Hold Fast to the Truth

February 3, 2021

Before he gets into the purpose of his letter to the Galatians, I love how Paul greets them:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus

Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil

age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory

forever and ever. Amen.

What an affirming way to greet someone. I cannot do enough affirming the people of Covenant Church. You are generous. You are prayerful. You are considerate. You are encouraging.

Later, in Galatians, Paul goes on to commend all kinds of fruitful behaviors and attitudes to them. Galatians 5:22-23 is a description of where our hearts and minds ought to be. And as we embrace the fruit of the Spirit, our next sermon series is going to be on the whole package - Galatians. This is a fascinating letter.

After his warm greeting, Paul goes on to say, "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel…" You can hear the sting in the rebuke. This is a perfect point as a follow-up to our current series on delving into the most challenging beliefs of our Christian faith. Foundational beliefs will always be challenged; that's what happens in a broken world. But Galatians will remind us to hold fast to the truth.

As we spend needful time on suffering and the sovereignty of God, we will then get the reinforcing message of Galatians. We have essentials, or fundamentals {without being fundamentalists}, and then we have letters like Galatians which sustain us in our beliefs. I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am!

Finally, don't forget "Souper Bowl Sunday" where we raise funds for food ministries here in Lenawee County. Soup kettles will be in the gathering space Sunday morning, as well as a drop-down link on our church website. Regardless of whoever wins the game, the cause of care and compassion is the real winner.

Finally {Part 2} I continue to marvel at how the people of Covenant Church are making responsible decisions that are best for themselves and their families during this pandemic. There is no cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all route through this thing. Some worship in person. Some worship online. We are investing in equipment to improve our livestreaming abilities. We will never reduce our online presence. I hear from people through texts, email, phone calls, and visits when they stop by the church for a chat. These are all welcomed and good, and done in ways that are best for each person. I love our openness to the varieties of ways we share life together as the Body of Christ. All I can say is, "Keep up the good work! I love you for being you."

And now your weekly moment of Spurgeon:

No doctrine in the whole word of God has more excited the hatred of

mankind than the truth of the absolute sovereignty of God.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Richard