Jesus said  “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6 KJ )  In the New Living Translation this reads: “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven.” In Galatians 5:16 (NLT) Paul writes: “So I advise you to live according to the new life in the Holy Spirit.  Then you won’t be doing what your flesh craves.”

We all have flesh!  The flesh, simply defined, is the body, mind, will, and emotions of man under the control of something other than Jesus Christ.  Believers and unbelievers alike have flesh.  Living in the flesh is the opposite of  living in the Spirit.

Have you seriously considered that your flesh will never improve?  It is an important point.  How can we expect the flesh to be something other than flesh?  Flesh is flesh and can do nothing that is of the Spirit.  We have all seen bad flesh and are often on a constant quest to find good flesh in ourselves, our mates, our church family, and our children.  This determining to do better in the flesh will change nothing.

Flesh is hostile to God.  The best of flesh is the worst of it, for it keeps us from humbly seeking Christ.  Why does God leave such a way of living possible for the believer?  The answer simply put, is to keep us focused on Him.  You see, we get miserable in our flesh and that misery will always drive us back to the Spirit.

In Ephesians 5:18 we are told not to be drunk with wine which leads to debauchery but instead to be filled with the Spirit of God.  Now being filled with the Spirit is not a one-time occurrence.

You don’t go to the gas station and fill up, then tell the attendant to seal the tank because you will never need more gas.  That would be presumptuous, foolish, and stupid.

Well, the same is true with engine oil.  A dipstick is used to check the level of oil in your engine.  Well, people are dipsticks!  It’s true, but not in the way you might think.

The Holy Spirit is the lubricant of the believer’s life.  When fully lubricated, we run smoothly, without friction, quietly and calmly.  But when we are running impatiently, angrily, full of frustration, low on kindness, goodness, and self-control; God sends someone along as a dipstick to check the level of our lubrication.  It may be the driver who cuts in front of us, a rebellious child, that person at church, or your spouse.

We think in the back of our minds “People are such dipsticks!”  But actually, they have been sent by God.  When we stop and see God in the situation, we turn to Him, acknowledging that we are short of the oil of the awareness of the Holy Spirit. In that moment we pray, “Father, fill me up!”  He does; we can then thank God for those dipsticks who came along and warned us that we were running low before we blew up.

Simply put, there is nothing good in the flesh…Flesh will not improve.  Only when Christ…who lived in flesh and overcame it…is flowing through us will we experience power over the flesh.  At that point victory is a natural thing, not contrived, not achieved by the effort toward improving, but through the power of the Spirit life within.

LIFE LESSON:  Live according to the New Life.  Stay filled, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.

We appreciate your continued prayer and financial support.  We pray that 2019 will be the best year ever; helping people everywhere experience the New Life within.

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.

In the gospel of Luke, Chapter 2, Verses 10 and 11, we read the most wonderful and exciting words the world could ever hear!  An angel of the Lord said to the shepherds in the fields, “Behold I bring you good newsof great joy that will be for all the people; for today in the City of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  Now this Savior would one day die on the cross for us to give His life to us, to live His life through us.

This year’s Christmas Life Lesson comes with permission to use from Pastor Brian Biggers at Lamb’s Chapel Church in Burlington, N.C.   You will be blessed with his illuminating insight on this subject matter.  His lesson is titled:

GOOD NEWS OR GOOD ADVICE

I have always loved the simplicity of this great verse in Luke where the angel announced the message of Jesus’ arrival to earth. The message of Jesus, or as we call it “the gospel”, according to the Bible is supposed to be “Good News” that should bring us “great joy.” However, the “gospel” I heard when I attended church was anything but good news and it sure didn’t bring me great joy! You’ve got to stop cussing, drinking, smoking, hating, fighting, fishing on Sunday, amongst a host of other “thou shalt nots.” Plus, you’ve got to throw away your Leonard Skynard (it is spelled correctly even if spell check disagrees) and start listening to organ music that no doubt was intended for a wake, stop laughing, stop enjoying your life, stop hanging around with normal people and a pile of other stops!

