A report card on Cuddling

Galatians 4:17-20

Did you look forward to getting your report card?  Report cards were a record of growth; it had a starting point and brought you up to date on your progress.  In the last few weeks Jan, my brother and his son and I helped our niece and nephew paint the inside of their house.  In the hall, leading to the pantry they had names and dates and lines showing the growth of each child.  It was a report card of their physical growth.  What is being discussed in these verses is not the physical but the spiritual growth.

The apostle begins in this way; “They make much of you, but for no good purpose.  They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.”  (Galatians 4:17)  Who are  “they” that the apostle is referring to?  Ephesians 6:11-12, gives us a clear picture of where the battle is taking place; it is against the schemes of the devil, it is not against your mother or dad, your husband or wife, or the guy that lives next door; the battle is against the cosmic powers and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, and one of their favorite tools is religion.

Way too often, we forget what a new Christian is: are they any different than an embryo?   How is an embryo formed, does it not begin with an egg and a sperm joining together and a life is formed?  You might say that grace is the egg and your faith is the sperm and out of that forms the new you, a baby in Christ Jesus.  When you and I were born physically we were pampered to this degree, someone recognized that we needed care; both food for the physical, and we needed to be cuddled, and talked to and taught, so that we would begin our growth.  Too often the church has no program for the spiritual baby, in fact they are either thrown into a class that is talking a language that they do not understand, and these cosmic powers and spiritual forces love that; it is called a GROWTH STOPPER.

Is anyone recording the growth of the new creation in Christ?  How will the new baby in Christ, understand their degree of spiritual growth?  Who is telling them of this new battle they have entered into?  Is it not true, that the first attack comes as “Did God really say?” and it is centered on how could a Christian have those thoughts or actions.  No one has taught them how the evil one uses the world and the flesh, and how he uses the past, where they learned to suck life out of one another, in order to get their needs met.  He also attacks their person, and he will use some truth in his attempts to guide them into a lie. 

It is clear that God has given us the ability to renew our minds in Romans 12:2 and in Ephesians 4:22-24; if our minds are not renewed, then we cannot hope to have growth, and that life will not be changed, and Christ will not be formed in them.  The Scripture is clear on this point; the Christian life is not about improving self, it is about dying to self, and becoming obedient to the Father. To have a Christian army that is effective in 2010, it will require the leadership of the Church to invest in cuddling, yes, they must be cuddled and encouraged, even given their own growth mark on the wall. 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

I was enslaved to many little gods

 

Galatians 4:8-9

Before I had any relationship with God the Father, I was enslaved to many little gods.  Now if you would have ask me if I was enslaved to anything, I would have thought you were in need of help.  But from a small boy, I was under the control of others, my nature was to be seen as the star, the good guy, the hard worker, the hero, but down deep in my soul, I longed for others to think of me better than I knew to be true.  I was just a little guy who had big ears and a flattop hair cut that had no interest in school or learning.  It was Jr. high when I was introduced to a new god; he was the god of cool.  My desire was to be with the cool guys, and who were the cool guys? The cool guys were the ones who had bad reputations and it was years later that I understood many of them were anything but cool.  It was later that I found another god; football players, they were special and people went to see them perform and people knew their names and girls wanted to date them, and they had great influence on my actions and thought life.

I was also captive by pride, insecurity, fear, and still the need to be seen as someone of value.  When I married, she had to be good looking and smart, and yet I was so insecure I could not believe anyone who got to know me, could really love someone like me.  After going to work for 3M, I found another god, it was success, and yet often fear and insecurity would steal any joy of being a top performer.  If they knew how dumb I was they would surely replace me with any one of the guys who came looking for a job.

It was not fun being controlled by these gods, they ask much of me, but left me with the need to have someone who knew me, and would still love me, but who would do that?  I found the answer to that question in five men who met on Wednesdays to talk about the one who had set them free from many of the gods who controlled me.  I had heard it all in Church and yet these men were living it out in their business life, and for six months met with them and wanted what they had, but did not want to give up my gods.  Why?  I do not know, unless it was that they had been with me so long.

When I ask Christ into my heart, He removed some things, like fear of loosing my job, and the need to go out drinking with the guys instead of going home to my wife.  But the enemy of my soul knew me well and set up other little gods to take me captive, like being a leader with the youth instead of sitting under a teacher who would teach me how to trust and apply the truths in the Scriptures.  This once more lead to pride and arrogance and once more fear and insecurity came back into my life, but this time God sent men who taught me that fear is the opposite of faith, and that confession brings about forgiveness. 

I have come a long way on this road and have no desire to be enslaved to the elementary principles of this world, but every once in a while I start believing I can, and I am reminded; "I can’t and He never said I could, He can and He promised He would."  That is why I often need to read Galatians 4:8-9, Jesus knows all about me, and He still loves me.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Heir to what?

