Week Three

What's new about the power of the Spirit?

What’s new about the power of the Spirit in our lives? What new about being a child of God today? Are we ready for new encounters when we come to olds texts in the Bible? God can and does do new things with the Bible through the power of the Spirit. What do these radical words mean to you and your community today? What’s new about them? Let’s get stuck in. Are you sitting comfortably? Don’t worry you don’t need to be! You’re going to be on the edge of your seat anyway…

SEEDS TO SOW: What acts of extravagant generosity can you do this week?

Read Galatians 4: 1-7

Abba, Father!

We are adopted, gathered in, pulled close! We are prized! He is extravagantly generous to us!

The Spirit moves within us, helping us to recognise and reach for God. It is significant that in this letter, written in Greek, Abba is rendered in Aramaic, as Jesus would have said it himself.

In a time with more rigid social structures than our own this is a radical metaphor. We are not God's slaves, or servants — we are beloved heirs each cherished. Paul is keen throughout Galatians to cut the distance between us and God, cutting through the unnecessary and distracting, such is his heart that people hear the gospel.

How are we are of the Spirit moving within us? Are we conscious of the Spirit helping us to see past the baggage and recognise our Father God? If so, how does it feel?

Read Galatians 4: 17-18

The right kind of zealous!

Our world, like that of Galatia in the first century, is full of people zealous to make us zealous about things, to jump on the trend, the cause, a 101 missions.

Having care, passion and drive is not a bad thing but are the Galatians (and by extension us!) asking what we are zealous for and how consistent we are in our enthusiasm?

Are we responsive to how the Spirit of God is leading our communities and not just reliant on Charismatic communicators to fire us up while they’re with us (see end of verse 18)?

Read Galatians 4: 19-20

Bamboozled!

Paul is perplexed. bamboozled, dumbfoonert! It’s fair to say he is far from detached! He is absolutely invested in the Galatians, he even thinks of them as his children, though they weary him, stretch him, push, and defy him (much like children the world over and throughout history then!).

Paul really cares and you can hear how much it matters to him.

Four chapters in to Galatians what do you make of Paul as a person? Of his personality and approach?

How can we reconnect to this man to experience his passion anew?