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How to test God's will for your life/situation Rom 12:2 Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing, and perfect will. The Apostle Paul says that we should be able to test and approve the will of God. So how do we do that? The Bible gives us a number of ways that we approve his will: The Bible The Bible is God’s primary source of revelation. It is inspired and trustworthy, we should read it and apply it to our life. The Bible is our standard for testing everything else that claims to be true. 2 Tim 16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Psa. 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart: do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. If anything is contrary to the teaching of scripture, then we know that it cannot be God’s will since God cannot contradict himself. We need to be regularly reading God’s word so that we are familiar with it teaching. Apart merely reading the scriptures we need to approach them with a sense of enquiry. We should pray and expecting God to speak to us through them. We should not only be thinking about what he has written historically, but we should be expecting personal present revelation. Prayer Prayer is a vital tool in discerning God’s will for our lives, even Jesus used prayer to find out what God wanted him to do. Luke 6:12-13 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God - When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 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.” We should be regularly asking God to guide us and to reveal his will to us. Through prayer we are entrusting every situation to God for his blessing and protection. Through prayer we learn to relinquish control as we submit everything to God. See also Eph. 1:18; Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6; Col. 1:9-10, 3:16, 4:2; 1 Thes 5:17 Accountability This is the one area that Christians struggle with the most. The idea that our leaders and fellow Christians have the right to speak into our lives and bring correction and guidance is too difficult for some people to accept. Of course its okay if the agree with what we think, the problem arises when they disagree with us. It’s often very difficult for an individual to make decisions without being influenced by their own likes and desires. God has placed us into community so that we can love, encourage, correct, and rebuke each other in the matter of faith, doctrine, and lifestyle. Heb. 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. Submission only has meaning when we disagree with each other. If your leader asks you to do something that you really want to do anyway; that’s not submission, that’s just doing what you want! Submission is when they give advice that is contrary to what you want, and you submit to that advice. You give way to what they are saying. We are to submit to: - - God’s Word (Jer. 7:23) - governing authorities (Rom 13:5) - our spiritual leaders (1 Cor. 16:16, Heb 13:7) - our husbands (Eph 5:22) - one another (Eph 5:21) - God (James 4:7) Often when Christians are bent on doing something that is contrary to the wishes of those around them, they often hide behind phrases like ‘I must listen to what God is saying’ and ‘it’s the spirit who guides me’. Yet the bible makes it quite clear that the Christian community is an essential component in discerning God’s will. Amen Personal Prayer In our (final) Part 8 we consider how circumstances may help us discern the will of God.

Altered images by sin So far we have learned that the bible teaches that 'made in the image of God' refers to the image of God's character i.e. righteousness and holiness. But, what happened to this image of God in mankind? 1 Corinthians 15:20 But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. Adam fell into sin when he disobeyed the Lord. This led to death coming upon Adam and then spread to all mankind. At that exact time Adam’s image of God was distorted, defaced, corrupted, or spoiled and this altered and distorted image has passed down to us today. ¨2 Corinthians 4:4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. The god of this age is Satan who seeks to blind people's minds so that the glory of Christ who is the image of God cannot shine upon them to restore the proper image of righteousness and holiness. Satan always seeks to hinder the new birth to prevent the righteous image of God being restored to people. ¨Hebrews 1:3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. We can summarise our findings as follows; ¨You are a human person made by God ¨You are an altered person spoiled by sin ¨You are a person restored by Christ ¨The best biblical explanation of ‘made in the image of God’ is in our character- righteous and holy- this tells us what we are meant to be. Jesus Christ bears the perfect image of God - He is our 'go to' person to see what righteousness and holiness look like in life. Amen Prayer In part 4 of this study we consider what is the importance of being made in the image of God.

