Unpacking Galatians: Chapter 2

 

Note: in the body on this article the verses from Galatians Chapter 2 are in italics, the explanation of the verse/s follows in straight text with additional scriptures shown in bold italics.

In Chapter 2 Paul again reminds the Galatians that the gospel he preached to them from the start is the only true gospel of faith in Christ Jesus alone and not salvation by the works of the law from which Christ has set us free!

The false teachers that had crept into the Galatian Church were trying to put the Church back into the bondage of the law, the laws that no man could keep. In other words, the false teachers were trying to mix in legalism with the gospel!

The major point of concern to Paul here was that these false teachers were insisting that the gentiles were to first be circumcised before they could receive their salvation in Christ Jesus, being born again! This is a perverted gospel which is no gospel at all! It is a perverted gospel and all it does is put man back into bondage and return them to the slavery of sin instead of freedom in Christ Jesus!

Man is saved by faith in Christ Jesus alone and by no other name and by not other means!

Acts 4:11-12 (NIV)

11 Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,

which has become the cornerstone.’[Psalm 118:22]

12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Paul Defends the Gospel
1Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. 2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain.

In verse one above Paul tells the Galatian churches that after preaching the gospel for 14 years outside of Jerusalem and outside the sphere of the Council in Jerusalem, he returned to Jerusalem and took Barnabas, a Jewish believer, and Titus, a gentile believer, with him.

In verse two he tells us that the reason for his return to Jerusalem was by divine revelation and while he was there, he told some of the apostles privately (not in public) about the gospel that he preaches to the Gentiles. He does this to assure the Galatians that the Jerusalem church leaders and he were of one mind, particularly as far as the true gospel of faith in Christ Jesus alone goes!

The revelation that Paul refers to when he says in verse two, “by revelation” is more than likely the prophecy by Agabus spoken of in Acts 11.

Acts 11:27-30 (NKJV)

27 And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29 Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. 30 This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

This prophecy resulted in Paul’s second return to Jerusalem to take famine relief to the Church in Judea, and Paul used this opportunity to make sure that he and the Jerusalem Council were on the same gospel page – Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 (AMP)

And when I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming to you the testimony of God [concerning salvation through Christ], I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom [no lofty words of eloquence or of philosophy as a Greek orator might do]; 2 for I made the decision to know nothing [that is, to forego philosophical or theological discussions regarding inconsequential things and opinions while] among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified [and the meaning of His redemptive, substitutionary death and His resurrection].

3 Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4 And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), 5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

To emphasise his point that under the new covenant of faith in Christ Jesus no one has to follow the law of Moses, he tells the Galatians and ultimately all believers that when they (Paul, Barnabas and Titus) were with the church leaders in Jerusalem no one was even compelled to be circumcised, not even Titus who was a Gentile!

This effectively meant that the false teachers and prophets who had infiltrated the Galatian churches were not operating on instructions from the church leaders in Jerusalem but on their own perverted beliefs! The beliefs of man!

This false teaching was being brought in to rob the Church of their freedom in Christ Jesus so that the believers would be brought back into bondage once more. At no point is the Church to be in submission to any kind of false teaching – the truth of the gospel of faith in Christ Jesus must continue – it is the only route to salvation!

6 But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. 7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter 8 (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), 9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.

In verse 6 – 10 above, Paul informs us that the Church leaders in Jerusalem, James, Peter (Cephas) and John could add nothing to the message that Paul was preaching to the Gentiles and confirmed and recognised that the gospel to the Gentiles had been committed to Paul by Jesus himself, just as the gospel to the Jews had been committed to them!

James, Peter and John recognised that the grace of God had been given to Paul, and so they gave Paul the right hand of fellowship signifying that they were in full agreement with him and that he had their full support to preach the gospel to the Gentiles! The only thing they asked Paul to do was to remember the poor, the very thing that he had been doing anyway – he had brought famine relief to Judea!

Giving the right hand of fellowship to Paul was a solemn act of partnership signifying acceptance, agreement and trust. In those days it was a way of honouring in each other and affirming a partnership or a promise from one party to another.

By giving the right hands of fellowship, these believers were agreeing to serve God together. James, Cephas, and John would focus on reaching the Jewish people (the circumcision), while Paul and Barnabas would focus on reaching the Gentiles (the uncircumcision).

This was an agreement before God that these men would serve God and spread the gospel together! An agreement which every believer of the day would recognise. This shows without any doubt that Paul and the other apostles were in complete agreement with each other in the true gospel of faith in Christ Jesus and Him alone!

No Return to the Law
11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

In order to strengthen his point of their being no difference between Jewish and Gentile believers, Paul relates to the Galatians an incident that took place in Antioch between him and the Apostle Peter. Paul had confronted Peter publicly about his hypocrisy before the Church in Antioch.

This was what was happening. When Peter had first arrived in Antioch he would eat and enjoy fellowship with the Gentiles, but a time came when “certain men came from James” in Jerusalem who were obviously Jewish believers as they are described in verse 12 as being “those who were of the circumcision.”

Now Peter, who knew better because of the vision he had received from the Holy Spirit (Acts 10 - Peter at the house of Cornelius the centurion in the Roman army), withdrew from fellowshipping with the Gentiles and it can be safely assumed that he didn’t want to offend the Jewish visitors – like many of today’s pastors he wanted to be PC which is a cowardly fear of man instead of a reverent fear of God! This act by Peter also led the other Jews in Antioch into the same hypocrisy, even Paul’s fellow Jewish evangelist Barnabas was led astray!

