A Restoration Movement

“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.  Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:1–2 NAS95).

Anyone who has been involved in a physical restoration process, such as a home, car, etc., knows that success depends on many different factors.  The same is true of spiritual restoration.  In the verses above, the apostle Paul highlights several factors that are important in restoring someone caught up in sin.

First, restoration is best done by someone who is qualified and has experience.  Paul refers to that person as “spiritual.”  In the context of the letter to the Galatians, that is the person who is endeavoring to live and be led by the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:16,18,25).  

Second, restoration should be done gently.  This is no time for recklessness or heavy-handedness.  A bad situation can be made worse by one who approaches the offender with an attitude of moral superiority or impatience.  The numerous examples of how Jesus dealt with sinners provide excellent guidance in this area.

Third, restoration should be done carefully.  In this case, Paul isn’t referring to the one being helped.  The warning is for the helper -- the one seeking to restore the wayward one.  The temptation is always there to become ensnared ourselves.  Perhaps the reference is to the sin of the one we are trying help or maybe it speaks of the temptation to help in the wrong kind of ways.  Either way, we need to guard against becoming the next victim of sin.

Fourth, restoration is a natural outgrowth of the care and concern we should have for one another.  It is just one way, among many others, of “bearing one another’s burdens.”  If we are looking out for each other as we should, we won’t hesitate to step in and help where we can.

Do you want to be a restorationist?  Paul shows us how!

God loves you!

Mike

Love Your Neighbor

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (Galatians 5:13–15).

As I read news reports of the turmoil that is enveloping much of our nation, I think of these verses that we recently considered in our study of Galatians.  I realize that Paul is addressing relationships among believers in the body of Christ and not national issues.  But it seems to me that some of the same principles could apply in any situation where humans interact.

Principle #1: Freedom is easily abused.  Our nation has been an experiment in freedom from the very beginning.  And, sadly, that freedom has been abused in many ways from the very beginning.  Freedom hasn’t been equally applied in too many cases.  But addressing the abuse of freedom with more abuses of freedom just feeds the beast.  It perpetuates and deepens the problem.

Principle #2: Love accomplishes more than law.  Yes, laws are needed and should be respected in an orderly society.  But without love for others, laws can become tools for evil by being unequally administered and abused.  When hate rules, no amount of law can restrain evil.  Society will devolve into anarchy in spite of its laws.  But when love for each other is the guiding force, law doesn’t have to be preeminent.

Principle #3: Hate is destructive.  When a nation begins to “bite and devour each other,” mutual destruction is assured.  And who is the winner then?  The one who takes the last bite?  The last person standing can claim to be “king of the world” while standing on a pile of smoldering rubble.  Seems like a hollow victory to me.  But what do I know...

Loving one another seems so simplistic in the face of such turmoil.  But it really is the answer.

God loves you!

Mike

Do Your Homework

        The title of a recent article on scitechdaily.com matter-of-factly proclaimed: “Kepler Space Telescope Reveals as Many as Six Billion Earth-Like Planets in Our Galaxy.”*  Amazing, right?  The advances of modern science are truly breath-taking as astronomers are able to gaze deeper and deeper into the dark recesses of our corner of the universe.  But be careful before sharing this particular headline as an established fact.
As you read the article, you find that those involved in the project aren’t nearly as certain as the title of the article assumes.  In fact, the very first sentence doesn’t sound nearly as confident: “There MAY (emphasis mine, MJA) be as many as one Earth-like planet for every five Sun-like stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, according to new ESTIMATES (emphasis mine, MJA) by University of British Columbia astronomers using data from NASA’s Kepler mission.”  Here’s another example: “According to UBC astronomer Jaymie Matthews: “Our Milky Way has as many as 400 billion stars, with seven percent of them being G-type. That means less than six billion stars MAY HAVE (emphasis mine, MJA) Earth-like planets in our Galaxy.”
What’s my point?  Take the time to do your research.  Be very careful about grabbing a headline and running with it.  This is especially so in the Internet age.  Bold statements are made and, often, we swallow them without checking the facts.  And this is true in every area of life, not only science.  Believers can be susceptible to this in religion as well.  We can be quick to grab the latest “amazing” headline that seems to bolster our case and then get embarrassed because we didn’t do our homework.  Sometimes, if we had just taken the time to investigate the claim, we could avoid ending up with egg on our faces.
I’m not anti-science.  If it turns out there are “...as Many as Six Billion Earth-Like Planets in Our Galaxy,” I’m fine with that.  But at this point, if I do my homework, I know it is just a theory, not a fact.

God loves you!
Mike
*https://scitechdaily.com/kepler-space-telescope-reveals-as-many-as-six-billion-earth-like-planets-in-our-galaxy/

Professing and Practicing

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.  Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:25–26).

Being made alive through the Spirit of God is an incredible gift!  Our Savior Himself said that “...it is the Spirit who gives life” (John 6.63).  Though we were all dead in our trespasses, transgressions, and sins, it was God who, through the work of His Spirit, “...made us alive together with Christ…” (Eph. 2:1-6).  It’s the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus that has released us from bondage to sin (Romans 8:2).  If we are indwelt by the Spirit of God, we share in the resurrection power of God (Romans 8:11).  I could go on and on with references to the blessings of the life we enjoy through the Spirit of God.  We should be eternally grateful for the life we live by the Spirit.

But Paul says that’s only one part of our response.  Not only should be gratefully accept the life given by the power of the Spirit, we also should order our lives according to the desires of the Spirit.  Not only does God make us alive,  but He also directs us in the right way to keep on living.  It’s at this point where some believers stall in their maturity.  They are more than happy to accept the blessings of God’s Spirit, but they are hesitant to submit to the direction of God’s Spirit.  It’s as if they say, “God, please save me but don’t tell me how to live.”  No, they probably wouldn’t say it outloud that way, but that is how it works out in practice (or, better yet, lack of practice).

 According to the inspired apostle in Galatians 5, there are ways a Spiritually-regenerated believer acts and speaks and there are ways a Spiritually-regenerated believer doesn’t act and speak.  Periodically, I need to do an assessment.  Does my walk match my talk?  Does my practice match my profession?

            How about you?

God loves you!

Mike