Then there were the “tries”. Try to be nicer, try to talk spiritual, try to think better, try to serve,  try to forgive! Then on top of all that they wanted you to try to talk other people into joining in the misery! I tried till I almost died! And you call this good news? It may be good advice, but where I’m from it sure ain’t no good news! And it causes great stress more than great joy!

So what was the problem? Looking back after these years I can clearly see that what I heard wasn’t the gospel of Jesus; it was the gospel of religion. The gospel of Jesus according to the Bible is truly good news! It is an oasis of hope in a weary land of self-condemnation. Religion says “do”, Jesus says “done”! Religion says “try”, Jesus says “trust”! Religion says “better”, Jesus says “believe”! Religion says “wrestle”,

Jesus says “rest”!  Religion causes you to worry because of your performance; Jesus causes you to worship because of His power in you!

Just imagine a gospel that tells you trust Jesus to be all you need for salvation. “We believe that brother Brian.” Now imagine a gospel that tells you trust Jesus to be all you need for everything else! “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, so live in Him.” What if the Jesus that was your Savior became your sanctifier? What if the Jesus that was your sin bearer became your burden bearer? You want to hear some good news? The Jesus that tells you to love your neighbor will be the one to love your neighbor through you! The Jesus that tells you to serve others will be the one to serve others through you!

The Bible never says “you trying harder is the hope of glory.” It says “Christ in you is the hope of glory.” Christ in me by the person of His Holy Spirit is the one that lives through me. Why don’t you give up on trying to live the Christian life? You heard that right. Give up and tell Him, I can’t do it. He already knew that. Then tell Him “I’m trusting you!” If you don’t do it in me, it won’t be done. Watch what He does! Jesus is the only person that can be Jesus! And He will be glad to be Jesus in you when you give up and trust Him!

Now that’s the Gospel and that’s some Good News!

Thank you Lord that the same grace that saved a wretch like me is the same grace that can change a wretch like me! Thank you Jesus for being all I need for all I need!

Thank you Pastor Biggers for explaining this “GOOD NEWS FOR ALL THE PEOPLE.”

Please keep the ministry in mind as we approach this yearend giving deadline.  Thank you for your prayers and financial support.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Growing in Grace Ministries!

Joy to the World, the Lord is Come.

We appreciate and need your continued support, partnership, and prayers.  We praise God for your faithfulness.

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.

In the 23^rdPsalm, verse 5, it reads…”you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

Again, I ask “What’s in your cup?”

For example:  You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you, making you spill your coffee everywhere.  Why did you spill the coffee?  You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup.  Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea.  The point is whatever is inside the cup, is what will spill out.  Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you, which will happen, whatever is inside you will come out.

It’s easy to fake it until you get rattled.  So, we have to ask ourselves, “What’s in my cup?”  When life gets tough, what spills out?  Joy, gratefulness, peace and humility?  Or does anger, bitterness, harsh words and reactions come out?  You choose!

Today as we enter into the holiday season let’s think about filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation, kindness, gentleness, and especially thanksgiving.

In Matthew Chapter 23 Jesus says, “…You hypocrites, you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup…, but inside you are filthy, full of greed, and self-indulgence! Blind Pharisees!  First wash the inside of the cup, and then the outside will become clean, too.”

LIFE LESSON:  Our Lord is not saying that the outside should not be clean, but we give the wrong impression when the inside is dirty and the outside is not.  The place to start is on the inside.  Remember the mystery of our faith is “Christ lives in you, the hope of glory.”  (Col 1:27)  Therefore, let His love overflow and spill out through you.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at GIGM.

We appreciate and need your continued support, partnership, and prayers.  We praise God for your faithfulness.

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.

Elections are right around the corner.  Please don’t forget to vote, but remember the following ten powerful facts about elections.

1. The greatest agent of change is still the Gospel – even after the election.
2. Christian responsibility does not change – even after the election.
3. Jesus is still the King – even after the election.
4. Our citizenship is still in heaven – even after the election.
5. The tomb is still empty – even after the election.
6. The cross is still the victor – even after the election.
7. Our family is still our number one responsibility – even after the election.
8. The greatest truth in the universe is that Christ is Lord – even after the election.
9. God is still in control – even after the election.
10. Don’t fret, trust and wait patiently on the Lord – even after the election.

