Reading: Galatians 6:1-18

Questions for the Verses
6:1 ~ Who should restore a Christian who is overtaken in sin?
6:2 ~ What should we do with the heavy burdens that others bear?
6:3 ~ What should we do with the individual responsibilities God has given us?
6:8 ~ What will those who sow to the flesh reap?
What will those who sow to the Spirit reap?
6:9 ~ Instead of growing weary while doing right, what should we do?
6:10 ~ What group of people should we take extra care to treat rightly?
6:14 ~ What did Paul glory in?

Understanding the Word
Paul understands that even though Christians desire to do right and do all that they can to follow the Spirit’s desires and show His fruit, Christians still sin.  When a brother is caught in sin, spiritual (Spirit-controlled) Christians ought to restore him meekly.  Meekness is part of the fruit of the Spirit.  While helping a fallen brother back onto the path, the restorers must be on guard lest temptation capture them as well.  This restoration fulfills the law of Christ by helping one another with burdens that can’t be carried alone.  There is another type of burden – one that is weighty, yet light enough to be carried alone.  This smaller burden is personal responsibility – proving your own work and taking responsibility for your own spiritual walk.  No one should try to avoid carrying this smaller burden.  This responsibility includes financial support for those who minister the gospel, but more broadly, it is defined in terms of sowing and reaping.  A farmer plants seed and later he harvests his crops.  If he plants corn, what will he harvest?  If he plants soy beans, what will he harvest?  Understand your life the same way: whatever you sow, you will reap.  Live a life sowing fleshly seed and you will reap corruption; live a life sowing Spiritual seed and you will reap eternal life.  This verse is not threatening a loss of salvation.  Christians who sow to their flesh will reap the corruption of displeasing God and at His judgment, their lack of spiritual reward will be public (II Corinthians 5:10).  Christians who sow to the Spirit will reap the everlasting joy of life in the Spirit and the eternal rewards that God gives to those who walk in the Spirit.  Those rewards seem to be a long way away, so Paul reminds us not to get tired of doing right, but to patiently labor for our harvest.  Be especially careful to do right toward other Christians.
In verse 11, Paul returns one final time to the false teachers who demanded Law-keeping for salvation and growth.  He points out their motive: fleshly glory.  They preach a man-centered gospel because they desire man’s praise.  Paul refused to seek such glory: he only desired to boast in the cross of Christ.
He closes the book with a final plea to walk according to the Spirit’s rule, a wish of peace and mercy to Christians and to the nation Israel, and an appeal for peace between him and the church.

Key Verse: Galatians 6:7

Applying the Word
Sin is real; believers face temptation; and yes, Christians can be overtaken in transgression.  Christians who are walking in the Spirit have the responsibility to meekly and carefully help fallen brothers back to their feet.  A Spirit-controlled heart has no room for pride.  Pride is what leads us into sin in the first place, what keeps us from accepting help to get out of sin, and what puts spiritual restorers in danger.  Pride is what motivates men to insist on rules for human works instead of walking in the Spirit by faith.
On the other side of the contrast, we find humble patience.  From the Spirit-given meekness that protects those who restore the fallen, to the patience labor of sowing and reaping to the Spirit in view of a distant reward, we are called to a life of endurance.  But Spirit-filled endurance should not become a source of boasting: the only source of glory for a Christian is Christ’s cross.

Questions for Your Heart

• Are you spiritual?  Not just right actions and looking right on the outside, but does God’s Holy Spirit control your heart?
• Are you willing to help others grow spiritually after they’ve sinned?
• Do you understand your spiritual position: an undeserving forgiven sinner who is still prone to sin?  That is the meekness that will guard your heart when you help bear a friend’s burden.
• Are you taking responsibility for your life and bearing your own load of wise sowing and reaping?
• Are there any fleshly seeds being sown in your life?  If so, what?
• Are there any spiritual seeds being sown in your life?  If so, what?
• Is there anyone in the household of faith (church family) that you are not doing good to?
• Is your rejoicing and glory a result of Christ’s death on the cross, or is it your own accomplishments in your own strength?

