“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free” (Galatians 5:1)
Introduction
Our goal today is to study the Book of Galatians by section while working together in teams. First, we will have an overview.
Theme and Purpose
Galatians, like any book of the Bible, has a purpose. David Levy, who is cited in our references, suggested a fourfold purpose which remains applicable to Christians in our day. First, the Book addresses the question of legalism. It was necessary to help the Jewish converts understand that they were saved by faith in Christ and were no longer obligated to keep the Mosaic Law, specifically the rite of circumcision. Secondly, the Book explains Christian liberty. The Jewish converts were liberated from the rigors of a religious system that began as the Mosaic Law and was added to by religious leaders over the decades to include demands of their own making. Third, Galatians speaks of immoral living, teaching that liberty does not give license to sin. Paul said the converted were called unto liberty and advised against using that liberty as an occasion to the flesh. Lastly, Galatians is an epistle that warns Christian leaders against perverting the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Beacon Bible Commentary notes that Paul’s teaching is often mischaracterized as being justification by faith alone. Interestingly, David Levy titled one of his chapters just that way—Justification by Faith Alone. Beacon maintains that the correct view is that we are justified by faith on the basis of promise apart from the works of the Law. We do have justification by faith based upon promise rather than the works of the Law, but our life and our walk matters. Paul brought that out in Galatians when he spoke of the works of the Spirit and the works of the flesh. A lot of reference materials are Calvanistic. Calvanism is implied when justification by faith alone is mentioned. Calvanism leads right into the theory that works do not matter; that how we live our life does not matter. It holds that because we are justified by faith and faith alone, we keep that justification no matter what we do. It is good to see the different perspectives along the way, but it is also good to understand their framework.
Galatia Location
In your binder, please turn to the first page in the Table of Contents under Galatians. You will see a modern map of the Middle East. Look specifically at Turkey and the surrounding nations to get a framework of the place we are talking about as it is today. Then if you will turn to the next page, you will see first century cities placed on a modern map. The exact boundaries of Galatia are unknown, but it is very likely that Galatia included those cities that are pointed out in southern Turkey. It is thought by many that they extend further north and east than this map shows.
To get a sense of who the Epistle of Galatians was concerned with, let’s trace Paul’s missionary journeys beginning with his first trip in Acts 13. In verse 13, Paul and his company went to Perga in Pamphylia at which point John Mark departed from them and returned to Jerusalem. In the next verse, they went to Antioch in Pisidia. This is not the Antioch of Syria from where Paul and Barnabas were initially dispatched by the Holy Ghost to take this missionary journey. In Acts 13:51 we read that they came to Iconium. Acts 14:6 mentions them traveling to Lystra and Derbe and “the region that lieth round about.” This tells us that they visited other cities that were not named. In Acts 14:19, we read that Paul was stoned and left for dead. In Acts 14:26, we read that they returned to Antioch in Syria, “And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.” So Paul returned to where he had been dispatched from to give a report.
Acts 15 records the meeting of the council at Jerusalem where they decreed that the Gentiles did not need to come to Christ through the Mosaic framework. There are different points of view as to when the Epistle of Galatians was written. I have seen forceful arguments stating that it was likely written before the council that met at Jerusalem. Just as persuasive are arguments that maintain it was written after the council. Some of you may have input on that.
Moving on to Acts 16, Paul revisited Galatia at the beginning of his second missionary journey. That is where the Macedonian call caused Paul to turn west toward Rome rather than continue east toward the Caspian Sea. You can see those locations on the map. Acts 16:1 says he came to Derbe and Lystra. It is worth noting that it also says, “And, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek.” Timothy, who is not part of our subject matter today, hailed from that region of Galatia. In verse 2 we see again Lystra and Iconium, as far as location. Verse 4 says, “And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.” This looks as if they were bringing word of what the council at Jerusalem had determined. Verse 5 says, “And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.” It is not accidental that the word “faith” is used rather than the “Mosaic Law.” Continuing with verse 6, “Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia.” Paul would have gone east, but the Spirit of God directed him to go west.
Acts 18 finds Paul at the beginning of his third missionary journey. Acts 18:23 says, “And after he had spent some time there [in Antioch], he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.” So these were the places that Paul went.
Audience
The real interest, though, is not where he went, but what he preached. We know what he preached by his writings and by what is in the Book of Acts. Acts 13:14-43 contains the sermon that he preached at Antioch in Pisidia. The theme of that sermon was justification by faith rather than adherence to Jewish laws, rites, or rituals. Keep in mind that the Jews had built upon the Mosaic teachings with many of their own teachings that had no moral basis and were rituals of their own making. There is so much that could be read, but we will not take the time to read the entire message. Verses 38 and 39 say, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man [Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
In 13:42 and 43, we have the beginning of the response to that message, “And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.” The chapter continues saying that the whole city came together the next Sabbath day to hear the Word of God. Verse 45 says, “But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy.” At the end of verse 46 Paul said, “Lo, we turn to the Gentiles.” So the Galatian churches were established and the basis of the congregations was Gentile with some Jews mixed in.
While Paul was absent during his travels, apparently Jewish teachers came teaching a different Gospel than what Paul had taught them. One source, I believe it is Beacon, says the Jewish council had refuted the notion of these teachers and the Epistle of Galatians is an expansion of the short answer of the Jerusalem council.
A Note on Legalism
We hear the term legalism thrown about so loosely in modern times. It is worth noting that every church has expectations with regard to participation or fellowship. This is not legalism unless it meets the Scriptural guidelines which we find in Acts 15:1, “And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” If any organization has certain expectations or demands that they say must be kept in order to be justified, that would be legalism. Every organization has expectations with regard to participation, every church does. Some set the bar quite low, but a bar is set. That is the prerogative of any organization, but that is not legalism at all. We want to have that understanding as we proceed.
Outlines are Helpful
Turn in the binder to page 3. This printout where a line of thought is given, is taken directly from the Thompson Chain Reference Bible. The main theme states the doctrine of justification by faith and warnings against reverting back to Judaism. You see a key verse is given and then a chain of thought. If you knew nothing else about this epistle and could only read these verses that are listed here, you would have a very good insight into what the contents of this epistle are. There is a chain of thought; there is a common theme. As a result, there will be some repetition in what we hear today.
The next page is a sample outline. I will just share with you that it would have helped me, the first year I was saved, to have had one of these. How do you study a book of the Bible? Different people study in different ways. I think I have mentioned to you that I am very much textual in thinking, which is not better or worse than someone who is topical in thinking. One way I learned to study a book of the Bible is by outlining it, and this is a sample outline.
Some people do not like to write in their Bibles, but I do. It is the result of my shortcoming rather than the result of my strength—I need to be able to look at the Bible as I am reading it and see the whole picture. This is an outline that is penciled into my Thompson Bible. It had been in there for three, four, five, or six years. Although I do not remember where this one came from, I know how I often make them. I will read any book of the Bible through a time or two or three, and I have the Bible on tape and will listen to that as well. I try to capture the overview of the Book. Then I take a lot of outlines (you will see a number of them that follow this page), spread them all out, and cut and paste them together. The professional people who wrote these outlines are much smarter than me, but I have to do the outline in a way that I can understand, in my own words. These are not all my own words. They are better words than I could come up with, but they are the words that are gleaned from all of these outlines in a manner that made the most sense to me. So my outline is the one we will start with today.
We have combined a few of these outlines in order to get eleven teams. Galatians can be broken into three parts. Part One would be Paul’s Gospel and includes chapters 1 and 2. Part Two would be the superiority of Paul’s Gospel of grace over the Law in chapters 3 and 4. Then Part Three, chapters 5 and 6, would be the life of liberty under Paul’s Gospel. These then can be broken down further. Turn to Page 6, which is Beacon’s outline. Beacon has a salutation, then the main part, Paul’s Gospel, justification by faith rather than obedience to the Law of Moses (there are some points that), Old Testament basis of Paul’s Gospel, and life of liberty under Paul’s Gospel. Turn the page to Whedon. This is an old work that is out of print. Beacon and Whedon were holiness people. In this outline, Part One is Paul’s apostleship historically sustained, Part Two is Biblical establishment of faith and justification through Christ, Part Three is exhortation to steadfastness and Gospel freedom, and faithfulness in Christian duty. The exciting thing about this is that no matter how they title it or what words they use, the way they have summarized the content is, indeed, the content of the Epistle. It helps to read the Epistle with that understanding, and you have the liberty to refute a notion or agree with a notion because you can read it for yourself.
The rest of these outlines are not generally from holiness-oriented people, so you have to watch out for the way these outlines are stated. Calvinism can be implied. You are wise enough to discern what sounds right and what is not right at all. We will not go through the rest of those outlines, but I will have you go to the reference list.
