Category Archives: Series Posts

May 25, 2011

Galatians 1:10 – What’s your aim?

By Chris Lewis

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” – Gal 1:10

Every day, most of us face a multitude of choices. What time do I need to get up? What will I wear? Do I take a shower (hopefully an easy decision)? Breakfast bar or cereal? Interstate or backroads? All this before we even make it to our first destination!

Some of these are pretty trivial. Do I take the elevator or stairs? Some choices are much weightier. Can I forgive this person? What will they think if I attempt to share my faith? This is a risky decision, what if I fail?

The lynchpin of this decision making process rests with this question: what’s your aim?

Desire vs. Motive

Discovering the nature of our aim really gets down to a question of desire vs. motive. Desire is fleeting. Selfish. It changes with circumstance. Motive is much deeper. It’s the driving force behind our desires. Motive influences and shapes our desires. Our desires will ultimately determine our actions.

What we want to do in any given moment is deeply dependent on what we treasure most. It is what we treasure that determines the decisions we make. Jesus said our heart follows our treasure (Matt 6:21).

In this passage, Paul is talking specifically about the desire to seek the approval of man or the approval of God. Are we more concerned with what people think or what God thinks? With what he wants or what I want?

Progression

The more intimate our relationship with God, the more our  motives are conformed to his image, thus influencing our desires, which leads to action. It looks like this:

God -> Motive -> Desire -> Action

It won’t work the other way (which is normally what we try). We try behavioral modification. Jeremiah said our hearts are deceitful and wicked (Jer 17:9) and we must deal with that if we have any hope of change.

We make futile attempts to change our actions without dealing with the underlying heart issue. That’s like trying to fix a piston in my car’s engine by putting Armor All on the tires!

New Desires

Thankfully, God is in the business of heart change! One of my favorite verses in the whole Bible is:

“Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.“
Psalm 37:4

This is amazing stuff! As I become more satisfied in him, he shapes the desires of my heart. But, this verse gets misapplied often. We want it to say, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you what you want“. That misses the point completely!

God does much more than giving us WHAT we desire…he gives us NEW desires! And that really is so much better.

How’s your aim? Maybe it’s time for a heart check.

Leave a comment | posted in Devotional thought, Galatians

May 18, 2011

Galatians 1:1 – Paul the Apostle

By Chris Lewis

“Paul, an apostle— not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead” – Gal 1:1

Qualification
Paul had a unique qualifier that we don’t have today (at least not in the exact sense he was speaking). He was an Apostle – with a capital “A”.  Paul listed himself as the last Apostle in 1 Cor 15:7-9. Apostles in this sense can be compared to the Old Testament office of Prophet and they had the ability, responsibility, and calling to write Scripture. To be considered an Apostle, general orthodoxy through the ages contends that the individual must have seen the risen Christ with his own eyes and be commissioned specifically by Jesus as an Apostle (literally meaning ‘sent one’).

Authority
The basic authority of the office of Apostle is rooted in the power of the resurrection. Paul demonstrates this and it was the single biggest emphasis of his preaching. Repeatedly, he was received well by the Jews in a town – until he brought up the resurrection. The resurrection still stirs up visceral emotions today! People are fine with you talking about the moral teachings of Jesus (even in other religions), but the resurrection forces us to contend with the divinity of Christ.

Mission
Paul was a man on a mission. He purposed in this letter to his friends in Galatia to deal with the issue of legalism. With the risen Christ in full view, how can some claim justification by religious ritual or demand that others observe ceremonial tradition? Simply put…they can’t! This is the thrust of this short letter and Paul begins with his credentials – not his earthly accomplishments or his vast knowledge of the Scriptures, but with his calling as an Apostle. This is equivalent to Paul saying, “Thus saith the Lord…“


Leave a comment | posted in Devotional thought, Galatians

May 12, 2011

Galatians: Intro

By Chris Lewis

Have you ever felt like you just don’t measure up? No matter how hard you try you just don’t cut it? Yes, I love Jesus and do my best to follow him, but the truth is, I mess up all the time! I spend a good portion of my life as a Christian feeling like a failure and have just realized I’ll never be as good as some of the ‘super-Christians’ I look up to in my life.

Sound familiar?

The letter Paul wrote to the Galatians between his 1st and 2nd missionary journeys is a fascinating and valuable read for any follower of Christ. And it deals directly with this kind of attitude. It was his earliest letter, but it dealt with an issue that plagued the church early and still exists today: legalism.

Does God love me more because of the ‘things’ I do for him? Is his love diminished when I stumble and fall? The answer to both is a resounding “NO“!

FREEDOM is the battle cry that leaps off the pages of Galatians!

