Justification by Faith

Galatians 3:1-9

The gospel of Jesus Christ is preached clearly, how can you not see it? The question is did u receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by faith? Did you suffer in vain? Therefore, the Spirit works miracles through law or faith? Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. God said to Abraham in the past saying "In you are all the nations shall be blessed" Those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

1) The gospel is Christ not the law

2) The Holy Spirit is Christ helper. We receive it through faith in Christ just as the apostles did by praying at Pentecost and not through our deeds in the law.

3) If you suffer is it through the law or through faith. If it is for the law it is in vain because the law cannot bring us to heaven but Christ can. Thus through faith in Christ do we suffer for.

4) Faith in God and we can be partakers of God's blessing to Abraham.

We should not overly focus on the law and miss out the most important thing which is Christ. All our doctrines and message should be Christ-centered.

We need the Holy Spirit to guide our lives, that is why through faith we believe in Christ and accept him into our lives.

Sometimes I'm rather rule bound and for the law I try to keep all things. But the law is not the end and it is only through Christ that keeping such things has a purpose. Help me to share Christ love rather than the law.

We like to believe what we see than to have faith in God's working which is like the wind. I need to have more faith in you Lord because I need your blessing to guide me in my life.

No Return to the Law

Galatians 2:11-21

When Peter came to Antioch, he was to be blamed. For before some Jews from Jerusalem came he would eat with Gentiles but when they came he separated himself fearing the Jews. The rest of the Jews also followed and even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. A man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Christ Jesus, for by the works of the law no one shall be justified. If I build again the things which I have destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. I have been crucified with Christ it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. He loved me and gave Himself for me.

1) We should not be hypocrites and act in different ways in front of different people. Follow the Bible and live a consistent life.

2) We cannot be saved by our works for if we could Christ died in vain

3) If I choose to sin it is not Christ fault but my choice

4) If I choose to be baptised, Christ lives in me.

5) The success of our santification depends on being able to see the cross as Christ's expression of love for us personally.

When I want to give advice to others I must see that my life is not contrary to that. Practice what you preach.

I am saved because of God's grace, never should I be proud or arrogant for the many things that I have done for God's work because what he has done for me far exceeds anything I have or could have done.

After accepting Christ, whenever I sin I should not blame God but rather it is my own choice. God will make things right in heaven. For now, I should use my choice wisely.

All Christians are dead to the law as a way of salvation. Crucified with Christ through baptism (Romans 6:6) and Christ lives in me through the Holy Spirit. I should give him full control of the steering wheel that he may work the Holy Spirit within me.

Christ died for all of us, and sometimes it seems like one person less doesn't make a difference. However, only through seeing that he did indeed died for me and would have even if it was just for me then his sacrifice would become much more real and meaningful. I know Christ sacrificed the world for me and I want to love Him in return through my actions.

Defending the Gospel

Galatians 2:1-10

Paul openly communicates the gospel which he is to preach among the Gentiles in Jerusalem. However, among the apostles he discusses privately should their seemingly disunity affect the work of the gospel. During the meeting there were spies from the Jewish authorities that they may have them follow rules that were abolished at the cross. But they did not bow to pressure that the truth of the gospel may be sustained. Whoever they were it was no difference to Paul for God does not show favourtism in judgement. Whether circumcised or uncircumcised. The gospel for the uncircumcised was given to Paul and the circumcised was to Peter. Thus, when Peter, James and John saw the grace given to Paul, they gave Paul and Barnabas to go to the Gentiles. One thing they asked was that they should remember the poor which Paul was eager to do.

1) Among leaders we should discuss matters privately and set a direction for the church rather than each having his own view in public causing confusion.

2) We should not follow unnecessary rules lest it becomes a stumbling block for new believers.

3) What is important is not what your pastor, elder, deacon, bible teacher, youth leader say but what the Bible says.

4) God does not judge us according to our works

5) Remember the poor who had given up their material possessions for God

During meetings it is the opportunity to air my views. Whatever we have decided we should all support it 100%. I should not challenge the decision such as making counter proposals which would make it harder for the initiative to gain support. We should leave our differences after the decision is made but rather work together for the good of the gospel and the church.

