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Jesus commanded his followers to celebrate communion in remembrance of him – what he did for us on the cross.

“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).

“and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24).

It is a celebration of grace. As we remember God’s grace – we will naturally respond to that grace by loving him for what he has done.

That love will naturally produce works of love. Just as we have been learning from Paul in Galatians – grace does not produce laziness. It produces the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

The churches in Ephesus had experienced that reality. Paul talked about their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and their love for all the saints (Eph. 1:15).

But just a few years later, something had happened in Ephesus. Jesus sent them this message:

“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first” (Revelation 2:4-5).

How could the Ephesians get back the zeal they had when they first came to Christ?

First, Jesus commanded them to remember from where they had fallen. There had been a time when God’s grace was so real to them that it made the world new – like when you get your first pair of glasses.

Secondly, Jesus commanded them to repent. Any life-change begins with a mind change. Most people who finally overcome an addiction or achieve significant weight loss remember a turning point – a time when their mind gets redirected toward health and wholeness. That’s what it means to repent. There may be battles ahead, but repentance is when you finally decide to enlist in the war.

Thirdly, Jesus commanded the Ephesians to return to the works they did at first. I think the order is very significant here.

If you don’t start by remembrance – by celebrating God’s grace – the works you try will be dead works. They won’t accomplish anything.

If you don’t personally repent, those sins you are hanging on to will keep dragging you down and you will not see victory.

Those of us who remember God’s grace and have repented of our sins are “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

As we walk in those works we will find that old feeling creeping back into our hearts – that feeling of newness, joy, and love.

If you are here today, and you have not yet responded to God’s grace by giving your heart in repentance, make that decision as you partake of these symbols of that grace.

For those of us already in Christ, as we remember God’s grace, let us respond by determining to do the works we did at first.

____________________[All photos are from Jachin Mandeno]

This is the Newsletter of Jeff and Penny Vann, missionaries with Advent Christian General Conference, currently serving in New Zealand as pastors-at-large with the Advent Christian Conference of New Zealand (ACCONZ). We serve as teaching pastors at Takanini Church of Christ, and Christian LIFE Church, Takanini, Auckland.

Decisions, Decisions. Jeff and I have had to make a number of decisions in the past couple of months. Jeff and I as of early February will be leaving the church here and New Zealand. We will also be resigning from the mission effective 3 months after we get back to the US. We have served the mission department for 14 years but we feel it is time. Our hearts still beat for the lost and for those who lack the opportunity for theological training. We are praying for ministry opportunities in the States as well as time and money to go on in our education. Hopefully getting our doctorates at sometime before Christ comes back. As to where in the States that we will be, we have not a clue. For those of you who have been praying for us all those years, you have helped us through victories and trials, thank-you. But, please don’t stop praying for us.

We are blessed to have Ernie Schache as part of our ministry team here in Takanini. He serves as an elder. Ernie has many years of experience with churches here, and a passion for missions. He presently serves as a Mission Manager for ACGC, overseeing the missions work being done by our partners in Myanmar, India, Thailand and Malaysia. You can find out more about Advent Christian Missions from the New Zealand ACMissionz website: http://www.acmissionz.org.nz/

I (Jeff) have been teaching a Greek class on Thursday nights to a small group of youth and adults. Penny and I have also been part of a Hebrew club that meets in a local seminary. We have been grateful to share with those who have a special interest in biblical languages. It is just one more way that we have found to be an encouragement to believers here.

Our church has lots of kids of all ages. This is something different for Penny and me. We are used to a college campus, where the only small kids were ours or those of the other faculty, or those who attend the campus preschool. It has been a joy to get to know this new generation of believers. It has also been challenging to adjust our teaching and preaching to meet their needs. The picture is of less than half of the children who come to church.

Penny will be teaching her Old Testament seminar again on October 31st in the city of Hamilton. Some of the attendees of the previous seminar asked her to teach it again at their church.

Penny also taught a very informative and enjoyable seminar on public speaking at Takanini Sunday afternoon, October 10th. That was designed to train those who have speaking parts in our worship services. Takanini Church integrates the young people into worship sessions by having them read the scriptures before the message. Other members take part by testimony, prayer, music and leading communion.

Some thoughts: The Bible speaks of God’s power “at work within us” (Eph. 3:20). We have noticed that God brings certain people into our lives to help us with a problem we did not anticipate. For instance while driving down the motorway (interstate) the car started to make a strange noise. So, we pulled off and exit and onto a side street to find we had a flat. Just as we started to get out the spare a teenager stopped his walk home from school to see if he could help. He stayed to help through the rain and hail getting soaked in the process, but definitely shortening the time it would have taken for Jeff to change it alone. We have also noticed that as we planned to teach or write on a certain topic, suddenly people come into our lives who illustrate the need for a biblical understanding on the same topic, affirming that we are right to study it. This is seen in that recently after finishing a lengthy study in Galatians Jeff met a man who was in bondage to the very things Galatians warns about. This shows us how sovereign God is in our lives. He is not just a transcendent God who is watching us “from a distance.” He is involved in our lives. He’s not just a supervisor. He’s a shepherd.

On the Internet:

Our Newsletters: http://vannnews.blogspot.com/

Jeff’s blog: http://jeffersonvann.blogspot.com/

Jeff’s theology book: http://anadventchristiansystematictheology.blogspot.com/

Advent Christian Conference of New Zealand: http://www.acconz.org.nz/

Takanini Church blog: http://takaninichurch.wordpress.com/

Jachin Mandeno’s photo site: http://mandenomoments.com/

Please Pray:

1) Penny and I will be returning to the United States and transitioning from mission work starting February, 2011. Please pray that we find jobs and that Jeff finds the right seminary to pursue his doctoral studies.

2) Pray as the Takanini Church looks for someone to serve in the teaching and preaching ministry after we leave.

3) Pray for Naomi as she continues to study at Columbia International University and is presently seeking a missions internship.

4) Pray for Elizabeth and Connie, that they continue to serve the Lord, and take care of their families.

Galatians 6:11-18 ESV
See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. 17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Our journey through the book of Galatians is coming to an end, and before we examine today’s text I want to do a little reflecting. Why is this letter in scripture? After all, it is letter from a person we have never met – the apostle Paul – to a group of people we have never known – the Galatian believers – in a place we probably will never visit.

God saw fit to make the letter to the Galatians part of canonical scripture. I think one of the reasons is that the Galatians had encountered a belief system that challenged the Gospel of Salvation by Grace that Paul had preached. By responding to that challenge, Paul articulated the Gospel of salvation by Grace. He also showed how easy it is for believers to get sidetracked if we are not careful.

The LORD allows us to learn the principles from his word at our own pace, which is a good thing. But we can also be lulled into a false sense of security. God does not send an army of angels to stop us from reading false teaching in a book, magazine or on the internet. We have the personal responsibility to evaluate what we read, hear and see on a screen. We have to compare it to the truth we have already learned in our walk with Christ.

The Galatians had not done that. The Judaizers from Jerusalem came into the Galatian churches and before long their version of the Gospel was the only one being preached. Because they lacked discernment, they had abandoned the gospel of grace for another gospel, and didn’t even realize it.

When you see someone doing something, do you ever stop to ask what motivates him to do that. Often a person’s motives for doing something are just as important as what he or she does. Paul concludes his letter to the Galatians by comparing his motivations with the motivations that the Judaizers had in spreading their version of the gospel.

Paul talks about boasting here. He is not talking about prideful boasting. He is comparing motivations. A reason to boast in that context is a reason to see yourself as completing the task you set out to accomplish. Paul is comparing two completely different sets of motivations in these final verses of his letter.

The Judaizers wanted the Galatians to be circumcised. It wasn’t that they wanted to obey God’s command or follow the Abrahamic covenant. Paul points out the wrong motivation behind their religious activity. They wanted to make a good showing. They would argue that appearances matter, and that is true. But if the only reason you want to do something is that it looks good, there’s something wrong.

The Judaizers wanted the Galatians to be circumcised because the Jews were actively persecuting converts to Christianity. Paul knew about that because he had been one of the persecutors. Before he came to Christ, he had used fear as a tool to keep people in line. Paul said that the Judaizers were doing what they were doing “in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ ” (Galatians 6:12).

Fear is a strong motivator but love is a better one. When believers are motivated by fear, the world sees only the fear. When believers are motivated by love, the world sees Christ.

The Judaizers wanted the Galatians to be circumcised because they wanted to boast in their flesh (13). They wanted to change these pagan Galatians into God-fearing Jews – but their motivation had nothing to do with God. It was human pride. They wanted to make their mark on these Gentiles. What better way than to force them to give up those things that identified them culturally as Gentiles.

The Judaizers did not want to redeem the Galatians, they wanted to alter them They insisted on the Galatians changing their identity. That’s why they only chose those aspects of Judaism that have to do with outward identity: diet, celebrations, circumcision, etc. They wanted to make a difference but it had nothing to do with inner change.

But Paul was motivated by what Christ did for the Galatians on the cross. He said “far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14). Paul had not preached to the Galatians because he wanted to change them, he preached to the Galatians because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. The Gospel is not about how good we can become. It is about how good God is. God’s goodness sent his only begotten Son to the cross to die in our place. God’s goodness and grace as seen on the cross of Calvary leads not to our glorifying ourselves, but to glorifying Christ.

