they will know we are Christians by our...

See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 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. 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. 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. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. (Galatians 6:11-16 ESV)

All these passages that we've looked at throughout the book of Galatians have been focused on this whole topic of circumcision versus uncircumcision. Paul's bringing the book to a close, and is making a few final points. His emphasis here is that all this really isn't about whether you're circumcised or not.
People who are saying that circumcision is necessary are doing so in order to have an outward sign to prove that they are spiritual. But just because they are circumcised doesn't mean that they actually are spiritual. You can look the part all you want, but you have to actually live it out.
It's not about whether you were circumcised or not, the truth is that once you've accepted Christ, you are a new creation!

Now how does this apply to us? When they are talking about circumcision, it was an additional requirement they were adding onto salvation. Gentiles were believing in Jesus, but then men in the church would tell them that they needed to be circumcised in order to be saved. So this applies to anything that we tack onto salvation. So maybe it's baptism, or maybe it's church attendance or maybe it's doing devos or anything that we force as an additional requirement.

In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul says it this way, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

God has saved us by grace through faith. Circumcision or baptism or any other works are not necessary!** Being human as we are, we would twist these works into something to brag about. In both passages, Paul makes it clear that the only thing we should be bragging about it Jesus.

(**Side note- there’s nothing wrong with circumcision, baptism or works. They are just not actions that will save you. Jesus got circumcised, baptized and did lots of good works and so I’d recommend following His lead. These are ways we can show Him our love and obedience to Him.)

The last thing Paul talks about here is the reason for all of this. Peace and mercy will be upon us as new creations. We are under grace not the Law. We have the freedom to make choices about how we live. But if we truly love God, we will choose to keep his commandments (see 1 John 5:3). When we are living under grace and loving God, we will experience the peace and mercy Paul is talking about.

Answer This:

1) Is there a time where by grace you been saved through faith? (If your answer is no, find a parent or youth leader that you can talk to about this!)

2) For neither _______________counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new _______________.

3) Do your actions show that you love God? Are you making outward changes to your life, without making them inside? Are you being a hypocrite by acting like you’re a good Christian when your heart is far from the Lord?

4) Take a minute to journal about this passage.

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Written for the youth group devo book.

i learned it from watching you!

When I was in middle school, I had a little bit of a potty mouth (ok a pretty terrible mouth actually). I went to church and listen to Bible stories and lessons, but I didn't live it out. I would invite my friends to youth group and the different activities but they never came and I never knew why.

One day this kid from my neighborhood, who was literally the worst person I knew, told me I cursed too much. Until that moment I don't think I ever realized that there were bad consequences to the way I talked. I mean, I knew if my mom heard me I'd be in big trouble, but I never thought that it made a difference otherwise. God used that to change the way I talk.

A few years ago, a friend was upset and telling me what she was mad about while cursing a mile a minute. At one point, she stopped, looked at me funny, and said, "you don't curse," then continued venting without cursing. I never told this person that I don't curse, she just noticed it over the years we have known each other.

Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 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. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:6-10 ESV)

In this passage, Paul is talking about how good choices have good consequences and bad choices have bad consequences, right? He uses a farming analogy to explain though. If we sow (or plant) our flesh (which refers to our sinful, worldly desires), we will reap (or grow or harvest) corruption. If we sow the Spirit, we will reap eternal life.

Seems like an obvious choice – I want eternal life, not corruption.

In youth group, Jeff mentioned Liam being frustrated that bad decisions get him bad consequences but he wondered when he's ever going to get good consequences for his good decisions. Do you ever feel that way? I know I do at times. That's why Paul that encourages us not to give up and to continue doing good. He knows it won't always be easy; that doing what is right can be quite difficult. But, eventually there will be good consequences!

Answer This:

1) I have seen bad consequences for my bad language and good consequences from my clean language. Is there an area you reap what you've sown – good or bad?

2) Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one _______________, that will he also _______________.

3) Can you relate to Liam? Do you ever feel like there are only bad consequences not good consequences?

4) Take a minute to journal about this passage.

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Written for the youth group devotional book.

You using that chair?

Yo, so true story - One day Breanna was walking and bumped into this chair that said, "Do Not Touch." She didn't seem to think anything of it, there seemed to be no reason to not touch it. So she leaned on it while texting, but when she went to walk away, she was stuck to it. No matter what she tried, she couldn't free herself. A short time later, Hannah is walking by and sees Breanna. She tries to pull Breanna off the chair, but can't and in the process touches the chair. Now they're both stuck. Along comes Elliott and Lauren. Upon seeing some damsels in distress, Elliott tries to be a knight in shining armor. Again, the attempts are unsuccessful and Elliott and Lauren both manage to get stuck on the chair too. Out of no where, Max comes flying in with some ninja moves, assesses the situation, and like those who've gone before him, winds up stuck to the chair. Christy was out for a run and finds the group all stuck to the chair. Instead of helping, she starts taking pictures of them, including a selfie (don't believe me? ask her to show you this picture!). But she can be a little clumsy and stumbles into the chair, getting herself stuck too. 

Next Natalie comes walking by. She's a little smarter than the others. Rather than getting herself stuck, she actually manages to get everyone unstuck!

Galatians 5:1-6 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. 

Now say one of them decided that they really liked the chair. They didn't really mind being stuck to it, they actually kind of liked it. Although they've gotten unstuck from the chair, they want to continue staying stuck to it. How would you respond to them? What would you do if you saw Max or Hannah walking around with a chair stuck to them?

It would be silly for anyone of us to want to stay stuck to a chair, but that's silly skit is an analogy to the way that we live life. There are so many ways where we opt to stay stuck (submit ourselves to slavery), instead being unstuck (free because of Christ).

Check out the chorus of this song by Hillsong: "Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom! Where the Spirit of the Lord is chains are broken, eyes are open. Christ is with us." I don't know about you, but I want that freedom Christ is offering. I don't want to live enslaved.


1) What's an area in which you see you are stuck to a chair?
2) For freedom Christ has set us _____________; stand firm therefore, and do not _____________ again to a yoke of slavery.
3) What's a practical step you can take this week to experience the freedom Christ offers?

4) Take some time and journal about this passage:

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Written for the youth group devotional book. Check out the youth group blog for more. Mycbcyouth.blogspot.com

Brooks Was Here

Have you ever watched The Shawshank Redemption? There's an old guy in the movie his name is Brooks. He's been in the prison for 50 years and has figured out life in the system. He's a guy that's important; he’s respected by many of the prisoners (he runs the library among other things). He is given parole but is scared to leave. He leaves and gets a job and place to live. Brooks ends up hanging himself because he can't handle life outside of the prison. He's lived in prison so long that is has become his identity and he fears the freedom and newness of life outside of prison.

Galatians 4:21-27

21 Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? 22 The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. 23 The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.

24 These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. 25 And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. 26 But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. 27 As Isaiah said,

“Rejoice, O childless woman,

    you who have never given birth!

Break into a joyful shout,

    you who have never been in labor!

For the desolate woman now has more children

    than the woman who lives with her husband!”

I've read this passage numerous times this past week. The phrase, "you who desire to be under the law" jumped out at me this time and made me want to scream "NOOOO!"

This is the struggle of the Early Church is having. They have lived their whole lives under the Law. It's what they know; it's what makes sense. It is part of their identity (think about the Pharisees). They don't know how to live under the freedom that the grace of the new covenant brings, so they desire the Law. Just like Brooks who wants to return to prison cause it's what he knows.

Can you relate to that? Feeling like it's easier to stay in a current situation because the new is unknown and scary.

This past weekend I was at a Beth Moore conference. She talked about the Israelites grumbling and complaining about how great it was in Egypt and wished they had stayed. But they were slaves in Egypt!  They were choosing slavery over freedom!

She also talked about the story of Peter walking on water. Peter could've stayed in the boat. The boat was a good, safe place from where they could see Jesus. However, stepping out of the boat brought Peter to a place that was scary, yet closer to Jesus.

God wants us to have abundant life (Jn 10:10). He doesn't want us living in Egypt or staying in the boat. Christ died so we could live for so much more! Don’t choose to live under the Law when you can live under grace.

Put your fears aside. Trust God enough to move forward in your relationship with Him. Don't desire the Law; experience the abundant life that grace brings.

Questions:

1) Can you relate to Peter, the Israelites, or the early church? In what way do you need to choose freedom over slavery?

2) "you who _______ to be under the ______."

3) From what you know of Abraham and his two sons, held to the verses about them relate to this idea of grace/law and the old/new covenants?

4) Take some time and journal about this passage.

I'm like a bird...

Remember when we started our study on She's Got Issues? I offered Melissa a cup of coffee, and she turned me down. I tried adding half & half, sugar, whipped cream, chocolate syrup and caramel syrup and she still said no. Melissa doesn't like coffee; no matter what I added to it, it was still coffee. When I instead offered her hot chocolate, she gladly accepted.
In her book, Nicole Unice talks about how she thought life with Jesus would be sweet and couldn't figure out why her life wasn't any different than the lives of her neighbors. She found out that Jesus offers so much more. He doesn't just add sugar to our current situation but transforms our lives.


