one another. Paul said he was “made manifest” to God, and sought to be “also made manifest” in the minds of the believers in Corinth.

Ephesians 5:13 says, “whatsoever maketh manifest is light.” God’s light is shining in our lives. We want to be “transparent,” so His light can shine through us to one another, and to the people in the world around us.

God does not want us “putting on a show” of piety or religiosity. We are sinners saved by Grace, and we offer that Grace to one another, and to the people all around us. That is why we enthusiastically support missions, and we look for opportunities to share with those nearby.

Lord Jesus, please cause Your Words to soak into our consciences and to soften our hearts toward those around us who still face the Judgment of God. Give us Your tender Heart of Compassion toward all around us, in Jesus’ Name.

July 9, 2026July 12, 2026

How to Know Where a Deceased Loved-One Has Gone

How to Know Where a Loved-One Has Gone

2^nd Corinthians 5:1-9

¹For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ²For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: ³If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. ⁴For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

⁵Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. ⁶Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: ⁷(For we walk by faith, not by sight🙂 ⁸We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

⁹Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

1^st Thessalonians 4:13-18

¹³But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

¹⁵For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Introduction:

We have touched upon this passage repeatedly, over the years. Why? Because it is a universal concern and a frequent question, regarding a loved-one who has died. “Where is (name)?”

When people who have been believers for many years still have to ask this question, I am sad. They are fearful for their husband, wife, or other person they have lost. God wants us to know this truth, and to comfort one another with this knowledge.

So, How CAN we Know?

We read the twin passages with which we opened. We see that our confidence in the eternal life God has given is not based upon supposition or human reasoning. God gave it to us “By the Word of the Lord!”

Also, we immediately see that God commands us to comfort one another with these words. Why? Because it is something He wants us to KNOW. As individual believers, we begin by learning how we were saved. Then we try to understand why, and how permanent that positional change truly is. We are now His literal offspring, through the new birth, and we cannot become UN-Born-again!

Personal Assurance: What Should YOU Know?

If we read 1^st John 5:11-16, we gain a personal assurance of our own eternal life. God clearly says He wants us to KNOW that we have eternal life.

1^st John 5:11-13 says, “And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Our initial, timid faith can grow strong as we consider the evidence binding us to The Eternal Savior, Jesus, the Messiah…the Christ.

The Beginning

Jesus promised in John 5:24, “He that heareth My Word and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath eternal life, and shall not come unto condemnation, but has passed from death unto life.”

If you have heard the Good News that Jesus died in your place at the Cross, and have placed your trust in Him, trusting His finished work at the Cross for your salvation, God says it’s a done deal!

You have eternal life! (Present tense! You do NOT have to wait until you die to find out!)
God will never again Condemn You!. (Future tense…it will never happen!)
You have permanently crossed over from death into Life! (Past perfect tense! It is a “done deal,” and you can’t go back to being lost!)

That specific promise of Jesus is the basis for our confidence before Him. We lay claim to that Promise by Faith. When we share that mutual confidence with one another, we gain confidence about others as well. Can I actually see inside someone else’s heart, and know for sure about their faith? No: But Their responses to God and to other believers, and to the ordinary trials and stresses of life can pretty well tell me where their heart really is.

Collective Assurance: What should “WE” Know?

In 1^st Thessalonians 4:13-18, we read what is coming for all believers, living and dead. We see that Jesus will return to the Air, and collect all the church-age believer’s bodies.

How do we know the bodies are in view and not the souls…the Spirits…the non-physical portions of our three-part humanity? Because 2^nd Corinthians 5:8 states that when we leave these bodies, we will instantly be present with the Lord. And 2^nd Corinthians 5:2-4 states that we will simultaneously be “clothed upon” with an immortal body of some sort. It evidently is not our own physical body resurrected, but something temporary.

1^st Corinthians 15:50-54 says that we will all get our own resurrected bodies at the same time.

⁵⁰Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³For this corruptible (body) must put on incorruption, and this mortal (body) must put on immortality.

⁵⁴So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

So, we seem to have found a paradox!

**Is There Truly A Paradox?**

One passage says we get an immortal body the moment we leave these mortal bodies. The other says “…we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.”

Let’s go back and read the 1^st Thessalonians 4:14 passage again: It says that Jesus will bring the dead in Christ “with Him.” Yes, we could read it as merely saying that they will “follow Him in resurrection.” But the point of this passage, when combined with 1^st Corinthians 15, is that all the dead bodies of dead believers will be resurrected immortal. That means regardless of where they are, or what has happened to them during the centuries in which they have undergone decay, or have been digested by scavengers, or even burned to ashes, and scattered who-knows-where.