And don’t forget, in the meantime, we are to pray for our elected officials as the Lord instructs us to, even after the election.

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all Godliness and holiness.” (I Tim 2:1,2)

LIFE LESSON:  Regardless of the election results, Jesus is still on the throne and oh, how He loves you and me.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

(John 3:16)

We appreciate and need your continued support and partnership to keep this gospel of grace ministry going.  Thank you for your faithfulness in both.

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.

We are a nation who loves to play games, baseball, basketball, football, hockey, etc.  We also love our board games, remember monopoly and scrabble.  Then there are thousands of video games to play.  And now a days lots of people are playing poker. That’s right, I said poker.  It has become a huge phenomenon in our country and around the world.  They are selling poker tables, poker chips, rule books, hats, visors, and even poker treats and sunglasses so no one can get a read on you.   It has actually become a sport.  They have professional poker players who play in the World Series of poker, and tens of millions of amateurs play poker all around the country each and every week at the many casinos and elsewhere.  It’s huge!  There are celebrity poker games now featured on television where people in the millions watch them play the game of poker for hours to see who will win.  It’s amazing!

Now, I say all this to make a powerful point through the following allegory (a story in which the characters and events symbolize a deeper underlying meaning).  I call this allegory “Playing Poker With Jesus”. Now this is a game you want to lose. But there are a lot of prideful people who want to compete with Jesus trying to win the game at all costs in their own strength.

The Bible calls these people self righteous.  Example:  Jesus bets a commandment, any one of the ten, it doesn’t matter.  They say “I can keep that one; I’ll call your bet, Jesus.” Now by calling His bet they are saying they need only 90% of Jesus in their life.  Jesus bets another commandment.  They say again, “I can do that.”

So they call His bet again. Now they’re saying they only need 80% of Jesus.  And before long they are saying I don’t need Jesus at all.  The point here that I am trying to make using this allegory is that you don’t want to call Jesus’ bets.  You want to fold and give Him all of your chips.  And by doing so, you win.  It’s victory in Jesus! With Jesus we don’t have to win, He has already won it for us on the cross!  Thank you Jesus!

Oh, by the way, Jesus is the only one who can keep the Ten Commandments.  Jesus is the only one who can keep the law.  He is the only one who ever did and the only one who ever will.  And He will do it all for us, in us, and through us, if we will just fold (surrender our bodies to Him as a living sacrifice).

But you know there are some people out there that are so prideful, they don’t want to fold, no matter how high the stakes. They have huge egos.   (EGO), Edging God Out.

Under the law Jesus said, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away…and if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” Matthew 5:29,30

I am told by reliable sources that each year there are some people around the world who literally will gouge out their eye or cut off their hand to “win or stay in the game”, self righteousness to the extreme! That’s why Jesus Christ came into the world, to save us from ourselves.  Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”  Please believe Him.   All we have to do is fold (die to self) and offer Him our bodies as a living sacrifice. Then we win.  Thank you Jesus, again!

LIFE LESSON:  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,  which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  (Ephesians 2:8-10)   Don’t play games with Jesus.  Yield to Him, our Savior, our Lord, and our very life. 

We appreciate and need your continued prayer and financial support to keep this Gospel of Grace ministry going. Thank you for your faithfulness in both.

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.

Have you ever made a mistake?  Have you ever made a mistake and knew it was a mistake when you made it?  Have you ever made a mistake, knew it was a mistake when you made it, and made the mistake again?

One of the most difficult things for us humans to do is to admit that we have made a mistake.  What do people do with their mistakes?  Well, a dentist’s mistake is pulled out, a teacher’s mistake is failed, a lawyer’s mistake is imprisoned, a printer’s mistake is corrected, a pharmacist’s mistake is buried, a postman’s mistake is forwarded, and an electrician’s mistake could be shocking.

Life, like war, is a series of mistakes, and one is not the victor who makes the fewest mistakes; but one is the victor who learns, corrects, and grows from their mistakes.

“A mistake is an opportunity to begin again more intelligently.”

What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made?  The biggest mistake I’ve ever made as a born again believer was trying to live my life under the law.  It is generally believed that knowing and following the do’s and don’ts makes you a better Christian.  However, the Bible says the Law empowers and increases sin.  Do you believe the Bible?