Romans 10:12-13 (NIV)

12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not]justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

In verses 14 – 16 above, Paul explains to us exactly how he dealt with this incident. He addresses Peter in front of all the Jews because Peter was to blame for the hypocrisy (see verse 11 above) in that they (Peter and the other Jews) were undermining the truth of the gospel in their actions by not eating and fellowshipping with the Gentiles, they were in fact returning to the law from which Christ had set them free!

Paul goes on to say that no man, neither Jew nor Gentile, is saved by the works of the law but only by faith in Christ Jesus. Faith in Jesus renders the law null and void because He fulfilled the law (all of it) by His death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection.

Matthew 5:17 (NIV)

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Our salvation does not come through the works of the law it comes through faith in Christ Jesus and is by the grace of God and is a gift to us from God – a gift we do not deserve! Because Christ fulfilled the law, we as believers, born again Christians, do not have to live by the law, no part of it. A return to the law is an act of sin and needs to be repented from!

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

17 “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.

In verses 17-19 above Paul makes it clear to the Galatians and to us today that he is not encouraging the Gentiles’ pre-salvation lifestyle of sin! Eating and fellowshipping with the believing Gentiles is not promoting their pre-salvation lifestyle. For once any man (Jew or Gentile) is saved through faith in Christ Jesus, we are all equal in the eyes of God. We all become brothers and sisters in Christ. See Romans 10:12-13 above.

Let’s look at an example of the love, grace and mercy of God towards us in the scripture when Jesus let the adulteress go in John 8, he was not promoting her sinful lifestyle. His compassion for her was not an endorsement of sin and neither should ours be today! We need to tackle a brother or sister who sins full on!

Galatians 6:1 (NIV)

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

In fact, when Jesus dismissed the adulteress, he emphasised the fact that she was a sinner and told her to go her way and sin no more. That is the same salvation message that Paul was preaching. Anybody can come to Christ, no matter what their background. When they do, they must go their way and sin no more, which means they must repent, turn away from their sin!

John 8:10-11 (NKJV)

10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”

11 She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

There is no condemnation for anyone who is in Christ Jesus!

Romans 8:34 (NIV)

34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Paul goes on to tell us in verse 18 of our chapter that if we try to institute legalism in any form into the true gospel of faith in Christ Jesus alone, then we are the transgressors, and it is us who are sinning.

The false teachers in the Galatian times were trying to bring back circumcision (legalism) and force it upon the Gentiles as part of the gospel and Peter and the other Jews by separating themselves from the Gentiles were condoning legalism by their actions. This is why Paul took Peter to task and rebuked him publicly, they had slipped back into the bondage of legalistic sin!

This is the type of thing that false prophets and teachers are doing today, preaching a false gospel that denies faith in Christ Jesus alone! Today’s Church needs to confront these false teachers and expose their sinful and dark deeds!

Ephesians 5:11 (NKJV)

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

In verses 20 and 21 above, Paul tells the Galatians and the Church today, that because we know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, the one who took our sins to the cross and died for us, we have effectively been crucified with Christ and it is no longer we that live but it is Christ who lives in us. The life we now live after our salvation, we live by faith in Christ Jesus alone because He loves us and died for our sins!

Our righteousness does not come through ourselves or through the law or through our works. Our righteousness comes through our faith in Christ alone – we belong to Him and He did not die in vain!

A born again Christian should no longer habitually and willfully sin!

Romans 6:1-4 (AMP)

What shall we say [to all this]? Should we continue in sin and practice sin as a habit so that [God’s gift of] grace may increase and overflow? 2 Certainly not! How can we, the very ones who died to sin, continue to live in it any longer? 3 Or are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 We have therefore been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory and power of the Father, we too might walk habitually in newness of life [abandoning our old ways].

Some points from this chapter that today’s Church need to embrace and live out.

• Just as Paul was obedient to a revelation from the Holy Spirit, we too should be obedient to the Spirit’s promptings and do what He is leading us to do.

• Remember the freedom we receive in Christ Jesus and stop returning to the bondage of our former sin and live in the freedom of Christ our Saviour!

• Have nothing to do with false teachers, preachers and prophets and their deeds of darkness. They are ravenous wolves and their fate’ and the fate of their followers is destruction.

2 Peter 2:1-3 (NKJV)

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

The destruction of false prophets and teachers is imminent is they do not repent - it is a sure thing!

Prayer
Dear Father
In the name of Jesus, I pray that you would continually fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me wisdom and discernment so that I will not be led astray by the errant teachings of false prophets and teachers. Reveal to me, I pray, the wolves in sheep’s’ clothing that I may not stray from your path – Jesus Christ and Him crucified! Lord, I pray that you would keep my ears and my heart ever attentive to the voice of your Holy Spirt! Amen!

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!

Unpacking Galatians: Chapter 1

 Background to the Churches in Galatia

Galatia is situated almost across the centre of modern day Turkey. When the apostle Paul went on his first missionary journey with Barnabas in about AD46-48, they established churches in various cities in Galatia, namely Perga – Acts 13:13, Antioch in Pisidia – Acts 13:14, Iconium – Acts 13:51, Lystra – Acts 14:6 and Derbe – Acts 14:6. When they had finished preaching in Derbe they then returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch is Pisidia and strengthened the believers there - Acts 14:21-28. These churches are the recipients of Paul's letter to the Galatians.