Reading: Galatians 5:2-26

Questions for the Verses
5:2 ~ When people make Law-keeping their goal, what happens to Christ?
5:6 ~ How does Paul describe the way faith works?
5:8 ~ Does the pressure to live by the Law come from God who called the believers?
5:13 ~ How should we not use liberty?
5:14 ~ What is the one thing that will fulfill the entire Law?
5:16 ~ If Christians are not walking in the Spirit, what will they fulfill?
5:19-21 ~ What is the penalty for living in the works of the flesh?
5:23 ~ Does the Law oppose the fruit of the Spirit?

Understanding the Word
In chapter 5, Paul applies his teaching strongly and specifically.  Let’s review what Galatians has already taught us.  Chapter 1 emphasized the purity of the gospel: the good news of free salvation must not be twisted by men.  Chapter 2 built on that theme and told us how we can have the power to live as Christians: not by our strength to keep the Law, but by Christ living in us.  Chapter 3 looks at how the Law affects Christians: God did not change His mind, rather Abraham’s life shows that God’s plan has always been for men to come to Him in faith, not by works.  Chapter 4 answers the question “Why God gave the Law in the first place?” The Law exposed sin and served as an authority to discipline; man’s inability to obey perfectly turned this authority into bondage.  Now Paul says, “No more bondage; live in liberty!  And here’s how…” He begins chapter 5 by telling the Galatians that if they want to keep living in obligation to the Law, they couldn’t have Christ too.  Grace and works don’t mix: either you trust Christ fully, or you’re on your own to attempt to obey the Law perfectly.  In verse 6, Paul brings up a theme from chapter 2: whether you’re a Jew (circumcision) or a Gentile (uncircumcision), the only thing that gets you to Christ is faith.  Then Paul writes a specific rebuke to the false teacher(s) who were leading the Galatians astray.  He calls the false teaching “leaven” – an influence that would spread through the church until the bondage had affected everyone.  Then in verse 13, Paul starts describing our liberty.  True liberty does not make excuses for sin, it serves others by love.  Paul sums up all that the Law said about relationships with others the same way Christ did: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39).  If your “liberty” ever conflicts with showing love, love has priority.  How can you enjoy the love-based liberty?  By walking in the Spirit, Paul says, and avoiding the lusts of the flesh.  Here we find another contrast in Galatians: Spirit vs. flesh.  The two have conflicting desires.  The phrase “lust of the flesh” refers to desires that show man’s rebellion against God.  On the opposite side of the fight are the desires of the Holy Spirit.  Being led by the Spirit (fulfilling His desires) results in doing right, but it is not the same as living under the requirements of the Law.
Paul specifically describes the works of the flesh – the multiple ways that flesh-living appears in action.  The works in verse 19 refer to different types of immorality.  Verse 20 lists false religion, hateful reactions, rivalry and conflict.  Verse 21 talks about ways that people cast off restraint and live loosely.  The result of living in these flesh-works is frightening: a person whose life is consistently full of flesh will not enter God’s kingdom.  Simply put, perpetually fulfilling the desires of your flesh shows that you’re not saved.
On the other hand, when a person fulfills the desires of the Holy Spirit, there is fruit (a set of noticeable results) in his life.  The fruit of the Spirit is a full picture of the man who walks by faith – not a list of separate traits that you should work on one at a time.  The focus that Galatians puts on the difference between faith and works applies to these verse too: the fruit of the Spirit is not something that can be worked up by human effort.  It is the inevitable result of walking in the Spirit and fulfilling His desires.  The Spirit produces the fruit; we don’t force it.  The end of verse 23 is a little confusing until we read it along with the rest of the book.  What has “law” referred to through the last four chapters of Paul’s letter?  It is the Law given through Moses that disciplined the Jews and prepared them for Christ’s coming.  Paul guards against the potential misunderstanding that walking in the Spirit will somehow contradict the Law that God gave.  No, verse 23 ends with the answer that “the Law is not against a Spirit-filled life.” Paul ends the chapter with a call to walk in the Spirit and put aside proud, petty arguments.