Making mention in prayer Some years ago, whilst working in my role as a biomedical scientist, I heard about a patient who had a kidney transplant. Such patients need to take a type of medication called immuno-suppressive drugs. These drugs prevent the patient’s immune system from rejecting the transplanted organ. The doctors were able to gradually reduce the patient’s tablets from several a day at first, over a year or two right down to a half tablet each day. This worked fine and for something like 14 years the half tablet did the job. However, one day the patient forgot to take the half tablet and sad to say, he went into graft rejection and lost the kidney. Although he was only taking a tiny dose it went a long way and unfortunately as soon as he stopped the entire benefit was lost. This story made me think of a recurring theme in the bible of how God can make a little go a long way. Let us bring these stories to mind… Elijah’s tub of flour and jug of oil never ran out during the famine (1 Kings 17:8-16). Elisha prayed that the widow’s jar of oil would keep flowing and she was able to clear all her debts (2 Kings 4:1-7). God filled every vessel of the widow which c.f. with us being filled with the Spirit but he is never diluted or diminished. Jesus prayed and the loaves and fishes were multiplied to feed a multitude (Matthew 14:17-21) and had lots of leftovers too. Again, Jesus tells us (Matthew 17:20) that if we have the tiniest measure of faith, then we can move mountains! God certainly can make a little go a long way! And he does time after time, again and again, Let us now focus specifically on a little going a long way in the context of prayer. Sometimes we think that for certain types of prayer to be effective, then the prayer must be nice and long. But could God act on us merely mentioning someone in our prayers? Well, here are 5 biblical examples from the Apostle Paul, who clearly thought mentioning someone in prayer was very worthwhile. Romans 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention [1] of you always in my prayers. Ephesians 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. 1 Thessalonians 1:2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers. Philemon 4 I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, So, what does it mean to mention someone in prayer? A dictionary definition of the word ‘mention’ -a brief comment or remark, or, to remember briefly. As we get older in the faith our daily prayer lists get longer and longer! Paul’s prayer list must have been very extensive (he prayed for the Galatians, Colossians and many other churches, families, and individuals). But he felt that it was important to continually be mentioning his fellow believers in prayer to the Lord. Sometimes, we think that for a prayer to be effective that it must be long! As an older car battery charger gives a trickle charge, so our making mention of others in prayer is constantly bringing them before the throne room of grace. Sad to say, from my own experience, for several years I used to briefly mention each day two children with serious health problems. They always seemed fine. But I unintentionally forgot them for a year or two. When I next saw them, I was surprised how much they had deteriorated, and I decided that I had to start mentioning them before God each day again. Beloved, God can make your little go a long way. So, give God your littles: (your little prayer, your little time, your little finance and little resources, your little strength, your little capacity to care for others, your little faith can move mountains), and know this that even mentioning someone in prayer to the Lord is positively making a difference in their lives. Prayer: Father God in Jesus name, we offer to you the ‘littles’ in our lives, our time, our strength and energy, our finance and resources, our little time in prayer, and all other areas of our lives where we feel ‘little’, asking that that you make each one of them go a long way in the building your kingdom. Amen [1] 3417. mneia, mni'-ah; from G3415 or G3403; recollection; by impl. recital: --mention, remembrance.

How to be an encourager by Alan Scobie Encourage One Another. Say Encouraging Words Daily (Encourage Others: Words of Encouragement Change People!) Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11) Encouraging words are effective. Have you ever known someone who believed in you, someone who frequently spoke words of encouragement and praise? The kind of person who made you feel you could do it, whatever "it" was? That is the kind of person God wants us to be. Paul gave a good guideline when he wrote that everything, we say should build up the one who is listening. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29). The same phenomenon, multiplied by thousands of cheering fans, becomes the home court advantage in sports contests. The book of Proverbs sums up the impact encouraging words can have when it says, "The tongue has the power of life and death" (Proverbs 18:21). Your words have an impact. May this Bible study encourage you to become an encourager! The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life (Proverbs 10:11). Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers (Acts 15:32). We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith (1 Thessalonians 3:2). Therefore encourage each other with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25). Follow God's example. Be an encourager! You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry (Psalm 10:17). For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Romans 15:4). May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus (Romans 15:5). Think positively. Look for things to encourage. Do you bring sunshine or gloom into the room? If you are a negative person, do not say, "I'm just a worrier. I was born that way." Or "It’s my nature to be depressed." God is in the personality-changing business. He wants you to "be conformed to the likeness of his Son" (Romans 8:29). You can change. You can become known for your encouraging words. Life is full of problems, and we need to deal with them. But if we are not careful, all we see are the problems. There are lots of good things we can focus on. Instead of "catching people being bad," catch them being good. Make your words a fountain of life. Be a positive person. Encourage one another. Ask God to help you develop a positive thought life. Immerse yourself in his Word. Pray. Over time, you will discover that you can control the way you think, choosing to focus on some thoughts and to reject others. The following verse can be life changing. Write it out and post it where you will see it regularly, on your refrigerator, bathroom mirror or the dashboard of your car. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if any-thing is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Philippians 4:8). When you wake up in the morning, ask God to help you look for and focus on the positive. Pray for this attitude throughout the day. Choose to meditate on the positive. Bring sunshine into the world. Speak positively. Be an encourager. Encourage others daily. When you talk, you make a series of choices about what subjects to discuss, what memories to bring up, and what points to make. There always are negative things you could say, but there also are positive ones. Choose the positive. Choose to specialize in encouraging words, not in critical comments. As Paul wrote, "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification" (Romans 14:19). Bring friendly speech into your relationships. Do not start complaining as soon as you see your spouse, child, employee, neighbour, or someone else. Ask about his or her day. Give a compliment. Share stories about your day, insights from Bible study, victories on the job, or other things they may be interested in. Voice words of encouragement, appreciation, support, and respect. Acknowledge others' abilities and efforts. If someone feels inadequate, encourage him or her. Monitor your positive and negative remarks. Learn to be self-aware and listen to what you say. Be sure you make many more positive comments than negative ones. Respond to problems with hope and encouragement. When someone talks about personal difficulties, do not respond with a "gloom and doom" attitude. Listen with compassion and avoid simplistic advice. Say something such as, "I know this is a tough time for you, but it won't last. Let me encourage you: God will see you through, and I'm here to help, too." [God] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:4). And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Avoid subtle criticisms. Watch out for subtle ways you may tear others down, such as pointing out how quickly you can mow the lawn when you know it takes them twice as long. Discuss problems as a friend. There are times in every relationship—in a family, on the job, or wherever—when people discuss difficult topics. When you do, speak in a courteous, friendly manner. The way you speak usually is more important than whether your opinions are right or wrong. You may wish to consider adopting one or both of the personal applications below. Personal application 1: Plan to say encouraging words. (1) List the key people in your life. (2) Beside each name, write how encouraging you are with that person. (3) Pray for God to help you recognize the power of encouragement and to encourage one another—to say encouraging words, not discouraging words. Personal application 2: Follow through and encourage others daily. Make it a habit to encourage those around you. Consider keeping track of how you are doing on a day-by-day basis. For example, you could: (1) Make a brief note on a calendar each day you encourage someone. (2) Keep an encouragement journal or diary. Amen Personal Prayer

Our biblical role models Can you name anyone who has encouraged you in the past? What did they say or do to encourage you? To speak encouragement is literally to speak courage into someone's life (speak courage into). We give them the courage to believe what God says, even when it seems so far removed from their experience. Ken Boa says that humans can survive the loss of anything – but not without hope. Hope is how we live. Hope is what gets us from one day to the next. When hope goes, we start to die. One of the most profound proverbs of the Bible says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12). When we place our hope in the wrong things, one of two things is likely to happen. Either we will never make it to the level we had hoped for, in which case we end up envious or bitter. Or we make it to that level only to discover that it does not fill our heart. In that case, we end up unfulfilled and disappointed. ¨When things are bad Satan