And then (in the next moment, according to both 1^st Thessalonians 4 and 1^st Corinthians 15,) the living bodies of those who are still alive at that time will be transformed into the eternal, immortal state “in the twinkling of an eye!”

But, When?

It is also important to read 1^st Thessalonians 5, understanding that originally, there were no chapter divisions. Chapter five developed directly out of chapter four. If chapter four describes the rapture of the church, then we see that the tribulation begins at that moment!

The “Rapture of the Church” is the portion of the “Day of the Lord” that “Comes as a thief in the night.” It is the only portion of all the grief that is to come and the joy and peace that follows, that can (and will) come as a “surprise.”

All the rest of it is literally “laid out” just as tightly “choreographed” as a play! The Book of the Revelation of Jesus gives us the script, and the world will see those events unfold exactly as written. And all of it follows the removal of the Church, simply because we are not a part of the Coming Judgment on Earth and Israel. (If you have questions about that, read Daniel 9:23-27.)

Nor are we part of the Millennial Kingdom, in the strictest sense: We will all have resurrected, glorified bodies, whereas the Tribulation Saints will enter the Kingdom in their mortal bodies, marrying, bearing children, and living for the full age of the Kingdom in most cases.

So, Where IS Grandma? (Grandpa? Dad? Mom? Wife? Husband?)

It ultimately depends on one thing. Jesus died for their sins, because He died for the Sins of the Whole World. (1^st John 2:2 states it undeniably! “And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”)

But…did they believe His promise, and so receive Him as their Savior?

Each of us has the choice: we can choose the way of life or the way of death. Jeremiah 21:8 says, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.”

Hebrews 9:27 says, “…it is given unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.”

Two Possible Destinations

To an unbeliever, that judgment is the “Great White Throne Judgment” in Revelation 20:11-15.

To a believer, that Judgment is the “Judgment Seat of Christ,” in 2^nd Corinthians 5:9-13, but explained in 1^st Corinthians 3:11-15.

If your loved-one was a believer, having placed his or her trust in Jesus’s shed blood as their only hope for salvation from the final judgment of Sin, then I can say with full assurance, that they are with Jesus right now. (And they are looking at Him, by the way, not watching over you!)

If they died still rejecting His offer of eternal life, then, sadly, all I can say is what Jesus said. “They died in their sins.” Can I know whether they, in fact, rejected Him to the end? No! But I can say that Jesus said most of the human race will do just that, and be lost forever!

In Matthew 7:13, 14 Jesus says, “¹³Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: ¹⁴Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

That is just Reality. Hard truth, but honest.

**Now: Do I Like That Judgment?**

No! But I see the justice in it: God hates sin, and He judges sin! He has offered one escape from the destruction that His Judgment is bringing. We can either accept it or reject it, but the Judgment is already in place.

I spent my first eighteen years on God’s “Death Row.” Had I died during that time I would be in hell today. But Jesus stepped in and died in my place, just as he did in your place and in the place of the entire human race. But it took me over eighteen years to realize and to confess that I was a lost sinner, and that I needed a Savior.

That was in 1973. Since that time, the Lord has worked to teach me to walk with Him, and to believe His Word. I certainly have not “arrived.” I am increasingly aware of the fact that I can literally do nothing without Him. I’m sure that the majority of the people here would fervently agree with that conclusion.

But we want our lives to count for eternity. Some friends we have watched pass out of this life and we were sad, because we don’t know for sure where they are. But when those died, whose lives had been transformed by His Grace and His Power, we knew that they had simply “graduated early.” So, we comfort one another in our losses and in our hard times, and we support one another in our striving to walk with Jesus.

Lord Jesus, teach us to love Your Word, and desire Your constant presence and oversight in our lives. Let us rejoice to press on to the mark of that high calling of God in Christ Jesus!

July 6, 2026July 6, 2026

Please Join Us In “A Walk through Galatians, Part 2.”

A Walk Through Galatians, Part 2

© 2026 Lee Tankersley

(Part 2: Galatians 1:11-24)

Introduction:

In the beginning of this epistle, Paul’s introduction gave us a bold stance on where it was going. He combated the false teachers who were speaking against Paul. They were causing confusion with the churches in Galatia and turning believers from faith to legalism. Obviously, legalism is still a relevant issue today. Many groups would try to have us earn God’s favor or even salvation by following rituals and obeying certain rules.

As Christians, God has not boxed us in but has set us free. To uphold our freedom we must stay close to Christ. We stand firm against anyone who promotes subtle or obvious, blatant lies: Ways for us to earn our salvation. Jesus saved us from God’s judgment and the penalty for sin by God’s gift of grace to us. We cannot earn it. (See Ephesians 2:8-9.)

