Here
is a link to a video I did a few years ago on this very theme. Check it out.
When
you start living in freedom and become a freedom fighter, don’t worry in time
people, the religious type, will start spying and you and maybe even infulltrate
your ranks. Being a person who lives in
a world of grace, you can easily get taken advantage of or misunderstood for
the people that you choose to minister to, the people that God has given you a
passion for.
The
people that we had the most resistance from when we started ‘Church at the
Manor’ was in fact another church that had a file 6” thick of grievances
against the Manor.
When
God led us to approach the pastor who served there, the reception was pretty
chilly and he was pretty stuffed up, like the turtleneck he was wearing! At first, he told us that we didn’t know who
we were dealing with and that the owner was the scum of the earth. However, as we began to share that we were
all ‘the scum of the earth’ until we met Jesus, his countenance changed and we
could see that God was working on his heart.
By the end of our meeting he was praying for us and that God would use
us in that place.
Let's dive into Galatians 2
Freedom Fighters
Take A Stand For Grace v1-10
The
historical account of the council of Jerusalem is recorded by Luke in Acts 15:6-21
It
was a really tough lesson to learn for the early Christians because for
centuries there were clear lines that divided the Jews and the Gentiles. They didn’t associate with them, and
certainly not the Samaritans, or the ‘half-Jews’. It was so hard not to see them as
‘second-class citizens’ or for that matter, that they had the same equal access
to the Father, there is no favoritism.
The
issue at hand was whether they were ‘circumcised’ or not.
The Judaizers of the day, the ones trying to infiltrate the ranks’ were
trying to hold on to external rites of passage that made them more identifiable
with the Jewish believers.
This
truth, that we are all made acceptable to God, through the finished work of
Jesus is something that Paul was ready to give his life for.
He
saw himself as the apostle to the Gentiles,
the outsiders, so to speak and we all need the message of grace from
those who know they are absolutely not righteous to the self-righteous… those
who think they are “in”
We
did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be
preserved for you. v5
The
Skateboard Ministry at the church I served out west in BC was a thriving
ministry. We would have on average 70
youth from the community doing amazing flips, spins, you name it. The problem was that the people who attended
the church could only see the marks on the walls from the skateboards and
weren’t impressed because we would have dinners in the gym from time to
time.
I
took a stand for the ministry and spoke to the fact that we were reaching
students who we not normally connect with through our normal youth programs and
even more so, some of them were putting their faith and trust in Christ. At the end of the day, the gospel and it’s
power to change lives were more important than a nice looking gym for social
functions of the church!!
Freedom Fighters
Keep A Level Playing Field v11-19
Peter
experiences his new found freedom and enjoys keeping company with Gentiles,
basically all believers, to put everybody on a level playing field.
Unfortunately,
his freedom was threatened by his fear.
In Acts 11 , God gives
Peter an elaborate revelation and shows him it is ok to have a good old
fashioned pig roast with unbelievers.
Peter
was an incredible impulsive guy and he did things that really displayed his
faith and then as we know, his faith could sink like a anchor in the ocean.
When
Peter pulled back from hanging out with these “new kind” of Christians, his
actions unfortunately influenced others and Barnabus followed his lead. This could have easily been a huge step back
for the church except that Peter had been called on the carpet by Paul
Paul
rebukes Peter and his point is:
The unity of the
church
–v14 don’t set a false standard of
holiness. We may not segregate people because of our race, but we do it in
other ways. Well, this person doesn’t
worship the way that I do, so they can’t possibly be as spiritual as me.
Justification by
faith
– v15,16 what does justication mean = It is the act of God where He declares
the believing sinner righteous in Jesus Christ.
Justification is an act not a process.
I am not more justified than someone else. It is an act of God not as a result of what
we do. Justification is not simply
forgiveness. Once you have been
justified by faith you can no longer be held guilty before God. It should also be noted that God justifies
sinners, not “good people”. We have to
admit that we are sinners, not simply good humans who just need a pardon
Freedom from the
law
v17,18 We didn’t find hope, meaning,
strength and resolve in the law Peter to begin with, we found it through faith
in Jesus so why would we think that we now have to measure ourselves up to an
external code when that is what Jesus precisely came to break down, He tore
down rules and went straight for the heart. We don’t live by an external code.