tells us –it will never end! ¨When things are good Satan tells us-it will never last! God Himself is an encourager 2 Thessalonians 2:16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word Coming along side to help In scripture both Jesus and the Holy Spirit are called the divine parakletos (an advocate- one who comes alongside to help, comfort and support. When disappointment or failure happen, a key role for the leader is that of keeping hope alive. When others lose their way and begin to despair, effective leaders will pour encouragement into the heart and soul of their team members. You will know when to come alongside someone. You will sense when a team member needs a quick correction or a shoulder to cry on. ¨Take affirmative action every day- affirm someone! Barnabas – the son of encouragement Barnabas was the disciple who believed in Saul of Tarsus when everyone else was frightened of Saul who became Paul. Barnabas was the nickname given to Joseph because he was so known for his encouragement. What a lovely accolade. Paul’s ministry might never have gotten off the ground if Barnabas had not believed in him and supported him (gave him a chance). When we encourage each other, we strengthen the church and enable us to fulfil God’s call and will for our lives. We all need somebody to believe in us Acts 9:26 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him and believed not that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. Barnabas Fact-file Real name Joseph aka Barnabas Barnabas means –the son of encouragement He believed in Saul of Tarsus when everyone else feared and body-swerved him His believed in Paul and spoke up for him He believed in God’s call on Paul’s life. He gave Saul a chance Paul’s ministry might never have got started if not for an encourager! The encouragement of a friend 1 Samuel 18:1-4 After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow, and his belt. Jonathan encourages David Jonathan verbally encouraged David in their frequent meetings, Jonathan believed in David and that God had called to David to become King Jonathan was willing to step aside for David Jonathan demonstrated godly character by encouraging David in the times of hardship including death threats Let us encourage someone today being careful what type of words we speak to them; Harmful Words - You are a failure - You are worthless - You are guilty - There is a recession - You have no future - You are damaged goods - You are just ordinary Words of life - You are chosen - You are precious - You are forgiven - Your God will supply - You abide in his shadow - You are a new creation - You are created specially in Christ Jesus Amen Personal Prayer In Part 2 we look at the power of our words to encourage or discourage others.

Why serve with excellence? Question: What is your definition of excellence and what does it mean to be excellent? Dictionary definition: noun. 1. the fact or condition of excelling; superiority; surpassing goodness, merit, etc. 2. something in which a person or thing excels; with particular virtue 3. excellency Q. Does God require excellence from his children? What do you think? Q. Why should we serve God with excellence? A. The first and foremost reason is that our God is the most excellent God. Psalm 8:1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent [is] your name in all the earth! who has set your glory above the heavens. The Lord our God has an excellent name, and He is worthy of our absolute best. The excellency of God in scripture Job 37:23 [Touching] the Almighty, we cannot find him out: [he is] excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict. Psalm 36:7 How excellent [is] thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. Psalm 150:2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness Is your offering/service acceptable? Q: why does it matter what we offer to God in terms of our ministry? Answer: All through the old testament God made it clear that whatever was offered to him in sacrifice should be without spot or blemish. The book of Leviticus has dozens of sacrifices specified but all without blemish. Q: What kind of sacrifice/ministry does God want? Lev 19:2 This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come. Jesus’ excellence of ministry In the New Testament, Jesus (the Lamb without blemish) will present his Church Ephesians 2:5 That he might present it to himself a glorious church not having spot, or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Jesus offers only excellent ministry to his Father. We should emulate Jesus. Amen Implications for us - Anything that we give to God whether spiritual, material or service it should be excellent in every way. - We should never offer anything that is a reject, or substandard or second quality nor damaged in any way, - Everything we offer to God should be excellent in nature, not defective in any way, not sloppy, ill prepared or executed Do not panic - Remember God’s grace will make up what we lack If you have 3 weeks, 3 days or just 3 hours to prepare a bible study God will give you the grace to make up the difference in what you can achieve. However. if we have plenty of time, we honour God by making excellent preparations. Do you remember the old Keith Green song lyrics- do your best, pray its blessed and He will take care of the rest. Remember that Christian excellence is not about striving! Amen Personal Prayer