An excellent commentary on the subject says:

Throughout the history of the church the message of Galatians has been needed to free men from chains of false doctrine. When the early Judaizers tried to bind men to the old commandments from Sinai, Galatians set them free. When the apostate church of the Dark Ages tried to bind men to a papal system of salvation by penance and works, Galatians set them free. When modern legalists try to bind us to a joyless religion of superior “rightness,” Galatians sets us free.[1]

I completed a study of Galatians last August and I’d like to share with you some of the things God taught me during my walk through his word. If you, like me, struggle with feeling inadequate and ‘less than’, maybe you will find some truth that can set you free!

[1] Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians. The College Press NIV commentary. Joplin, Mo.: College Press.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , | posted in Devotional thought, Galatians

February 2, 2009

This sounds a lot easier than it actually is!(#4 – last one!)

By Chris Lewis

This is the final post in a series centered around Ephesian 4:15 and the difficult issue of speaking truth in love.

Here’s what we’ve covered so far: (and a link to the whole series of posts)

Post #1 – Speaking truth in love is hard but necessary for spiritual maturity.
Post #2 – Many speak truth but few do it in love.
Post #3 – Speaking truth in love requires direct interface with the person in question – not gossip with others.

Now let’s look at the final piece of the puzzle: What if you are the person about whom truth is being spoken?

How do you handle that?

Wow!  That’s a tough question.  I remember my parents saying on rare occasions “do what I say, not what I do“.  That’s probably good advice here.  No one can honestly say they enjoy criticism.  You think things like: If they only knew what I have to face…you think I’ve got issues, take a look in the mirror buddy!

But, since none of us are perfect, we will probably all face a certain level of criticism at some point. Here are some things to consider:

1. Consider the source – Criticism can come from all sides.  While God can give anyone insight into a particular situation, I very naturally trust the counsel of my close circle of influencers more than the comments of a stranger.  Why?  Because they know me and have more insight into my motives.

2. Get a second opinion – Ask someone else you trust to consider this.  This is not a good exercise for a mom or that friend who would never disagree with you.  I love having people in my life that feel comfortable calling me out!  It’s why I always maintain a relationship with an accountability partner.  Someone who has open access into any area of my life and will be honest with me – even if it’s not what I want to hear.

3. Lay it down – THIS IS HUGE!!!   This is a common place for breakdown.  It’s at this point you have to bare your soul to God and repent first.  David confessed it was against God and God alone he had sinned.  Spiritual reconciliation has to occur before any real or meaningful relational reconciliation between individuals.  Recognition before God that an action, attitude, or behavior is sinful places it consciously under the power of the cross!  That’s where the blood of Jesus can transform a situation and develop the new creation He has made us in Christ!

4. The human factor – Sometimes there may be relationships or situations that need mending.  This cannot be adequately dealt with until the spiritual issue in #3 is taken care of, but it cannot be skipped either.  Sometimes we just have to say “I’m wrong”.  This is also a good time to recognize the one who brought the matter to your attention to begin with.

5. Move forward – There is no way to predict the response of people.  Some will embrace you – others never will.  Some hearts are wired to hope for the best – others just need something to talk about.  There will come a point in time (and it’s different for every situation) where you simply have to accept that you have done all that you can.  You are right with God and you have made every effort to be right with people.  Then you have to move forward.  There is no condemnation in Christ and no time for you to hang your head!

6. Check-ups – It’s probably a good idea to keep a check on your progress in dealing with an attitude or behavior.  Again, it’s critical at this point to have meaningful relationships with people that will hold you accountable.  It’s also a good idea to ask God how you are doing in this area.

This is not exhaustive and there are unique situations…but this is a good outline when you are the one that has to deal with truth being spoken to you.

Leave a comment | posted in Faith, Leadership, My Thoughts - Chris, Series Posts, Speaking Truth

January 29, 2009

This sounds a lot easier than it actually is!(#3)

By Chris Lewis

This is a follow up post to this post and this post…I had no idea this would end up being a series!  It centers around Ephesian 4:15 and the issue of speaking truth in love.

As we’ve already noted, speaking truth in love is not easy. Most people can’t or won’t do it.  Many people speak truth but forget the love.

Here’s another common pitfall:

Speaking truth in love does not mean sharing with a friend the issues you have with someone when you haven’t confronted the individual you need to…even when it’s cleverly disguised as a prayer request!

That’s NOT speaking truth.

It’s COWARDICE.

That’s NOT confronting in love.

It’s GOSSIP.

…Don’t give in to that temptation.  If you’re the one telling the tale – CUT IT OUT!  If you’re the one listening to someone else – confront them. Tell them not to talk to you about a person when they won’t talk to the person they have the issue with.  They might get hurt…maybe even mad.  That’s OK!

Refuse to give an audience to that kind of trash.

No good will come from it.

Leave a comment | posted in Faith, Leadership, My Thoughts - Chris, Series Posts, Speaking Truth

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