 

Galatians 4:1-7

When the word heir comes into your mind, where do your thoughts go to, a person you know or a person whom you have read about, like a Rockefeller or Bill Gate’s children?  My father and his father before him were men of meager means, and the word heir was not a word that was kicked around at our home.  Looking back, I must say that dad left his children great wealth, in the areas of values, and a work ethic but not in legal tender. 

Children of a person with great wealth by the standards of this world, may or may not know what portion of the estate is coming to them, but in most of the United States the law is clear that an adopted child must be included as an equal in the inheritance.  To be a child of great wealth and at a very young age to be stolen from your family and to grow into adulthood not knowing whom you are, or what wealth you are entitled to, would be a sad story.

That is the story of the normal church member, who by faith has placed their eternal hope in Jesus Christ, but lives with no understanding of the value of their inheritance.  It is a fact; all who are in Christ are heirs, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”  (Romans 8:14-17) I wonder if that “provided we suffer with him” clause is what keeps many from claiming this inheritance that is theirs?

The apostle Paul is telling us we were taken captive by sin and we were under the law until grace came and in Colossians 2:6 we are instructed to walk in or live out our life in the same way as we received Christ Jesus, and that was by faith.  We are not to be enslaved by the world’s principles but to understand the truth in Galatians 4:4-7, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”  So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice my blog; http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com/

Are you Abraham's Offspring?

Galatians 3:29

“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”   This requires us to go back to Genesis 12:1-3, and look, first at The Land Promise: "A land that I will show you."

 Next, The National Promise: "A great nation.” Then, third, The Spiritual Promise: "All the families of the earth shall be blessed."  It is that third promise that is the seed of Christ.  Do you see yourself as an offspring of Abraham, an heir according to the promise?

There is much written about encounters that Jesus had with the Jews on the subject of Abraham, and it is in Abraham that they have identity as the people of God.  So when Jesus told them “If you were Abraham’s children you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.  This is not what Abraham did.  You are doing what your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality.  We have one Father – even God.”  (John 8:39-41)  Remember they are not Gentile dogs, no they are Abraham’s children, and that is their distinctiveness and Jesus challenged that identity.  If you keep reading you will see that Jesus tells them they are of their father the devil and that Abraham saw his day and rejoiced.

If you see yourself as a child of Abraham, you are in good company, but does that make it true?  When the crowds came to John the Baptist and he was talking to the Jews whose identity was in being the sons of Abraham, this is what he said; “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.  And do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children of Abraham.” (Luke 3:7-8)

What would John say to us today, where is your identity, is it in your job, your church, your family, or is it resting in the hands of the Father, is it resting on the saving power of the blood of Jesus Christ, and on Him only? “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:29)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

I no longer need a Guardian

Galatians 3:24-28

Now that “faith” has come we no longer need a guardian, and the Scripture is very clear that the “law” was that guardian.  When we hear the term guardian, our thoughts go to a child or someone who does not have the ability to care for themselves, and their guardian is a defender, protector, or keeper till they are of age or able to manage their affairs.   So faith has taken the place of the law, verse 25 is very clear on this and verses 26-28 say that it is the object of our faith that is important, and we all by faith, put on Christ.  In Christ we lost our identity, verse 28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  Yet, have we lost our identity, most of us who claim the name of Christ hold to some identity other than Christ; identity such as Baptist, Catholic, Bible Church, and the list goes on an on.  But it is not in agreement with Scripture, you are in Christ, “you put on Christ and unless we remove or ignore verse 28, you are not many but one in Christ.

I grew-up Baptist, in fact if you had ask me from the age of four on what I was, it was Baptist.  At the age of 12 years, I became an official Baptist, by walking an aisle in a Baptist church, but being a certified Baptist had no effect on my heart.  It was at the age of 27 years of age that I, by faith, entered into Christ and He entered into me, and I was no longer a Baptist who was destined for hell, but I was now a new creation in Christ.  I must tell you that I had no understanding of all that God did for me in that Hotel room that night but this I’ve learned, He took away my identity; “Bob the Baptist,” and I entered into a relationship with God the Father, by simple faith in what Jesus Christ had done to set me free from sin, and the Holy Spirit came as my Helper.  When The Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Truth comes; He will guide you into all the truth, not Baptist truth, nor Catholic truth, nor any other of man’s names that were set-up to divide us.

Bob the Baptist, at the age of 27, had no understanding of Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  He also did not know that God’s divine power had already (without any act or effort on Bob’s part) given him everything he needed for life and godliness.  It may amaze you about who you are and what you have been given, when you by faith enter into Christ.  2 Peter 1:3-4 will give you a great understanding of this truth. 