The Churches is Galatia were made up of both Jews and Gentiles. The main reason Paul writes his letter to the Galatian churches is that those churches were listening to and succumbing to the Judaizing false teachers that had crept into the Church who were undermining the central New Testament doctrine of justification by faith in Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:28-31 (NKJV)

28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

These false teachers were specifically teaching that Gentiles must first become Jewish proselytes and submit to all the Mosaic law before they could become Christians – thus nullifying Christ’s death on the cross for the salvation of mankind! Paul wrote his letter to counter these false teachings, to defend justification by faith in Christ Jesus alone, and to warn those churches of the dire consequences of abandoning this essential doctrine.

Note: in the body on this article the verses from Galatians are in italics, the explanation of the verse/s follows in straight text with additional scriptures shown in bold italics.

1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

In the first verse above, Paul confirms to the Galatians that he is an apostle not appointed from or through men but appointed directly through Jesus and God the Father under the leading of the Holy Spirit. He is an apostle to the Church in Galatia whose members are both Jews and Gentiles who are now Christians! In Christ Jesus there is no difference between Jew and Gentile.

Acts 13:2 (NIV)

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Romans 11:13-14 (NIV)

13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them.

Romans 15:15-16 (NIV)

15 Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV)

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

In verse two above we see that Paul has addressed his letter to all the churches is Galatia and not just to one particular church. The same problem was facing all the churches that he and Barnabas had established in Galatia. They were all being led astray by false teachers who were preaching a different gospel than what he and Barnabas had first preached to them, that is faith in Christ Jesus alone!

If we look around us at the Church today you will say that the Church across the world is facing the very same problem. False teachers and prophets are coming in nineteen to the dozen! They are all around us and are wolves in sheep's clothing and they are leading good people astray in their thousands! The Church needs to wake up and expose these demonically led teachers!

Matthew 7:15 (NKJV)

 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 

Ephesians 5:11 (NKJV)

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 

3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

In verses 3-5 above Paul is pronounces a prayer of blessing over the Galatian churches. His pronouncement is one of grace (unmerited favour) and peace (the peace of Jesus that surpasses all understanding) is to them from both God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. 

Paul stresses to the Church that because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for our sins, the Lord delivers us from this age of evil and that this sacrifice and our redemption is according to the will of the Father to whom eternal glory belongs. What a blessing to all of His children! Let me assure that this blessing is for us today as well as Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

Only One Gospel
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

In verses 6-10 above Paul cuts to the chaste and gets right to the point of why he is writing this letter to the Galatians.

In verses 6 and 7 he says that he marvels or is astonished or in modern day English vernacular, he is gob-smacked that they have so quickly turned away from the true gospel of faith in Christ Jesus to a perverted gospel that he calls no gospel at all! And I must say that I feels the same way about those who are led astray by todays wolves in sheep's clothing and there are so many of them!

And in verses 8 and 9 Paul shows how strongly he feels about their desertion from the true gospel and says that even if we (being he and Barnabas) or an angel from heaven preach another gospel other than the one that they (he and Barnabas) first preached to them. Then let that person be accursed. And in verse 9 Paul says the same thing again to give the message more impact, "let that person be accursed!”

The word accursed in verses 8 and 9 is translated from the Greek word ‘anathema’ which is pronounced an-ath'-em-ah and it refers to someone or something that is cursed by God and without hope of being redeemed. In other words, anyone who perverts the gospel and preaches a different gospel and leads people away from the true gospel, teaches a gospel according to man’s thoughts, is cursed of God! Beware you all you false preachers out there!

This perverted gospel is one that is still being preached in many churches to this day. A gospel that is politically correct but so far from being Biblically correct. The preachers and teachers of this perverted gospel come under God’s curse! These false teachers, preachers and prophets are responsible for leading thousands of people astray and as such will be judged harshly and bring destruction upon themselves. These men and women will go to hell if they do not repent!

2 Peter 2:1-3 (AMP)

But [in those days] false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will subtly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their shameful ways, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false arguments and twisted doctrine. Their sentence [of condemnation which God has decreed] from a time long ago is not idle [but is still in force], and their destruction and deepening misery is not asleep [but is on its way].

And in verse 10 to finish off this section, Paul let’s the Galatians know that he is telling them these things because he is not a pleaser of men but because he is devoted to pleasing God in Christ Jesus and desires them to be the same as he is, just like he says in his letter to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NKJV)

Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

And the NIV Bible interprets this verse as Paul saying, “follow my example as I follow Christ’s.”

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV)

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

Paul's Call to Apostleship
11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Now, in verse 11 and 12 above, Paul tells the Galatian churches in no uncertain terms, of the authority he has to preach the gospel to them, and which authority did not come from man but was given to him directly by the revelation of Jesus! A powerful and compelling statement indeed!

13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

In verses 13 and 14 above Paul reminds the Galatians of who he was in Judaism before his conversion to Christianity. In his letter to the Philippians Paul tells us all about who he used to be before his conversion.

Philippians 3:4-11 (NKJV)

4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul makes this reminder of who he used to be to the Galatians to emphasise the fact that they should not listen to the false teachers who have infiltrated the Galatian church as they are trying to turn them back to Judaism and are thus perverting the truth of the gospel by trying to convince them that the should still be bound to the law from which they had been set free by the gospel of faith in Christ Jesus alone! Jesus is all we need, He is the way, the truth and the life!