Key Verse: Galatians 5:16

Applying the Word
This passage presents a very difficult balance: stand fast in your liberty, but limit that liberty for love’s sake.  There may be things that you know Scripture allows you to do, and you also know that your Christian friend sincerely thinks that such things are wrong.  If your “liberty” causes your brother to follow you and do what he thinks is wrong, you have sinned.  Love for other believers should limit your liberty.  For the sake of loving others, never proudly “show off” your freedom.  The whole spiritual aim of the Law is love, not liberty.  Limit your liberty for the sake of love.
The other half of the coin applies to those have “less liberty,” that is, Christians who have “higher” standards.  If you fit that category, your responsibility is also love.  Scripture never tells us to treat others like “lower Christians who have a lot to learn.” Your goal is not to find a way to help them learn that your way is better; it is to get along with them in love.
Read Romans 14 and I Corinthians 8-10 and think through Paul’s instruction.  His admonition focuses on how to get along without trying to change each other.  You with more liberty, don’t focus on loosening up your stricter brother.  You with higher standards, don’t focus on teaching your convictions to Christians who have more freedom.  The goal is not “converting” people, but living together in love.  The essence of Paul’s teaching on this subject is this: when in doubt, limit yourself and show love.
NOTE: Everything we’ve just learned about liberty and love does not change the clear teaching of Scripture.  We must remember that when Scripture teaches sin and right behavior, we don’t start thinking about liberty – we obey God.  Here in Galatians, Paul lists specific sins and describes the proof of the Spirit’s control in clear terms.  Liberty does not give permission to re-think the Bible’s clear teaching about right and wrong; liberty that is limited by love is our way to make choices in areas outside of the clear teaching and principles of God’s Word.
Consider also the list of flesh-works and flesh-results – if those actions and attitudes are patterns in the lives of unsaved people, should a Christian act that way?  A Christian’s life should reflect growth in each of the attributes that make up the Spirit’s fruit.  The fruit of the Spirit is not something you can force or bring about by your own effort.  It is the result of the Spirit living in you and you choosing His desires instead of the flesh.

Questions for Your Heart

• Can you be described by the works of the flesh?
• Which of those things occasionally appear in your life?
• Is the Spirit’s fruit growing in your actions?
• Is it growing in your words?
• Is it growing in your thoughts?
• Can you remember any situations when you chose to enjoy liberty and ended up hurting another Christian?  What were they?
• Will you commit to loving that brother instead of selfishly hurting him?
• Examine your heart for pride: can you think of anyone you look down on because he doesn’t have the same standards that you have?
• Will you commit to loving that brother instead of condemning or criticizing him?

Reading: Galatians 4:1-5:1

Questions for the Verses
4:4 ~ When did God send Christ to earth?
4:5 ~ What is the goal of our redemption?
4:7 ~ If we are sons, what else are we?
4:9 ~ Is it possible for a child of God to be in bondage to external rules?
4:15 ~ How would you describe the eager willingness to make great sacrifice that the Galatian believers showed Paul?
4:16 ~ How would you describe Paul’s willingness to tell the truth even when it hurt?
4:28 ~ Are we children of flesh or of promise?
5:1 ~ Instead of in bondage, how should we stand firm?

