Buckets of Grace -- week one

This past Sunday, we started a new series called "Buckets of Grace." During this series, we will spend the next six weeks looking at the letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the churches in the area of Galatia (in what is today Southern Turkey). If you have not read the letter, I'd encourage you to read it. It is six chapters long and will take about 15 to 20 minutes. Maybe read it through several times during the series. Make a note of any questions that come to mind, and feel free to let me know what they are.

The theme of Galatians is grace and freedom -- two interconnected things. The Apostle Paul says in his letter to the Ephesian churches, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) He says in the letter that we are studying, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1) Grace -- a gift from God, freedom -- relieved from slavery to the many things that keep us from truly experiencing Him (often the things we think we need to do to earn God's love or approval). Yesterday I defined religion as "Because of what I do, God will (might) accept me," and the Gospel as "God accepts me. And, that affects what I do."

- Have you thought about those differences before?
- Do you agree with those distinctions?
- What questions do these distinctions bring to mind?
- Would you say that your life is more defined by religion or by gospel?

Next Sunday we will talk more about the idea that God actually wants us to lose our religion (using my definition of religion).

Jesus does not give us a checklist of do's and don'ts in order to be a good Christian. Instead, He wants you to be so overwhelmed by the fact that He loves you and invites you to follow Him and partner with Him in demonstrating His Kingdom in your life, that it cannot help but influence your thoughts, choices and behaviors. That, is the outworking of grace, that is the inflowing of freedom.

- Do you agree with that statement?
- Does it give you a sense of freedom? Or does it make you anxious? Why?

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