John 14:6 (NKJV)

 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

In verses 15 to 17 Paul tells us that it pleased God to ‘call’ him to preach Jesus to the gentiles. He goes on to emphasise the fact that even though he was a Pharisee of Pharisees and a persecutor of the Church, he was actually called by God’s grace right from his mother’s womb and was predestined by God to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles and that he came to ‘know’ Jesus at the time when it pleased God! God is a changer of hearts!

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NKJV)

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 

It is only once we have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, once we are born again, that our Godly calling can be fulfilled in the power of the Holy Spirit and lead a life that will bring glory to Jesus! Our past, present and future sins are forgiven through the blood of Jesus!

In verses 16 and 17 Paul confirms to the Galatians that his calling is not of men but by God as he did not immediately confer with the other apostles in Jerusalem but went into Arabia to preach to the Gentiles in the power of the Holy Spirit and only after a period of about three years (see verse 18 below) did he go to Jerusalem to confer with a few of the other apostles.

Acts 9:15-16 (NKJV)

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

In the above two verses from Acts 9, the Lord is talking to Ananias a disciple of the Lord’s who lived in Damascus. The Lord instructs Ananias to go and pray for Paul as Paul has been chosen by Him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Ananias goes to Paul in obedience to the instruction from the Lord, lays hands on him and prays for him. During this prayer Paul is then filled with the Holy Spirit and is water baptised!

Acts 9:17-18 (NKJV)

17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

It was after Paul received the infilling of the Holy Spirit and his water baptism that he immediately went out and preached the gospel to the Gentiles in the power of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus did when He was filled with the Holy Spirit after His water baptism. Paul’s sending out was not by man!

Mark 1:9-13 (NIV)

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Paul’s calling affirmed in Jerusalem
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)
21 Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. 23 But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God in me.

In verses 18-24 above Paul reiterates to the Galatian churches that his calling was not of man but from God, He wants this fact cemented in their hearts and deems it worthy of repetition. 

He lets them know that when he was in Jerusalem specifically to see Peter three years after his calling, that the only two Apostles he met with were Peter and James the brother of Jesus. He stayed with Peter for 15 days and afterwards he went into Syria and Cilicia to preach the gospel there. Paul goes on to say that the believers in Syria and Cilicia were amazed at his dramatic conversion and gave God all the glory!

The idea that Paul the persecutor, who had been throwing fellow believers in jail and allowing them to be stoned to death, had now become a fellow believer was incredible, almost beyond belief. But the believing Jews in Judea had to rejoice based on what they had heard from the believers in Damascus and Jerusalem, including Peter and James, because he was unknown by sight to the churches in Judea which were in Christ. 

“Judea” refers to the southern part of Israel, which includes the city of Jerusalem. So, clearly Paul’s authority could not have come from man directly or indirectly. Paul’s authority as an apostle came by revelation directly from Jesus!

Prayer
Dear Father
In the name of Jesus, I pray that you would continually fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me wisdom and discernment so that I will not be led astray by the errant teachings of false prophets and teachers. Reveal to me, I pray, the wolves in sheep’s’ clothing that I may not stray from your path – Jesus Christ and Him crucified! Amen!

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!

An Introduction to the End Times

 

What is ‘The End Times.’
‘The End Times’ in Christianity has been a hot topic for many years with many differing views being proposed.

However, with all these different views, there is one absolute certainty that all born again Christians know and that is that Jesus Christ is returning, the second coming of Christ, and the evidence suggests that He is coming soon!

There are many Bible verses both in the Old and New Testaments that refer to ‘The End Times’ and this is a topic that is worthy of a series of teachings, but for the purposes of this workshop we will mention only a few scriptures that will pique our interest in the topic for our future walk to Christian maturity!

The study of ‘The End Times’ is commonly referred to as Eschatology. This word is made up of the Greek word ‘eschatos’ which means, the last things, the final things or the end of things and ‘ology’ which in the English language means ‘the study of.’ Hence for our purposes Eschatology is the study of ‘The End Times.’

When will Jesus come again?
We don’t know. The Bible clearly states that only God the Father knows the day and the hour, but it will come suddenly like a thief in the night. It will be a terrible day for the unsaved.

Matthew 24:36-39 (NKJV)

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the daythat Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

We don’t know when this day will be, but we must recognize the signs of the end times and we must be ready, we must know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. We must be born again. Our spiritual zeal as born-again Christians should always burn with an intense flame! If we are not born again, we will not enter heaven!

John 3:3 (NKJV)

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

The Age of Grace
Since the resurrection of Jesus and His ascension or His return to heaven, the world has been living in a time of God’s grace. This means that God has not yet brought His judgement upon all mankind, and He has not yet poured out His wrath! This will only happen when Jesus returns. A number of happenings or events need to take place before Christ’s return. The Bible prophecies regarding the end times primarily relate to the time of Tribulation that is coming on the earth, this being the seven years immediately before Jesus returns to earth.