Understanding the Word
Paul continues to use child-raising illustrations.  In chapter 3, the Law was the authority that disciplined children; in contrast, chapter 4 describes us as God’s children and heirs.  Verse 3 uses the phrase “when we were children” to describe the centuries before Christ’s coming.  When the timing was just right, God sent His Son to earth to end bondage by redeeming God’s people.  Because we are God’s children, we have the Holy Spirit within us.  The cry “Abba, Father” is like a small child who delights in the presence of his “daddy.” The Holy Spirit in us reminds us of our close, affectionate relationship with God.  How sad it is for beloved sons and daughters to choose bondage when their Father offers freedom instead!  Yet that’s what some Galatian Christians seemed to be doing.  Though the “bondage” of the Law ended when Christ came, there were some who wanted to continue living inside the shackles of outward obedience to the Law.  With great emotion and grief, Paul pleads with these believers to turn away from the false teachers who brought bondage and to turn to Christ’s freedom.  He pulls another illustration from the Old Testament to make this point.  God had promised Abraham that his seed (descendants) would be too many to count.  But Abraham and his wife were getting old and they did not have any children.  So Abraham tried to work out God’s plan through human effort.  He took his wife’s slave Hagar and had a son with her.  God, however, had not forgotten His promise, and He miraculously provided a son to be born to Abraham and Sarah (even though they were both 90 or older).  Paul uses the slave’s son to represent the Law’s bondage and the wife’s son to represent the freedom we have in Christ.  The slave’s son represents Mount Sinai (the place where the Law was first given to Moses – Exodus 19) and the geographic Jerusalem (symbolic of the Jews who were in bondage to the Law when Paul wrote Galatians); the wife’s son, on the other hand, pictures a spiritual Jerusalem – the company of those who are redeemed and free in Christ (Revelation 21).  Paul links us with the wife’s son and calls us “children of promise.” His conclusion at the end of the whole illustration is verse 31: we are not in bondage, but free.  Based on all that argument for our freedom from strict bondage to the Law, he instructs us to stand firm in the liberty that Christ gave us, not returning to bondage under Law.

Key Verse: Galatians 5:1

Applying the Word
The main application of the book begins in 5:1 with Paul’s command to stand fast in liberty.  Today, “liberty” has become a controversial topic.  Many godly people have grown uncomfortable using the word.  That is unfortunate.  Being nervous around “liberty” is the result of misunderstanding what it means.  The wrong idea about liberty is “liberty leads to loose living and people who talk about ‘Christian liberty’ are just using it as an excuse to defend their sin.” While some people have abused the liberty that Christ provides, we must not move away from the real biblical teaching about liberty – especially since Paul wrote that we should “stand fast” in liberty!  In its simplest meaning, liberty is freedom from bondage.  It is easy to see how liberty is a direct contrast to the bondage that Paul opposed.  What kind of bondage has the book of Galatians been focused on?  That will define liberty for us.  It is the bondage of enslavement to the requirements of the Law.  We are to stand fast in our liberation from that bondage!  How can we measure how well we are standing fast?  Here are several questions that will test our steadfastness in liberty:

• When I do right, am I more concerned to please human authority or God?
• Do I look at others with more sensitivity to their heart or to their appearance?
• Do I often choose friends and acquaintances based on external factors or by genuine spiritual fellowship?
• Are there things that I need to do in order to please God, but that I can’t find Scriptural support for?
• Do I find it difficult to love people who have lower standards than I have?
• Do I prayerfully set my standards to please God or do I merely mimic another person’s example?

The Law required external behavior – we are free from trying to earn God’s favor or blessing through external behavior.  But… be careful: do not abuse liberty like others have.  In chapter 5, we’ll learn about limiting our freedom, not living out of control.  Liberty is not the freedom to do whatever I want; it is the freedom to please God by faith apart from works of the Law.  God gives us evidence that He has provided loving liberty in Christ: the Holy Spirit saying “Abba” in our hearts.  Abusing liberty to justify sin will result in the quieting of the Spirit’s reassuring voice.

Questions for Your Heart

• Do you personally know that precious loving voice of the Spirit reminding you of your relationship with the Father?
• Do you rejoice at the Spirit’s cry as a sweet proof of the freedom that you have in Christ?
• The Spirit’s cry proves that God loves us and that our relationship with Him is permanent.  Are you living in bondage to the idea that you must do right before God loves you?
• Like Abraham and Hagar did, are you trying to make God’s plan happen in your strength or your way?  If so, how?

