charisbarak

It set David apart for future kingship. The H.S. coming on David gave him God's power. It gave him discernment to act in a godly way. In being led by God, he chose right attitudes, actions. We have no power apart from Him.

We need to be discerning and follow the Lord's leading. Instinctively, we tend to judge matters looking on the outside--God chooses by looking on the heart. God puts us in circumstances where we need to rely on Him so we can be discerning. We need to be in fellowship with Him to do this--rely on Him totally. We listen to the Spirit by being in His Word & saturating ourselves with it and praying for that leading & discernment.

Rebellion is doing things our own way. It is disobedience. When we have pride we think we can do it ourselves, our way. If we find it in our hearts, we need to confess it right away & repent. If we don't we'll be up for a great fall--discipline by God!

Believing Gentiles & Jews. Those excluded are unbelieving Gentiles & Jews. We were grafted into the original tree by His mercy & grace, not because we were so special. Original branches broken off can be grafted in again if they come to a believing faith.

The new creation is one who is born of the Spirit and shows the fruit of the Spirit. The old creation walks by the flesh. The old creation lacks the Holy Spirit. The passage in John speaks of being born of the Spirit--the Spirit lives in us who have been saved.

We tend to get weary living out our faith when we are doing it under our own power. Sometimes we take on more than we should--our families suffer & so do we. Sometimes we need to ask ourseves what is the motivation for what we're doing.... At the proper time we'll reap a harvest if we don't give up. We need to support one another, encourage each other & help each other grow to be able to reach out to the non-Christians.

Behaving in the flesh rather than the Spirit It looks like someone who is not a Christian--yet called themselves a Christian. Sow to the Spirit--live by the Spirit, led by the Spirit, keep in step with the Spirit A congregation who has sown to the Spirit is a yielded, unified body caring for one another more than themselves and reaching out to the lost A congregation who has sown to the flesh is splintered, with factions, shriveling, not effective at evangelism--an unhappy bunch!

Someone found to be in an unexpected action of falling into a certain temptation. Restoration is a process. If the person desires restoration, the church has a plan to restore the person to fellowship. Spirit-led believers should be the ones to help with the restoration. It should be done in a spirit of humility--we could easily fall too. It is a disaster. No restoration would take place without damaging someone and the person with pride has fallen into a worse sin.

To crucify the flesh is to put to death the acts of the flesh, thoughts of the flesh, yielding to the flesh. The Holy Spirit is to take over!! Technically, a Christian could be a Christian without totally putting aside the works of the flesh, but there would be little growth and not much of the fruit of the Spirit. I think we have lukewarm Christians for several reasons. One is that when people come to Christ they may not totally understand what happens when the Holy Spirit lives in us--they need to be discipled. Many need to be in small groups with accountability, learning from one another. Another reason could be a lukewarm church with a lukewarm pastor and lukewarm services. Those persons are totally being misled. I think going back & getting training in the basics, perhaps with the thought to begin to evangelize, would help them grow. Many are not involved with a body--just attending services & calling themselves Christians.

The Holy Spirit gradually changes us to be more like Jesus. The process is sanctification. If there seems to be little or no growth in a person it could mean that he/she isn't really saved. Only God knows for sure. Evidence of fruit is so important--if you're not growing, you're declining!! James is the type of "fruit inspector" we should be--especially in ourselves!!

Forbearance comes from really loving others as ourselves--accepting the fact we are all sinners & need God's love. The Holy Spirit allows us to be patient with others, mending & healing within the body--smoothing over the rough places.

Joy and peace come from knowing God, loving God and knowing He loves us. We, because we know He loves us, can put our complete trust in Him--giving us joy & peace in believing.

They resist Paul's warning because they think Jesus has accepted them and they're safe from the fire! "Those who live like that will be forgiven and are going to heaven. No problem!"

Sex, Self, Sin against God

It is impossible for us to live a sinless life, but we can rely on the Holy Spirit and His power to help us choose the right actions. We are now not slaves to sin, so we can be slaves to Jesus Christ & righteousness. Yielding to the Spirit strengthens you & helps you to not be carried away by fleshly desires. Spirit led living is possible, but sometimes we fall. The more we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us--prayer & Bible study--strengthens our faith and strengthens our consciences--then we can live that Spirit led life.

Yes, I've seen Christians act as though they were lawless. Makes you wonder if they're really saved at all.... Spirit-led Christians fulfil the law by loving and serving others as themselves. Back-biting & rudeness in a congregation tells us they are spiritually carnal & that they have no witness in their community.

The Jews were disappointed to find out their sin when they had Jesus Christ killed--they weren't ready to admit He was their Messiah. The cross is still a stumbling block today. People don't like to think about something as severe as Christ dying on the cross. Nor do they like to hear that Jesus died for their sins! Yes, in some places more emphasis is put on God's love rather than His judgment. By all means it compromises the message. There really isn't a message without it!!

It is circumcision of the heart by the Holy Spirit. It's an "inside job!" Faith expressed in love.

Trading the status they had under the freedom Christ brought and accepting the bondage of trying to keep the law. It is ignoring Christ's finished work on the cross & go back to trying to do it themselves. They left God's grace to be put back under the law--trying to earn salvation--according to the old covenant. We can concentrate on our own good works--being under the bondage of the law instead of accepting what Christ did for us. We don't work for our salvation. God did the work. Praise Him!

After belng led to a saving faith, these Galatians were going back to ritualistic ways & it troubled Paul. No parent wants to see his child go backward in growth. When Christ is formed in a person, he is operating under the Holy Spirit--not double-minded--changing often. He will show the Fruit of the Spirit. The process involves following Jesus in prayer, Bible study and obedience.

No, but the Galatians were making the holidays ritually binding. Judaism was going back to observe the law--putting themselves under bondage to the law--not as a bondslave to Christ. We can observe special days if we use it to glorify God. Once they become ritually binding or a work of righteousness, they're wrong.

The Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are sons of God and joint-heirs with Christ. It means father, daddy. We have the privilege of coming to God as our daddy. Being joint-heirs with Christ means we can share in His sufferings and His glory. No. Jesus was not created. We do have the same Spirit living in us, however and are joint-heirs with Him.

Both Jews and Gentiles were enslaved to sin and the law. Redeemed--buy back--to deliver/liberate. We were adopted as sons with full status as born sons.

It was totally in God's timing, fulfilling scripture. In the religious community there was a strong expectation of the coming of Messiah. There were good roads for travel and common laws to protect travelers. And, there was a common language.

Yes, I think so. The Jews were the "chosen people." Our unity comes from being baptized into Christ. We are not looking at race, sex, or anything else--we are all equal under Jesus Christ. I think probably so. Not that I've seen in our church. I hope I never do see it! It needs to be corrected when found....