The Rapture of The Church
This is time when Jesus comes specifically for His Church and all believers that are alive on the earth will be caught up in the clouds with Jesus together will all those who have fallen asleep (died) in the Lord. This will occur before the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation period.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (NKJV)

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Christ’s Judgement of His Church (believers).
This is where the believers will stand before God to be judged for their actions whether good or bad. This is not a judgement of punishment, as all unbelievers will face, but a judgement to determine reward, our crowns of glory, for the righteous acts we have done in Christ Jesus!

Romans 4:12 (NKJV)

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

2 Timothy 4:8 (NKJV)

Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

1 Corinthians 3:13–15 (NKJV)

13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

We have seen that when Jesus comes for His church at the Rapture, all true members of the church, both dead and alive, will be changed to receive new resurrection bodies fit for us to be with the Lord forever. While the world is
enduring the Tribulation, the raptured believers will be judged for their works. Unbelievers will be judged later, as we will see.

Matthew 12:36 (NKJV) – Jesus speaking

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Romans 14:12 (NKJV)

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

2 Corinthians 5:10 (NKJV)

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

The Great Tribulation – a period of seven years
This 7-year period begins at or shortly after the rapture of the church. Satan is unrestrained and the Holy Spirit is removed. Satan will wreak havoc throughout this time and this period will culminate with the Second Coming of Jesus and Battle of Armageddon.

Revelation 3:10 (NIV)

Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

When will the Age of Grace come to an end?
The church age will end with the Rapture of the church. There will still be grace for salvation during the Tribulation, but this will be a time of the worst suffering that the world has ever known, for God is judging the earth. As mentioned before, only the Father knows when the Rapture will occur, but the Bible tells us there will be signs that will tell us that the Lord’s second coming is near. These signs will happen in what we call ‘The End Times’ and during these times a number of ‘End Times’ events will take place.

What are the signs of the End Times?
Now, let’s have a look at what Jesus said about ‘The End Times.’

Matthew 24:3-8 (NKJV)

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

In the above verses Jesus is talking to His disciples about the signs that will come when ‘The End Times’ are upon us.

Let’s take a look at one more Bible passage from the New Testament and see what the signs of ‘The End Times’ will be.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJV)

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

In the above five verses it is the Apostle Paul telling us about what men will be like in the ‘last days’ or ‘end times’ and he goes on to warn us that these days will be perilous or dangerous.

From verses 2 – 5 he gives us a list of nineteen evil and ungodly characteristics of what men will be like during the ‘end times.’ Men in these verses refers to mankind, both male and female!

If we look around us at the world today it becomes quite evident that we are very much into the ‘end times’ already!

And in the second half of verse five we are warned to stay away from such people. Bad company corrupts good character! We, when we become born again, are God’s children and are thus children of the light!

1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV)

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

2 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV)

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

1 Thessalonians 5:5 (NIV)

You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

The light of course is Jesus, who is the light of the world!

John 8:12 (NIV)

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The Bible tells us that there will also be physical signs of the earth being in stress during the end times.

Matthew 24:4-8 (NKJV)

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

So, from this we can see that besides the deterioration of man’s behaviour, the earth itself will be deteriorating with devastating effect.

As already mentioned, a number of significant events will also take place during these times. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in all of the signs that Jesus mentioned, as the scene is being set for the Tribulation period.

The Second Coming of Christ and The Battle of Armageddon
The Battle of Armageddon will take place at the end of the Great Tribulation period on the plains of Megiddo and at the second coming of Christ. It is the final showdown in this age between good (Jesus) and evil (Satan).

Satan will muster His forces through the Antichrist and his earthly forces against the Lord, but he will not prevail. The Lord, coming with His angelic hosts and the resurrected Church will destroy this vast army of the nations that will come against Him.

Revelation 16:16 (NKJV)

“And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.”

Revelation 19:19 (NKJV)

“And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.”

Matthew 24:29–31 (NKJV)

““Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Psalm 145:5-9 (NIV)

5 Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor

and sing for joy on their beds.

6 May the praise of God be in their mouths

and a double-edged sword in their hands,

7 to inflict vengeance on the nations

and punishment on the peoples,

8 to bind their kings with fetters,

their nobles with shackles of iron,

9 to carry out the sentence written against them—

this is the glory of all his faithful people.

Praise the Lord.

The Separation of the Sheep from the Goats – Matthew 25:31-46
This is the separation of the nations and their judgment for how they treated Israel during the Tribulation period. The sheep are believers and the goats are the non-believers.

The sheep will enjoy eternal life and will inherit the kingdom that Jesus will set up, and the goats to eternal punishment in Hell with the devil and his fallen angels.

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
This is the celebration of the Church as the Bride of Christ and will take place just after Jesus returns to the earth. The Old Testament saints will be invited to enjoy this supper.

2 Corinthians 11:2 (NKJV)

“For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”

Revelation 19:6–9 (NKJV)

“And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’”

The Kingdom Age and Millennial Reign of Christ
Following His return to earth, Jesus will reign for 1000 years on earth, from Jerusalem. This is the glorious Kingdom age foretold in many of the Old Testament prophecies. During this time, Satan is bound and put into the abyss along with his fallen angels.

The martyred believers from the tribulation will join the raptured church and together will rule and reign with Jesus for 1000 years. The believers from the Old Testament period will also be resurrected at the time of Jesus’ return.

Revelation 20:4 (NKJV)

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Satan is Released from the Abyss (Rev. 20:7-9)
At the end of the 1000 years, Satan will be released to deceive the nations once again. People born during the 1000 years will need to make a choice about who they will follow. Some will choose God, and sadly others will reject Him.

