There is only one Gospel!

Galatians 1:6-9

No other Gospel, for there is only one Gospel!  But the apostle Paul is astonished to find Christians who quickly deserted the Spirit of Christ and His grace and turned to a different gospel – not that there is another.  It is later in the letter that Paul identifies the problem, in Galatians 4:8-11, “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.”

It seems to me that these people have been deceived by false gods and if it has happened in the past, could it not also be a problem for one like me, and maybe even you?  How could we prepare our minds for action against false gods, gods that rob from us and give only false promises, promises they have no ability to provide.  I began searching in 1 Chronicles 16:25-26, “For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.”  Would you agree if your god did not make the heavens, maybe he is not worthy of your worship? 

Last week at “Stepping Up” it’s a call to “Courageous Manhood” where guys like me are still trying to get hold of this thing called being a man.  The leader handed out a sheet with questions to think about: What do you want your kids to leave home with?

1.     Division 1 Athletic Scholarship

2.     High IQ and acceptance to an Ivy league school

3.     Lots of friends and popularity

4.     Have Faith and Character

I wanted a #5 in all of the above, and would that not be great, not sure about the Ivy League school.  But that was not the end of the questions, this one followed: Which of the following gets the majority of your Time, Money, Stress, Focus, and Attention when it comes to your kids or grandkids? 

1.     Athletic Development

2.     Academic Development

3.     Social Development

4.     Faith and Character Development

False gods are sneaky little rascals, they always show us a plan that looks good but it never leads to the development of faith or character in our lives or the lives of our children or grandchildren.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice