Galatians 3:1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. How easy it is to get distracted from the Lord's will and way for our life. We have one or two things get us off track and before long we forget what the main thing is and that God is wanting us to get back on the track He set before us. Sometimes the distraction can be a tough situation that we run from or an easy situation that lures us into mediocrity and apathy. Whatever the cause, we must keep focused on what Jesus wants us to do with the life He has given us. Churches get distracted and begin to follow the whims of a few and miss the goal for the whole body. This is how politics get a firm hold in a church fellowship and the end result is a compromise to the main thing the church should be doing.
Paul addressed the church at Galatia because they had lost their original focus and false teachings had crept into their fellowship and it was getting them off track. They had let a lack of focus cause some chains to hold back their fellowship from warping forward as when they had first begun and those chains needed to be broken to get on track again.
In verse 2 Paul asked this question 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. It was Paul's words of challenge that caused this fellowship to examine what direction they had taken and his words were very convicting and not easy to hear or say. Paul brought them back to the realization of the prompting of the Holy Spirit and not the prompting of people of marginal faith. The problem was that Jewish Christians and their Judaism were driving their purpose and they didn't even realize it. So Paul gave them a gospel truth bomb to wake them up to the fact that they were distracted!!
What will it take to keep us from being distracted? Prayer, purpose, and passion for the Word of God. The Word of God will keep us on track if we will keep the truth of God's Word as our focus and aim. It is very basic. Share the gospel, win converts, disciple converts to win converts, and keep that the main thing. All other ministries and directions fall under those basic things. No fluff ministry!! No fluff theology! No distractions from the purposes of God!
1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.
The Pilgrimage Continues.
David Warren
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