Study Tools are Plentiful
The next page is WordSearch, which is Bible software. When this page was made up there was a special on WordSearch. I don’t know if the special is still available, but even for $50 there is a whole lot of material that can be very helpful. Another favorite of some of us here is e-Sword, and it is free, although there are some modules that require payment. Go down to Bible Commentaries on the same page. Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible, Adam Clark’s Commentary, Gill’s Commentary, Henry’s Commentary, James, Fawcett and Brown Commentary—all of these are free on e-Sword, if you do not have them in your library. There are Bible Dictionaries, maps, and a number of resource materials that are free on e-Sword. You just go to the website, download it, and it tells you how to use it. By the time you are done, you will be an expert. You will have to exit e-Sword once you’ve downloaded it for it to take effect, but the next time you go there those resource materials will be there.
The Assignment
Back to Galatians on page 5, you will see team assignments. The team number is your table number 1 through 11. The text you have been assigned to is what is noted there, so table 1 has Galatians 1, verses 1-10. It is to your advantage to go first. The ones that come after you will maybe have to be more creative as they go along. What you should do once your twenty-minute period begins is appoint a leader for your team who will be your spokesperson to present what your team has developed from your ten or fifteen verses. You can have the spokesperson do the entire presentation, or you can come up as a team of six, or choose any point in between. You can be creative in your presentation, but by the time you sit down, we should have a better understanding of what those verses said. You will need to tell us what your text says. Summarize it. If you can, illustrate it somehow. In some portions of text an illustration is given, an Old Testament illustration perhaps, but you can be creative and have a present-day illustration. In fact, that’s the third thing that would be helpful is an application to everyday life. The sky is the limit. I am not confining you; I am just trying to get you started. It is in the best interest of the team for the leader to know who he or she is at the beginning of your twenty-minute session, because that way someone is extremely motivated to accomplish something during that those twenty minutes.
At the end of the twenty minutes, we will start with Team 1 and keep going through the 11 teams. Any questions? You will have ten minutes to present, and you do not even have to watch the clock, because there will be somebody visible to the person who is standing here. When you have five minutes left, you will get a signal. When you have one minute left, you will get another signal. When your time runs out, a trap door will open and you will be gone. So go ahead and have a good time. You have twenty minutes starting now.
Administrative Reminders
On the inside cover of the binder, you will notice Information to Note. Consider this your invitation, pastors and retired pastors, to the pastor and spouse brunch the Friday immediately preceding the beginning of camp meeting. During camp meeting, if the Lord tarries, all ministers and spouses are invited to a continental breakfast. You will also notice my contact information, but obviously my primary contact information is through the office. Secondary contact numbers are listed, but they are secondary because I usually cannot answer either of those phones during the day due to being at the office or on the phone with someone. In the evenings, I am often at church. So the most effective means will always be through the office since a message can be taken.
Team 1: Galatians 1:1-10
Brother Bob Bishop: We were assigned the first ten verses of the first chapter of Galatians. We broke them into three categories, starting with the first three verses where Paul established his credentials. He said that he was not an apostle of men, neither by men. The church at Jerusalem was the highest authority in the Early Church, but Paul, by sharing his Damascus experience, established the fact that he had been called by God. Paul gave a salutation in verse 3. Paul had been to Galatia before; he knew these people. In these verses, he reminded them that the Gospel had been presented to them before. In other words, he was telling them, “You know the Gospel. Here is my authority. It did not come by man, but by God himself. God is the one that called me. He is the one that appointed me.”
In verse 4, Paul spoke about salvation. He said, “Who gave himself for our sins.” Paul knew this himself. He had received salvation through faith and through Christ on that Damascus road when he was called. He knew what salvation was, and that it delivered him from sin. The verse further says, “That he might deliver us from this present evil world.” Verse 5 says, “To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” That is how we feel. When we received salvation, we wanted to give God the glory for it. Paul was being humble. He said it was not him speaking, but God. He said it was through God’s calling.
In verses 6-10, Paul addressed the false teaching of the return of Judaism. A common thread through all of Paul’s writings is that he establishes what the Gospel is. He expounds on salvation. Then Paul told them to beware of false teachers. One of his concerns was that people would turn back from or pervert the Gospel. He talked about this in verse 6 when he said, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel.” The word “removed” in the original Greek means “to pervert or to change sides.” He was talking about backsliding, and he was worried and amazed. Paul was saying, throughout these ten verses, that he had presented the Gospel to the Galatians and they knew what it was. Then he was asking why they had turned away or backslidden so fast. He used the word “pervert” again in verse 7. He said, “Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” Paul’s concern was for the Gospel to remain strong in each and every one of their lives.
This is our life application; to carefully base our understanding of salvation on the Scriptures and to understand that Scripture is inspired by the Holy Ghost. That is important, for its inspiration is what gives the Gospel its strength. Someone did not sit down one day and say, “Let’s come up with a Gospel of Jesus Christ and let’s write a book called Galatians.” God’s Word was inspired by the Holy Ghost.
As pastors and ministers, we work with people. I was thinking about a man whom I have been ministering to in the crime-ridden neighborhood around our church. He lives among people who do not have the true hope of the Gospel and true salvation; they are up and down and struggling all the time. This man spends time in and out of jail. He claims to have been raised in a church since he was a young child, but he constantly struggles. I have tried to tell him that he needs the true salvation of Jesus Christ in his life. He recently finished serving another ninety days in jail, and he said, “If I would have listened to you in the first place, I would not have done those ninety days.” His struggle was summed up when he said to me, “I’ve always been taught to make Jesus my Savior, but I have never been taught how to make Him Lord of my life.” How important that is! That is what is written here. How soon do we go back and revert to our old ways because we have not made Jesus Lord of our lives? We need to let God take complete control of us and not pervert the Gospel. We are to remember the hole from which we have been dug, and remain solid and strong. We are not to let false teachers come in and switch us over to the other side where we can be saved one day and not saved the next day.
This is a pure Gospel. Jesus gave himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil world. That is the power of the Gospel—the deliverance from our sins and the evil world. Paul admonished the Galatians not to turn back. There will be false teachers, but we are to stand strong in this faith. Paul said in verse 9, “If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Not accursed by man, but by God. False teachers are responsible for the false gospel that they preach. Verse 10 states, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men?” When we preach and present the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it penetrates. It goes right to the very core and addresses the sin problem. Paul further said that he was not to please men, but God. He was concerned for their souls. That is the bottom line—we need to be concerned for souls.
Team 2: Galatians 1:11-24
Brother Robert Moore: This text describes Paul’s personal testimony. Verses 1 through 10 of chapter 1 were on preaching the Gospel. At verse 11, Paul took his own personal testimony and inserted it into the message. Verse 11 says, “But I certify you.” Paul was telling them, “I want you to know that I have documentation. I know who God is. I met him on the road to Damascus and He spoke to me and I understood it.” Praise God! He said, “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.” The apostles did not teach him; it was the Lord Himself. He testified to them, not as a stranger. He told them that they had heard of his reputation, his conversation. He reminded them that he had persecuted the church of God, but then there was a conversion. Verse 13, “For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God.” In verse 14, he said, “And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals.” In essence, he was telling them that he sat at the feet of the greatest philosopher of that day, and in that religion he was untouchable in one portion of the Scripture—he was blameless. But through that learning of the Law, he was ignorant of grace. Then he met Christ. He shared his personal testimony of how God changed his life. Isn’t that part of our testimony of how we came to Christ?
One thing our team talked about is how people can argue Scripture with one commentary or another, but they cannot argue our personal testimonies. When we say that God saved us from drinking or smoking or carousing around, and they don’t see that in our lives anymore, they cannot argue that point. That is what Paul was telling them. You heard of my conversation, but now I have a different zeal; I have a different walk. Anytime we come into contact with Jesus, we will never be the same.
In verse 15, Paul told them how God had separated him from his mother’s womb and called him. He looked back in retrospect. After the Day of Pentecost, the Apostles were in Jerusalem. They were huddled there, but Christ had told them to go into all the world and spread the Gospel. They feared the Jews and Saul of Tarsus. God had Saul deliberately there going from house to house persecuting them, because when the early church was beaten and tortured, they scattered, and they went all over preaching the Gospel. So, Paul said that he was born out of wedlock, so to speak, of the Gospel of Christ, but yet he was a son. He was grafted in. God brought him in.
In verse 17, we read, “Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.” Paul separated himself. He went out and let God put that ministry down in his heart, because he was going to be bold. It was going to be hard, but he was going to stand fast in preaching the Gospel to the heathen and to the Gentiles. He was going to be the bishop of the Gentiles. He was going to suffer, but the Lord put strength in him when he separated himself, as Christ sanctified himself outside the gate, Paul sanctified himself outside the apostles.
