Christ lives in me!
Yesterday, we continued our sermon series in the book of Galatians and were reminded about how amazing it is that no matter who you are, you can approach God and you can belong to His family by the gift of grace alone! Paul and Barnabas travelled together to share this good news, but in their context, this was quite unusual teaching. Before Jesus, there had been a lot of things that people needed to do to be 'acceptable to God.'
In this passage we saw how easy it was for Peter to slip back into this old-fashioned set of beliefs, putting human standards and expectations onto people rather than living out of the grace of God. This leads to one of the most tense and dramatic passages in the Bible as we see prominent leaders in the early church in disagreement and calling one another out on how they were living!
Paul challenged Peter for not acting in line with the truth of the gospel or in other words, not practicing what he was preaching. Shaggy encouraged us to reflect on where this might be true in our own lives with these questions:
- Do I practice what I preach?
- Do I live out the words I sing on a Sunday morning?
- Do I live out my faith with integrity – Monday to Sunday?
We all need to reflect on these questions from time to time, recognising the influence we have on those around us. It is so important for us to encourage our leaders and each other, to fix our eyes on Jesus and be grounded in the gospel message. The truth of this message is that even the "vilest offender" (as the hymn says) who gives their heart to Jesus can be made right with God!🍽