Post Pandemic Preaching - Are You Ready?
Galatians 5:14-15
[This is the 23rd lesson of this series]
We are living in an age where more and more people who used to believe in God or the concept of a God, are abandoning the idea of God. People think it is because of the technological advancements of humankind. Or that people are smarter now. Or people have access to the internet, an online community, or because of Youtube, Tiktok, the Hubble Telescope, SETI, aliens or whatever.
Whatever it is, it is not that. People have always been people. People have always been about the here and now, or about themselves. And it is even more evident today, people do not know how to wait anymore. People are easily bored. People don't care about anyone but themselves. And people are easily duped, which is surprising really, because of the ready resource of information. Although of course, people are easily manipulated because of the abundance of information. People are easily swayed because their favorite personality tweeted it. People believe because some famous person said it. People are made to believe so, because they think everyone else is believing it, and they are all going in the same direction. Peer pressure, but in a massive (worldwide) scale.
Religion
Religion on the otherhand has been the cause of the death of the church.
We know from previous lessons that Jesus did not come to start a new religion. There already were a lot of religions. That was not His intent. He did not come to be a famous preacher, a beloved teacher, a world renown celebrity, or a filthy rich individual or business owner. He had one purpose, for humanity to be reconciled with their Creator, their Maker, their Father.
When He was done with His work, He left the charge to continue the ministry to His closest followers, the ones who were with Him almost 24/7 for over three years of ministry. And He told them He will give them His Spirit.
The Church
And He did. On that day, the church was born. And the church still lives on to this day.
It's purpose is to tell everyone about Christ. Finally, 20 centuries later, humankind has the means to fulfill this mission -- to bring the gospel of Christ to the whole world. There are now only a few more places left on earth that the gospel has not reached.
It will happen, the technology is here. What is still missing is that followers of Christ are still devouring one another. So called followers of Christ are still being consumed by their own egos, and their fellow believers. It is one thing to be attacked by non-believers, but to be self-devoured and devoured by fellow professing believers is a clear sign that they aren't true followers of Christ. They are followers of religion. They are followers of religious laws. They are followers of religious tradition and manmade doctrine. They were the very people Christ came down here for to begin with. Now those He saved has turned around and become like the ones who slandered Him, the ones who brought Him to trial and sentenced Him to die, hoping His shame and destruction will be the end of Him and His teaching.
And it is all because they lack one thing -- the most important one. None of them had the Spirit of God.
Let us continue reading where we left off from the excerpt taken above from Paul's letter to the 1st believers in Galatia in the 1st century.
Walking in the Spirit
Galatians 5:16-17
'So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want.'
This is almost identical to the words he said in a letter he wrote to the 1st church in Rome. Romans 8:5-9
You see Paul is the only apostle who are like us believers of today. He wasn't with Jesus when He was doing His ministry work here on earth. He wasn't with Peter, or James or John, or Thomas or Philip, or the rest of the crew.
He was their enemy at that time. He persecuted them and had many of them imprisoned or killed. Paul only came to believe in Christ after Jesus have resurrected back from the dead. And only became a disciple after He was taught by the Spirit of God, also for some three years. And then He too was ready to share the gospel of Christ. The Holy Spirit of God is the key to being a follower of Christ.
Whatever it is, it is not that. People have always been people. People have always been about the here and now, or about themselves. And it is even more evident today, people do not know how to wait anymore. People are easily bored. People don't care about anyone but themselves. And people are easily duped, which is surprising really, because of the ready resource of information. Although of course, people are easily manipulated because of the abundance of information. People are easily swayed because their favorite personality tweeted it. People believe because some famous person said it. People are made to believe so, because they think everyone else is believing it, and they are all going in the same direction. Peer pressure, but in a massive (worldwide) scale.
Religion
Religion on the otherhand has been the cause of the death of the church.
We know from previous lessons that Jesus did not come to start a new religion. There already were a lot of religions. That was not His intent. He did not come to be a famous preacher, a beloved teacher, a world renown celebrity, or a filthy rich individual or business owner. He had one purpose, for humanity to be reconciled with their Creator, their Maker, their Father.
When He was done with His work, He left the charge to continue the ministry to His closest followers, the ones who were with Him almost 24/7 for over three years of ministry. And He told them He will give them His Spirit.
The Church
And He did. On that day, the church was born. And the church still lives on to this day.
It's purpose is to tell everyone about Christ. Finally, 20 centuries later, humankind has the means to fulfill this mission -- to bring the gospel of Christ to the whole world. There are now only a few more places left on earth that the gospel has not reached.
It will happen, the technology is here. What is still missing is that followers of Christ are still devouring one another. So called followers of Christ are still being consumed by their own egos, and their fellow believers. It is one thing to be attacked by non-believers, but to be self-devoured and devoured by fellow professing believers is a clear sign that they aren't true followers of Christ. They are followers of religion. They are followers of religious laws. They are followers of religious tradition and manmade doctrine. They were the very people Christ came down here for to begin with. Now those He saved has turned around and become like the ones who slandered Him, the ones who brought Him to trial and sentenced Him to die, hoping His shame and destruction will be the end of Him and His teaching.
And it is all because they lack one thing -- the most important one. None of them had the Spirit of God.
Let us continue reading where we left off from the excerpt taken above from Paul's letter to the 1st believers in Galatia in the 1st century.
Walking in the Spirit
Galatians 5:16-17
'So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want.'
This is almost identical to the words he said in a letter he wrote to the 1st church in Rome. Romans 8:5-9
You see Paul is the only apostle who are like us believers of today. He wasn't with Jesus when He was doing His ministry work here on earth. He wasn't with Peter, or James or John, or Thomas or Philip, or the rest of the crew.
He was their enemy at that time. He persecuted them and had many of them imprisoned or killed. Paul only came to believe in Christ after Jesus have resurrected back from the dead. And only became a disciple after He was taught by the Spirit of God, also for some three years. And then He too was ready to share the gospel of Christ. The Holy Spirit of God is the key to being a follower of Christ.
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