Leaving the old identity and the old life behind I remember well the joy of my own experience of being born again, the burden of my sin lifting off my shoulders, being cleansed in my heart, it felt like a sauna in that every pore of my heart was cleansed. Being delivered from swearing and bad language. My new life in Christ had begun. The selfishness, pride, greed and pleasing only myself had to come off under the water of baptism. Yet we need to keep the old man of the flesh crucified. He would like to get down of that cross, but we do not need to let him. John 3:7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So, it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. Nicodemus was around 60-70 years old and had a lifetime of personal failures and character flaws behind him. Yet here was Jesus offering him a fresh start free from the old life of bondage. The picture here to a Jew like Nicodemus, is that of the Exodus, where the wind dried up the Red Sea allowing the Israelites to pass over on dry ground. The main point is that we need to leave the old life of bondage behind in Egypt and the old life of being under the circumstances. Being born again is the only way we can turn back the clock of our lives. Summary When we are born again, we are brought into all the victories of Jesus Christ All our blessings and spiritual riches are In Christ In Him we have a higher ranking than the angels In Him we are more than conquerors In Him we ought to be living in victory In Him we ought to be behaving like overcomers In Him we do not have to be under the circumstances Final Thoughts But you say sometimes God does require his people to go through suffering, and yes that is true sometimes. But the question is ‘What kind of suffering does God require us to go through?’ The humbling of our pride or reputation, or putting under our fleshly desires? But does God require us to go through depression or live in constant defeat or fear, downtrodden, always be the tail and not the head? The answer is an emphatic No! Prayer and ministry Brothers and Sisters, it is now time to reclaim your identity in Christ. Let us do it. Let us pray and ask the Lord to help us leave our old identities behind and move into our new victorious identities. False identity/ vs True Identity in Christ Defeated /Victorious Depressed or Downtrodden/ Uplifted Cursed or hate your life/Blessed/ or love your life Lonely/ Part of his family Sleepless/ Resting in Him Empty/ Full Worried or anxious/ Faith filled Poor or lack/ Rich or plentiful Hopeless or a Loser/ Hopeful or a Winner Oppressed or addicted/ Set free Panic attacks or under unhealthy pressure/ Peace of mind Personal prayer Amen Printable copy of the full composite study and much more in 'related posts' below. Footnotes from Parts 1-5 [1] From Ephesians 1:18 [2] Roger Price, Special Topic Series no. 11: The Glorified Man [mp3]. See Additional resources menu on last dropdown menu. [3] Roger Price, Basic Bible Study no. 102: 37 Things which accompany salvation [mp3]. [4] Greek: metamorphoo (metamorphosis) same word as used in Jesus’ transfiguration, coal to diamond, caterpillar to butterfly etc.

The new birth-right Jesus marvellous victory purchased us our new birth right. What does the bible say about the birth-right of new believers? 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: [a] The old has gone, the new is here! Another translation puts it like this 2 Corinthians 5:17 … that person is a new creation. So many wonderful things happen to us when we are born-again, and we become a new creation. According to my favourite bible teacher (the late Roger Price [3]) there are at least 37 wonderful things that happen at the point of the new birth). Our victories are all in Christ; here are a few examples from the 37. All Christians have reconciled to God Rom 5:10 Eph 2:14-17 All Christians have been brought near to God Lk 10:20 Eph 2:13+19 The sins of all Christians have been judged in Christ Rom 4:25 Eph 1:7 All Christians have been forgiven their trespasses Eph 1:7 Col 1:14 All Christians have been justified (declared righteous) Rom 3:24 1 Cor 6:11 All Christians have been redeemed Rom 3:24 Col 1:14 All Christians have a new status; citizens of heaven Phil 3:20 seated in heavenly places Eph 2:6 higher rank than angels Eph 1:20-21 Heb 1:14 Rom 16:19-20. In Christ new birth realities Ephesians 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Romans 14:7 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit Does your day-to-day life reflect the above, living in right standing with God, experiencing heart peace and joy in the Holy Spirit? Are you sleeping well and know that whatever is going on in your life, it is going to be OK, because you are in Christ? There is an example in scripture of born-again Christians who had forgotten their born-again identities and were acting like spiritual babies. 1 Corinthians 3:1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? God wants us to be mature believers who know who we are in Christ, not babies always squabbling. To maintain our true identities in Christ we must take control of our thinking… Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed[4] by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will. The world wants to squeeze us into its mould and form worldly identities in us. But God has given us new identities and wants us to fully embrace them, and we find them in the bible. Do you think people will notice your new identity in Christ? How are you doing with your identity in Christ today, do you recognize the desired changes? Amen Personal prayer In Part 5 we will find out how to ensure that we leave the old identity and life behind. https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/our-identity-is-in-christ-part-5