Freedom Fighters
let Jesus live His life out through them v20,21
The
heart of the gospel v20 So, why did
Jesus die, His death, burial and
resurrection are the key truths. We are
saved by faith, - He died for us; We live by faith in Jesus – He lives in
us. We are so wrapped up in our identity
in Christ by the Spirit that we died with Him and we’ve been raised to newness
of life.
Two
handles on this Christian life
1. It is lived in the body – you will always feel
the pull of the flesh (our natural learned tendancies). We will always have challenges that will pull
on our faith, difficult situations, trying relationships with others, being
prone to thoughts of depressions, prone to wander Lord I feel it!
BUT
2. It is lived by faith in Jesus Christ – His
Spirit lives in my body and I can count on Him in every circumstance of my
life. He can enable me in each and every moment to live in a place where I
surrender my own bad attitude, my own selfish tendencies, my own stubbornness
and allow it to be replaced with His selfless love, His divine power enabling
me to have selfless tendencies and a tender heart to respond.
GRACE
– I’m a gracer, God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. The grace of God is sufficient for me. If I could be righteous by following a list
of rules, than Jesus’ death is in vain.
The law says do, grace says done.
It is finished was Jesus’ victory cry.
So,
walk in light of who you say you are:
What
does this all mean anyway?
How
does this affect your everyday life?
Are
you ready to defend the gospel for all the grace that is in you? Are you ready to be a freedom fighter? It’s a
lot easier said than done.
When
we moved to Guelph, we quickly discovered that the person living next door to
us was the self-proclaimed, ‘street witch’ also used interchangeably with words
that rhyme with witch. It was an older
couple who apparently had moved here hoping to find a peace and quiet. Well, our street just happens to be full of
kids. There are as many as 30 on our end
of the street. We live on a cul-de-sac
and we started playing road hockey like we did in any neighbourhood that we had
been a part of. She proceeded to take
pictures of our kids and called the city to complain and sure enough the police
would arrive and tell us that it is a by-law issue and so, no hockey. We also had a self-standing basketball net
and we played at the end of our driveway.
Again, more pictures and more visits from the by-law officer with a
sticker placed on our net with the request to move it so now it sits at the
front of our garage. A street party was
arranged annually and approval was sought only to be told if a ball landed near
their vehicle, more calls from the police.
Rylan would play soccer in the backyard but if the ball crossed over to
their yard, it would be gone. She had
someone there ready to confiscate the ball into her house. It was quite a scene.
We
also have a dog, Josie, who likes to bark to get back in the house and a visit
came shortly after we got her from the humane society checking out her
credentials and a payment needed for an updated license. In the summer a fence was erected and it
stands 9ft. tall.
They
really wanted nothing to do with anyone and the more private, the better! So,
needless to say, loving my neighbor hasn’t come easily here in Guelph. I still tried to make small talk now and then
when in the driveway, but not much took place beyond that. Then, Sharon, had this crazy idea before
Christmas to bless them with homemade cookies.
She would make them and I was assigned with Rylan and Addi to deliver
them. We knocked and you can imagine the
shock when they opened the door… on both sides of the door. We were shocked that they opened it and the
husband happened to be in a wheelchair because he broke his ankle. We didn’t even know that. So, he graciously accepted them and that was
the end of that.
That
was until one winter day at the latest dump of snow a few years ag and I was
outside shoveling our driveway. I was
almost done when I saw the ‘witch’ come out with one crutch attempting to
shovel her driveway. The snow banks were
really high so there was no acknowledgment of each other and I completed my
task and went inside. I then went to check in on Sharon and then peeked out the
window to see the lady still attempting to shovel. I knew I had to go outside and help her but
everything inside of me wanted to just ignore her. However, that is when I knew that I couldn't.
The Holy Spirit was working on my heart and outside I went again and asked if I
could help. She was surprised but was so
thankful and I was able to get it cleared.
Then she shares, ‘I just had chemo two days ago….the cancer is starting
to grow back.” She proceeds to pull her hat back and I see that she has very
little hair. At the moment I asked if I could pray for her healing. She responded yes and there in her driveway,
I put my arm around her and she held me and I prayed for her like I would pray
for my own family with the firm conviction that God could do a miracle. She was encouraged and I was blessed and it
was a huge reminder to me that Jesus’ commands were just meant to be memorized,
that were meant to be lived out!
Be
a freedom fighter and let Jesus live His life out through you!
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