How Does God Save Sinners?

⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

We obtain salvation by Grace, through faith (trusting in him) and not by anything else. Being a Christian is in no part based on our own initiative, wise choices, or good character.

Now we will see a little of Paul’s background and how he came to Christ. We don’t know every detail, but he gives us some insight. So if you want to grab your bible we can open up to the book of Galatians 1:11-24. I am reading from the NLT. You can follow along with the translation of your choice. I want to give my sources credit. The NLT Life Application Study Bible, A Layman’s Look at the Epistle to the Galatian Churches, and the BibleRef app.. Thank you.

(Read Galatians 1: 11-24)

11 Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. 12 I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. 13 You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. 14 I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

15 But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him 16 to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. 17 Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

18 Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. 19 The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie. 21 After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And still the churches in Christ that are in Judea didn’t know me personally. 23 All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” 24 And they praised God because of me.

How the Epistle Began

At the beginning of Paul’s letter, he spoke harshly to the churches of Galatia. They were in serious danger. He did not apologize for his direct words. He knew he could not serve Christ faithfully if he allowed them to stay on the wrong track.

Now he explains his own background to provide insight on his coming to faith.

First Argument

11 Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning.

Paul begins this section to the Galatians by proving that he is a real apostle. Some of the Judaizers of that time were spreading rumors that he was not. Paul knew people needed to trust his authority as a genuine apostle, one sent out by Christ himself. So, Paul presented his evidence. Humans never dreamed up the gospel he preached: It’s not “man’s gospel.” Paul is not just passing along some religious teaching he picked up from other people.

We Need Humility to Seek God’s Wisdom

Not relying on our own understanding or reasoning seems to be a foreign idea to us. We actually think too highly of our own ability and think we actually know how everything works. Then we try to push this thought process onto the gospel. Coming to the good news takes humility. It means the willingness to humble oneself and to say, “I don’t have it all figured out: I need help.”

Now I can look at myself and truthfully say I don’t understand my own motivations or desires. I certainly don’t understand yours, much less those of the world we live in. So I take these motivations and desires to the Cross. And I thank God that he has provided a permanent solution. God’s solution does not rely on me. It only requires faith in what Jesus has done on the Cross, and not on myself. (I can be honest: I would have no chance, if it did.)

Now God has given us a new nature, one that looks, understands, loves, and hopes differently. We can have confidence that he will continue this good work in us through a promise, in Philippians 1:6. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

According to Philippians 2:13, we can know God is working in us! “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”

Paul Explains the Source of His Information

¹² I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

The message Paul preaches along with the other apostles comes from Jesus himself. We see that Jesus revealed himself to Paul in Acts 9: 3-6. Jesus revealed his true identity that confirmed the gospel message that Paul was looking to destroy. God provided the revelation to Paul. It was not the apostles, nor the believers whom Paul was tracking down and persecuting at that time.

¹³ You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. ¹⁴ I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

Paul reminds the Galatians that he was not a friend of the apostles or the good news. He had been on a path to try to destroy it at all cost. In Acts 7:54-8:3 we see that Paul, (then known as Saul,) fully approved of the stoning and death of Stephen. Paul frequently talks about the zeal he had for the law. Also, that he had surpassed his peers in religious knowledge and practice. He was far more zealous than the Judiazers were, for the law.

The Gospel Is For the World

Many Jews had a hard time understanding that God gave his message of salvation to Jews and Gentiles alike. But God has always planned to offer salvation to all people. He had revealed this plan clearly and repeatedly through the Old Testament prophets and had fulfilled it through Jesus Christ. Now He announced it through Paul.

Jesus fulfilled somewhere around 300+ prophecies of the Old Testament. God gave many of these prophecies hundreds of years before the birth of Christ: They cover various aspects of his life including his birth at Bethlehem, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection.

Mathematician Peter W. Stoner calculated that the probability of one person fulfilling just eight of these prophecies is 1 in 10¹⁷. That’s 1 in one hundred quadrillion, that’s 17 zeros… The chances of that are like taking a silver dollar and marking it in some way, then filling Texas two feet deep in silver dollars, and having a blindfolded person pick out that single marked coin on the first try.

Paul’s Calling

¹⁵ But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him ¹⁶ to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being.

Paul continues to defend his authority by telling of his extraordinary conversion to show that his message came directly from God. God commissioned Paul to preach the good news to the Gentiles when (See Acts 9: 3-6) he revealed Jesus to him on the road to Damascus.

When Did God Choose Paul?

