Clothed with Christ

This past Sunday in our 6th grade class we discussed a very important topic that Paul was addressing with the Galatian church. Many of the Jews at the time were having a hard time accepting salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and were trying to add requirements from the Law of Moses. Paul’s narrative was […]

This past Sunday in our 6th grade class we discussed a very important topic that Paul was addressing with the Galatian church. Many of the Jews at the time were having a hard time accepting salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and were trying to add requirements from the Law of Moses. Paul’s narrative was convicting for the Jews in the first century and even for Christians today.

First, Paul was astonished that the Christians were so quickly deserting the Gospel of Christ for another message. He reminded them that anyone who preached another gospel other than Jesus Christ was to be cursed! That strong language is our warning that we must preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all honestly as God has delivered to us.

Next, Paul also had to call out Peter for falling into this trap. You know, the one who denied Jesus and was fearless in proclaiming the Gospel at the beginning of acts. Even with all the “knowledge” we may possess of the Bible, we must always DO what God SAYS.

So how does clothed with Christ have anything to do with this conversation? Paul says “those who have been baptized INTO Christ have been CLOTHED with Christ”. The Galatians were trying to clothe themselves with works of the Law and that just does not work. Once we sin, that’s it, we deserve punishment. Thankfully, we don’t have to remain separated from God.

We discussed in class how many professions can be recognized just by their uniforms. The same is when we clothe ourselves with Christ. When we are clothed with Christ, the world will see Jesus in our life. Most importantly, at the judgment seat in front of God, He will see Christ and his perfection, not our sin. He gave us that clothing because he took our punishment on the cross. We can’t do anything to earn that clothing, all we have to do is put it on in faith.

We’ve seen a few this week put on that Clothing. Maria, Breanna and Dylan because of their faith clothed themselves with Jesus Christ in baptism. Pray for them as they start their walk of faith in Christ!

Kidmin 101

This past Sunday night, I shared five core values that our Children’s Ministry is founded on. These values are what helps keep each event, activity, and class in line with our overall mission. The core values are: 1. Know: Our children will learn to know God and the...

Faith On a Shelf

I have this hat that my dad brought back to me from a business trip to Atlanta when I was 9 or 10 years old. You can see that I’ve worn it a lot. In fact, I wore it to just about everywhere I went during the summer when I was a kid. Church camps, grandparents’ house,...

“Jesus Loves Me”

After being led in this song by two of our young men Sunday night, I was reminded of a quotation from Karl Barth. On April 23, 1962, Karl Barth (the renown 20th Century Swiss-German, neo-orthodox theologian) spoke at Rockefeller Chapel on the campus of the University...

That’s Not a Candle

Several years ago, there was story shared about a woman from Connecticut whose power had gone out during a storm. She left her house to go to a local hardware store to purchase some flashlights, but the store was closed. She returned home and found what she thought...

The Post-Christian Problem

I attended the New Day Conference in Murfreesboro, Tennessee at the end of last week with a small group from Riverchase. It was a good conference and I left encouraged about the opportunities we have to fulfill the call of Christ to make disciples. On Friday evening,...

Josiah’s Reform

In the thirty-one years of his rule, King Josiah proved to be a faithful man of God and a great king of Judah. He served God from the beginning as a young king and grew into a greater understanding of God’s will and a determination to follow that will. He made a...

You Are What You Eat

You Are What You Eat You’ve heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” Simply defined, it means that you should eat healthy if you want to be healthy. This phrase can trace its roots back to the early 1800’s. It came from the 1826 work The Physiology of Taste, in which...

It Is Well

Above the piano in our house is a large wood sign with the phrase, “it is well with my soul” on it. Kimberly and I purchased it during a season of our life together where we were not completely sure what the future had in store for our little family. Since then, the...

Do Over

  I messed up on recording my recent radio programs. The sound quality was so bad Mark could not run them on the air. So, I deleted them and recorded them again.   I sure wish I could do that in real life with all the other mistakes I make. Just delete them...

Don’t Believe Your Preacher

Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (2 John 1:9 ESV) Here is the test. The “teaching of Christ” is, of course, the very word of God. So, if your...