Then we look at verses 20-24. After Paul had separated himself, God gave him his ministry. He had been converted, been changed, and was part of this marvelous work of grace. The people in the churches of Judea did not know him, but they heard that he which persecuted us in times past now preached the faith which once he destroyed. Then they glorified God. Paul had made a complete turn. God turned us around! If you are not turned around, you don’t have salvation like I have it, because the Blood of Jesus will cleanse you from all sin.
Team 3: Galatians 2:1-10
Brother Bill McKibben: In the second chapter of Galatians, our group felt that we could divide the first ten verses into three basic parts. The first part consists of verses 1 through 3. In them, Paul spoke of his credibility. Out of respect and accountability, if you please, Paul went to Jerusalem fourteen years after his initial trip. He took Barnabas with him, and interestingly enough, he added Titus, a Greek. That is not a point that should be lost. Titus was a Greek, and Paul took him back to Jerusalem. Paul said in verse 2, “I went up by revelation.” God had moved and said this was the time for him to go back and make sure things were working together the way that they were supposed to work. This gives us a hint (and a little later he tells more) of how he showed up. He went by revelation, but he did not go waving a big banner, letting everyone know that the man who is in charge of the Gospel to the Gentiles is here. He did not do that. He went quietly, and talked to the leaders one on one. He did not make a stir in the local church. It says in verse 2, “I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.” He wanted to make sure he was accountable and they were all in this together. That was important.
Verses 4 and 5 immediately go back to the issue of Paul’s brethren. Earlier we heard him say that they crept in privately to pry out the Galatian’s liberty and their motive was to put them into bondage. That is part of what made them false brethren. Their motive was not for the Gospel to go forward, but for the Gospel to be hindered. He said in verse 5, “To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you.” Paul’s motive shows right here. He was saying, “I don’t want to fight doctrine for the fight’s sake. I don’t want to argue for argument’s sake.” Some people do that. They just like to strain at a gnat and swallow a camel; they will fight over almost anything. Paul said, “No, no, I want the truth of the Gospel to continue in you.” His motive was for the church and the people he had been preaching to. It was not about him being right—it was about the Gospel going forward. Our group thought this was an important point for all of us to remember. Sometimes we can get caught up in the details and forget the whole point of what we are really doing. It could become so important for us to be right that we forget that the real point is for the Gospel to go forward.
Verses 6 through 10 show how Paul went through this process. He started with those who seemed to have it together, those who understood what was going on. Remember, though, we are all equal. He said in verse 6, “(Whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me.” He was saying, “The accountability that I had to these folks, didn’t add anything to what I was preaching.” In verse 7, Paul equated himself to Peter. He said, “But contrariwise, when they saw that the Gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter.” Peter was unequivocally the leader of the evangelistic movement in the Jerusalem church. On the Day of Pentecost, three thousand were saved. James was the head of the church there, but Peter was the evangelist, and Paul immediately equated himself with Peter. In essence, he said, “God worked in me like He worked in Peter. You saw what God did with Peter; God is doing that through me.” He went on to say in verse 8, “(For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles.)” It is the same Gospel. Finally, in verse 9, he said, “And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship.” We see unity here. There was some question about how all these things were supposed to be taken care of, but unity came out of it. That is the general summary. Verse 9 finished with Paul being authorized to go to the Gentiles. Our group chuckled at that. Paul had already been going to the Gentiles for seventeen years. But now Jerusalem agreed, “Yes, you can keep doing what God told you to do and what God has been blessing for seventeen years.” Such things happen. We don’t always know where God is working and how things will work out, but it has to be brought to work together.
Our group talked about the early days of our work in the early teens and twenties. Traditional Pentecostal churches all believed in salvation, sanctification, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. That is how they all started out, but then, some people came around and said, “We don’t really need to be sanctified.” Brother Ivon Wilson was talking about how in the early days of our work ministers got together and talked about needing to stand for what we know is the truth of the Gospel. So we have in our work a very similar situation to the one in Galatians. We need to make sure that we are all working together in unity.
Application-wise, we thought this was a great example of how the ministry could handle difficult situations or questions. Paul went in quietly, behind the scenes, to discuss things. He discussed them with the authorities in the church. He did not go in during a testimony service and say, “By the way, Titus is not going to be circumcised.” We also see that Paul wanted to be accountable. Even though his message was by revelation, even though he did not learn it from them, he wanted unity in the church. He wanted to be on the same page with Peter, John, and James. We thought about the Scripture in Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpeneth iron.” We need each other. We really do need each other. There is not one of us that is above the pressures that come, or the difficulties, or even our own limitations. We might lose perspective sometimes, so we need each other. Paul realized that, and we find later that Peter lost some perspective. In this epistle, Paul established a scenario where he was able to look at Peter later and say, “Here, we talked about this. It was established.” Peter, of course, came back to where he was supposed to be.
Finally, we thought this was a great example of not being isolated. Paul could have stayed away, going where he was going, doing what he needed to do, and not returned to Jerusalem. He did not have to be accountable. He could have said God was working effectively in him and this was his ministry. Instead, he said, “I don’t want to be isolated; I want to be a part of the Gospel.” His reason was that he wanted the truth of the Gospel to continue. That is what we want, too. It is not always easy, and sometimes we get knocked around a little. We do not always have perspective, but we have each other. Iron sharpens iron, and we feel that sets the tone for where Paul takes the book next.
Team 4: Galatians 2:11-21
Brother Gary Lee: We had verses 11-21 of chapter 2, which start with Paul confronting Peter. We thought about how this could refer to us today. A couple of different people have mentioned that we need to apply this to ourselves. The situation was that when Jews came around, Peter did not eat with the Gentiles. Instead, he went back to his standard Jewish upbringing. One application is that organizations have traditions that may not be Biblical. Some organizations believe once someone is baptized in water, that person is ready for Heaven. I did not grow up going to Sunday school or church, but I thought I was a Christian because I was born in America. I just somehow had that in my mind. Some people say that to get to Heaven, you accept Christ. I was party to a conversation once where somebody said they accepted Christ, and somebody on the side said, “Yes, but did He accept you?” We also hear of people joining a church to get to Heaven. I have never joined a church; I never joined the Apostolic Faith. They have my address and phone number written down, but I did not give it to them that I remember.
The passage of Paul addressing Peter also illustrates that often times we do not know how much we affect other people by what we do and by the way we carry ourselves. In verses 11-12 the Jews had an effect on Peter, and then Peter withdrew himself from the Gentiles and had an effect on others. Our actions have an effect on others. They can really have a catastrophic effect if we are doing the wrong thing. The Bible says that Barnabas was also carried away with their dissimulation. One reference I read said that “carried” is the same as “seduced.” So we can be carried away or seduced.
Thinking about justification by faith, which is the big thing in this section, verse 16 indicates that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by faith in Jesus Christ. Paul was making a point. I know when I read this, I think back to when I was saved; I hardly knew anything about the Apostolic Faith Church. I didn’t know about any of the traditions. I just got down and prayed, and repented of my sins, and got saved. Paul was asking the Jews: How did you get saved? What was the original, initial experience? What type of rules did you follow?
The Jews followed rituals. Paul made it clear in the middle part of our section that the Law did not save them. They went all those years and followed all those traditions. Paul was a terrific example himself in that he followed all the traditions and the Jews for all those years. He even persecuted the church of God, but he wasn’t saved. He was not saved until he met Christ on the Damascus Road and repented of his sins. He was making it clear to them and maybe to us also. I think at times we can get caught up in different things when what we need to remember is that we were saved when we prayed and repented of our sins. Wearing a suit and tie does not make a person saved. Wearing a nice skirt or dress does not make a person saved. Nothing does except for repentance. Paul was telling the Jews this. Of course at the end he was telling them not to revert back to trusting in the old rituals. Several people in our group felt the key verse of this section was verse 20, “I am crucified with Christ . . . I live by the faith of the Son of God.” At verse 21, Paul was saying if that is not what saved and kept me, then Christ’s dying meant nothing. If we revert back to rituals, then Christ died in vain.
Team 5: Galatians 3:1-18
Our group looked specifically at the third chapter, and we broke it up into three parts. I will take the first part, and then we will have a different spokesperson for the other two parts.