The Bible says, “…the law gives sin its power.”  (I Cor 15:56)

The Bible says:  “The law came in so that the transgression (sin) would increase;…”(Rom 5:20)

The Bible says:  “…And the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as the person who has broken all of God’s laws.” (James 2:10)

The Bible says:  “For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die.”  (Gal 2:21)

The Bible says:  “But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under His curse…”  (Gal 3:30)

By grasping this truth in the Bible, you will understand one of the greatest misunderstandings in the church today.  Jesus was letting us know that no man could keep the law, and that everyone needs a savior.  The law is used to lead everyone to the only Savior, Jesus Christ.

Let me illustrate.  Pretend you knew everybody on the face of the earth was going to die from a disease.  And you had the only antidote that could save their lives, but no one believed that they were sick and going to die.  This truly would be frustrating, don’t you agree?  So you invent an x-ray machine that reveals the fatal disease within them that will cause their death.  Once they understand and believe, people would then be lined up for miles around your house to get the antidote.

Here is the application.  The x-ray machine is the law, it reveals what is wrong.  The antidote is Jesus Christ, the cure for what is wrong.  When unbelievers take the antidote, Jesus Christ  into their lives; the fatal disease is cured and gone forever.  They are saved and now have eternal life in Christ. After one receives the antidote, there is no longer a need for the x-ray machine (the law).  It has done its job for the new Christian.

LIFE LESSON:  The law, which is holy and perfect, was designed to convict unbelievers of their sin and their need for the Savior.  Paul writes, “Well, then, am I suggesting that the law of God is evil?  Of course not!  The law is not sinful, but it was the law that showed me my sin.”  (Rom 7:7)  Only Jesus Christ can save you from the penalty of sin that the law reveals. Only Jesus Christ can give you a right standing before God.  Remember, a mistake is an opportunity to begin again more intelligently.  Thank you Jesus for the truth that sets us free!

We appreciate and need your continued support and partnership to keep this gospel of grace ministry going.  Everything we do is dependent on the faithful generosity of people like you.  Thank you for your faithfulness.

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.

Reel Living is like being in the movies vs Real Living like being the body of Christ.

Shakespeare said, “The world is a stage and all the people are the players.”  Well then, we are playing the role of our lives…or are we?

In Reel Living it’s all about Hollywood, movies, academy awards, assigned roles, pre-written scripts to follow, directors, and mostly happy endings.

In Real Living as Christians we also have assigned roles to play, a pre-written script to follow, a master director, and a happy ending.  It’s not just in the movies.

Let’s look at the assigned role our director Lord Jesus has given us to play in our pre-written script. It states very clearly that our role is to be the body of Christ, literally.  The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 12:1, “And so dear brothers and sisters,  I plead with you to give your bodies to God.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will accept. When you think of what He has done for you, is this too much to ask?“  (Romans 12:1 NLT)

In 2 Corinthians 4:11  Paul explains why we are to be the body of Christ, “For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, (why?), so that His life may be revealed in our mortal body.”  Well, there it is, we are the body of Christ.

Please remember the mystery of our faith is “Christ in you the hope of glory,”  (Colossians 1:27)  Our pre-written script tells us “He is not served by human hands as if He needed anything because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.”  “For in Him we live and move and have our very being.”  Acts 17:25,28

Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches…apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)   Remember a branch cannot bear fruit; all production comes from the vine who is the Lord. And some day we will be rewarded for what we didn’t do but for what Christ did through us!

Romans 3:12 clearly tells us “There is no one who does good, not even one.”   Goodness is a fruit of the spirit produced by the new life within.

Our pre-written script also tells us “For we all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10

LIFE LESSON:  Only a work of Christ will be rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ. God worked through His son and His son works through us.  The son can’t work through us if we put ourselves on the throne instead of the Lord Jesus.  Real living like being the body of Christ brings honor and glory to the Lord and His kingdom vs Reel living like in the movies is for show only.  Nothing more than wood, hay, and stubble.

Christianity is all about self-replacement not self-improvement.  Jesus doesn’t make us better, Jesus is our better.  It’s Christ in you, the hope of glory.