Paul says, “even before I was born, God chose me” Now I’m not going to pretend that I fully comprehend this, because I don’t. It really baffles me, but we see proof of it happening before, in the Old Testament, when God was talking to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

And in Ephesians 1:4, Paul says the same truth is for us also: “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”

God chose us to make the point that salvation depends totally on God. He saved us, not because we deserve it, but because God graciously and freely gives us salvation. Our wisdom or good behavior does not have any impact on God’s decision, in his Mercy he has saved us according to his plan and has set us apart.

I guess that is the reality of having a God who is omniscient and is outside of our space and time. He knows the end before the start. He is the only being able to know all things because he has created all things.

Paul’s Response to Conversion

¹⁷ Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

So Paul didn’t “rush out” to go find Peter, John, or any of the other twelve, or head over to Jerusalem to consult with them or with anyone who was a believer before he was: He went away! What was he doing?

I don’t have all the answers for you: My time in my studies and just talking to people about Jesus or trying to share the good news has taught me that I’m not an apologist.

But I will ask, if you had an enemy who was hunting you down, and he “disappeared,” and then showed back up on your team (as we will see in the next verse) how would you respond?

(Compare Acts 9:22-26) We should remind ourselves that The book of Acts is a historical document with a continuous narrative that spans roughly 30 years. Jesus commissioned Paul in Acts 9:15-16. That leads me to the conclusion that during that three years, he also was trained by Jesus as the other apostles were, through whatever means God chose to use.

Paul’s encounter with Jesus showed that he believed who Jesus said He was. If we look at the bible “with blinders on” we can easily be deceived and fooled by our own understanding or “human wisdom.”

Paul Gives Credit to God

Paul speaks on these things, saying in 1 Corinthians 1:19-22, “¹⁹As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” ²⁰ So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. ²¹ Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. ²² It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.”

Some Demand Signs and Miracles

Trying to share the good news, I have encountered people who say things like “Where are all the miracles?” or “I would believe it if I saw a miracle because they happen all the time in the Bible”, and I think that’s a scary place to want to be. Having to try and explain that the bible timeline is compressed, and was written roughly over 1,500-1,600 years spanning roughly about 6,000 years of history, with many things still to come, and God’s preferred method of working is through people, he seldom does what the world describes as miracles.

Trying to explain this to someone and have them view the Bible with a wider lens is disheartening, and I have come to understand that if someone is seeking a miracle or is only interested in worldly wisdom, it won’t matter what is put in front of them, they will reject it. But we need to continue as Chet has taught us through and from the Bible, that we are to stand, shine a light, and sound an alarm.

This is Not a New Problem

(Remember Proverbs 3:5 “ Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.)

¹⁸ Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. ¹⁹ The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie.

We can see this in Acts 9: 26-30, when he arrived he was met with fear from the believers there: They remembered who he was and the reputation he had. But after Barnabas found him, he became a bridge to the apostles. Barnabas came alongside Paul, putting behind himself the fear and reputation he had known him for: Barnabas saw Paul’s change.

Can God Change You and Me?

Some people claim to be Christian but don’t intend to allow Jesus to produce any change in their life, heart, and mind. That is something to think about as James, (the one Paul meets in verse 19,) says, in James 2:14-16 ¹⁴ What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? ¹⁵ Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, ¹⁶ and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

If Paul had not allowed Jesus to change his heart, then Barnabas may have never seen the light that allowed the barrier of fear to be broken down.

We know we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone: Then and only then are we made holy: We are set apart to do the good things he planned for us long ago. Paul finally returned from his three years away: Barnabas brought him to Peter, and James, who at the time was serving as a leader of the church of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was and still is where the first church is. People gathered in house churches for worship, prayer, and fellowship.

Paul spent the two weeks not in training or commissioning with Peter for he already had received that from the Lord, but preaching boldly with them before a few of the Jews there tried to kill him, he was then sent away to Tarsus which was his hometown.

²¹ After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia.

Why Did Paul Leave?

Paul must not have planned to stay there long: Even though he already had people who were looking to kill him, he shares with us this understanding in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

Paul didn’t shrink or shy away from his call and the attempts on his life: He realized his life did not belong to him, Paul expresses this in one of my favorite verses and one beloved by many: Galatians 2:20 “²⁰ My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

We will dive deeper into this verse another time. His new reputation was seen by both sides. When we have put our trust in Christ we are no longer who we were and Paul shares this understanding also in Philippians 3:13 “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead”

(So, no matter who you were, you don’t have to be like that person now.)

God Calls us to Change

²² And still the churches in Christ that are in Judea didn’t know me personally. ²³ All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” ²⁴ And they praised God because of me.”

The churches of Galatia knew Paul and believed the good news he shared, only to turn and doubt him, the Judean churches only knew what people were saying about him: They knew his change could have only come from God, and so instead of doubting Paul’s credibility the Judean churches believed and glorified God.