Asking questions is an awakening part of this. If there is one Scripture that has been quoted often from Galatians, it would be 3:1. It says, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you. . .” Pretty severe! This was to jolt them, to say, “I am questioning you; I am really examining what you are all about.” There are other questions here also. The next one is in verse 2, “Received ye the Spirit by works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” We see this controversy between the Law and the covenant of faith repeatedly through these verses. The next question, in verse 3 is, “Are ye so foolish?” Think about that—if you call your brother or sister foolish, that is a pretty severe word. The purpose of this was to awaken them, to jolt them, and to say, “I am really questioning what you are all about.” The questions continue in verse 4, “Have ye suffered so many things in vain?” What was the purpose of the Law? The Law was passed down through generations, but it was supposed to teach something. It was a schoolmaster. The Galatians needed to realize that they needed something more than the Law. The Law wasn’t enough. That is why Paul was jolting their memory about all these traditions and feasts that they were keeping. There was a teaching in his questions: they needed more. They needed grace and they needed faith. Verse 5 says, “. . . doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Here again, is the dialogue between the two.
We will now talk about the covenant of faith, which is what the Apostolic Faith is based on. Our motto is to contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints. Faith is important. So he will talk about the covenant of faith.
Brother Olusola Adesope: I did not think I would be talking, because I am the least, but in the Gospel we follow the leader. The group asked me to talk about verses 6-9. Talking about faith, Paul was addressing these people about the faith of Abraham. As we know, even when Jesus came, the Jews said, “We are the children of Abraham,” and they got hung up on that notion to the extent that they would not even believe in Jesus. Paul was trying to address them. After Paul left Galatia, there was this faction that came into the church and said, “You cannot have salvation by faith; you have to do it by works, by laws, and the holiness of the law.” Paul was trying to encourage the Galatians that they only had to be saved through faith. He brought up a very good example, that of Abraham, who is called the “Father of Faith.” Paul said that Abraham lived before the Law. Actually, Abraham lived four hundred thirty years before the Law. In Genesis 6, the Bible says that Abraham believed God. Abraham had faith in God. Even though the Law had not been given yet, Abraham could look down through the landscape of time and see Jesus. And he believed on Jesus, and the Bible says that it was counted unto him for righteousness. So Paul was encouraging these people. If Abraham had lived four hundred thirty years before the Law and the Bible declares he believed God, how much more should they believe? What evidence do you have not to believe God? So, it was a very powerful demonstration of what faith could do. Talking about the children of Abraham, Paul encouraged them that those who walk in faith are the true children of Abraham.
Regarding life application, I thank God that I have the heritage of the Gospel in the Apostolic Faith Church. I also thank God for those who have lived in faith in the Apostolic Faith Church. I thank God for the missionary work. What if the missionaries going out from Portland had said, “We are Americans; we can’t go elsewhere and eat their food.”? If Brother George Hughes had said that, if the people going to Romania had said that, if the people going to the Philippines had said that, would the people they came in contact with around the world be saved? Many like me would not have heard about the salvation of Jesus Christ. But they went to remote locations to mix with the people. They ate their food; they dined with them. Today the Gospel in the Apostolic Faith is all over the world because those people did not get hung up on the American way of life; they were hung up on the Gospel way of life. Glory be to God! Paul encouraged the Galatians to live in peace and not get hung up on the traditions of the Law.
Brother Ryan Trotter: We only have time for a punch. Galatians 3:14 says, “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” How many times does it say the “law and curse” in chapter 3? I didn’t count them up and I probably should have. There was a curse with that Law, but through the blessing of Abraham and Jesus Christ, we being of Abraham’s seed, have a promise of the Spirit through faith. That is more important than the curse of the Law that held people in bondage in many ways. The Bible teaches that we can stay saved and live victoriously, and that is going to come through faith. The Law does not give us the power; it is just the schoolmaster that led us to that faith. Faith in the Blood of Jesus coming over us and saving us gives us victory, and we can live and walk in that way.
Team 6: Galatians 3:19-29
Brother John Friesen: Verse 19 describes why the law was added—because of transgressions, so that the promise that was to Abraham might be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. As the Old Testament people did the rituals of the Law, they looked forward to the completion of it through the seed, which was Christ Jesus. If you read carefully each one of these verses, you would find that God provided a way that the Law itself would lead to Jesus. He was the Mediator, if you will notice. We look at 1 Timothy 2:8, and it says, “Lifting up holy hands, without wrath or doubting.” This was a figure, a picture. In the Old Testament as the animal was brought for sacrifice, the priest would put his hand on the animal and the one that brought it. See the touch there. So God wants us to be mediators with Christ in us as we reach out and touch Jesus and then reach out to others that they might be saved.
In verse 22, Paul said, But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” The promise was given to Abraham. And then the Law was given, as that schoolmaster (as is mentioned in verse 24) to bring us to Christ. It was the process that God had designed. He knew the end from the beginning. God knows the end from the beginning now in our lives. He wants us to learn and be in the process of taking the whole Word of God, not just a part of it. The whole Word of God is alive and powerful! John 6:63 says, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing.” Following the Law by the flesh did not work, but if they came bringing the animal by faith looking forward to the Messiah, they could receive the benefits. They could get saved under the Old Testament. Isaiah in the sixth chapter got sanctified. Read it carefully, the power of God was available, if they believed. Thank God for the Law in the sense it was the schoolmaster to bring us to Jesus. The schoolmaster (or the old Law) was done away by Jesus. He completed it; He fulfilled it. There was and is no necessity to go back to the old schoolmaster, because Jesus wants to live in the heart. He prayed in John 17:26, “that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them.” He was talking about sanctification. So a part of this beautiful change in Christ was the fact that He could sanctify and make us one. Thank God, He can if we put on Christ (verse 27).
Team 6: Galatians 3:19-29
Brother Sam Ajayi: In verse 20, the Apostle said, “Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.” He was comparing the office of Moses as a mediator with the office of Jesus Christ as a mediator. With Jesus Christ as the mediator of God, man was complete. Moses came with the Law, but no one was able to satisfy the Law. We remember that when the people brought the woman that was caught in adultery to Jesus and condemned her, Jesus told them the one who had not sinned should be the first to cast a stone at her. They could not do it, because the Law could not preserve their righteousness. The Law is like a prison house. The prison showed their depravity and guilt, but the prison could not set them free. Jesus Christ has the ability to set us free from all our sins. That is why when anyone comes to the Lord, they pray, “Have mercy upon me.” It does not matter what sins they have committed, just the simple appeal to the One who can give complete freedom will give that freedom which the Law could not do.
Verses 26-29 talk about the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” What a wonderful statement! What a wonderful thing! People make different categories and sections, but in Christ Jesus we are all one. There is no schism. When something comes to us, there is no separation here or there. There is nothing between. It is a complete freedom, because we are heirs with Jesus Christ and He is of God. That is what the Gospel does. The Gospel of Jesus Christ sets free and gives us complete freedom. This is the argument Paul the Apostle was telling the Galatians. He wanted them to understand that they should not put themselves under the Law, but they needed to put themselves under the freedom that comes from Jesus Christ alone.
Team 7: Galatians 4:1-20
Sister Marie Garrison: Our group has Galatians 4:1-20. This passage talks about the bondwoman’s child and the heir’s child. We see contrasts over and over in these verses—legalism, and a life of bondage and freedom are illustrated in this Scripture. Verse 4 says, “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” God had a plan with a timeframe; it started with the promise given to Abraham before the Law was ever given. Then it moved to the Law, and then to grace. All this was defined by the fullness of time. The freedom that we have is tied to being in tune with the Spirit. Under the Law, they were servants of the Law. Under grace, they were sons and daughters of God. We noted that Paul was taught of God, and Peter had a displaced loyalty to the Law, but we also noted that Peter was mature in his response to Paul’s words. In verse 9, Paul was asking them, “Why would you return again to bondage? Why would you give up your son-ship to be a servant? Why would you return to the weak and beggarly elements?” He reminded them of their blessed beginning. The application that we noted was this: servants obey because it is the rule. The son obeys because it is right and because he has ownership; he is the son. The story of the prodigal son illustrates the Book of Galatians—son-ship to servant-ship. He was the son, but he gave up his son-ship when he left his father. He eventually became a slave. Then, he made a conscious decision to return to son-ship.
Team 8: Galatians 4:21-31
Brother Mark Staller: We looked at Galatians 4:21-31. We took some of the greatest minds on the West Coast—from Tehachapi, Medford, Roseburg, Chehalis: Ted, Gary, Mark, Susan, Josh, and Harlan—and came up with these ideas that we share now. That’s my disclaimer!