Revelation 20:7–9 (NKJV)

“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.”

Great White Throne Judgement
There will be a judgment of all unbelievers before Jesus’ throne.

The books that contain the deeds of men are opened and the dead stand before God to be judged and if their names aren’t found in the Lamb’s Book of Life, they are cast away forever into Hell.

Revelation 20:11–15 (NKJV)

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And

the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Destruction of Present Heavens & Earth
At the end of the judgement of men, the present earth and heavens will be destroyed by fire.

Matthew 24:35 (NKJV)

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

2 Peter 3:3–7 (NKJV)

“knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

The New Heaven, the New Earth, the New Jerusalem and Eternity
After the destruction of the old heaven and earth, God will provide the new created heaven and earth and all God’s children will live in eternity with Him and Jesus will rule as the Lord of Lords and the King of kings from the New Jerusalem!

Who knows what great works and blessings He has in store for us for eternity? No more tears, no more sickness, no more death!

Revelation 21:1–5 (NKJV)

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven

saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.””

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly

I pray that you would give be wisdom and discernment to recognise the signs of the End Times and that you would help me to prepare to be rapture ready. Strengthen my faith Lord to withstand and overcome all that the devil will throw at be during these times and fill me continually with your Holy Spirit and to be always dressed in the full armour of God! Let me always keep my eyes on Jess and not on the things that are happening in the world. Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself! I am flawed the Bible is not!

Idols of the Heart

 

What is idolatry?
Before we examine our topic let’s have a quick look at what idolatry is as it will set the tone of our examination of ourselves in respect to ‘Idols of the Heart.’

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word ‘idolatry’ as something like this: “extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone.”

From a Biblical perspective a Christian should only worship God in this way and no one or nothing else! God should have first place in everything in our heart in our soul, spirit and in every fibre of our being!

Exodus 20:3-5 (NKJV)

3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them (or worship them). For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting (or punishing) the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

And we should love God in the same way!

Mark 12:30 (NKJV)

30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

Ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden man has been making carved images out of stone, wood and various metals and bowing down to them and worshipping them and making sacrifices to them both animal and human. Gods like Baal, Molech, Dagon, and the many Egyptian, Babylonian and Medean gods.

And in much the same way these practices are continued today in many modern forms of religion like Budhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Satanism and Islam. Even today man bows down to myriad of false gods created by their own hand and minds. Many Roman Catholics bow down and worship the Pope and bow down and pray to images and pictures of Mary and angels and the so-called saints of different things!

All these things man has used to replace the one true God within their lives and culture! God who is the creator of all things, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God considers this type of worship of false gods as rebellion against Him and this rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and our stubbornness to change, He considers to be iniquity (or sin – a wicked act) and idolatry

1 Samuel 15:23 (KJV)

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

As I have already stated, Idolatry has been part of man’s sinful nature ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Idolatry is evident in all tribes and nations in all recorded history and on all earth’s continents from the pyramids in Egypt to the pyramids in South America. From the stone statues on Easter Island to the Stonehenge in Wiltshire, United Kingdom and from the cave paintings in Africa to the cave paintings in North America.

Ancient idols come in all shapes and sizes and are made of various natural elements and shaped by man’s hands and vain imaginations.

Modern day idols come in different forms as well from money and possessions to humans in the form of Church and Community leaders and various other so called celebrities.

But all idols have one thing in common, they all come from one source – the devil!

An idol is something that a person devotes him or herself to or trusts in for so called self-satisfaction, happiness, security or a false sense of salvation. An idol is anything that is loved more than God and takes you away from worshipping God. An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart, “If I have that I will be happy, my life will have meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.”

We will not find our purpose in life in idols of the heart or false religion, we will only find our purpose in life in Christ Jesus who is the giver of life, the bread of life the author of our salvation and perfector of our faith. Our one and only provider is our heavenly Father in Christ Jesus. Only God knows what we need and what is truly good for us!

1 Chronicles 29 12 (NKJV)

Both riches and honor come from You,

And You reign over all.

In Your hand is power and might;

In Your hand it is to make great

And to give strength to all.

1 Samuel 2:8-9 (NKJV)

8 He raises the poor from the dust

And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,

To set them among princes

And make them inherit the throne of glory.

“For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,

And He has set the world upon them.

9 He will guard the feet of His saints,

But the wicked shall be silent in darkness.

“For by strength no man shall prevail.

Matthew 6:26 (NKJV)

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Philippians 4:19 (NKJV)

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Now, getting back to topic main topic of this article:

What are the modern-day idols that we set up in our hearts, the things that we place before God and that draw us away from putting Him first in our lives?

Idolatry goes much deeper than bowing before carved statues of false gods.

Idolatry is found in a heart that loves and desires something more than God.

Idolatry of the heart is found in the person that is led by fleshly desires and not by the Holy Spirit.

John 3:6-7 (NIV)

6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’

Romans 8:5-8 (NIV)

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

The phrase “idols of the heart” comes to us from Ezekiel 14.

Ezekiel 14:4-8 (NKJV)

4 “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, 5 that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.” ’

6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations. 7 For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself. 8 I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

In the above five verses God tells us that anything we put before our worship of Him and hold them in our hearts is idolatry and is something that He will not put up with and urges us to repent of these ‘idols of the heart’ and to return to Him wholeheartedly. He tells us exactly what happens to us when we hold on to these ‘idols of the heart’:

• They cause us to stumble into sin – verses 4 and 7.