This morning I was walking down the hallway and saw this picture:

It blew me away. Two completely unrelated things and somehow one transformed into the other. What Jesus offers is so amazing! He isn't just changing us from one hot beverage to another. He completely changes us. Paul says this: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ESV). Total transformation. He changes us so significantly that the old looks nothing like the new.
Or even more amazing, something that was dead becomes alive. A bell to a bird. "even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved" (‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬ ESV). Dead in sin, alive in Christ.


If you only looked at the middle two images, you'd think the artist was terrible. They are weird, confusing, ugly, misshapen, lumpy and at least the one is unrecognizable. It's hard to imagine what the artist is thinking when you just look at them. Seeing the images all together we see the transformation; the middle two images make sense because they are part of the process. We don't judge the art by the middle two images, we see the whole picture.
In your life do you ever wonder what God is doing? You feel ugly, weird, confused, broken, misshapen, worthless. Do you wonder what He could possibly do with your life? Don't just look at yourself in the process and forget about the whole picture. God can take our messes, our pain, our brokenness and make something beautiful out of it. In Isaiah 61:3, it says He will make beauty from ashes. Let God transform you and use your life as a testimony to others.

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I love when I can see God in normal everyday things. How has He shown Himself to you lately?

like boogers in the wind

You know, we haven't played Balderdash in Sunday School in a while... Let's do one now real quick, one of those crazy laws...

Ok, guess which one is correct: In Alabama, it is illegal to:

1) flick boogers into the wind.

2) have an ice cream cone in your back pocket.

3) sell peanuts after sundown on Wednesday.

4) wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church.

5) drive a car without windshield wipers.

Some laws seem absolutely ridiculous. But they were all instituted for some reason. All five of those laws are actually real ones (according to dumblaws.com anyway). There must have been incidents where these things occurred that made some lawmaker put these laws into effect... Like why does McDonald's coffee say Caution Hot? Cause some lady sued them after she burned herself on their hot coffee. Laws may seem weird and outdated but generally have some sort of reason behind them.

[Galatians 3:21-22: Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.  But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.]

God did not just arbitrarily put laws into the Bible. There are reasons for why he made the rules He did. Some of them are for the people's health and safety-they didn't have refrigerators to keep food fresh or the FDA making sure things are served properly. Telling them not to eat certain things helped them not get sick. Some laws are to give healthy boundaries for living in community with other people-I’d be annoyed if my neighbor was borrowing my donkey without permission. Some laws are given to make it clear what is sin and what it not-although it can be summed up as love God and love others, we can be a little thick and need the specifics spelled out for us.

Jesus came to abolish the law. His death and resurrection brought us the new covenant. We are now under grace not the law. The verses today are talking about that idea. Does the law contradict promises of God? Certainly not!

In his book, Uprising, Erwin McManus addresses grace and the law. He says “The law says do not murder; grace says that we are not even to hate our enemies, but to love our enemies. The law says do not commit adultery; grace frees us from having lust in our hearts for another man's wife. The law says to give 10% to tithe; grace says be generous, we would never stop you at 10%. You can give 20, 30, 40% of your income if you'd like. Grace is never less than the law. Grace is not freedom to live beneath the law, but to live beyond the law.”

Don’t think that I’m telling you that you must follow everything the law says. Verses 22-23 talk about the law imprisoning us. It’s impossible to live up to it. But just because we are under grace, we cannot ignore all the law has to say. God didn't get rid of the law so we can live however we please. He wants us to be able to focus on loving Him and loving others and not get caught up in the legalistic details.

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These are devotionals written for the teens. A handful of us are taking turns writing, so it may seem like sporadic passages. It all flows nicely for the teens in their devo books though.

She's Got Issues- Unforgiveness

Sunday School: “She’s Got Issues”    by Nicole Unice                                              March 15, 2015

Anger’s cousin: Unforgiveness

[watch video]

Unforgiveness in our spirit has the potential to do a lifetime of damage but also be the place where we experience the most freedom and greatest testimony of what God is about and what He can do in us.

Unforgiveness, sown by our wounds, sprouts up like an unwelcome guest and chokes our ability to love, to be compassionate, and to experience freedom. 213

If left unchecked, unforgiveness thrives like a fairy-tale bean stalk, exploding in strength, eventually reaching into every emotion, thought, and action. The longer it's allowed to grow, the more strength and work will be required to remove it. Everyone has to pull the weeds of unforgiveness, tending to the daily removal of resentment over slights intentions in order to be free to love. 213-214

The reasons we are called to forgive:

1) we forgive because it's God's way.