For Paul, “neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation” (Galatians 6:15). He was talking about what Jesus said to Nicodemus. He said “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Unless the change happens on the inside, then all the reforming and following orders you do is useless.

The Galatians had encountered a belief system that challenged the Gospel of Salvation by Grace that Paul had preached. By responding to that challenge, Paul articulated the Gospel of salvation by Grace. He also showed how easy it is for believers to get sidetracked if we are not careful.

I think that each of us is in danger of replacing our grace theology with some works theology. But Galatians is about more than that. It encourages us to hold on to Christ and what he did as the foundation for who we are. It also encourages us to live the freedom we have in Christ instead of giving into bondage. In Galatia, the bondage was primarily legalism. The bondage you and I may be tempted with could be something else. If we can shake free from the bondage that threatens us, we will have a reason to boast.

Galatians 6:1-10 ESV
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load. 6 One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

We now come to the final chapter in the book of Galatians. Every time I have sat down and studied one of these sections of the book, it has helped me to remember the context in which the words were written. Paul had planted and established the work in Galatia, then left it in the hands of its own leaders. He had every reason to believe that the Galatian churches would thrive as long as they stayed faithful to the LORD, and followed the principles he taught them.

But that is not what happened. Those “troublers” came from Jerusalem and brought an alternate gospel with them.

In this section, Paul appeals to a principle that explains what went wrong in Galatia. That principle is found in Galatians 6:7-8 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
The Principle is: Sowing the Right thing leads to Reaping the Right thing. This is true for a person, and it is also true and a church.

Jesus had told a parable about a farmer who planted wheat, but discovered that his enemy had secretly mixed in some weed seed (Matt. 13:25-30). The result was that the field grew both. That is what had happened in Galatia, and it didn’t look good. It was a disorderly mess. Paul’s letter was God’s way of helping the church to recover from that mess.

We 21st century churches can get a bit disordered at times too. We should follow Paul’s advice if we want to have a bountiful harvest for Christ. He teaches here how we can sow the true gospel in a church context.

Just like the farmer in Jesus’ parable, Paul advises against going into the Galatian churches and pulling up all the weeds. Instead, he tells us to turn the weeds into wheat. He says in verse 1: “if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” That is wonderful pastor imagery.

Paul tells them in verse 2 to “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. ” That law was expressed in John 13:34, where Jesus says “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

Manifesting that love means restoring those who stray away from the gospel. In Romans 15:1, Paul says “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.”

Paul goes on to say “For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. ” Galatians 6:3-4. To keep with the field analogy, Paul is saying, “make sure you have sowed the gospel in your own life first.” He had told the Corinthians to “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

When the true gospel has been sowed in our lives, it will produce the right kind of works all by itself. So one way to test whether your theology is correct, is to examine your life to see if it is producing kingdom living and the fruit of the Spirit.

Paul says in verse 6, “One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches.” This takes some explanation. You see, before Paul had left the Galatian region, he had set up leaders who faithfully taught the gospel. When the troublers came in with their alternate gospel, they encouraged their followers to ignore these teachers.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:14 “those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.” God has established a way for the church to continue preaching the gospel, and that is through the professional ministry. What happened in Galatia is that those teaching the false gospel had supplanted those duly set up to teach in the church. So Paul is urging the Galatians to restore support to the rightful teachers.

In Galatians 6:9 Paul says “let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” He told the Corinthians something similar: “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

One of the reasons churches do not reap the harvest is that the people give up before the harvest comes. Galatians teaches us that we cannot be saved by works, but we are reading it wrongly if we think it is saying just trust the LORD and do nothing. The works that we will do will be the Holy Spirit’s works, not ours. They will be done because we are saved, not in order to get saved. But make no mistake: God’s people are expected to persevere in ministry until Christ comes.

So this section concludes with Paul saying “as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. ” (Galatians 6:10). The end result of the false gospel was that it led to the church biting and devouring one another. The end result of Paul’s gospel of salvation by grace is that the people in the church will invest themselves in each other’s lives.

The reason this kind of good works follows from the true gospel is that we have been set free from having to establish our own salvation, so now we have the opportunity to steer our good works toward others. That is how a church of saved people is supposed to operate.

LORD, we confess that all too often we have acted like the Galatians in our approach to ministry. We have sought to impress you by our obedience. We have worked hard to get on your good side. We repent of those kinds of works.

Help us LORD to trust in what Christ has done for us, so that we can be free to invest ourselves in others. Help us to sow the gospel of grace in this church, so that your Holy Spirit will be free to produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Galatians 5:16-26 ESV
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Today’s text is one of the most popular from the book of Galatians. Portions of it are probably read and preached more than any other in the book. But I am glad I did not decide just to jump into this text. I’m glad we have been hanging out in the whole book of Galatians for the past five months. Along the way we have discovered the historical and cultural context in which these words were first applied.