Some of the groups had to come up with an illustration, but our section actually has an illustration in it already. The point of Galatians 4:21-31 was that Paul made an illustration, using an allegory. In fact, in verse 24 he said, “Which things are an allegory.” It is not too often that in the Bible the writer points to exactly what they are doing, but in this case, Paul indicated, “Look at what I’m doing here. I’m giving you an allegory.” The allegory offers a contrast just like the last section that contrasted the son of a free woman with the son of the bondwoman. In this section Paul contrasted Hagar and Ishmael with Sarah and Isaac. He was tying the Law and the following of the Law to Hagar and Ishmael, and the walk of faith to the promised son, Isaac. I’ll say right up front that I think this allegory is problematic. If you picked at it, you could get confused. Have you ever been preaching and made a comparison that didn’t quite work? I think there are some elements of that in this allegory, but on the whole it taps into the feelings of the excitement of birth, and having the promised child arrive. Just keep in mind that if you asked me some questions, you could get me confused about this allegory. This illustration would appeal to people that were attracted to Judaism. Whether it was Jews themselves, or whether it was Gentiles that wanted to come into the Jewish religion. Paul was an amazing preacher. He always adapted his message to his particular audience. So you can see how he thought, “These folks are interested in the Law. I’ll give them a Law.” This comes out in verse 21, “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?”
Our group looked up several Scriptures, so I will give you some references to turn to. In essence, Paul said, “You’re interested, then let’s go back to Genesis 16:15.” You will probably want to keep your finger in Galatians and then be ready to turn back to Genesis also. Galatians 4:22 says, “For it is written, that Abraham had two sons.” Where was that written? Genesis 16:15 says, “And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.” There is one of the sons of Abraham. Then turn over to Genesis 21:2-3 which says, “For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.” Paul was trying to take his audience right back to these verses in Genesis, because they meditated in the Law day and night. These were the Scriptures they would be thinking of as Paul was sharing this allegory. Go back to Galatians 4:23, “But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.” Now if you turn back to Genesis 16:2, I think you will see the flesh at work, “And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.” We see the flesh at work there. They didn’t think God could handle this, so they stepped in and that was how Ishmael was conceived. Galatians 4:23 says that Isaac was the son of promise. The Lord, speaking to Abraham, said in Genesis 15:4, “And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This [Eliezer] shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.” There is the promise. Turn to Genesis 17:19, “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. So it is written, Ishmael, son of the flesh; Isaac, the son by the promise of God.”
Galatians 4:24 is all historical, but Paul said we should interpret history allegorically. Verses 24-25 say, “. . . for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.” Paul was trying to group together Hagar and Ishmael with the Law and Jerusalem. The Temple was located in Jerusalem, and there the commandments of the Law were carried out. Now verse 26 says, “But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” Paul was trying to take us away from the literal, historical Jerusalem, which he said represented the Law and the traditions of Judaism, to the Jerusalem which is from above. That makes us think of the heavenly Jerusalem built on the promises of God. Let’s turn to one reference in the New Testament. I don’t think Paul was referring to this obviously, but Revelation 21:2 says, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Does that sound like the Jerusalem from above? Galatians 4:27 says, “For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not.” This is a reference to Isaiah 54:1, and again this would be a Scripture that his audience was familiar with, “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.” Now notice verse 3 of Isaiah 54, “For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.” By referring to Isaiah 54, Paul was getting his audience, who knew the Jewish Scriptures, to realize that this was the promise of the Gospel being sent to the Gentiles, also. Then Paul made the analogy explicit in verses 28-29, “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, so it is now.” What was Paul referring to? How did the children of the flesh persecute the child of promise? It must be Genesis 21:9, “And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.” Ishmael was mocking Isaac. In verse 10, “Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.” That is the Scripture that Paul was quoting from in Galatians 4:30-31, “Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.” It is a wonderful allegory based on the historical account in Genesis, and Paul was pulling out all the stops. He was using whatever argument he could come up with to convince people that they did not need to turn back to Judaism and the works of the Law. This was one more argument, one more persuasive technique to convince them it was better to walk by faith.
Some concluding thoughts: I think it is neat how Paul tapped into that good feeling of when a child is born. You know how you wait at least nine months for your child to be born. We have a couple in our church who were childless for twenty years and did not think they could have children. You cannot imagine the joy they had when they discovered that they were able to have children. Paul tapped into that feeling. He was saying, “Live in this life in Christ. It’s like a new birth.”
Team 9: Galatians 5:1-12
Brother Tony Boyce: Our section was chapter 5, verses 1-12. In these verses, Paul expounded on the liberty of the Gospel. He had talked about the covenant. He had talked about the Law. He had talked about different things referring to Abraham and the Law. Here he talked about the liberty of the Christian. Chapter 5 begins, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” The yoke of bondage that he referred to was the Law and those things that bound them to a life of the flesh. Next, he took a very bold step, especially since he had been talking about Abraham, the covenants, and what God has done for them. He said, “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.” This was a huge statement because this was the covenant that God brought to Abraham. It was sealed in the circumcision of the Jewish people. He was indicating to them that there was something further; something deeper. In Romans 2:28-29, he talked about being circumcised in the heart, that God had made circumcision an inward thing. It was no longer the outward bondage of the flesh, but it was the inward change of the heart. So Galatians 5:1-4 talked about that. Verse 4, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace,” was another bold statement, but he was trying to awaken them that there was something bigger, something grander. From the very foundation of the earth, God set forth a plan, and that covenant that He set forth—the circumcision and then the Law to follow—was all just a way of trying to help them understand and learn what that plan was.
We will move on to verses 5 and 6, “For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. Again, Paul was alluding to Abraham, talking about the faithfulness of Abraham, and talking about that promise that was there. Another reference to Abraham was, “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” He was trying to show the difference between the flesh and the Spirit. Talking about the Spirit, in 2 Corinthians 3:3 it says that God would write the law on the fleshy tables of our hearts. Paul was trying to help them come to the idea that this was something that God wanted inside their hearts. The service or the life of a Christian is something that comes from the heart, not from works. That is the core of what God was trying to get at; that theme can be seen all the way through the New Testament. Paul was trying to get the Galatians to understand to serve God from their hearts, not just with works.
Looking at verse 7, “Ye did run well,” he gave them an admonition indicating, “You did good; you started; you were going well.” But then he said, “Who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?” Who did you listen to? What kind of influences came into your life that drew you away from the truth of the Gospel? Was it somebody who came in with new light? Have you heard of “new light”? Well, it’s not new light. The Light is still the same Light it was from the foundation of the world. He was trying to get the point across to them that God had given them something from the very foundation of the world, and it was not going to change. It is the Gospel of Christ fulfilled through Christ.
Verses 8-9 say, “This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” Jesus referred to leaven as well, and when He did, He was talking about the Pharisees. He was talking about all the little laws and traditions that they had come up with in order to secure their place of position and leadership. All of these extra things had come along, but that leaven was hurting the people. Verse 10 says, “I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.” This talks about the punishment of those who would try to pervert the Gospel; would try to pervert the message of Christ. I read an article in the Itemizer Observer (the Dallas newspaper) years ago when Brother Loyce Carver came to pastor there. It was a beautiful article! In fact, it was hard to believe that it came from a publication that was not religious. It mentioned that the Apostolic Faith Church is not afraid to preach every tenet of the Gospel of Christ; that we preach from the Word of God, that there is no other foundation; it is not about any one else’s words, but it is the foundation of God’s Word. That’s the organization that we are part of—we preach the Gospel. It’s not about my words or about anyone else’s words, it’s about the Word contained in the Gospel. Paul went on to talk about the punishment for those who would try to pervert the Gospel, that they would be cast out. In fact, he gave them an admonition that if any of them preached something different, they should not let them in, they should cast them out. I heard once that a minister who did not believe in sanctification, wanted to speak in our church. Sister Crawford told him, “You will not preach from our pulpit.” We want to guard the Gospel of Jesus Christ with everything that we have and not let it go because those who do will be cast out.
Verses 13 says, “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh.” Here again, Paul was giving a little bit of a caveat. He was indicating, that there was the possibility of going overboard with liberty and saying they were free to do anything. Paul said it was not so. He said not to use liberty as an occasion to the flesh, but with love serve one another; be selfless. It is not about what we can get from the Gospel; it is about what we can give to the Gospel. Continuing in verse 14, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Paul was repeating what Christ had said to them. The two commandments that all the Law and the prophets hang on are to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. In conclusion, Paul gave an admonition. He said not to be caught up in arguing. He said not to consume one another, but instead, to simply follow the love of Christ. Follow that liberty to its end goal, which is Heaven.
Team 10: Galatians 5:13-26
Brother Tom Pricskett: The handout we received this morning was called Galatians 5:13-26, “The Advantage of Spirit over the Flesh.” I do not know what you think of the word “advantage,” but advantage sounds exciting when it comes to the Gospel. There are many benefits and advantages to living for the Lord. As we have been going through Galatians this morning, it has kind of felt like we are mining for gold. And we can go back and continue to mine, and there will be more advantages to us in the days ahead, should the Lord tarry.
