Friday, August 21, 2009
Fall LifePointe Groups
Galatians Chapter 4
Before Christ came, all people were enslaved to sin 0 by His death, He paid the debt and purchased our freedom.
Jesus not only fulfilled the law by keeping it perfectly, but He also paid its curse.
This ultimate sacrifice paved the way for God to adopt us as His very own children – we are qualified to receive spiritual inheritance.
Our good deeds don’t motivate God to love us anymore than He already does – no matter how great they are – but they do fulfill the purpose of God.
Vs. 15 Without spiritual connection – we have no joy. Joy comes within and it produced when we understand that Jesus is the source of our peace and contentment no matter what the circumstances!
If we put our trust in Jesus Christ by faith then we are children of the promise (as opposed to Ishmal)
As Christians we will be mocked and ridiculed if we are being bold witnesses of Christ – but this shouldn’t surprise us, Jesus said it would happen.
Galatians Study Cont'd
Galatians Chapter 2
Even though God calls Christians with different ministries in different places, our Good News Message is always the same – the only way to be saved from our sin is through faith alone in Christ alone.
Paul used his heart and head to prepare for his visit to Jerusalem and so should we when we are preparing for anything! We are not to draw on feeling alone but we should also us knowledge from the word and advice of mature Christians.
Life should be a blend of responding to God’s prompting in our hearts by using our heads to carry out our assignment.
The truth of the gospel and the person of Jesus will always bring unity in the diversity of the body of Christ.
Question: How can I demonstrate the Gospel of Grace to other in tangible ways? (vs 10)
Paul and Peters confrontation (vs 11-16) shows us that for the right reason, it is never easy, but necessary and beneficial .
We are made right with God only by believing and receiving God’s gracious gift of salvation through faith – not by obeying the law. The Law=human effort
Vs. 19-20 – It is possible for sinners to live the Christian Life!
No one is capable of perfection – that is why when we accept what Jesus did on the cross we are then admitting our good works can never help us – because this life in not about us – but about what HE did on the cross for us!
HE lived a perfect life – and then took on my and your sin, and died the death we should have.
Galatians Chapter 3
God delivered the Galatians, you, and I, by means of justification by faith, not by works of the law.
Some proofs that we, the Galatians, have been justified by faith, and not the law:
1.We received the Holy Spirit as a gift, not a result of anything we have done
2.We are spiritual descendants of Abraham – those who believed God by faith (3:6-9)
3.God’s will and testament can never be revoked, the promise God made to Abram(He would receive salvation by faith, not by his good works) was ratified when Jesus died on the cross!
Vs. 10-14: If we want to get into a right relationship with God, if we want eternal life, if we want to get to heaven, if we want to count for something in this life – we must put our trust in Jesus! Accept by faith what He has already done – it’s not about how good of a person we are – it’s about HIM! Our good works can only condemn, they will never be good enough; they can’t justify or save us!
Vs. 19-25 The Law of Moses: Why was it given and how can we apply this to our life:
1. The Law was given to show us how guilty we are of our sin
2. To show us we are prisoners of our sin
3. To keep us in protective custody
4. To be our guardian and teacher
What does it mean to be justified by faith?
1. We are children of God
2. We have been united with Christ in baptism (by the Holy Spirit)
3. We have been made like Him (clothed with Christ)
4. We are one with Christ Jesus
5. We are children of Abraham (heirs of the promises God gave to Abraham)
The Truth’s of Galatians continues to teach me that I am eternally grateful for Jesus’ work on the cross! He did for me what I could never do for myself! I pray I continue to live this life out of an abundance of what He did for me – nothing else matters except for the work of the cross!
Does the way you live your life reflect this truth?
Sunday, August 2, 2009
July has been busy...
Well here is a recap of the month:
July 4th weekend:
We spent the weekend camping, outside at Smith Lake with Robby's family. I would describe the weekend as: adventurous, hot, new experiences!
ATL Shopping was next with Meredith and Claire. Let's just say we visited every store at Lenox and they were glad we came!
Next was, Volunteering at the Highland Community 2nd Chance Resource Center . This summer our women's group at CrossPointe has had Celebration activities going on and this event has impacted me the most. This is a homeless ministry in Columbus that is doing great work for the kingdom! I totally could not get myself together when I first got there. All I could think about was how blessed I was that I could go to ATL and shop in stores, meanwhile there are people in my community who don't own cars, we have to go shop in shelter's for clothes that have been worn. Needless to say God really spoke to my heart, confirming more and more that this life is not about me but about HIS Glory and HIS Plans!
Thank you Lord for your grace in my life!
A much needed Spa Day at Sunday's was next! If you know me then you know I am a sucker for spa's. The one in Columbus is good but the best one I have ever been to is the Qua Spa at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas! If you ever visit Vegas, this is the place to go; check out their web site!
The big 10 year high school reunion was next! Can't believe it's been 10 years since I graduated from high school. It seems like yesterday I got my driver's license and was dancing on the football field with the Pantherettes (high school dance team)! It was great to catch up with everyone and I really enjoyed seeing old faces.
20 Something’s pool party! This is one of our groups at CrossPointe that Robby and I have a good time being involved with! Every time our group gets together it's always a good time. Jamie Rosa hosted us at his pool and cooked some great food! By the way ladies, he is single!!
Ellasyn Claire was born! I can't believe this day came; my best friend from college had her first baby. It seems like yesterday we were eating lunch at Saga or hanging out at the sorority house but 5 years later, we are both married and she has the most adorable little one! Congratulations to Lynsey and Blake on their new baby girl!
Towards the end of the month we went Scalloping in Port St. Joe! Okay new adventure for Robby and I but we had a great time. We went scalloping with our friends Jamie and Claire and their dog McCoy (Sammy would not have liked this trip, we spent the whole day in the water and it does not like water at all)! We caught enough scallop’s for Claire to make a yummy dinner the following day. We hope to make this a yearly tradition!
The last event for July is the best one of all. After pinching pennies for 16 months we have finally debt free! We owe nothing to no one (well except our mortgage)!! I can't tell you how freeing it is to be debt free! Shout out to the Counts' family and Dave Ramsey for encouraging us along the way!!
I'll post pictures soon!