Now, you and I may or may not have had as dramatic a change as Paul had, but our lives should still change in ways to honor God. When people look at me, do they recognize that change? If not, what might be getting in the way of the Holy Spirit’s work in my life? What are ways that I could better show others the work God is doing in my new life? These are some questions we should ask ourselves.

Jesus is the One Who Changes Us

I was reading the gospel of Mark recently and something stuck out that I want to share. Jesus said in Mark 2:17 “When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Realizing that I am in need, that I don’t have it all figured out, and knowing that Jesus isn’t afraid of all my failures and brokenness, or whatever I think about myself or what I may have done; I take all my passions and desires to the Cross and allow Him to change me: To change the way I see and think about things.

Whether it be fast or slow, I know He will not fail me or abandon me, and it is all for His glory. The biggest step is to allow Him to mold me into the person He created me to be.

Amen.

June 27, 2026June 28, 2026

How to See Why Discipleship is a Matter of Life and Death

**Discipleship is a Matter of Life and Death**

Philippians 1:29

“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;”

2^nd Corinthians 4:7-18

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. ⁸We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

¹¹For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. ¹²So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

¹³We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; ¹⁴Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

¹⁵For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. ¹⁶For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

¹⁷For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; ¹⁸While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Introduction:

It is easy for us to get caught up in the pronouns “we, us, and you.” In so doing, we can miss the point of this passage. The pronouns are important. They make it clear “who” was suffering at that time, and “who” was being encouraged by those who suffered.

Philippians 1:29 says suffering is a God-given part of the Christian life, as a whole. (Yes, that includes us!) And, in 2^nd Corinthians 1:3-11, we saw some of the reasons for suffering as believers.

But, here, we see the apostles’ perspective regarding their own suffering, as it related to their progeny in Christ. We see how it affected those whom they taught and encouraged. Paul knew that how he responded to suffering would have a direct impact on the lives of the other disciples. His example, and that of the other apostles, would give those who came after them (including present-day believers…us!) a template upon which to model their own lives and deaths.

So, we see that “we,” here. includes Paul and his associates, but we also see that it may apply directly to us. Some may not suffer much, by comparison. Others are under constant attack, or under threat of persecution or death.

But all believers have this as part of our heritage in Christ. (…unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ…) Notice it is “given”…not dumped on us as the act of a capricious deity, but as the gift of a sovereign God who encourages us to respond well to hard times.

Earthen Vessels

The apostles did not see themselves as something special. Notice, in 1^st Corinthians 3:5-9, that Paul made the disclaimer that neither he nor Apollos were anything. He reminded the readers that it is God who causes growth, and who quickens people’s hearts to hear the Gospel.

⁵Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

⁶I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

⁷So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

⁸Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

⁹For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

Jesus said, in John 15:5, “Apart from Me ye can do nothing.” And, He meant exactly that!

Why Earthen Vessels?

As we taught last week, it is the treasure inside the earthen vessels that makes them priceless before God.

We are not “shiny objects,” attractive to the world. We only reflect God’s light, which simultaneously exposes sin in the world and offers life to all who receive it. (Birds, squirrels and other critters frequently grab shiny objects, just because they are shiny. They get no practical use out of your earring, or car key. It was just shiny, so they grabbed it and took it away to their nest.

The world does not see God’s light as something glittering and attractive. Jesus said, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. ²¹But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

So, when people of the world see a common clay pot, glowing with something “out of the ordinary,” they may reject the light they see leaking out of the common clay vessel. But some may be drawn to the light, seeing that the person they are observing is nobody special, but whatever it is they appear to have, is special!

Neither Paul nor Apollos claimed to be anything special: They just allowed God to freely use them as tools in His hand.

Trouble on Every Side!

The apostles did not have easy lives. They did not get treated like royalty, but rather were frequently derided or attacked by those who despised the message. Paul said,

“ ⁸We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. ¹¹For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

The reason God allowed the apostles to suffer, was to demonstrate His own sufficiency. It did not take a “super-saint” to live the Christian life. It took men and women with the humility and courage to present themselves as saved sinners, with nothing of value to offer, except the Person of Christ: Paul said “We preach Christ Crucified!” He went on to point out that to the Jews, (and other religious individuals who think they are too good to need a Savior) it is an offensive message. To Gentiles (or to anyone who thinks they are too smart to need a God,) it is a foolish message. They laugh at it as a story for the ignorant masses.

God’s Chosen Example

But the example God has chosen to use is the persecuted church. Historically, under persecution, the church grows strong and vital. It becomes a more vibrant, joyous organism. It attracts people who see the reality of the risen Christ in those who endure suffering, persecution, and general hardship, and who respond well to the test. They are drawn to them, because they recognize that it is a supernatural relationship, bearing supernatural fruit in a normal, common, human being.