I will change your name When I first met my wife Christine, her name was Gilchrist. It is quite rare to meet a person whose name began with Christ and ends with Christ! When we married Christine adopted my surname and became Christine Green, so in a sense you could say that I changed Christine’s name. Another legal way of changing your name in modern times is have it changed by deed poll. In the bible name changes are highly significant and often reflect a new identity or character. God is in the business of changing the names of his covenant people. Here are some examples from the Old Testament. Genesis 17:5 The Lord changed the name of Abram meaning ‘exalted father’ to Abraham meaning ‘father of a multitude of nations.’ Genesis 17:15 The Lord changed the name of Sarai meaning ‘my princess’ to Sarah meaning ‘princess and mother of the nations.’ Genesis 32:28 The Lord changed the name of Jacob meaning ‘supplanter, cheat, heelgrabber’ to Israel ‘a prince with God, striver with God and man’ When God gives someone a new name, he gives them the nature and character to go with it. God fulfilled this for the above examples. Jesus, the son of God continued to change names in the new testament. John 1:42 Simon meaning ‘hearer’ was changed to Petros meaning ‘rock’ or ‘stone.’ You could say that when Simon heard the Living Word, he was transformed into a rock who provided solid strength to his brothers. In the book of Revelation 2:17 we are told that Jesus Christ will give each victor a new name, and a name which no one will know except the one who receives it. This suggests to me a wonderful intimacy between the Lord and the recipient. Over the centuries and millennia God has given various name changes to the nation of Israel. In Isaiah 62:2-4 No longer ‘forsaken’[1] and ‘deserted’[2] but a ‘delight’[3] and ‘married’[4]. In Hosea 1:6-9 the Lord calls Israel the following names v6 Lohrumah meaning ‘not obtained compassion’, v9 Lo-ammi meaning ‘not my people’. But in Hosea 1:10 and in Hosea 2:1 God shows the future name changes he will bring for Israel. In 1:10 they will be called ‘sons of the Living God’ and in 2:1 ‘ammi’ meaning ‘my people’ and Ruhamah meaning’ those deserving compassion. Here are some examples of how God has changed our names through Jesus Christ. Perhaps today, the Lord could change any unwanted names that others have applied to you, and if He does so, He will give us his grace and favour to enter the new names and characters. Consider the following table of names. Prayer; if any of these old names have been applied to you, let us now ask the Lord to change these name(s) knowing that if He does then He will give you the character and nature to walk and live in your new name(s). Amen [1] azubah [2] shemamah [3] hephzibah [4] beulah

Spiritual gifts versus Love Today we conclude our study in the gifts of the Godhead. Over the last sessions we have studied, the spiritual gifts given by God. 1. The spiritual gifts are given to us by the Father. These are the so-called “motivational gifts” described in (Romans 12:3-8) and include prophecy, serving, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, and mercy. 2. The spiritual gifts given to us by the Son are the “ministry or office” gifts described in (Ephesians 4:11-13) and are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers whose role is to equip and prepare the saints for ministry. 3. The spiritual gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:11). These gifts are given to build up and profit the body and bring unity to the church. They include the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different tongues, and interpretation. Together these gifts are blended into the life of the believer. Other gifts given by God include hospitality, celibacy, and martyrdom. However, although these gifts are wonderful, scripture points beyond them to the most excellent thing of all in the life of a believer which is love i.e. agape love. Agape love is the very love of God Himself (see Romans 5:5). Love is not a gift as such, but love is the fruit of the Spirit and as we saw last time (Galatians 5:22). Love is not one fruit of nine, but love is the blended whole or you could say the full character of God. Here is an analogy. If you take white light and shine through a prism (or raindrop). We get a rainbow i.e. a spectrum of seven colours (ROYGBIV), white light consists of a blend of these seven colours. When God shines his love through the heart of believer. The components of love are shown in his/her life from amongst the joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In any given circumstance, the love of God that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit will show in our lives in the appropriate way. With the difficult person/situation – our love is expressed by longsuffering With praise/thankfulness – our love is expressed by joy With temptation – our love is expressed by self-control With a person in need – our love is expressed by kindness God is love; he describes himself as love. The very being of God is love. With this in mind let us turn to our keynote scripture. 