Building HIS Kingdom one soul at a time.
Galatians 1
Hopefully you recognize the title as part of our mission statement. The purpose of the CHURCH is to build GOD’S kingdom. We will do it one soul at a time, rescuing the lost one soul at a time. We have all seen movies where the hero is able to scoop up several at a time and pull them from danger, well we are not superheroes the best we may be able to do is one soul at a time.
As we look around us we see our nation, our community, and the world in trouble. You cannot watch the evening news or pick up a newspaper without seeing trouble in our world and in our nation. How about in our community? Maybe we don’t have the trouble that bigger cities have, yet we have people in our community that are on their way to HELL, they either know it and don’t care, or they don’t know the difference. What we will be doing for the next several weeks is examining Paul’s letter to the Galatians using it as a survival and rescue guide. We are going to become GOD’S Rescue squad for Paw Paw WV.
Children need to be RESCUED by God working in Power through His people, The Church. The question and the answer is still the same today as it was in Paul’s day. The question is WHO WILL RESCUE US FROM THIS BODY OF DEATH (Romans 7), the answer is JESUS CHRIST. He is the answer for community, for our nation and for the WORLD. Those of us who are in CHRIST are called to be part of GOD’S rescue squad.
GAL 1:1 Paul, an apostle--sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead-- 2 and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia: 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
We need to keep the main thing, the main thing. Jesus Christ came into this world to rescue the perishing. He came to save us from this body of death and bring us to life everlasting. Problem is not many realize they need to be rescued. They do not realize that they are dying and going to HELL. There was a man that came to us earlier, he needed help, not in the way he really understood. I sent him to another member of this congregation because I knew this person had information that could help this man. He came back to me telling me he did not like talking to that person because all that person did was ask him, Do you know Jesus? Have you been saved? Did you know that you must be immersed into Christ for the forgiveness of your sins? His complaint was that all this person talked about was JESUS. I asked him why he had a problem with that, to which he answered that he did not see Jesus as the answer to his problem. Some people do not know. Some have no problem coming to a church for help either financially or with housing or food, not realizing their problem is much deeper than this superficial world. They do not see that this world is dying, this world is temporal, that there is something after this world and they need JESUS.
When rescuing someone from danger, we often must get into the dangerous situation to show them the way out. We, the rescuers must leave a trail for ourselves to follow in order to get out. We, the rescuers, must know the truth and follow the truth.
In Galatia, they lost their way and Paul was trying to guide them back.
GAL 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
The rescuers need to read the manual over and over. We need to study God’s Word and follow it in order to rescue the lost, the sick and the dying. Too many times the gospel has been perverted for man’s own use. With so many churches, so many doctrines, which one is right? Just as in Galatia, today there are many so called rescuers who are in it for their own benefits. They are throwing people into confusion, exchanging grace for works. They are trying to please the itching ears of people, telling them what they want to hear. A rescuer tells the TRUTH, no matter how painful it may be to hear. The truth is some here are fooling themselves, thinking that just because they are here on Sunday morning, just because they put their money in the plate, just because they take part of the LORD’S Supper each Sunday that they are saved. Let me warn you that if that is your thinking, you are wrong and in danger of being ETERNALLY CONDEMNED. You may say, Preacher I don’t like what you just said. TOUGH, if that is your thinking you are promoting another gospel and Paul tells us those who promote another gospel are ETENALLY CONDEMNED. I am not here to please you or tell you what you want to hear, I am here to tell you the truth. If Jesus Christ is not LORD of our lives 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, 24/7 then he is NOT LORD at all. You may say to me that it is not my business what you do throughout the week and I will say, yes it is. I am here about MY FATHERS business and it is HIS business how you are spending your week.
One of the reasons I have heard why people don’t come to Wednesday night study, or Sunday School is this. I don’t like to travel at night, well I got a solution. WE will have a midweek, midmorning Bible study right here. In fact I thought about asking those in charge of the Senior Center if they would permit us to have a Bible Study, midweek, midmorning, there at the Center. We can gather with coffee, tea and doughnuts and have a Bible Study. If this interests you, see me. Rescuers are needed and they need to study the manual.
Rescuers need to tell their story. Evangelism is simply one sinner showing another sinner where to find grace. There once was a man who was confessing his sins to his preacher, after a while, the preacher got the idea, this man was not confessing he was bragging. Talk about what our life was like before we came to Christ, but be careful not to sound like we are bragging. Paul tells his story to the Galatians
GAL 1:13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. 18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles--only James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. 21 Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." 24 And they praised God because of me.
What they rejoiced in was not the former way of living that Paul had, but because he was a changed man, he went from persecutor to preacher, from tormentor to rescuer. We tell people how we came to Christ. Maybe it was a Sunday School lesson, maybe it was a Bible study, maybe it was Revival, it does not matter. We need to rescue them and point the way out.
Over the next few weeks we are going to learn to become rescuers. We are going to learn how to LIGHT our community for Jesus.
Today I offer you this light, it helps show us the way out of darkness and into the wonderful grace of Jesus Christ our LORD. Will you walk from the darkness? Will you give yourself to Jesus Christ and come into his wonderful light and life.
