Day 5

Lisa Sheffler, author

Happy Friday! We’ve arrived at Day 5. What is God revealing to you through his Word? Spend some time with him today, asking him to guide you to apply what you’ve learned.

Reflect

Take a final look at Galatians 2:1–10.

We’ve been tracing Paul’s argument from the opening of the letter to where we’re leaving off in Chapter 2. What’s your one sentence summary of what’s going on in Galatia and what Paul hopes to accomplish through this letter?

What’s your own personal takeaway from what we studied this week?

Connect

In America, Christians have created a comfortable subculture. We have our own schools, universities, radio stations, books, magazines, movies, museums, and “attractions.” We share in-jokes, memes, and “Christianese.” We even have our own “celebrities” — authors, artists and preachers who can draw a huge crowd. If we’re not careful, all of these cultural artifacts can become our own set of identity markers. If we’re not careful, we can too closely associate being a Christian with being part of American, Christian culture.

Are we Christians because of who we worship, or the Christian media we consume? Are we the body of Christ, or a cultural demographic? And when we introduce people to Jesus, are we introducing them to a Savior who will transform their life, or a very specific cultural lifestyle?

Every Christian culture from the days of Paul to now develops their own expressions of worship and unique manifestations of faith. That’s one of the many beautiful things about the gospel. It’s for all people everywhere, and empowers them to work and create for the glory of God and the enrichment of people. But we don’t find our identity in our culture, we find it in Christ. We don’t invite people into our Christian subculture, we invite them into our family. We don’t ask people to receive Jesus + our subculture, because only Jesus will do.

I’ve had the privilege of attending different worship services in a few different places around the world. Some were conducted in languages I don’t speak. I wasn’t always sure when to stand and when to sit, so I just followed the people around me. I didn’t recognize the music, so I just enjoyed listening. I wasn’t comfortable the way I am in my home church, but I still worshipped. I could worship my Savior in each of these services because the focus was still on the crucified and risen Jesus, Son of God and Lord of all. The gospel was proclaimed, the Lord’s supper offered, and the Bible read. These services reminded me of what’s at the heart of my faith and should be at the core of my identity — Jesus. Nothing else added.

Respond

Take some time in prayer and ask God two questions:

• What do you want me to take away from what I’ve studied this week? What do you want me to remember?
• What do you want me to do with that learning? What is the one, next, right step that you want me to take?

At the start of the week, I asked you how has Christ freed you? As you’ve prayed over this question, has he brought things to mind?

Also, what would you like more freedom from? Is there a habit, hang-up or even an addiction that has you feeling trapped? Spend some time in prayer, seeking the Spirit’s guidance and receiving his love. What are some things you need to change in the way you think and act this week to move you in the right direction? Reach out for help if you need it. Join us here at Christ Fellowship for Re:Generation, an amazing ministry that is helping all kinds of people deal with a variety of personal struggles.

Finally, have a meaningful conversation with someone about what it means to be free in Christ. Share your story with someone.

Coming up next week…

Coming up next week, we’ll read about the dramatic showdown between Paul and Peter. And we’ll come to our key verse for part 1 of Galatians “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now life in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).