2 To: The Messianic communities in Galatia:
3 Grace and shalom to you from God our Father and from the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, 4 who gave himself for our sins, so that he might deliver us from the present evil world-system, in obedience to the will of God, our Father. 5 To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.
6 I am astounded that you are so quick to remove yourselves from me, the one who called you by the Messiah’s grace, and turn to some other supposedly “Good News,” 7 which is not good news at all! What is really happening is that certain people are pestering you and trying to pervert the genuine Good News of the Messiah. 8 But even if we — or, for that matter, an angel from heaven! — were to announce to you some so-called “Good News” contrary to the Good News we did announce to you, let him be under a curse forever! 9 We said it before, and I say it again: if anyone announces “Good News” contrary to what you received, let him be under a curse forever!
10 Now does that sound as if I were trying to win human approval? No! I want God’s approval! Or that I’m trying to cater to people? If I were still doing that, I would not be a servant of the Messiah.
RG AUDIO 022615"Sharing Our Hope In The Gospel" by Author: Duane C. Brush
My grandmother suffered the tragic death of her youngest child, a three-year-old daughter. Shortly after the funeral her pastor came to call. “Will I see my daughter again in heaven?” she asked. “Well, we are not sure exactly what things will be like in heaven. I don’t know if we will be able to recognize one another or not,” the minister lamely responded. His answer did not satisfy her, so when two ladies later came to her door she asked them the same question. “O yes, you will see your daughter again, in a recreated earthly paradise. We have a book that tells all about it. Would you like a copy?” She did, and spent the rest of her life as part of their cult.
The gospel is not about telling people what they want to hear, but neither is it about sharing our idle thoughts and worthless speculations. There are any number of scriptures that minister could have shared with my grieving grandmother. A compassionate, heartfelt prayer would have been better than what he did.
In the end, when we fail to offer the true hope of the gospel the enemy will be ready to offer a false one in its place.
Hymn for Today: "Heaven In The Real World" by Steven Curtis Chapman
I saw it again today in the face of a little child
Looking through the eyes of fear and uncertainty
It echoed in a cry for freedom across the street and across the miles
Cries from the heart to find the missing part
Where is the hope, where is the peace?
That will make this life complete
For every man, woman, boy, and girl
Looking for heaven in the real world
To stand in the pouring rain and believe the sun is gonna shine again
To know that the grave is not the end
To feel the embrace of grace and cross the line where real life begins
And know in your heart you've found the missing part
And there is a hope, and there is a peace
That will make this life complete
For every man, woman, boy, and girl
Looking for heaven in the real world
Looking for heaven in the real world
It happened one night with a tiny baby's birth
God heard creation crying and He sent heaven to earth
He is the hope, and the peace
That will make this life complete
For every man, woman, boy and girl
Jesus is the hope, and the peace
That will make this life complete
For every man, woman, boy and girl
Jesus is heaven in the real world
Jesus is heaven in the real world
Yes he is
Jesus is heaven
He is heaven in the real world
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