In verse 13, we are reminded of the introduction. It says, “Brethren.” Paul was evidently speaking to brethren, or at least trying to encourage that thought. He said this liberty is a call. There is a calling on individuals throughout all generations—a call to this liberty. It is not a call to bondage, but a call to liberty. Each can leave an old life behind and move in a direction to a new life in Christ. It is liberating; it sets a person free. In terms of this call that God has sent to mankind, Paul was just documenting it here. Then he went on to mention that by love, we can serve one another. That is liberty, too, to serve one another in love and recognition, to appreciate what individuals can give to one other. Encouragement and strength that comes by love are again a very large advantage.
There were three verses that were tied together for me. Verse 16 mentions walking in the Spirit; verse 18 speaks of being led by the Spirit; and verse 25 says to live in the Spirit. Leaving the flesh and moving into the Spirit is definitely a realm. If you recall the day that you were saved, that was an avenue of faith because we did not comprehend anything of the Spirit. We might have known about it, known the words, maybe had memorized parts of the Bible, but to really live in the Spirit, and to be led of the Spirit, and to walk in the Spirit was a totally new life. It is intriguing how the Apostle defined this doctrine, just went over and over it, and emphasized this Spirit of God that we can live in. The Law, as mentioned earlier in one of the Scriptures, does not make life possible. It only points out the fact that we are appointed to death. Christ coming onto the scene made it possible that people could have life. The old man could be crucified and we could become alive, literally a new life, and live in that Spirit.
Brother Gary Bertram mentioned that he had missed out on confirmation because he had lost interest before he got there. Unfortunately, I went to a church where I did not have a chance to miss out on it. After two years of Saturday morning preparation for confirmation, they confirmed me. I don’t know why, but they did. I guess they wanted to get rid of me. It was kind of restrictive—a teenage kid going to confirmation classes on Saturday mornings as many times as we did. We can grow up and be influenced by many different teachings for different reasons. I ended up being sprinkled with water twice. Once they called it christening, and once they called it baptizing. I did not realize that neither one of them was Scriptural. Obviously, you do not know that when you are a baby or a twelve-year-old. There are a few things that you have missed up to that point. Then you go on to become a member of the church and even accept Christ. All that sounds very religious, but the problem was that there was a great deal of bondage in that for me because I had never been delivered from sin. I had some knowledge of Scripture, but did not have a knowledge of Christ. It wasn’t until deliverance really came at salvation that I could begin to live in the Spirit. Then that was altogether new, as we have all experienced it in one way, or another. This thought brought up the song, “When you walk with the Lord, you won’t get bored.” That’s really true, isn’t it? When we are forced to do things, there is a boredom factor. Baling hay can be boring unless you own the farm. If you’re just one of the servants, it is a lot of work and can be very boring and repetitious. It is the same with preparing for confirmation. But when you walk with the Lord, you won’t get bored.
Verses 19-21 talk about the works of the flesh which are manifest. They are very obvious. I think there were seventeen different types of works of the flesh and then there was “and such like” in case any were left out. You will notice sometimes, especially if you happen to be a preacher, if someone in the workplace or around you swears or says something they ought not say, they are concerned that they should not say that around you. I have often thought, Wait a minute; you’re around God all the time! But it doesn’t have anything to do with us; the condemnation comes from God’s Word and God can speak to hearts individually. So many times, people recognize and know what the works of the flesh are.
Verses 22-23 mention the fruit of the Spirit, which are nine, and against such there is no law. It is kind of interesting that there is no law against the fruit of the Spirit, and yet sometimes now days we wonder if they are not trying to put holiness on trial and trying to do away with it. I’m glad that our money still says, “In God We Trust.” They haven’t blacked that out—yet.
One of the last verses in this chapter, verse 24 says, “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” That is very dramatic. Crucifixion is horrible, but crucifixion of the flesh is necessary and only God can do that in individual lives. There is a struggle when we first begin to recognize that there is a need for salvation. There is a need to consecrate our lives unto the Lord, and there are things we can put aside until there is a real crucifixion of the flesh, and the affections and the lusts.
Some of you may have been to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and maybe you went to see the Liberty Bell and noticed that it was cracked. When they rang the Liberty Bell many years ago, it broke, so they have it sitting in Liberty Bell Center. I’ve seen it there. They even sell little replicas. In our responsibilities in the Gospel work, we can ring the Gospel liberty bell for spiritual freedom. That is what we do whenever we have the opportunity to preach the Word of God. We are ringing a bell for Gospel freedom and spiritual freedom that the Lord can have His way in our lives and the lives of many others.
Team 11: Galatians 6:1-18
Brother Erik Calhoun: We studied the sixth and final chapter of Galatians. Paul often begins his writings by systematically laying out doctrine and setting forth the truth, so it can be understood doctrinally. Particularly in this epistle, the difference between the old Law and the new Law were given at the first. We find at the end of his letters that he transitions to practical everyday living. That is what he did here. Verse 1 simply says, “Restore such an one in the spirit of meekness.” Referring to one overtaken in a fault, Paul said to reach out in love to those individuals. As we go through life, we will encounter people in our Christian circles who will say or do something they should not have; something they have to backtrack on. Paul said not to cut them off, but to reach out to them in love. In fact, that is the law of love that Christ spoke about.
In verse 2, Paul said to bear one another’s burdens. We know that Christ is the ultimate burden bearer. Hebrews 4:15-16 says, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace.” We find that there are burdens that people in our circles have, and there were burdens that they had there in the Galatia churches. They were to pray for one another. Recently, in the Portland church, we had a young married couple who lost their baby when the mother was seven months along. That is a burden a lot of us cannot understand, but yet, we are to bear those burdens by praying for them, by being there for them, and by speaking a word of encouragement. Even when we don’t have a word to say, we want to bear one another’s burdens.
Let’s read verse 3, “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” A minister is not a better Christian than a non-minister. I think some people at times have a perspective that certain individuals are just more spiritual than others. That is not Biblical. Here in Galatians the Apostle was making a difference between the Jews that said, “You’re better if you keep the Law, if you keep circumcision.” The point that he was trying to get across was that we are all on the same level; we all have the same goal in mind. We all want to fulfill the Law of love. We love each other just as Christ loved the Church.
Let’s go to verse 4, “Let every man prove his own work.” It is so easy to see somebody else and to think they ought to do things your way. That is not what Paul wanted those individuals at Galatia (and us likewise) to be concerned with. It says to work out our own salvation for ourselves—in ourselves. Make sure that you are still in the way. Instead of worrying about someone else’s works, worry about your own.
Verse 6 continues saying, “Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.” Brother Andy brought out a point about “in all good things.” As ministers, when we teach the Word, we have a positive, victorious Gospel. It’s not a condemning Gospel. The job of the Holy Spirit is to convict people. If we proclaim a positive Gospel, the Word of God will go forward. I like verse 7 as well, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” No matter where we are in our Christian walk, we still have a free will. We still make choices, and we are going to reap what we sow.
Verse 9 says, “Let us not be weary in well doing.” We all have our certain duties wherever we may be, and we need to focus on being in our place. As we do this, we must not lose sight of the goal. Do the good things and mix them with faith; mix them with the Gospel. It is not a sprint that we are in, but rather, a marathon. We have to pace ourselves. We think of the words perseverance and endurance. In verse 10, he says, “Let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” We must have love one for another. In Mark, Jesus spoke about loving the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind and strength, and that includes loving anybody. I’m sure the individuals in Galatia went through persecutions that we might not be able to identify with. Yet Paul told them to be good and to love all men—all individuals, whether they were Christians or not.
In verses 12-13, Paul again focused on circumcision. There were those who wanted to glory in that and glory in the flesh, but I like verse 14. At last year’s ministers’ meeting, we were told to take a shortcut to Calvary, and that is what Paul did at the end of his letter. Verse 14 he says, “Forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” At the end of the day, that is what we have—the Cross of Jesus Christ. Verse 18 says, “Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”
Study
I hope you enjoyed working together and enjoyed the presentations, but more than that, I hope you know more about the Book of Galatians than you did three hours ago. It was our goal, in addition to working together, that you would be inspired to study other books of the Bible in a similar manner, in sections. You are in a better position now to rightly divide the Word of Truth. I understood the phrase “rightly divide” to mean “properly proportioned.” Then I read Barnes’ Commentary in E-Sword which states, “The word here rendered ‘rightly dividing’ occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means properly to cut straight; to divide right. And the allusion here may be to a steward who makes a proper distribution to each one under his care of such things as his office, and their necessities require. Some have supposed that there is an allusion here to the Jewish priest cutting or dividing the sacrifice into proper parts; others, the allusion to the scribes dividing the Law into sections; others to a carver distributing food to the guests at a feast.” Since I thought it was “properly proportioned,” I wasn’t too far off.