Some of the apostles were imprisoned before the end of the book of Acts. At least one (James) was executed, quite early. The others, one by one, were all eventually slaughtered for their faith, according to extra-biblical traditions and history. John may be the sole counterexample. But some historians claim that he, too, eventually was taken from exile and killed.

¹²So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

Death was demonstrated in the apostles, for the benefit of the church which saw their example of faith and followed that example, pursuing a similar lifestyle. The deaths of the apostles drew others to live for Jesus, as they saw the reality of the life of Christ lived out in the apostles.

The Spirit of Faith

That Spirit of Faith is what keeps us going in the face of distress. He motivates us to speak when it is uncomfortable to speak.

Two Examples

When Pat James told the young fellow that the only One with the authority to declare where his dad was, after Death, was God. And therefore, it simply did not matter what Pat thought. What mattered was what God said! Was that a “pleasant thing” to have to tell a neighbor? No. it truly was not! But Pat was faithful to go ahead and tell the truth. Why? Because he believed it! He spoke and it was not very well received. But it was the truth, and Pat was faithful to speak.

On another occasion, a person who once attended church here, and who had always acted completely cheerful and friendly, met Pat on the street, here in Forest Grove. The man was confined to a motorized wheelchair, but he always seemed completely sunny and cheerful.

However, when they met on the street, that day, it was the morning after a particular president had been elected. Pat, along with most conservatives, was feeling pretty glum. The man in the wheelchair joyfully asked, “Aren’t you happy about the election results?”

Pat quietly replied, “No, not really.” The man then demanded, “Don’t you want [that candidate] for president??” Pat again answered, quietly, “No, not really!” And the man was instantly furious; incensed, cursing at Pat, and threatening to get out of his wheelchair and attack him!

Pat backed out of his reach, saying, “No, I am not going to be in the news tomorrow, as ‘the pastor who attacked a crippled guy’!” Then he simply walked away. And, unsurprisingly, the man never came back to church.

Is it Easy?

Was that exchange happy for Pat? No, it was sad and shocking, and depressing. Did he tell the truth? Yes! Did he say anything wrong? No. He gave a simple direct answer to an aggressively direct question, without adding any explanation or political posturing. And he was reviled, rejected, and threatened with bodily harm.

Under the circumstances, Pat set the best example he could have: He had already spoken the truth of the Gospel in church, in his attacker’s hearing. He had no reason to expect that kind of abuse. But the man demonstrated the “bad news” of sin and hatred, in the face of someone who had consistently demonstrated the Good News of Grace and Forgiveness.

Pat knew that he was serving Jesus, and he knew that his words and actions would have a long-tern effect. I can look back and realize that many of Pat’s experiences were ultimately for our benefit. He was not discouraged to the point of collapse. He just pressed on to do the will of His Master. And, as Paul said, his inner man was renewed day by day!

Conclusion: Our “Light Affliction…”

Our light affliction works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory. The way for us to see life from that perspective is laid out right here in verse 18: We are not to focus on visible, temporal things, but to remember and rejoice in the invisible, eternal things God has in store for us.

We struggle with that, because we have a lifetime of experience, focusing on the visible and temporal. It takes effort and practice, to learn to consistently focus on the things of God.

And that is what we are advocating here at church. We are not entertaining one another: we are encouraging one another to turn our eyes upon Jesus and to learn to walk with Him.

Lord Jesus, we ask that You would do just that: Encourage our hearts, and lead us to faithfully serve and consistently walk with you.

June 20, 2026June 20, 2026

How to Understand Why The Gospel is Not of Us, but of God

The Gospel: Not of Us, but of God; Not Pride but Humility.

2^nd Corinthians 4:5-7

⁵For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Introduction:

As we attempt to share our faith with others, we are plagued with the sense that it’s not “Normal” to talk to people about Jesus. We shrink from doing so, because it is socially unacceptable, and potentially offensive. We fear the rejection of our fellow humans.

There are several ways to address that fear:

First, We All Evangelize About Everything Else!

We tell people about a great restaurant we really like: “Great food, great portions, great prices, friendly staff, etc. ….” And no one is offended! They are glad to know about that place.

We tell people about the great recipe we tried recently, and we offer to send it to the other person: They are glad to receive it, even if they never actually use it. Or we tell them about a great book we just read…or where we got our shoes, or the effectiveness of the new medication for (whatever the ailment)…and no one is offended.

But if we tell them about the Great God, the Creator: If we tell them of the Savior…Then we are seen as transgressors, and proselyters. They see us as zealots at best, and false witnesses at worst. Many people take offence at such talk: And we fear their disapproval.

