Spiritual Training

Spiritual Training X2

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November 15 - Evening

"You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?”
- Galatians 3:1-3

What Have You Been Smok'n?


Paul continues in Galatians chapter 3 to rebuke the Galatian believers for turning away from the message he presented. They have exchanged the truth of the Word of God that can save and transform their souls, for a different message. After having been justified by faith and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Galatians are building their Christian lives and spiritual performance on works of the Jewish Law. This is similar to the modern evangelical church pushing their born again believers into a life of “application” and “ministry,” instead of allowing these believers to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” 
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:2

“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” – Hebrews 5:13-14

The apostolic message has the both the power to save the spirit and renew the soul. This is why both Jesus and his apostles continue to encourage believers to “continue” in the word that saved them and not drift off into a life of Law. Today this could be compared to a modern form of legalism practiced by the Western evangelical churches. They give their followers a steady diet of dumbed-down sermons laced with points of application and pleas to get involved in church activities because church leaders feel this generation, who otherwise seems to manage more information on a daily basis than any generation before them, can’t handle the truth.
“So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are really my disciples.’ ” – John 8:31

“Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God.” – 2 John 1:9

The Galatians had begun with the Word of God that brought salvation through the renewal of the Holy Spirit, but then they decided to finish the work of salvation by working in the flesh. Paul asks them:
“After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?’ – Galatians 3:3

Paul calls them “fools” and asks them “who has bewitched you?” The word “fools” is not the Greek word moros used often by Jesus to refer to people he encountered as being mentally deficient, and so, because of their lack of mental ability they played the part of the fool. Instead, Paul uses the Greek word anoetos for “fool.” Anoetos refers to people who have the ability and have been given the information, but they fail to use their powers of perception “to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:13-14) and they were not “able to test and approve what God’s will is” (Romans 12:2)
“Bewitched” literally refers to the hypnotic spell that many believed came from being caught in the stare of the “evil-eye.” Paul’s message was so clear and the saving/transforming power of the Holy Spirit was so tangible in their lives that Paul imagines that the only way the Galatians could have been convinced to switch directions to a false gospel was if they had been put under a magic spell or were induced with drugs that overrode their wills. They must have lost control of their volition, Paul says, because no logical person would have allowed this corrupt teaching to infiltrate their soul and their church.
In twenty-first century talk Paul could have said,
“You stupid Galatians! What have you been smoking?”

Paul wants the Galatians to stick to the message and not drift into the alternative message of the first century Judaizers and the twenty-first century western evangelical’s “application” rhetoric that replaced teaching the apostolic revelation that can transform and renew the believer.
Agnoia (Gr) - Ignorance (Eng) - the Greek word agnoia is where the English word "agnostic" comes from. Agnoia means "lac of knowledge," "ignorance," and "moral blindness." When it is used in scripture it tends to refer to intentional ignorance on the part of the person pleading ignorance.
"They deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water." - 2 Peter 3:5

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth." - Romans 1:18
I will not accept ignorance to be my excuse.
I will not allow ignorance to be my downfall.
I will study and seek understanding of the Word of God.



Bible Reading Descriptions Here

Narrative

(morning only)

Complete Text

General Text




Personal

Guidance and direction in the roles you have in life

Church

Cooperation
Terrorism
Tajikistan



Toni walking into the remains of the synogogue in Qasrin, also called Katzrin.
Ephesians 4:25-32




Someone to Quote

"The wonder of a single snowflake outweighs the wisdom of a million meteorologists." - Sir Francis Bacon

Something to Ponder

Between the years 1378-1417 there were at times as many as three men claiming to be the pope. In 1417 the Council of Constance declared Oddone Colonna (who became Martin V) to be the legitimate pope.

Here’s a Fact

There was a time that the academic world challenged the accuracy of the Scriptures because it was believed that writing was not developed in the days of Abraham and Moses.
In 1968 an inscription was found in Syria identifying the site as ancient Ebla. During excavation in 1975 a room that had housed the royal archive of a highly developed and prosperous city was uncovered with 17,000 clay tablets from 2250 BC.
This proved once again that 200 years before Abraham and 800 years before Moses writing and documenting events was a well established practice. (details)

Proverb

"A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother."
Proverbs 15:20

Coach’s Corner

God is ready to continue training, building, correcting and instructing us when we are ready to repent, return and resume being transformed by him.

Romans 12
New International Version (NIV)
A Living Sacrifice
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Humble Service in the Body of Christ
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Love in Action
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;     if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
John 20-21
New International Version (NIV)
The Empty Tomb
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish
21 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Jesus Reinstates Peter
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”
24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.
25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.


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