Reading: Galatians 3:1-29

Questions for the Verses
3:2 ~ How do Christians receive the Holy Spirit?
3:6 ~ Why was Abraham counted righteous?
3:9 ~ What kind of people share Abraham’s blessing?
3:11 ~ How will a just man live?
3:14 ~ What is the blessing of Abraham that Gentiles can receive?
3:16 ~ Who does “Abraham’s seed” refer to?
3:19 ~ Why did God give the Old Testament law?
3:21 ~ Could the Law provide eternal life?
3:24 ~ Who does the Law lead us to?
3:28 ~ Are Christians divided into classes, groups and castes in God’s sight?

Understanding the Word
Chapter 2 may have raised some questions in your mind like “What does it mean to have Christ living in me?” or “What exactly does the Law have to do with Christians?” In chapter 3, Paul answers those questions.  He begins by questioning the Galatian believers about the beginning of the Christian life and their continuing growth: was it by keeping the law or by walking in faith?  The Christian life begins by faith at salvation and it continues as a walk of faith through a life of growth in godliness.  Paul illustrates this with Abraham’s life.  Even in the Old Testament, Abraham did not earn righteousness by his works; righteousness was given to him because of his faith.  Abraham believed God (faith) and then righteousness was credited to his account.  God made a promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 that someday all the nations of the earth would be blessed through Abraham.  Abraham was counted righteous because of faith, not works; therefore, it follows that everyone who is blessed in Abraham would also be blessed because of faith, not works.  According to the Old Testament Law, we are all considered “cursed” – because none of us have perfectly obeyed God.  But instead of a curse, God offers life.  The end of verse 11 is a quote from Habakkuk 2:4.  The idea behind that quotation is this: the one who is justified by faith will live.  Paul just argued that the one who tries to be justified by the Law is cursed, but on the other hand, the one who is justified by faith will live.  How can God freely give us life instead of a curse?  Christ hung on the cross in our place and bore the consequences of that curse.  That is what allows us to receive the promised Holy Spirit by faith.  Paul continues his argument by showing us how important it is to understand the historical background to the Bible.  He rightly points out that God made the promise of justification by faith and blessing in Christ 430 years before He gave the Law.  God didn’t make a mistake by giving the Law which no one could keep, so that He had to offer salvation through faith as a change in plans.  God’s plan was always justification by faith in Christ – centuries before the Law was given.  So then, you may ask, “Why was the Law given at all?” God gave the Law because of sin.  Since the first sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), everyone has been born a sinner by nature and continued to sin by choice.  God gave the Law to show men how sinful they truly are.  In Romans 7:7, Paul wrote that he would not have known his sin unless the Law had exposed and condemned it.  When Paul calls the Law a “schoolmaster,” he is emphasizing the disciplinary role of a school principal, not the educating role of a teacher.  The first coming of Christ removed the need for that Law-discipline.  Now, instead of worrying about the differences between Jews and Gentiles, Christians are all one in Christ Jesus.  By being in Christ (who fulfilled the Law) by faith, we can receive the promise of blessing through Abraham without relying on the Law.

Key Verse: Galatians 3:24

Applying the Word
The main theme of this chapter is the phrase “by faith.” What does faith mean?  Faith is simply taking God at His word, whether it makes sense or not.  Read Hebrews 11 for a long list of people who lived “by faith” – often under very difficult pressure.  In practice, faith boils down to the words of a familiar hymn: “Trust and Obey.”

Questions for Your Heart

• How are you living today?  Not “what are you doing,” but “what enables you to be a God-obeying Christian?”
• Can your walk with God grow by external obedience alone?
• Are there any ways that you have been trying to grow without faith?  If so, what are they?
• Are you grateful to God for sending Christ to suffer under the curse that the Law put on you?