I’ve read that most of us are not ambassadors for Christ, but is that true?  What is an ambassador; ambassadors have no authority of their own, they are to speak and act on behalf of their King, President or government.  Their job is to negotiate and try to persuade people to accept their ruler’s agenda.  I do believe in 2 Corinthians chapter five that Paul was referring to himself and Timothy as effective ambassadors, but verses 17-20 of that chapter states; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” 

Therefore, all who are new creations in Christ are called to be His ambassadors, but are you effective ambassadors?  Many are ambassadors of the Baptist or Catholic or Bible Church, plus many others, and that gives you an identity that is not in keeping with Galatians 3:28.  Ask this question, is my identity in my church, or is it in Christ?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Blind Faith

Galatians 3:24-26

If you have blind faith, is that a good thing?  The dictionary in my Mac Book gives this definition of faith: complete trust or confidence in someone or something.  I can live with that definition, but I believe Hebrews 11:1 is a much better definition:  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  I’m sure we have a clear understanding of the word “blind” is it not the opposite of sight.  Is that the kind of faith Galatians or the Bible is referring to, unable to see, sightless faith? 

We will return to the question of “blind faith” but first let us understand this matter of the “Law.”  It was rules on how to live life on God’s condition.  It did not declare that by keeping them you would enter into a fellowship with God, but that they would keep you out of God’s judgment.  But Christ came that we might be justified by faith.  If I used the word justified in a sentence it might go like this; “I was justified in loving my brother”.  My dictionary used this definition: Theology, declared or made righteous in the sight of God.

So Christ came to make all mankind righteous in the sight of God.  It requires little faith to believe that Jesus came to this earth, history has given a clear record of His life, in fact no other person in history has had the effect of this one man; Jesus.  So it requires only the ability to read or to understand the many writings in order to believe He lived and that His life had tremendous effect on the history of the world.  So that is not faith; that is history.

 Faith is believing that Jesus is the Son of God and that He was put into a virgin named Mary by the Holy Spirit and was born as a baby, lived among men for 33 years, never sinned, was pure and holy as a man, and never did one act in His on power, but totally depended on His Father.  He was crucified and buried and on the third day arose in victory over death and He is the only way to God the Father.

Blind faith might be putting your faith in someone who says he has seen a 900-foot Jesus, and he was the only one who saw it or that there is 79 virgins waiting for you in heaven if you do some act, like the Muslin religion teaches.  But in the case of the risen Christ, for 3 ½ years He proclaimed He was God in the flesh.  After He came out of the tomb the eleven disciples saw Him, they ate with Him.  This is the account from 1 Corinthians 15:3-6, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.”

By faith I agree with the Scriptures and this testimony of the apostle Paul, that I was born into sin, that I was a sinner who needed a Savior and Jesus Christ died for my sin, and gave me the faith to believe that His blood shed for my sins made me in right standing with His Father.  I acted on the small faith that God had given me, and one night many years ago at the age of 27 in a motel in Victoria, Texas I enter into Christ and Christ entered into me.  Romans 10:9-10 is what I did, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

If you do not have faith to believe Romans 10:9-10, ask God to give you the faith and He will.  The apostle John states, “for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4)  Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Preachers Filters

 

Galatians 3:19-29

I’ve been teaching an adult class at church for many years, and one of the challenges is not to use religious words.  Often, the one sitting in class will close the door of their mind to how the lesson applies to living the Christ life and engage in religious talk; talk that will not have application after they leave the class.  It sounds almost like an oxymoron, to teach the Bible, and keep from using religious words that sound good in class, but are left in class because they are words to be used in church, to explain the teaching of the Bible. My friend Carroll Ray Jr. called it a preacher filter.  As a teacher, my goal is application; the student must learn how they can apply the lesson, at home, at work, or with friends and family.

If you were Abraham or one of his offspring, you were under a promise from God, and yet we have examples like Esau, who put little or no faith in the promise, and also the sons of Jacob, who began living under a standard of their on making.  The law was given 430 years after the promise, and God has not changed, the promise is still in effect, but the people of the promise are living as if they were not people of promise, in fact they are living as slaves in Egypt.  God sends Moses to lead them out of slavery, both physical and mental slavery, by giving them the law.  The law was not given to the other nations it was given to the Jews!  The law was not given to make them good people, but to show them the need for a Savior, we find this truth in Roman 3:20,”For the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”

I grew-up under the Law of Sam Rice, Sam’s law was for our family, it did not apply to the neighbors, in fact, Sam’s law may have been helpful to the neighbors, but they were not part of the Rice family.  Sam made all of his children this promise, break my laws and you will be punished and if you keep them we will live in harmony, but Sam never tried to apply those laws outside of his family.  That is precisely what God the Father has done with the Children of Israel in regard to the law.  The law could not give them life, but it pointed to the need of being Children of Promise, children who need a redeemer, it brought them back to the promised “offspring” of Abraham.

It is very important to read Galatians 3:23-29, “Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.  So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.  Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.  You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor females, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

These Galatians were trying to add law plus grace, and if we are not very careful, we also will submit to rules and acts of religion, and not live by faith.  Jesus had this to say, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. (John 16:7) 

From The Back Porch,

Bob Rice