This context is going to help us see more clearly what Paul is saying, and to whom and how it applied in the first century. That knowledge will also help us put the text in practice here in the 21st century.

In summary, that context is this: Paul had been responsible for planting the churches of the Galatian region of the Roman province of Asia Minor. After he went on to plant more churches elsewhere, some false teachers came into those churches and promoted a new way of looking at Christianity. Paul called those false teachers “troublers” and that is exactly what they did – they caused trouble.

They taught that once you come to Christ by faith you then need to add something called “the works of the law” to that faith. Apparently the “works of the law” included circumcision, Jewish dietary restrictions, and strict obedience to the Mosaic laws as interpreted by these teachers.

So let me now venture a definition of the Galatian heresy based on what we have seen so far in Paul’s letter. It appears that the troublers were certain that anyone coming to Christ by faith were going to need some extra help living the life they have committed themselves to. So, they offer this advice: “if you want to live the Christian life, and please God, and succeed at being a believer, you need to add these “works of the law.” They are the secret ingredient that will help you produce the godly character you know God expects.

If you go to the average Christian bookstore you will find lots of books that claim to have the secret of living the Christian life. It is something we all want. That real desire in Christians is something the troublers were exploiting.

But there was a problem with that philosophy. It wasn’t working. It is apparent from verse 26 that the Galatian heresy was producing a bunch of people who could not even get along with each other, much less witness to their neighbours about Christ. The ones who seemed to be following the works of the law were becoming conceited about it. Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

The ones who didn’t have their act together envied those who looked like they did, and everybody was making everyone else miserable. You didn’t want to plan your next conference at Galatia. It was not the place anyone wanted to be.

So what went wrong: Paul had another word he used for the “works of the law” He calls them “the works of the flesh” (19). And he says in Galatians 5:17 “the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other (NIV says they are in conflict with each other), to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

So he was telling them that there was a war going on inside of them. Every time they decided to do something good in their own power, their sinful nature turned it into something evil. Every Christian has this war going on inside him.

So, no matter who you are, whether you are saved or not, whether you have been raised in a Christian home or not, whether you are home schooled or not, whether you went to Bible college or not… If you are trying to live the Christian life in your own strength you are going to produce the works of the flesh (19-21).

This is serious, because the only way the world is going to know that we Christians have found the Answer in Christ is that we manifest the fruit of the Spirit. If we are operating out of the flesh, we will produce what the flesh produces. That is not a good résumé.

The solution is what Paul commanded the Galatians to do here. If you remember from last week, Paul had told the Galatians that they were on self-destruct mode. He said “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” The NIV translates this well, because it picks up the continuous aspect: “If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

So Paul’s solution (in verse 16) is for them to walk by the Spirit. That means letting the Holy Spirit be the controlling power in their motivations, and the deciding influence in their actions. That is being led by the Spirit (18), which is passive.

It being passive makes it harder for us because it involves letting the Holy Spirit take control and do what God wants to do in our lives, not what we want to do, and it means doing what God wants to do in his way, not our way.

But that is the only way we are going to produce the Spirit’s fruit, instead of our own fruit. Jesus said “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8). He also said “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (15:5 ).

That reinforces the idea that Paul is getting across to the Galatians. Fruit bearing is passive: God wants to grow the fruit on us.

The zillion dollar question is “how?” How do we stop operating out of the flesh, and passively allow God to change us so that we manifest the fruit of the spirit instead of the works of the flesh? We have to understand that the Christian life is just that. It is a life, not just a decision. Lots of people make a decision to invite Christ into their lives and then never cultivate that life. They keep on living out of the flesh; they never walk by the Spirit. Those people are not saved, because their decision for Christ was not a repentance.

True repentance is what Paul described here, and the reason why the Galatians were having the problems that they were having is that they had missed true repentance. In verse 24 he says “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Paul had experienced that true repentance. He said in Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” That’s the kind of life he is calling on the Galatians to live.

But again, the question is “how?” Once we have truly repented of living life our way, and submitted to the Holy Spirit, how do we know that the desires and passions we now have are coming from the Holy Spirit, and not our flesh?

One clue is the question Paul asked in Galatians 3:5 “Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?” Here Paul reveals how God chooses to work. Through his word he motivates us to do his will. But how is that different than what the Judaizers were saying? The difference is the one who initiates the change.

LORD, we want to know more about how to live the life where the Holy Spirit has control, and produces the fruit of the Spirit. Teach us how to live lives that have been crucified, surrendered completely to your will and your control. Teach us to hear your word and respond to it in faith. Forgive us for trying to live the Christian life in our own strength, under our own power, and by our own planning. Use us Oh Lord. Bear fruit from our branches. In the name of Jesus, who is the Vine. Amen