This is like a balanced meal. We do not want to ascribe too much weight to one portion of God’s Word at the expense of other portions of God’s Word. Rightly divide the Word of truth: properly proportion. You cut it straight, you cut it right, but you take it in the right measure also. That is our job. I am persuaded that if we properly present God’s Word just as God’s Word, that it will do its job. We do not need to put our spin or our personal biases or tendencies to it. Just present it just like Paul presented the Gospel to the Galatians, and it will accomplish all manner of things that we never intended or knew could be accomplished. Our job is to rightly divide the Word of truth—to simply deliver to the congregation what the text says in context—and it will do things we never dreamed of.
We may need to provide an illustration to capture attention, and sometimes we use personal stories. I don’t like to resort to that too often, but I do it. Now you know in advance that it is usually when I am scrambling, trying to figure out where to go, that I use a personal story. I don’t like to use them because I am convinced that God’s Word does the job. The ideal would be to have an illustration, but not one after another because we want to present God’s Word. It does its work.
It is interesting that Paul received his Gospel (he was possessive and personal in the way he describes his Gospel) by revelation of Jesus Christ. That is one of the exciting things about the Epistle to the Galatians—he was presenting his Gospel and revealing that his Gospel was the Gospel that was preached at Jerusalem. They did not have a chance to compare notes ahead; they rarely saw one another. But they had the same Gospel. Paul got it by revelation of Jesus Christ. How do you think you will receive it? You will have to study it. That is how it will come to you. It brings to mind the words from 1 Samuel, that Samuel grew and the Lord was with him. The Lord appeared again in Shiloh by the Word of the Lord. Paul received his Gospel by revelation. I picture him opening the scrolls of Isaiah or Ezekiel or the Books of Moses and studying how God spoke to those prophets. And the Lord revealed Himself. Paul received his Gospel by revelation. That is how we will receive it. Paul did not have a corner on it. It was not so much that an angel from Heaven spent thirty days with him conversing and explaining. There may have been some of that, but there may have been none of that. It may have been by the Word of the Lord the same way Samuel got it. So, we will receive it. More than us receiving the Word of the Lord as revealed by God’s Word, our congregations receive the Word of the Lord in the same manner. We want to apply this in our own personal lives, and we want to apply it also to our congregations. You do that already. There is great value in a systematic approach to studying God’s Word.
Inspire
Referring to certain pages from Halley’s Handbook, he indicted Christian leaders for their failure to inspire and to instruct the congregation members in the study of God’s Word. We would not accept everything he says in his handbook or even everything he says in the pages that I have cited here if you look through the binder. However, it will make you think, and that is the purpose of including it in your binders. We do believe that there is great value in the systematic study of God’s Word rather than some random haphazard approach.
In the month of February, the Portland congregation went through the Book of Genesis. There are fifty chapters in Genesis and twenty-five days in February, excluding Sundays, so in studying approximately two chapters a day, the congregation went through the Book of Genesis in a month. Our goal was to take them through a month and hopefully inspire them with the thought that they would know more about what God said in that Book at the end of the month than they did at the beginning of the month. We have included the study materials and the Sunday morning sermons from February in your binders. We just went through the Book of Galatians in the same way. Why do we do it? Well, we do it because it’s God’s Word. We don’t need an angel speaking from Heaven. We have God’s revealed Word and that gives us the mind of God.
Halley cut no slack to church leaders. We could consider how much time individuals spend, reading the newspaper or on their social networking page on the Internet. (This is not to indict anyone.) How can we inspire our people to spend time in God’s Word? Probably by spending time in God’s Word ourselves. We want to do that. The Minister’s Manuel devotes several pages to the topic of sermon preparation and personal study. It encourages us to gain, and I quote, “a comprehensive knowledge of the Word of God and the doctrinal teachings of our church.” It goes on, “To be successful, we must be studious as well as prayerful.” We must study the Bible so that the Holy Spirit can bring God’s Word to our remembrance. We must peruse it ahead of time, and if we do, then we have that promise. There is no lack of resources available. We have given you a few here, just a sampling.
Prepare
The Minister’s Manual also says that we should avail ourselves of the study of good spiritual literature, not only our own literature. We should read our own, but other literature as well. We have to learn to sift out the bad and glean the good, and there is a whole lot of good. We cannot be afraid to study material that we know in advance is Calvinistic. We can learn to discard the Calvinistic part. Ninety percent, or maybe more, of what is available is Calvinistic. So we must take advantage of what we have available and benefit by it.
Studying God’s Word is hard work. The Minister’s Manual says sermons that compel people to give up something for God will cost the preacher a price long before he delivers those sermons to the people. We can study hard, and the sermon still may not come so easy. Or it may come in a moment in the prayer room on our knees, but we cannot expect that, at the expense of studying God’s Word ahead of time. I would not even advise getting it that way, but you take it when it comes, I guess.
Pray
The opening of our Minister’s Manual is: “Our most important qualification.” There are many factors that contribute to the success of our efforts in the work of the ministry, but the greatest requisite is the unction of the Spirit of God upon us and upon our work for God. We must pray for the continuous presence of the Holy Spirit on everything we do. We must demand it, it goes on to say, of our workers, and if we are to do that, we must have that presence ourselves. If we want to have altar services, we must take advantage of altar services as preachers. If we want to have a prayer room, we must lead the way and set the example and be in the prayer room. Those are our fundamental truths that we were taught before we ever preached our first sermon. In fact, it is most likely we were asked to preach our first sermon because we had already developed good habits along that line. Well, let’s not abandon what God gave us to begin with.
After we become a preacher, the responsibility becomes greater, not less. We want to be able ministers of the Gospel. In 2 Corinthians 3:6, Paul said, “Not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” Just like the Law of Moses, our words in preaching this dispensation of grace will produce guilt and condemnation; it does that to the unsaved. The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. It takes the Spirit of God to take the words of this dispensation of grace to the heart and make it come alive to where people can respond to it. We are given this promise, that we are able ministers of this New Testament, so we have to study, and we want to study. We want to know the mind of God; we want to present the mind of God to the congregation, but even at that, our words are no better than the Law if we don’t have the Spirit that brings life to them.
God bless you as you continue to labor in the Lord, wherever you happen to labor. We appreciate you all being here today. Thank you!
Welcome and agenda
Thank you very much for coming this morning. It is really nice to meet here before the beginning of camp meeting. Our schedule for this morning is first to eat, then to have a ten-minute activity, and then a fifteen-minute devotional. We expect to be done by 11 o’clock. We will dismiss a table at a time. Remember to take your plates with you to the buffet. With that let’s open with prayer.
Activity
In a moment, you will receive a piece of paper that looks like this. Everyone will get one. Try to find as many of the books of the Bible within this text as you can. The text itself gives the instructions. After ten minutes, we will stop and then find out which table found the most books. There will be a prize.
Each table needs to choose a person to accumulate the information that you put together and count how many books of the Bible you find. There are thirty books to be found within the text. You may start as soon as you receive the handout.
Let’s count how many books of the Bible you found. Alright, we need one person from each table to tell us how many they have. The winning table is table number three with twenty-seven. We will pass out the key to the game, so you will have the solutions to take with you if you wish. Could everyone with their backs to me please adjust their chairs? Then we will get started with the devotional.
“Thou therefore, endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3).
Introduction
I have referred a few times in the past to the fact that in my early days of preaching, Brother Nolan Roby did not give me a great deal of notice before I was to preach. It was a hard thing, because typically it was more than thirty minutes, but not often more than ninety minutes. I would get home from work shortly after five (I worked nearby). I would immediately shave, and Debbie would have dinner ready. I would eat and then hope against hope that the phone would not ring. Once in a while it did.
Actually, I never viewed that as a difficulty, because Brother Nolan probably gave me more notice than Brother Normal Allen gave him. And, I have heard of some others in the Medford church who were mentored by Brother Clarence Frost and received even less notice. At times, people were dispatched from Portland to Medford to serve under Brother Frost. The list included Brothers Audrey Wallace, George Hughes, and Roy Frymire. I think that Brothers John Friesen and Marty Girard served there for a time as well. Anyway, with each new generation we ran the risk of producing a softer minister.
