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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.Eph 2:9 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Introduction to Galatians Bible Verse:Acts 13:1-4, 13-16. 42-43 (ESV) "Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon . . . and Saul. 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.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. * * * Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand [explained the Gospel to the Jews in the synagogue]. * * * As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God." Message:
In Acts 13, we once again encounter Saul. He has spent three years in the deserts of Arabia — the same length of time as Christ’s ministry — undertaking a period of prayer and revelation. When he is ready, he travels to Jerusalem to meet Peter, and then goes to Antioch, where we find him in Acts 13. The Holy Spirit moves among the church at Antioch and informs them that Saul and Barnabas are to be set apart for some special work. But, what “special work”?
The Bible is short on the details of how it all came about, but it will show us what it has not told us: Saul and Barnabas sail to Cyprus and from there, to Galatia, the central area of modern-day Turkey. (Galatia was not a permanent, well-defined region and often overlapped with specific provinces. Here, Paul traveled in areas that could be called, correctly, either “Cilicia” or “Galatia”. See Map.)
Apostle Paul, Montagna ca. 1482
Apostle Paul
Montagna ca. 1482
It is Jack Kerouac or Columbus informed by the Holy Spirit: two men setting out for parts unknown, without any real training or background, that will become known as Paul’s first missionary journey. At this point, without any explanation, the Bible begins to refer to him as “Paul”, the name by which we know him, rather than his given name, “Saul”. He does what is natural to him, for he is a trained Pharisee. He goes to synagogue, stands up, and speaks God’s Word as it has been revealed to him.
Paul and Barnabas founded numerous churches in the region and then moved on; but after they had left, word came to them of terrible doctrinal problems in these churches. This is the background for Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians.
Nobody is sure whether it was written before or after 1 Thessalonians; opinion is divided about 50-50 on which came first. But, aside from the underlying bedrock of the Gospel message, the two letters could not be more different. The Thessalonian epistles were written to a specific church; Galatians was written to all the churches of an entire region. Where the Thessalonian epistles are full of congratulations, prayers for continued success, and a sense of fraternity, Galatians is chewing-out fueled by restrained fury.
We infer from the letter itself that Galatia was a hotbed for proponents of pseudo-Christian sects, who flooded the towns with a variety of manmade theological systems; and unfortunately, many of those whom Paul had converted were taken in by these tinpot apostles. They corrupted the churches and perverted the Gospel.
When Paul learned of the situation, he wrote Galatians to defend his apostolic authority, as opposed those who created theologies by supposition, intuition, or logic; and having established his bona fides, he reiterated a correct understanding of Christ. He set down for posterity the fundamental truths of Christian belief: the unique importance of Christ and his redemptive sacrifice on the cross, the freedom that Christians enjoy from the old burdens of the law, the necessity of faith in Christ as the means of justification before God, and the beauty of the new life of the Spirit. Galatians effectively comprises a first draft of Pauline theology, upon which he will amplify and build upon in his later years.
Meditation : Prayer : And now let me go forth praising you, O Lord, with all my heart, telling of all your wonders, with my words and in my actions. I will be glad and rejoice in you this day. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.........Amen |
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