We can observe, then, that evangelism is not the problem. The Person and Message of the Gospel is the Problem.

**Second, The World Habitually Rejects the True God**

Romans 1:28 “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;”

Because the Human Race does not want to think of God, and does not want to see Him for who He is, (The Creator, the Lawgiver, the Judge, and the Savior,) God has allowed them to follow their natural trajectory away from Him and to reap the inevitable results of their rebellion.

From a Biblical perspective, the reaction people have to the Gospel is completely predictable.

Consider The Following:

I have read, many times, that when a horse barn catches fire, the panicked horses will fight against any attempt to lead them out of the barn. The barn is their “safe place.” The fact that the barn is now burning around them does not translate in their minds to “GET OUT of the Barn!” Without intervention, they will stay there and burn.

The only way to calm them, so that you can lead them out of the fire, is to cover their eyes with something: A cloth, or a gunny sack, or some other covering, so that the only thing they can now trust is the hand on their bridle. Then you can lead them to safety. They no longer see the Terror around them.

So, Where Are We Hiding, as Humans?

Our “safe place” as humans, has been our ordinary life, among ordinary people, neighbors, friends, and co-workers: It includes our usual experiences, and our usual, habitual responses to those experiences. We have been taught by our societies (all of them) that we, as humans, are sufficient in ourselves. But Romans 1:22 says, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” And the universal result of that folly, according to the following verses, is that we turn away from God, preferring virtually anything else.

It may involve literal idolatry: The worship of false Gods and bowing to their images. Or it may be the humanistic idolatry of believing that, somehow, WE have all the answers, or at least we will soon find them. But the literal idols have never replied to the prayers of their worshippers. And humanism can’t even cure the common cold. We are not nearly so “self-sufficient” as we want to believe.

So, God offers to take our eyes off of the surrounding devastation, and to turn our eyes to Him as our only hope. We are not “brute beasts,” like the horses, but we do have some of the same tendencies. We focus so completely on the insurmountable dangers and tragedies of our fallen world, that we fail to see the sovereign hand of God. He offers us eternal safety and peace in the Person of Christ. Because we fail to see Him, we are still trapped in the destruction of this world.

We Must Understand Where the People of the World are Living

Remember that the people of the world are not “just waiting for you” to tell them how to have eternal life. They have been trained to see themselves as having no need for help from God. They see themselves as being “just as good as anyone else,” (which doesn’t particularly help.) Or perhaps they see themselves as “beyond help.” I have had people tell me that they are too much of a sinner for God to save them.

This is where it is critical that we see what Paul says in verse 5. “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.”

We don’t have the answers, any more than they do! Jesus is the only answer. He alone is God’s solution for the lostness of the Human Race. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the Life: No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” So, we have nothing to offer except Him!

**Remember Why He has Ordained Us to Shine for Him**

Verse 6 says, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

The same God who originally spoke the physical light into existence is the One who has commanded us to shine in the Darkness of this World. And, He has shined in us, enabling us to shine for others. In Matthew 5:15-16, Jesus commanded us to shine for the Glory of God. In Philippians 2:15-16, He says we are doing it!

And right here in 2^nd Corinthians 4, He says how that is even possible: He first shined in us, so that we could shine for Him in this dark World!

If God’s light has taken root in your life, it not only ordains you as a holder of that light, but it also commissions you to shine as a reflection of His Glory: He commands us to Supernaturally Shine, in three specific ways:

The Supernatural Agape love, abounding in our lives. (John 13:34, 35)
The Supernatural Unity of the Spirit, demonstrated among us. (John 17:21)
The Supernatural lifestyle of Spirit-driven Good Works, evidencing God’s Presence. (Matthew 5:14-16)

Remember Where You Came From!

Sometimes we forget that we are just “saved sinners,” and we begin to evidence our unregenerate ego, our old sin-nature. We become proud and self-righteous, rather than humble and only Righteous in Christ. Paul warns us against that trap:

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

We may be tempted to think that “we are Fine China, of the best raw materials available!” There are two answers to that idea:

God says we are “earthen pots.” We are cheap clay vessels, available in any marketplace. The treasure inside these “cheap clay vessels” is what is important!
Suppose you do have some sort of “evidence” that you are “a cut above:” You are convinced that you are different, that you are “Fine China!” You should bear in mind that (ironically) toilets are made of fine china, too! Whatever “special stuff” you think you are made of is not necessarily an indicator of your superior status with God.

We have a few “fine china” plates at home that are made to hang on a wall, as decorations. Some of them actually have holes cut in them as part of the design. You can’t use such a plate for much of anything practical. They are just ornaments!