Reading: Galatians 2:1-21

Questions for the Verses
2:2 ~ To whom did Paul previously preach the gospel?
2:1 ~ What city did he preach in after that?
2:4 ~ What danger did the false brethren bring to the church in Jerusalem?
2:5 ~ Did Paul give in to the false teachers?
2:7 ~ What group of people did Peter preach to?
What group did Paul preach to?
2:12 ~ Why did Peter stop eating with Gentile Christians?
2:16 ~ What does not justify a man?
What does justify a man?
2:19 ~ What is the result of being “dead to the law”?
2:20 ~ What is the source of the Christian’s new life?

Understanding the Word
Paul mentions “circumcision” and “uncircumcision” several times in this chapter, but what do those words mean?  “Circumcision” refers to a special command that God gave to the Jews in the Old Testament – obedience set them apart as God’s chosen nation (Genesis 17:9-10).  Paul uses the word “circumcision” to refer to Jewish believers.  “Uncircumcision,” by contrast, refers to Gentiles (people of any other race than Jewish).  The words “Jew” and “Gentile” also appear throughout this chapter.  Paul had to deal face-to-face with a conflict between the two groups in the church.  After spending time preaching to Gentiles, Paul went to Jerusalem.  While he was there, false teachers started demanding that Titus (a Greek man serving with Paul) be circumcised; in other words, they wanted to force a Gentile believer to submit to Jewish custom and tradition.  Paul strongly withstood this pressure, knowing that it would lead to bondage.  The leaders in the Jerusalem church understood that Paul was God’s special missionary to Gentiles (Acts 9:15) and they gladly supported him in his gospel preaching.
Unfortunately, the story doesn’t stop there.  Peter (whose ministry was primarily to Jews) failed to stand up to the pressure from the false teachers.  He normally enjoyed fellowship with Gentile Christians, but when some Jewish Christians came to visit, Peter spent time with them and abandoned the Gentiles.  Paul actually had to stand up and confront Peter in front of everyone!  What made this error so important?  At the heart of the circumcision vs. uncircumcision conflict, the truth of the gospel was at stake.
Beginning in verse 16, Paul explains that requiring people to make external changes (like circumcision) doesn’t save them.  When he writes about being “justified,” he is talking about salvation: God takes away a man’s sin and gives him Jesus Christ’s righteousness instead.  “This trade isn’t the result of law-keeping or good works,” Paul says, “It is by faith – believing in Jesus Christ.” This is key to understanding the “purity of the gospel” that chapter 1 presents.  The conflict wasn’t just ethnic (Jews and Gentiles); it was really a theological struggle between “what I can do” (works of the Law) and “what Christ already did” (justification by faith).  Some Christians were worried that if Paul preached that salvation was not based on obeying the Law and doing good works, people might think that sin was acceptable!  Paul’s answer to that accusation is powerful: “May it never be!  On the contrary, if I preached that obeying the Old Testament Law was necessary for salvation, I would be the sinner!” In verse 20, he brings the matter to the balanced conclusion: salvation is by faith (not by works of the Law) and it results in good works (Christ living in me).

Key Verse: Galatians 2:20

Applying the Word
Paul does not turn his back on standards of right living and obedience, but he does strongly teach that external rules are worthless apart from the enabling life of Christ.  If you are trying to be a successful Christian in your own strength, you are on the wrong path.  Examine your heart and life: first ask yourself if the things that you do are obedient to God, then look closely at your motive and your strength.  If your motive is people-pleasing or your strength is your own effort and will-power, your heart needs to change.  Realize that Christ living in you is the only means to right living and do right by faith, not self-strength.
Throughout your life, you’ll meet other Christians who are different from you: some will have higher standards than you, some will seem to have more freedom.  How should you react to these people?  Galatians 2 warns us about some wrong reactions.  When you meet people who live by stricter rules than you, don’t be hypocritically pious in order to impress them.  Continue to live in the Christ-filled obedience that God’s Word teaches you.  And if you meet Christians whose lifestyle is less strict than yours, do not condemn them or demand that they be like you.  Again, continue to live a Christ-filled life and love them.
For Paul’s long explanation of getting along with Christians who act differently, read I Corinthians 8-10.