We appreciate and need your continued support and partnership to keep this gospel of grace ministry going.  Everything we do is dependent on the faithful generosity of people like you.  Thank you for your faithfulness.

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.

Do you ever feel inadequate or maybe unable to serve our Lord?  Do you ever worry, whine, or feel sorry for yourself?  There was a time in my life when if I didn’t get what I wanted as fast as I wanted it, like wanting the front of the bus, the back of the church, or the middle of the road, and as a result I would have a tendency to whine, worry, and feel sorry for myself.  I’d blame everyone and everything for my shortcomings, everyone but me.

But some 30 years ago a bestselling author friend of mine, Og Mandino was autographing his latest book at a book store. An elderly lady came up to him and gave him a piece of paper and said, “If ever you feel the walls of the world closing in on you and you have no place else to go, perhaps this little verse of mine will help you as your books have helped me.  She then walked off.  She did not sign the contents, but my friend shared it with me; and I, in turn, now share it with you.

It’s a little piece called “God Forgive Me When I Whine”and it goes like this:

Today upon a bus I saw a lovely girl with golden hair.

I envied her, she seemed so happy.  I wished I were as fair.

When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle.

She had one leg and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile.

I stopped to buy some candy.  The lad who waited on me had such charm.

We talked a while, he seemed so glad.  If I were late, would do not harm.

And as I left, he said to me, “Thank you, you’ve been so kind.

It’s nice to talk with folks like you.  You see,” he said, “I’m blind.”

Later walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue.

She stood and watched the others play.  She didn’t seem to know what to do.

I stopped a moment and said, “Why don’t you join the others, dear?”

She looked ahead without a word, and then I knew she could not hear.

With legs to take us where we go, and eyes to see each sunset’s glow.

And ears to hear what we should know,

Forgive us God when we whine.

We’re blessed indeed, this world is mine.

I don’t always understand the application and truth behind Romans 8:28 “God works all things for the good”, but I believe it. It reads: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”

We have a sovereign God who knows what’s best. So, if you ever find yourself worrying, feeling inadequate, thinking God can’t use you in His plan of salvation because you’re unable, remember not only this little poem, but remember the following names as well.  Moses stuttered, David’s armor didn’t fit, John Mark was rejected by Paul, Jacob was a liar, David had an affair, Solomon was too rich, Abraham was too old, David too young, Peter was afraid of death, Lazarus was dead, Paul was a murderer and so was Moses, Jonah ran from God, Miriam was a gossip, Gideon and Thomas both doubted, Martha was a worry wart, Mary was lazy, Noah got drunk, Elijah got stressed out, but God worked through all of them and He will work through all of us.

Forgive us God when we whine.  We’re blessed indeed, this world is mine.

LIFE LESSON:  “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalms 121:1,2)  We have a personal God who is involved in and cares about our daily lives.  Ask Him to work through you and watch what Jesus does.  We have not because we ask not.

Then remember to thank and praise Him for all He does.

We appreciate and need your continued support and partnership to keep this gospel of grace ministry going.  Thank you for your faithfulness in both.

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.

Time is all the minutes, days, months, and years of the past, present, and the future.  How many days in a year?  How many days in a month?  Days in a week?  Hours in a day?  Minutes in an hour?  Seconds in a minute?  Boy you guys are good!  How about this one?  How many seconds in a day?  Gotcha here, didn’t I, maybe?  The answer is 86,400 seconds.

So, how do you spend your time each day?  Are you scheduling time with the Rock of your Salvation?  God’s Word says “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  This day, today, has 24 hours or 86,400 seconds in it, and everyone has the same amount of time to spend in each day.  Picture this:  every day, $86,400 is placed in your bank account to spend with one stipulation. If you don’t spend it all, you lose it. Now you can spend it on things of personal value, physical value, or things that are of eternal value.  Of course you know, that in the end when our lives are over here on earth, only things of eternal value will remain. Everything else is wood, hay, and stubble.  Well, how we spend our time, those 86,400 seconds each and every day is really no different.  Only the time we spend on eternal matters will matter.  But keeping track of this time is another issue.

Did you know that in 1790 only 10 per cent of the population had a clock to tell time and no clock had a minute hand?  Up until 1900, there were no wrist watches. Time has sure changed.  But the question remains, how do you spend your time? Do you have time to spare or are you just killing time?