• We become separated from God, we separate ourselves from Him – verses 5 and 8.

• All forms of idolatry is an abomination in the sight of God – verse 6.

• The Lord will deal with us himself – verse 7.

• God will set himself against us – verse 8.

• God will cut us off from Himself – verse 8.

God evaluates idolatry based upon the attitudes of the heart, not just the actions of the individual. God views heart idolatry to be as severe a sin as external idolatry – the worship of craven images and statues etc.

A person can maintain all the external features of faithful worship of God and still secretly carry in his heart a pantheon of false gods – some of these heart idols are shown in the above diagram but there are many more. If we carry idols in our hearts, then our hearts are far from God regardless of our outward appearance of faithfulness.

Matthew 15:8 (NKJV)

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,

And honor Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

As born again Christians we need to examine our hearts and our motives for doing things! Would we rather watch a sporting event than study our Bible or go to a Church meeting at our local place of fellowship or a Home Group meeting?

Are we driven to strive for more money just to get a bigger bank balance or do we spend more time at work than we do with our families and with God? Are we driven by self gain and strive for recognition and position in the workplace, a striving that is all consuming?

Do we put our wives, husbands, children, brothers, sisters or friends before our relationship with God? These relationships are all very important but none are more important than our relationship with God. Are relationships with each other should be first and foremost rooted in a strong relationship with God first!

Do we take our children to play sports on Sunday mornings rather than teaching them to put God first and go to Church so that everything else can fall into place? Do we please the cravings of their flesh which lasts only momentarily rather than teaching them to honour God, feeding their spirit which leads to eternal life rather than feeding their flesh which leads to death!

Matthew 6:33 (AMP)

But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.

Do we put our ministry before our personal relationship with God? Don’t let anything come before your love of God and your personal relationship with him? And if you are a married Church leader – do not neglect your wife and family either for they are your calling too!

Dear readers, stop doing the things that prevent you from having a personal relationship with God and prevent you from having a Godly order in your life and in particular your marriage if you are a married leader!

The greatest command is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Mark 12:30 (NKJV)

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

Loving something more than God not only breaks the great commandment, but God also considers it to be idolatry as well. To love something more than God is to worship idols. The Apostle John warns us to keep away from idol worship that come in many shapes, forms and sizes!

1 John 5:21 (AMP)

Little children (believers, dear ones), guard yourselves from idols—[false teachings, moral compromises, and anything that would take God’s place in your heart].

Luke 14:26 (NKJV)

26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Hate in the above verse is a purposely exaggerated figure of speech indicating that we should have a lesser degree of love for others than we have for God, not actual hostility or aversion toward one’s earthly family. We are still to love each other but our love for others should be rooted in our love for God first!

God knows your heart, you cannot hide anything from Him!

Jeremiah 1:5 (NKJV)

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;

Before you were born I sanctified you;

I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

Psalm 139:13-16 (NKJV)

13 For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NKJV)

9 “The heart is deceitful above all things,

And desperately wicked;

Who can know it?

10 I, the Lord, search the heart,

I test the mind,

Even to give every man according to his ways,

According to the fruit of his doings.

Hebrews 4:12-13 (NIV)

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father
I bow before you now and repent of the idols I have kept in my heart, forgive me Lord of this sin and help me to sin no more. Lord, help me to remain in you always. Lead me and guide me in my daily walk in the power of your Holy Spirit. When I slip, Lord, help me to return to you quickly with a true repentant heart as your servant David did. Help me to be a man/woman after your own heart that my lifestyle, my actions, and my speech may glorify the name of Jesus. Help me, Lord, to love others as you love me and to lead a Godly and ordered life, keeping my eyes always on Jesus and being led by the Holy Spirit. Help me not to harbour idols in my heart, Lord and to keep you first in all things. In the precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!

What does remaining in the vine mean?

 John 15:1-17

To me this passage of scripture (John 15:1-17) shows us a wonderful picture of how God loves his children both as individual people and corporately as the Church of Jesus Christ. In these verses we are shown a picture of true fathering by a loving Dad.

It shows a love that nurtures, encourages, teaches, and disciplines. It teaches that we face consequences when we step out of line with the parameters (the Bible) that the Father has set for us, when we wilfully remove ourselves from his shade and covering and walk in disobedience to our loving Father.

God is love and he expects his children (the Church) to love one another as he loves us!

1 John 4:7-12 (NIV) 

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 

The Apostle John in his The Gospel of John and in his letters to the Church (1, 2 and 3 John) shows us in the way he writes, that he has such a special brotherly love relationship with the Lord and is thus able to write about God’s love for us with such truth and conviction. The heart of love he had both for the Lord and for his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, could very well be the reason why the Lord chose him to close off the Bible by bringing us the last and final chapter in the Bible to us, the Revelation of Jesus Christ to His Church!

Right, now that we have set the scene in love, let’s continue looking at our main topic of ‘remaining in the vine.’

From John 15:1-17 I will attempt to give a simple explanation of our topic by splitting the verses into three sections. Firstly verses 1 – 5, secondly verses 5-8 and lastly verses 9-17.

John 15:1-5 (NIV) 

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 

 

When we examine our first section in verses 1-5 above, what do we see?