Questions for Your Heart

• If you have been saved, your life should be characterized by obedience to God.  What areas in your life display disobedience to God?
• If salvation is not through human effort, should the obedience of a Christian be merely human effort?
• Is right living based on external rules?  If not, what is it based on?
• Who lives in you to enable you to live a life of faith?
• Think about Paul’s rebuke of the false teachers: is it right to demand that all other Christians have the same external appearance and standards as you?
• Think about Paul’s rebuke to Peter: is it right to act more spiritual in order to impress people?

Reading: Galatians 1:1-24

Questions for the Verses
1:1 ~ Who did not make Paul an apostle?    
1:8 ~ How does Paul describe people who preach a false gospel?    
1:10 ~ Who did Paul want to please: men or Christ?    
1:14 ~ How seriously did Paul take his Jewish religion before he was saved?    
1:24 ~ How did others respond to the change in Paul’s life?    
   
Understanding the Word
Verses 6-12 focus on the purity of the gospel.  Gospel means “good news.”  What kind of “good news” is so serious that Paul would call people “accursed” for trying to change it?  Paul gives a simple explanation of the gospel in verse 4: Christ “gave Himself for our sins.”  Paul gives a fuller explanation in I Corinthians 15:1-4: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”  Everyone is a sinner (Romans 3:23) and sin separates people from God (Romans 6:23).  To show His love for us, Christ came and died on a cross to pay the penalty for our sins (Romans 5:8; 8:3).  Sinful men and women can personally accept this gift of forgiveness and have their sins erased (Acts 3:19).  Paul accepted this forgiveness and it changed his life radically!  He turned his back on his misguided religious zeal and began to share the gospel with others!  He wasn’t worried about their reactions: he just wanted to give them good news.  Paul says that the gospel came from Christ, not men – when he received it and when he shared it.

Key Verse: Galatians 1:10

Applying the Word
If you’ve never personally responded to the gospel before, you can do that today!  In faith, accept the truth of Scripture about your sinfulness and Christ’s free forgiveness.  Take some time today to talk with your counselor about this important decision.
If you are saved, God wants you to spread the good news!  No matter what your background is, you can share the gospel with others.  Will you decide to regularly share the gospel, keeping it free from any man-centered distortion?

Questions for Your Heart

• Have you personally received the gospel yet?     
• If you haven’t or if you’re not sure what that means, don’t go to the next questions until you’ve gone back and looked up the other verses mentioned in Understanding the Word.
• Do you regularly share the gospel with people who need it?
• When you share the gospel, you must keep it pure: free from any man-centered focus or man-pleasing distortion.  What are some ways that people might water down the gospel?
• Compare Paul before salvation to Paul after salvation: what kind of person can God use to spread the gospel?    

I just finished writing a teen devotional notebook for summer camp.  I’m posting each day’s lesson online and inviting suggestions, feedback, kind criticism, input and maybe even a little light theological debate if necessary.
I hope these pages are profitable for you as well as for the campers this summer.

Imagine, if you will, that the people who look at your site will want to read the Scripture texts to which you make reference.  Yet, your time is so valuable that you just can’t write individual links by hand for each reference.  And we’ll say nothing of all the pages you’ve already written that would have to be edited…  But now, there is a 10 minute solution (or maybe even faster if you’re smart enough) that will automatically turn every Scripture reference into a hyperlink to the verses in the translation of your choice – for past, present and future pages and posts!

Enter RefTagger from Logos Bible Software.  This handy bit of script is available free from www.logos.com/reftagger.  Logos offers two options: a brief bit of code that calls the longer script from Logos’ site (just paste it into your site page above the tag).  Or they have created a WordPress plugin for WP blog users.  My site is WordPress, but the plugin didn’t work.  I spent several minutes looking through (what, to me, is a maze-like bunch of) WordPress site & theme files until I found the right one and just pasted the brief code (option 1).  And now references like Prov. 13.12 show up as hyperlinks to the Scripture text!

Thanks, Logos!