A teacher was illustrating a time management principal for his students.   He took out a big glass jar which he said represented a new day.  Then he took a tray of big rocks and asked his class how many rocks it would take to fill the jar.  Some said 5, some said 6, so he put the big rocks in until it seemed full. Then he asked them if the jar was full and they all said yes.  He then took a tray of smaller rocks and started filling them in around the big rocks, he then asked the same question, is the jar full?  They again said yes.  The teacher then poured sand into the jar, filling it to the top.  This time the students insisted the jar was full.  He then took a glass of water and poured it into the jar, finally filling it to the brim.  Then he makes his point which is:  “If you don’t put the big rocks in first, the most important things you have to accomplish that day, you will never get them into your day.”

So the real keyis to begin filling your day with what’s most important.  And what’s most important for the Christian is to spend time with Jesus.

Let us not allow this busy world to place obstacles in our path to divert our time and focus away from God’s purpose for our lives.

KEY VERSE:  “Whatever you do whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”  Col 3:17  Time is of the essence.

LIFE LESSON:  “All knowledge is the outgrowth of obedience – everything else is just information. Information must be converted to application or it will do you absolutely no good.”  (Watchman Nee)  “The aim of learning is not just knowledge, it’s application.  When one brings together knowledge and application, it equals wisdom.  Wisdom is applied knowledge.”

The book of Esther in the Old Testament, Chapter 4:14b says, “And who knows but that you have come to royalposition…for such a time as this.”  The book of 1 Peter in the New Testament Chapter 2:9 says,  “But you are a chosen people, a royalpriesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”  Time is of the essence.   And let me add…”for such a time as this.”

We appreciate and need your continued support and partnership to keep this gospel of grace ministry going.  Thank you for your faithfulness in both.

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.

Another Easter has come and gone, and we have been reminded again that Jesus is alive…He is risen indeed!

Major Ian Thomas wrote “Jesus died for us to give His life to us, to live His life through us.”   The resurrection changed everything!

Dr. Charles Stanley wrote in the In Touch magazine, “The truth is, apart from the work of the Spirit of Christ, we cannot live the Christian life.  I had already been in ministry a long time when I finally understood that, and it was a major shock to me.  Nowhere in the Bible does God say it’s my responsibility to live a godly life; rather, it is the work of the Spirit to live the Christian life through me.”  The resurrection changed everything!

Max Lucado wrote “When grace happens, Christ enters. Christ in you, the hope of glory! For many years I missed this truth. I believed all the other prepositions: Christ for me, with me, ahead of me. But I never imagined that Christ was in me.  I can’t blame my deficiency on Scripture.  Paul referred to the indwelling Christ 216 times!  John mentions His presence 26 times.”

“No other religion or philosophy makes such a claim. No other movement implies the living presence of its founder in his followers.  Mohammed does not indwell Muslims.  Buddha does not inhabit Buddhists.  Influence?  Instruct? Yes.  But occupy?  No! The mystery of Christianity is summarized in Colossians 1:27, “Christ in you, the hope of glory!”  The Christian is a person in whom Christ is happening!  Little by little a new image emerges!   All because of God’s grace!”  The resurrection changed everything!

The disciples asked Jesus this question, “What is the work God requires of us?” Jesus answered, “To believe in the one that God has sent.”  (John 6:29) His Word also tells us to stay connected to the vine and to yield to the Spirit life within. Remember

“we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  (Ephesians 2:10)

LIFE LESSON:  When we are born again, we are indwelt by the Spirit of Christ who enables us to live in a way God knew we never could on our own.  As the Apostle Paul taught us in Galatians 2:20: “. . .  it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”  His death frees us from the penalty of sin; His life frees us from the power of sin. Jesus doesn’t make us better, Jesus is our better!   John 8:32 tells us “…once you know the truth, the truth will set you free.”  We serve a living Savior!  He is risen indeed!  The resurrection changed everything!

We appreciate and need your continued support and partnership to keep this gospel of grace ministry going.  Alert!! Giving has been way down this year but we are believing that God will provide what is needed.  Thank you again for your faithfulness.

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.