1 Corinthians 12:29-31 Verse 31; We are told to covet (strongly desire) the best gifts and yet there is something beyond the gifts of God. Something for every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 13; The love chapter is often read at weddings, but it is not talking about romantic love but something even more solid, real, and stronger. This is the love of Christian marriage This is the Love of Church Life. This is the Love of Jesus Christ that we must show to the lost. 13:1-3; Love is necessary in our lives. Without God`s love in us, motivating us and working through us. No matter how great the gifts and miracles in our lives, they amount to nothing because God who is love was not present in them. It is not the issue from your mouth so much as the issue of love from your heart that pleases God. God values his love in our hearts much more than all knowledge, wisdom, and learning. Moving mountains and great obstacles impresses men but love-in-action, which is practical day-to-day love counts with God. Love is open-hearted and is open-handed as required. Love is open minded to all that is good. Even to lay down your very life (out of any other motive than pure love) would be wasted. Verse 4-7; Try reading 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 but replacing each example of the word’ love’ with ‘Jesus Christ’. Love is patient, endures evil, being provoked, being attacked and persecuted, suffering for a long time and does not allow itself to be filled with resentment or desire for revenge. Love keeps no record of evil. Love actively searches for good and kind deeds to perform. Love does assert its rights but forfeits them. Love doesn`t fret or get jealous at the success of others (even the wicked). Love never wishes or rejoices in evil coming upon anyone. King David fasted and prayed for his enemies! Love doesn`t even rejoice at a human enemy`s demise. Love is not puffed up with pride, position, title, or status nor is it bloated with self-conceit. The true love of God in our hearts produces care for others and a growing concern for their welfare. We must decrease that he might increase in love. Love calms anger and rage that would seek to well up within us and consume us. Love brings peace and restores our joy. Love never sets out to trip, trick or cause a neighbour to stumble or fall. If you are acting in love, you won`t tempt a brother or sister to commit a sin. Love is never touchy, tetchy, or irritable, nor quick to fly off handle. Love hates flattery and deception. Love believes the best in any given situation. Verse 8-13; Love never fails. Use it freely in every circumstance. Gifts are only partial, incomplete. Love is the master-key, or should we say the master’s key? The spiritual gifts are for this life not eternity, but God`s love is eternal (as well as for this life). Faith, hope, and love are necessary for this life. Faith will give way to sight for we shall see His face. Hope will turn into an experience fulfilled, but Love is eternal, for God is Love. Love is practical: Galatians 6:9-10 You and I must show God`s love to the people in our lives. Here are the things that will show God’s love to others. 1. Be patient with our wives and husbands, children, parents, relatives, neighbours, bosses, workers, friends, and enemies. Submit to that love, surrender your hearts, and submit any resentment or bitterness to Him. 2. Be kind to them 3. Do not envy them 4. Do not boast or display arrogance 5. Do not be rude 6. Do not believe the worst of them but the best 7. Do encourage them 8. Do serve them sharing your life with them including your goods, time, money, abilities and be there for them. If God’s agape love is already in your heart, submit to it, act on its prompting and the moving of your heart, let it flow, love never fails. Love is our goal. Let us pray that we would spread around that love of God from our hearts to all people in our lives but particularly to our fellow believers. Amen Personal Prayer

Summary of key learning points from Galatians Chapters 1-6 Key learning points 1. There is one true Gospel, that we are justified by faith alone without the works of the law. 2. The one true gospel is to believe in Jesus full stop, not believe in Jesus and … anything else! 3. It is crucial we know and understand the basis of the gospel, so that no one can take away our wonderful liberty that Christ has purchased by his blood for us. 4. Paul concludes that if we can be saved by simply by obeying the Law then Jesus Christ died for nothing. 5. It was always God’s position that man could only be justified by faith and that God accounted Abraham a righteous man who acted in faith. The law gives way to expose sin and sinfulness and was our schoolmaster to teach the ABC of salvation, which is that we are unable to keep the law and can only be saved through faith in the promised seed of Jesus Christ. Through him, we have become sons of God and can inherit all the great and precious promises of God. He is our God; we are His people. He dwells in us and with us. We shall be with him forever. 