Sometimes we have many rules to follow but we should consider which is the law and the commandment. The rest should not have to be observed because it is the law but rather you want to.

Many times one likes to ask advise from leaders in church. It is good to do so, but at the end of the day we must consult the Bible as the Bible is the only rule of our faith.

Even if I am an evangelist and thousands come to Christ it does not affect my salvation. Salvation does not come about by any of the works I do but rather Christ imputed righteousness. I should be careful to remember that I am unworthy but Christ is worthy that is why we have the assurance of salvation.

Sacrifice is not easy. That is especially so for time. Anyway, here what the Bible wants us to remember is that we should take care of those who had given up everything for God. Love one another.

Contacts at Jerusalem

Galatians 1:18-24

3 years after his conversion, Paul went to Jerusalem to see Peter and stayed with him for 15 days. He did not managed to meet any of the other apostles except James. Paul assures that what he speaks is the truth. He then went to Syria and Cilicia (Caeserea and Tarsus) (Tarsus was the capital city of the Roman province of Cilicia) He was not recognised by the churches of Judea which accepted Christ. They noted that Paul had a complete turn around from what he was doing. Then they accepted him as their own.

1) Good to know your fellow workers so you can help one another or support each other.

2) It is important not to lie and preserve your credibility as a preacher/evangelist.

3) People see by your actions for who u say you are

Its good to share resources with one another so more things can be done for God's work. In God's work there is no my church or your church or for me or for you.

Credibility is important to the one who is presenting the message. It affects if people will receive the message or not want to listen at all. My life will reflect whether people believe God can speak through me as a messenger.

All talk no action. It is always much easier to talk and know the right things to do. It is easy to point out what others need to do. Point out others faults. But when it comes to what we should do, we tend to shun away at times. Action speaks louder than words. It is essential to be at the forefront and practice what you preach. That gives your words more weight and most of all it shows you believe in what you say and are genuinely interested to make it work rather than just the attitude of telling others you solve it yourself.

Call to Apostleship

Galatians 1:11-17

Paul states that the gospel he presents is not of his own but from Jesus Christ. He was a zealous Pharisee and tried to destroy the church which proclaimed Christ. God called Paul through his grace and revealed Christ to Him that he might preach Him among the Gentiles. He did not speak to others about it immediately nor go to Jerusalem to the apostles who were already preaching the gospel of Christ but rather went to Arabia and returned back to Damascus.

1) The gospel is not man's handiwork but from Christ.

2) An encounter/experience with Christ is needed to have conviction in what you believe.

3) God can work through you no matter who you are as long as you allow Him.

4) God may call us to a different people/calling then we may imagine.

When we think of evangelism we must include God. Allow room for the working of the Holy Spirit. We have plans but we must bring them to God.

This is particularly more true for 2nd generation Christians. More often that not, the experience will not be as dramatic as Paul. But God works in ways beyond which we can ask or imagine. We can experience Him in different ways. A relationship with him would be essential for that experience.

For the many mistakes we make, we feel that we are beyond redemption. But God can work with us as long as we surrender our lives to Him. A complete surrender is necessary for God to work effectively though.

Sometimes we may expect God to use us in a certain ministry, to a certain people. But it doesn't always work out the way we expect. We should leave room for God to work with even though the calling may not seem to be part of your interest or talents. God can work through us as long as we have a willing heart.

Only one gospel

So its time for morning devotion albeit at late morning. Guess the early morning principle didn't work so well today. Let's get started.

I've chosen the book of Galatians to start off as it is not a very long book and we'll be studying it this quarter so its good to understand it better before we discuss anything.

FYI before I started I read some stuff about Galatians. You can probably find them in a Study Bible which I find useful things to know for understanding of the book itself. For example, such would include Author, Audience, Date of writing, Message, Outline.

Galatians 1:1-10

There is only one gospel which is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Any other form that is preached is false no matter who the person who carries the message. May that person be accursed. Since the gospel is of Jesus Christ, who do we seek to please? Is it man? Is it ourselves? Or is it God? Paul here chooses to be a bondservant of Christ.