My Choice?

I’d rather be a plain vessel, consecrated to God’s use, and willing to actually do the job He has ordained for us, as opposed to a “classy-looking, but useless” ornament. I want to actually be useful to Him, not just “look good.”

When we do what He tells us to do, we are being practical. When we pray for the lost souls around us (and for one another,) we are being practical. And, when we share with someone else the good news that they can have Eternal Life today, we are being practical, too!

The people with whom you share may or may not respond well to your offer. But if you continue to love them, regardless of their response, that is a further evidence of practicality. Let’s try to take a practical, active stance, regarding the Word of Christ and the Work of the Gospel.

Lord Jesus, please clear our minds of the baggage and debris of human opinion, and the fear of human rejection, and allow us the privilege of sharing Your Love with the lost souls around us.

The Voices of the Apostles and Disciples

2nd Corinthians 6:1-13

Introduction:

Centuries of Colonial History

The Result for Disciples in Pakistan

How Should Such Knowledge Affect Us, As Disciples?

How Should We Respond As Disciples? (Hebrews 12:1-4)

Consider: How Do Weeds Respond?

But, Why the Differences?

Consider the Salmon!

So, How Can We Change?

But, What Are the Consequences of Commitment?

How Can We Be “Workers Together With Him?”

2nd Corinthians 6:1-4

Introduction:

WE, Then, As Workers Together With HIM

Are You Called To Be A Worker With Him?

In a Time Accepted, In the Day of Salvation

How Can These Things Be?

What Had Just Happened in Heaven?

So, What is the Church: The “Called-ones of God? We Are Workers, Too!

And How Does He Want Us to Respond As His Workers?

Jesus Gave The World The Right To Judge His Workers In Three Areas:

What About Today? How Can We Be Workers Together With Him?

(Part 3: Chapter 2 verses 1-10)

Introduction:

Let’s Look at Galatians 2:1-10

(Read Galatians 2:1-10)

(Reading Galatians 2:1)

(Galatians 2:2-3)

(Galatians 2:4-5)

(Galatians 2:6-9)

(Galatians 2:10)

The New Birth Comes With a New Job

2nd Corinthians 5:17-21

Introduction:

What Is The Result Of That New Creation?

So, What If We Don’t See Things That Way?

God’s Call to See things His Way

Does He Continue to Love us?

What Is “Reconciliation?”

God HAS Reconciled Us to Himself!

What is the Ministry of Reconciliation?

God Passed On That Ministry To Us!

A Harsh Reality

Our Choice

Understanding the Motivation of the Apostles and Ambassadors

2nd Corinthians 5:11-17

Introduction:

The Fear of the Lord:

Godly Fear Moved The Apostles

Judgment is Already Here, But it is Also Yet To Come

What is the Alternative?

The Love Of Christ Constrains Us: WHY?

The Love of Christ Constrains Us… Why?

The Conclusion?

We Are New Creations in Christ!

How Can God Love A Sinner Like Me?

How To Establish Your Priorities as a Believer

2nd Corinthians 5:8-11

Introduction:

So, How Does God Save Sinners?

But, What About The Future?

So, As Believers, How Does the Rebirth Change Our Priorities? (v. 8, 9)

What About the Judgment Seat of Christ? (v. 10)

All the Judgments are Fearful to Consider:

Original Judgment

Judgment of Sin at the Cross

Judgement Seat of Christ (Judgment of Believers’ Works.)

Judgement of the Living Nations

The Great White Throne Judgment

Therefore, Knowing the Terror of the Lord, We Persuade Men

We are made manifest unto God; and also made manifest in your consciences.

How to Know Where a Loved-One Has Gone

2nd Corinthians 5:1-9

1st Thessalonians 4:13-18

Introduction:

So, How CAN we Know?

Personal Assurance: What Should YOU Know?

The Beginning

2^nd Corinthians 6:1-13

**Consider: How Do Weeds Respond?**

**What Had Just Happened in Heaven?**

2^nd Corinthians 5:17-21

**God’s Call to See things His Way**

**What is the Ministry of Reconciliation?**

2^nd Corinthians 5:11-17

**We Are New Creations in Christ!**

2^nd Corinthians 5:8-11

**Therefore, Knowing the Terror of the Lord, We Persuade Men**

2^nd Corinthians 5:1-9

1^st Thessalonians 4:13-18

**Is There Truly A Paradox?**

**Now: Do I Like That Judgment?**

**Discipleship is a Matter of Life and Death**

2^nd Corinthians 4:7-18

2^nd Corinthians 4:5-7

**Second, The World Habitually Rejects the True God**

**Remember Why He has Ordained Us to Shine for Him**