Scripture makes it quite clear that we are required to forgive. Although his commands as simple and bold, it isn't always easy. Examining our souls for the weeds of unforgiveness is a lifelong process. 215

2) forgiveness reflect God's character.

Nehemiah 9:17, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalm 130:4, Psalm 86:5

3) forgiveness is the turning point in the story of our eternal lives.

When people see us forgiving someone who doesn’t deserve it, they can see Christ through us.

I love when science backs up God. The Mayo Clinic released an article citing the results of numerous studies that examine the effects of holding grudges. People who do so have higher heart rates, higher blood pressure, and more tendencies toward depression. God's command to forgive is backed up by God's design for our bodies and souls. Our Creator knew what he was doing when he spoke boldly in his Word about forgiveness! 216

4) forgiveness is a tool of the Gospel.

Jesus makes it clear that forgiveness is a continual process. I don't know about you, but I need God to cleanse me of my own sin and shortcomings every day. We should be ready to forgive others just as frequently. 216

we distort God's character for her own purposes. I want God to be merciful toward my sins and just towards others.    217

Matthew 18: Peter asks about forgiveness and Jesus response includes a parable with the king and the two debtors.

The process of forgiveness begins with our own recognition of the unequal footing we have in the presence of God. This unequal standing exists before we even sin! And sin we do, every day, serving our own interests rather than others. We are in deep debt before God. 219

Blinded by his own perverse sense of justice, the forgiven servant give no mercy to his friend. The second servant in the story was also in debt. God doesn't deny the wrongs done to us, but he commands us to view them against the incalculable mercy he has given us in the most important relationship of our lives in all of eternity: our relationship with him. 219,221

He treated the king’s mercy with contempt. Because he demands justice, he received justice. 221

Forgiving others is not possible without deep gratitude for the ways we've been forgiven. 221

Unforgiveness is like weight gain. We pile on resentments and hurt, one on top of another. If we piled on 30 pounds over several years of over eating, most of us wouldn't pray and expect God to miraculously bring us back to normal weight after one jog around the neighborhood! We can pray, though, for the discipline and strength to persevere in making healthy choices. 222

 Read the prayer on p222-223

The gospel is not just words on paper or an intellectual exercise and belief. The gospel should be lived out in our lives. 223

But like healthy living, the doing is much harder than the believing. How do we move from forgiveness is a nice ideal to a daily practice? 223

1) confess your sins with no “buts”.

2) ask God to give you new eyes.

Don't evaluate through your own eyes those who have wronged you. Instead, ask God to give you spiritual eyes so that you can see past their wins and the way they have wanted you and see their brokenness. 224-225

(I cannot emphasize enough that to forgive doesn't mean to forget. You cannot erase the pains of your past because in doing so you would risky racing much of yourself. But you can believe that God can transform you and redeem even the most broken of lives. 225)

3) recognize that forgiveness is an act of will.

You must not wait until you feel like forgiving. Instead, see forgiveness as an act of obedience toward your father God, who so graciously has forgiven you. That may mean asking him to help us extend mercy. 225

When you release others from your grip, he released them into the hands of God. In a great paradox, God is both merciful and just. 225

"When we forgive, we set a prisoner free and then discover the prisoner we set free is us." -Lewis b. Smedes

Forgiving ourselves

Sin is sin because it brings relational harm. Every act of disobedience against God's role is inherently an attack against God. 226

His design is an about enslaving us. It's about providing us freedom to love others without harm. Yet we all fail at it. We all have, we all do, we all will. 226-227

Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself. There is nothing like the feeling of letting yourself down, of walking through temptation, sin, and consequence from beginning to end. And when you get to that place, even when you've pleaded with God, even when you've confessed your sins to others, you can still feel stuck in the mud of your mistake. 227

If you've ever thought you were too bad for God to forgive, if you've ever felt beyond his loving grass, if you've ever thought your story is too much for him, let me assure you, there is a person in scripture for you. I am overwhelmed that God, in his goodness, chooses to count among the heroes and heroines of faith many broken, wounded, and wound-inflicting people. These are the people he uses to bring his message of forgiveness, power, and love to our world. 227

Ps 51:12 Restore to me again ... and make me willing to obey you.

Ask God to do what you cannot do for yourself.

Forgiving God

We may believe in God, but we don't believe him. But our God is bigger than our hurt. 229

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We are studying the book She's Got Issues by Nicole Unice with the teen girls in Sunday School. These are my notes from the book. Just about none of it is my words-it's almost all quotes and paraphrases. I would recommend you read the book!!