There was no Sunday School lesson this week – we enjoyed an Easter breakfast together as a family at Kettle Moraine Baptist Church instead.

Last week, we started studying the topic of death in Ecclesiastes and as we looked at the topic, we also looked at the steps to go through to study topics throughout Scripture.

Greetings from the sunny south!  I’m on “Spring Break” now – spending time at Bob Jones University being refreshed by the good preaching, catching up with old friends, spending quality time with my “little” brother and realizing how much I had at school that I didn’t value till I was gone.  That’s right – all those Artist Series (for “free”), the great library, meals cooked for you, quality faculty who excel in both knowledge and and love for God and their students, and a number of blessings that I miss dearly.  Those of you at other good schools probably know what I mean, but if you don’t, ask the Lord to open your eyes to the blessings He gives.  I am very thankful for what God led me through during my undergrad & graduate school years – and I am very much looking forward to returning to school to earn my Ph.D. in a year.  This week has been a solid reminder from the Lord to develop the gifts that He has given in order to serve and glorify Him as well as I can!  And I hope that wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, you have the same attitude of thankfulness for what you’ve been given and a desire to develop and grow to serve God better.

Some of the services here have been particularly helpful and challenging.  Dr. Thurman Wisdom (retired BJU faculty) preached an excellent message on investing in your inner life – desiring a closer knowledge of God’s presence and pursuing that closer walk with Him.  Craig Hartman (Shalom Ministries, NY) preached a powerful illustrative sermon about Azariah, Mishael and Hananiah and their willingness to die a painful death instead of dishonoring God by bowing to Nebuchadnezzer’s image for mere moments.  Visiting Mount Calvary Baptist Church for Wednesday night prayer meeting was a great encouragement as Pastor Minnick preached a message on prayer.

Other highlights included great fellowship with both peers and professors as the Lord confirmed some aspects of His leading in my life, quality time with my “little” brother Andrew, and the acquisition of a number of excellent books at greatly discounted prices.

Well, time has passed since I started this “epistle” and I am now back in Wisconsin re-acclimating to cold weather.  That week of SC spring weather spoiled me and got me prematurely eager for warm weather!  I left Greenville on Saturday morning and drove from warm and sunny to cloudy and snowfall.

Camp is going well.  (Since this is my “Camp Joy Update,” it would be appropriate to talk about Camp a little bit.) It has been a month since I’ve sent one of these letters, so there’s a lot to catch up on…  After returning from Tweakage, we had the weekend off, then spent the next week preparing for our Junior Winter Retreats.  We had a good group of counselors from MBBC and BCM for those retreats and good numbers of kids – for the first retreat, Bethel Baptist brought about 100 children!  The retreats were, as usual, a mixture of junior-aged silliness, minor child-like “injuries,” clear and simple preaching and lots of energy!

After two junior retreats, the following weekend was our spring Men’s Retreat – Pastor Tony Miller was the speaker and the Lord used him effectively!  Many men came face to face with their need to grow and change, and two lost men prayed to receive Christ’s forgiveness for sins!  We had been specifically praying for those two men and it was wonderful to see God answer that prayer!

This last week was Bible Conference and a week with no retreat.  Right now, we’re readying ourselves for the first Ladies’ Retreat with Cindy Melius.

A lot has been going on during the weeks – summer preparation, building, planning, etc.  I’m under the gun now to finish the teen God & I booklet, and skit time.  We had a few volunteers take all the metal panels out of the giant maze – we’ll be rebuilding it with a new pattern for this summer.  We’re also adding towers to some of the corners – for water guns or something like that.  The cabins on the hillside are coming along well – we have volunteers nearly every weekend and sometimes during the week to help us finish those cabins before summer.  The office is a busy place as Rebecca and her occasional helpers prepare counselor packets and staff manuals and keep up with the normal pressure of phone calls, retreat registration and other secretarial duties.

We sure do appreciate your prayers here – keep watching the CJ Photo Album for updated retreat and construction pictures!