We see that Jesus is the vine and that God the Father is the gardener. He tends the vine, moulds it and shapes it. Jesus is in total submission to the will of the Father (Matthew 26:39) even unto death on a cross, just as a vine is to the one who tends it, the gardener.

Matt 26:39 

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 

• Jesus is the vine and we, the Church, both as individuals and corporately, are the branches. And when we are in Christ Jesus (born-again) the Father tends us as well, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

• God cuts off every branch that bears no fruit. What fruit should we be bearing? I believe it is the Fruit of the Spirit and the good works that proceed from us when we live life in the Spirit – when we are led by the Holy Spirit just as Jesus was when he was ministering on earth in his human capacity! Let the Fruit of the Spirit be manifest in us and through us to others. Just as they were in Jesus! We should continually bear good fruit just as we should be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

 

Ephesians 5:18 (AMP) 

Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him. 

 

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (AMP) 

7 “Blessed [with spiritual security] is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord

And whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord.

8 “For he will be [nourished] like a tree planted by the waters,

That spreads out its roots by the river;

And will not fear the heat when it comes;

But its leaves will be green and moist.

And it will not be anxious and concerned in a year of drought

Nor stop bearing fruit. 

•  As we walk in Christ Jesus, God leads us into maturity by pruning us so that we will bear more good fruit and will continue to bear good fruit. Sometimes this pruning can be quite painful as he cuts away the things of the world that are still clinging to us!

• Jesus tells us that we are already clean because we, if we are born-again, are in him. But……we must remain in him, being obedient to His Word (Bible) in every way and being led by the Holy Spirit. If we don’t remain in the vine (Jesus) there is a consequence! The Father will cut off every branch (any of us) that does not remain in Jesus and bear much fruit.

Let’s now examine verses 6 – 8 below.

 ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Let’s pause here from our topic and examine two words in verse six – ‘fire’ and ‘burned.’

The Greek word for fire used here is ‘pur’ (ref: Strongs 4442) and refers to the eternal or everlasting fire of God, or as we know it best, Hell! The place of eternal torment and separation from God – spiritual death. This is the same word for fire used in Matt 25:41 (NIV):

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

And now looking at the Greek word for burned which is ‘kaio’ – pronounced ‘kha-yo’ (ref: Strongs 2545) and means ‘I burn’ or ‘I consume with fire.’

What do we learn from verses 6 – 8?

• If we do not remain in him, if we fall away and don’t return in full, heart-felt repentance as the Prodigal Son did, we run the risk of withering and being thrown into the fire and burned. This speaks of being cast into Hell!

Once saved always saved? What about the great falling away – the Apostasy?

2 Thessalonians 2:3 (AMP)

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 

You can’t fall away from something unless you were first a part of it!

You decide for yourself! As for me, I we will remain in the vine and come back to the Lord very quickly with a repentant heart when I slip! But I will try my best not to slip! For me it is important to say sorry to my heavenly Father, just as I would to my earthly father, when I slip even though I am covered by the blood of the lamb!

•  If we remain in Jesus, our prayers will be heard and will be answered, if we ask with the right motives, in love and in accordance with the will of the Father.

James 4:3 (NIV)

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

 

Luke 22:42 (NIV)

 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 

•  When we bear much fruit – it will be to God’s (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) glory!

The next verses, 9 – 17, are all about the Father’s heart of love!

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

These last verses (9 – 17) in our topic passage are incredibly beautiful and expound the kind of love that the Father has for us and the kind of love that we should have for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ (His Church).

10 loving benefits we receive from remaining in the vine, John 1:1-17.

• We will be cleansed – purified (pruned) – vs 2. The word prunes here is from the Greek word ‘kathairo’ meaning: make clean by purging (removing undesirable elements); hence, "pruned (purged)"; eliminating what is fruitless by purifying.

• We will be fruitful – vs 2. The fruit of the spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

•  Jesus will remain in us – vs 4.

• We can ask whatever we wish, and it will be given to us – vs 7 & 16. But remembering James 4:3 above.

• We will be His disciples – vs 8.

• We will bring glory to the Father through Jesus – vs 8.

• We will remain in His love – vs 10.

•  His joy will be in us and will be complete – vs 11. Joy is a facet of the fruit of the Spirit.

• We will be His friend and he will show us all that the Father has shown him through the Comforter he sent to us – the holy Spirit! – vs 14. The Holy Spirit leads and guides us in all truth and brings us the gifts of the Spirit.

John 14:26 (AMP)

 But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.

 

John 16:12-13 (NKJV)

¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 

• We will be chosen and appointed – vs 16. We are a royal priesthood.

1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

On the downside if we don’t remain in Him:

• We will be cut off – vs 2.

• We will not bear good fruit – vs 4.

• We will not be able to do anything – vs 5.

• We will be thrown in the fire and burned– vs 6.

• Sin will rule us if we do not remain in the vine, remain in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:12-14 (NKJV)

¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. ¹³ And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Who would want to be without Him?

Who would not want to remain in the vine?

Prayer:

Dear Lord, help me to remain in you always. Lead me and guide me in my daily walk in the power of your Holy Spirit. When I slip, Lord, help me to return to you quickly with a true repentant heart as your servant David did. Help me to be a man/woman after your own heart that my lifestyle, my actions, and my speech may glorify the name of Jesus. Help me, Lord, to love others as you love me. In the precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

 To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

 

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!