1) Paul notes that he is an apostle not of man but of Christ.

- We should not seek man's approval but God's approval.

2) Jesus is our deliverer from this present evil age

- Who do I turn to in times of need? Shouldn't we pray more often than what we are doing?

3) The gospel is that of Jesus Christ.

- Christ is the only person we should lift up when sharing the gospel with others. It should not be ourselves, our church, our pastor etc.

4) We are bondservant of Christ.

- It actually means slave in the Greek word. Now we are slaves of many things. It could be money, games, addiction to something, our secret sins.

- We should be slaves of Christ instead of giving ourselves to other things of the world which is potentially dangerous. Christ is a good master isn't He? ;)

Many times when I do things it is natural to seek other's approval or at least not met with strong disapproval by many. But what is important here is that in the future, I should seek God's approval which is as long as it is Biblical, I should do it regardless.

Prayer is important and I admit I have not been praying as often as I liked to. Let's start with the 777 project of our global church today. 7 times a week, 7am and 7pm daily.

When I try to share the gospel with others, it is not to attract them to a church where people are loving. Yes that is important but I want to introduce them to the matchless charms of Christ which is the true purpose of Christianity.

Every day I want to commit myself to Christ through prayer and let him be master over my life. That's the only way to combat the deceitfulness in my heart. I would do that in my prayer above.

Okay, that is quite some things to do. Didn't think that in a short passage one could have so many principles to learn and apply did you? Anyway, by God's grace may I be able to live a victorious life through Christ!

May God be with u all too :)

The beginning of daily devotion

Hey guys, its been some time since I last posted here. Well I kinda have a new intention for my blog now. And that's to post my daily devotion here. It has to do with FAST yea :P

Anyway, if you don't like it then you don't have to drop by and read it. Just let u know in advance. About posting about other stuff hmm I'm not too sure about that. Maybe if I post often with daily devotion I would be more likely to blog about other stuff too. We shall see~

Let us see the outline of it

A Daily Study Plan

Prepare: Before beginning your study of the Word, spend some time in prayer, asking God to teach you through His Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can make the Word came alive. See John 14:26, John 16:13. As you pray, present specific needs, problems, questions, plans etc to the Lord, and ask Him to speak to you about those areas.

Paraphrase: Take out a blank sheet of paper and jot down the date and passage you will be studying. Cover only as much as you have time to digest thoroughly - even if it is only 6-8 verses. Read the passage through a couple times until you being to grasp what the writer is saying. Then, write a brief paraphrase of the passage in your own words. It is often best to read through one book of the Bible at a time, picking up each morning where you leave off the day before. We recommend starting with short practical books first, such as James or 1 Thessalonians.

Principles: Next, spend some time meditating on the passage. Look for principles - moral precepts that operate in all situations. Often the easiest way to find a principle is to ask yourself questions: Is there some sin to avoid? Is there a good character quality to develop? Is some cause-effect relationship revealed in the passage? Is there an expression of God's will? A promise? A wrong activity to forsake? etc.

With a little practice you will soon find yourself able to almost instinctively ask just the right questions. Principles will seem to burst off the page. As soon as you see one clearly, jot it down on your paper.

Projects: Find a principle is only half the battle. You must then go on to apply it to your personal life. This means transforming that principle into a project by answering more questions, such as: Who? What? When? Where? and How? What exactly does that verse suggest you should do? As the Holy Spirit brings certain projects to mind, jot them down, checking to make sure they PASS (personal, achievable, specific and Scriptural). Then, commit to carrying out your application promptly. Continue finding principles and projects as long as you have time to study.

Scripture memory tip: As you read through different books of the Bible, you will discover many verses you will want to memorise. Jot these references down on a piece of paper and keep the list in your Morning Watch notebook. Soon you will have dozens of choice verses you can look forward to memorising!

Just do note that any devotion done will not be perfect, you have to study it to be sure that it is Biblical. After all, I will not be using any exegetical tool to get the meat of the message.

I'll be starting tomorrow then, hope all goes well.

Good luck with your morning devotion too ;)