The text tells us to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. The Greek word kakopatheho that is translated here as “to endure hardness,” is only used four times in the New Testament. Three of those times occur in the book of 2 Timothy. It is not always translated the same. We can define the word by the three different ways that it is translated in 2 Timothy. In the initial verse, in verse 3, it means “endure hardness.” In the same chapter later on, it is translated as “suffer trouble.” Then later in 2 Timothy it is translated as “endure afflictions.” The fourth time it occurs is in James where it is translated as “afflicted.” So this Greek word means to “endure hardness, suffer trouble, or endure afflictions.” I will briefly look at each of these three translations so that we can get a sense of what Paul was conveying to Timothy, and of what is conveyed to us as well.
Endure Hardness
We are told to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. This is a military analogy. Nowadays we understand that our military is voluntary, and those who volunteer leave their home, family, friends, and vocation to enlist or subject themselves to their commander. They give all control of their lives over to the government or the military branch of the government. We have been enlisted as well, and we have subjected our lives to the Lord. He is our commander. He controls our present and our future. Everyone who gives their heart to the Lord, must give all control of their lives to Him and must continue to do so in order to thrive spiritually.
We are told to endure hardness. Can you imagine someone showing up for military duty with their pillow and their favorite blanket? When Debbie and I have a night to go to the beach, I take my own coffee machine which froths milk for a cappuccino. This is the base, which plugs into the wall, and then this part heats the liquid at the same time it is whipping the milk. The saints of the Lord gave me this cappuccino machine for my 50th birthday. It grinds the coffee, and when a button is punched twice, it distributes a double portion. Then I add the frothed liquid for a cappuccino. I use soy milk because it froths really well, but it froths so well that I have to add a little bit of regular milk too. I take my frother even if we go for just one night and Debbie looks at me and shakes her head. She says that we do not have room for all of this. I do confess that we do not have room for everything, so something has to go, but not the coffee machine. Really, though, I do not have to have it. When we fly, I do not take it. Can you imagine showing up for military duty and saying, “I am used to this, I must use this every day. This is my habit.” Obviously, it is not a hardship to be deprived of a coffee machine, but we will sacrifice something in the work of the Lord, so Paul says, endure hardness.
First of all, we were called. We did not volunteer, really. Second of all, we are being “made.” Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:11, “I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.” So we are called. If we do not feel that God has called us to be where we are and to do what we are doing, we will not survive. It has to be more than something of our own making, or of our mother’s making, or of man’s making. God called us. That is what brought us all here today.
Paul did not stop there. In Colossians 1:23, he said, “I Paul am made a minister” and later, in 2 Corinthians 3:6, he spoke of being made an able minister. We understand what it means to be called of God because we experienced it before we were ever asked to preach our first sermon. Many of us were asked a simple question, “Do you feel that you have been called to preach the Gospel?” Whether the answer was long or short, it could have been summarized as, “Yes.” That is why we are here. We feel that God called us to do this.
After we are called, we are “made” a minister. How do you make a bed? How do you make a pie? You spend some time and energy devoted to achieving the task. Similarly, we are made a minister. Being called to be a minister does not make us a minister. We must strive to do our best to excel with whatever natural tools we might have. We must do more than get by on natural ability, though. Any musician will tell you that they must practice. Some do have natural talent, but none gets by on natural talent alone. After a while, the blemishes would emerge, and even a novice or non-musician would be able to conclude that they had not devoted enough time or energy to their craft. Enduring hardness includes enduring hard work, so that we might be all that God would have us to be.
Suffer Trouble
Paul spent some months in Arabia and we can only gather that the Lord was using that Arabian experience to school him. We will have Arabian experiences where the Lord sends hardship designed to help us endure hardness. We cannot be soft. We will never survive. We must endure hardness. 2 Timothy 2:9 says, “Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.” Paul was imprisoned. He was treated as a criminal. Not too many of us, I suppose, will face the extent of persecution that Paul faced, but we will probably be mischaracterized and not appreciated. We cannot portray ourselves as victims. Pastors are not victims. Ministers are not victims. Christians are not victims. Jesus was not a victim. He gave Himself willingly to accomplish a certain goal. We suffer joyfully, as unto the Lord. Those in our congregation endure hardness also. They suffer trouble. Anytime any of us wants to complain about being overworked or underappreciated, we need to look around at those in our congregations. They get up early five days a week, commute for an hour or so, put in long hours, raise their families, and then are faithfully in place for practice and meetings as much as they can be. Everyone endures hardness and suffers trouble the same as we do.
Endure Afflictions
2 Timothy 4:5 tells us, “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” To watch is to be vigilant. To do the work of an evangelist is to keep proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ. In our context, it is to keep holding Gospel meetings. I remember Brother Nolan telling me one time that some people try to pull a rabbit out of their hat. He said, “Be careful, you might just get a rabbit.” We do not need to try to do something spectacular. Those who try to cut a wide swath in their ministry seldom accomplish it. We just hold meetings consistently, day in and day out, endure afflictions, suffer trouble if it comes, and remember that this is what others were doing when we came along and heard the Gospel. Let’s just keep doing it. So be watchful and do the work of an evangelist. 2 Timothy 2:9 defines our role: “Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.” That defines our role, which is to faithfully, consistently, and methodically deliver the Word of the Lord. The Word of the Lord is not bound. It moves about freely. It does its job, so our role is to just keep proclaiming it, knowing that God will be faithful to His Word. We keep to the Gospel message. We do not elevate peripheral issues by addressing them from the pulpit. We do not want to dignify that which is detracting by giving it more time and energy than it deserves from us. All this needs to be kept to the side and we need to keep focused on lifting up the Name of Jesus.
Stay Focused
I had an interesting experience in the last week when I was interviewed by two people. In one case, a student and professor from Reed College were putting together a paper. In the other case, a man from the Willamette Weekly newspaper interviewed me and then followed up with some emails. I am almost afraid to give any details about the interview, because the article is scheduled to come out next Wednesday and who knows what the reporter will choose to print from the hour-and-a-half conversation that we had. He was particularly nice, which worried me. He tried to gain my confidence and trust so that I would confide in him. He kept trying to get something controversial for his article. He asked questions such as, “So, you will be voting for Barak Obama?” I told him that I was not excited about either candidate and then I went back to my focus. If he left with any impression, it was that I was focused. He left with an understanding of the Biblical doctrine of the three spiritual experiences of the Latter Rain movement that sprang out of Bonnie Brae, and then Azusa Street in Los Angeles. He already had some background knowledge of that, so he asked me if I felt that other churches that did not hold on to the doctrines as we did were wrong. I reemphasized that we preach that everyone who has studied that movement confesses that the movement came out of a holiness work; that they followed salvation and sanctification, and the Holy Ghost was pleased to fall. I told him if we continue preaching that same doctrinal base then the Spirit of God will continue to bless. I then said that we will leave it to others to determine who went right and who went wrong. I kept focus. That is what we must do—stay focused and continue to do the work of an evangelist.
The reporter also wanted to know what I thought of the pastor friend of John McCain and of the Reverend Wright. I told him that I do not know McCain’s pastor, but that I was aware of the controversy surrounding Reverend Wright. He sent me a link to watch McCain’s pastor. I watched the first minute, and then without referring to the video I told him, “Come and attend our services, you will not hear about other denominations.” In other words, I told him, “Come and see and report on what you see.” Of course, if he were going to do that, we might as well have given him a Higher Way magazine and let him print that. So we want to stay focused.
When Brother Loyce Carver gave the dedication service at the groundbreaking of the headquarters’ building, he said that this organization puts wings on what happens in our Gospel meetings and sends it around the world. That is our modest role. All our material is intended to report on the meetings, the sermons, and the testimonies. We really want to repeat the same thing over and over again for the next one hundred years, because that is our mission and it works. So endure affliction, do the work of an evangelist. That is what we intend to do.
We Are Not Alone
Paul had his share of disappointments, and names are named at the conclusion of the Epistle. He said, in 2 Timothy 4:16, “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me.” In the next verse, he said, “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me.” So we are never alone, even when we feel lonely. We have the assurance that God stands with us. The saints of God stand with us, too. We are surrounded, whether it is by a handful or two or several handfuls of godly people who have a stake in this Latter Rain Gospel as well. They have been blessed by it as we have been, so we need to keep on target and know that God is going to continue to bless.
We pray that this camp meeting will be a means of strengthening, not only all of us, but everyone who attends. That is what we want and that is what God wants. We want to leave here more encouraged than when we came. We want to leave here having encouraged others, so that they leave more encouraged than they came. Let us all work to that end and believe that God will continue to be with us through these meetings.
Thanks so much for coming each year. We realize the sacrifice that everyone makes to attend and the help that so many of you give to make the camp meeting go smoothly. We appreciate that. We do not take it lightly. We need you. We all need one another, but we do want to express thanks to you. So God bless you. We will dismiss and look forward to a good camp meeting. Let’s stand and dismiss in prayer.
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