6. In the fulness of time, Jesus Christ the son of God was born subject to the Law. He came to redeem humankind from the penalty of the Law, so that we could be freed from sin and be able to enter the family of God as mature sons. When you heard and believed the Gospel, God poured out his Holy Spirit into your heart, and he cries ‘Abba Father', Daddy God and causes us to know that we are saved, and not only saved, but that we have become sons of the living God. When the Spirit within us cries Abba Father, we can know for certain that the Father hears Him and through him us. Since we are now sons of God, we can no longer be slaves, but are now heirs of all the exceeding great and precious promises of God. We are children of the free woman not the bond woman and must never permit ourselves to be enslaved by the Law or anything else again (denominational laws etc. by trying to earn our salvation). Christ has set us wonderfully free from an intricate system of rules (the Law) that always left us defeated. The new and living way Jesus has given to us is that his Holy Spirit lives in us and guides us together with the Word of God into all good things The Holy Spirit pours out his love into our hearts and through us which provides the power and ability in our lives to become like Christ, bit by bit. This is all by faith and the faith itself comes when we recognise God’s love in us and flowing though us to fellow man. With this mind let us help to restore each other, bearing in mind to be careful, since we do not want to fall into the same sin. Sow to the spirit not the flesh if you want an eternal reward. Finally, 'to be circumcised or not' is not the question, the true question is’ are you born again through believing in Jesus Christ’? Amen Your Prayer

Chapter 6:1-18 How to restore someone from sin 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. There is in the original Greek an element of being caught out by surprise! However we know from other scriptures that we do not fall into sin in some way without giving our consent. It is a hallmark of our love that we can restore a brother or sister. If it, was you, how would you like to be dealt with? Restoring a brother or sister is like setting a bone back into place so that the body is fully functioning again. But we are warned to be careful unless we fall into the same as the person who has sinned. 2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. Let us be there for each other the stronger giving their strength to the weaker. Place a steadying hand on your brother arm. That is what love is all about and should be what church is about. 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. Pride comes before a fall. 4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. If you must compare yourself to another then compare yourself with Jesus Christ. Only when your eyes are on Christ can you see clearly to monitor your own life and walk. All flesh is grass! 5 For every man shall bear his own burden. At the end of the day each one of us are accountable to the Lord and to him alone. We will stand in a moral and spiritual sense naked before him, so now is the time to get our lives sorted out before judgement day. 6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Anyone receiving instruction in the Word of God must share all good things with their teacher. Our teachers bless us in a very tangible and godly way, and it is right we should bless them in every way. There is a strong hint of finance in this verse. 7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Do not make excuses! 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. We need to hang in there in life! 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Let your light shine before men. Remember to bless your Christian family just as much as your natural family. If we give to the poor, then do not forget the poor in the church. Remember the widows and orphans especially those in the church. 11 Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with my own hand. The meaning here is a 'grand' letter in the context of he he had personally laboured over this letter. It is nothing to do with bad eyesight! 12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. The Judaizing teachers wanted converts to their own erroneous teaching and gain brownie-points from their friends. 14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. The only thing that delighted Paul was when someone had a revelation of what Jesus Christ did at the cross. Paul was dead to the world, including all its so-called pleasures, honours, and temptations and like the world had nothing in common with Paul. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availed anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. It is the new birth that is the important thing. A new heart and a new mind and having been given a new life for the old sinful one. 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. The new birth is the model or pattern to follow. This includes all the spiritual children of Abraham (Jew or Gentile) through faith in Jesus Christ. 17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Literally stigmata! Paul's suffering and injuries on his body were proof that he was in the master’s service. 18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Note Paul calls them brothers! Amen Your Prayer For full text for printout and access to the full series of 'Lessons from Galatians' please click below https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/lessons-from-galatians-part-6