Paul turns his attention from the hypocrisy of Peter in chapter 2, to the foolishness of Galatian Christians relying on their religious works for salvation or spiritual growth in chapter 3. Paul is driving home the truth of the simple gospel, and pointing out how foolish trusting in anything other than the life, death and resurrection of Jesus truly is. He amplifies this truth by giving us the example of Abraham as proof that salvation was and is by faith in the Messiah alone, even under the old covenant. It’s always been Jesus, and nothing else!

In this section of Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia, we get a peek into one of the biggest heavyweight confrontations in history. And from it we get a stark warning about the disease of hypocrisy in the Christian life. It turns out, none of us are immune to this spiritual virus! Paul also gives us the cure to this disease with a powerful explanation of what the gospel is, and how rooting our identity in Jesus pushes us into a life of freedom in God’s Kingdom!

In the 1st chapter of Paul’s letter to new Christians in Galatia, we’ve seen Paul’s deep care and concern for them. These new believers were being tempted to compromise the gospel by adding religious works to what Jesus had done on the cross, in order to earn salvation. In chapter 2, Paul travels to Jerusalem to establish that his gospel and the other Apostles’ gospel are one in the same. After confirming the centrality of the gospel and it’s simplicity (Jesus + Nothing), they all agree to the priority of caring for the poor. There are some profound applications in this passage for modern day disciples of Jesus, such as: the importance of Christian friends for spiritual growth and the fact that grace always moves us to action. The bottom line is that the gospel of Jesus frees us to live lives that count in His Kingdom!

As Paul writes to new believers in danger of being deceived by legalistic false teachers in an area called Galatia, we learn that the gospel of Jesus is beautifully simple. Jesus + Nothing = Everything. This week we see Paul move from explaining what the gospel is not, to defending the origin of his gospel message. His backs up his claim that he received the gospel message from Jesus Himself by pointing to the radical transformation of his own life. We draw from Paul’s words here a treasure trove of life-giving truths for our own lives. Truths like; religion won’t save you. Sincerity won’t save you. But Jesus will revolutionize your life! Furthermore, Jesus has saved you to send you. You are uniquely gifted and wired to be a missionary for Jesus right where you live, work and play. Your story is a part of the greatest story. When we learn to play our part in the story, we become fully alive!

Galatians: The Fight for Freedom - Chris Dillon, Lead Pastor 06.10.18 by New Life of Asheville

Anxiety seems to be an epidemic in our culture ravaging the lives of millions and millions of people each year. And yet it’s nothing new. People have struggled with anxiety since the moment sin entered the world. And yet, Jesus commands His disciples not to be anxious. Not only does He tell us that anxiety is not a part of His design for our lives, Jesus actually tells us how to overcome anxiety. The reality is that no matter how hard life is, no matter how dark and scary things appear to be around you, there is always hope and peace available through Jesus. You don’t have to live as a slave to anxiety!

Jesus taught hard things. Really hard things. We’ve established that over the last 6 or 7 weeks. But He gives us hard truths because He loves us and wants the best for us. Jesus continues dropping truth bombs in Matthew 6:19. In this teaching, He challenges His disciples to store up treasures in heaven, rather than on earth. He compares storing our treasures on earth to darkness, and then draws a pretty offensive line in the sand. He says nobody can serve both God and money. Nobody. If you love and serve money or what money can buy you, Jesus says you despise and even hate God. Hard. Really hard stuff...but potent and truthful. What is Jesus asking you to do differently going forward? How are you investing in eternity? Are you building His Kingdom or your little kingdom with the money He entrusts to you? Your heart is at stake.

This week we continue in our series on the hard sayings of Jesus. People often come to Jesus wanting to know what they have to give up for the gospel. Others are more interested in letting people know just how much they've given up for the gospel. But what is the gospel really about. Our culture often rewards those with power, influence and talent. The rich get richer and those who've put in their time should be compensated accordingly. This isn't a new phenomenon. In fact, Scriptures reveal that this train of thought has been around for a very long time. If we're not careful, as a church, we can begin to overlay this principle on top of the gospel message. What did Jesus mean when he told the rich young ruler to give up his possessions and come follow him? Why would Jesus say the last will be first in his kingdom? Come and discover what Jesus has to say about our attitude toward the gospel as he continues to flip our way of thinking upside down.

Let The Rocks Cry Out - Joe Dillon, Guest Preacher 05.13.18 by New Life of Asheville

This week we continue in our series on the hard sayings of Jesus by looking at one of the most perplexing and mystifying teachings in the entire Bible. This particular teaching has caused much anxiety for Christians throughout the centuries. Jesus teaches us that He will forgive all sins…except one. Is the unforgivable sin denying Jesus? Suicide? A sexual sin of some sort? Surprisingly, Jesus says the one sin that will never be forgiven is the blaspheming of the Holy Spirit. What does that even mean? How can we be sure to avoid the most egregious sin that is sure to send people into an eternity separated from God forever? By looking at the role of the Holy Spirit, we will discover what Jesus was teaching, and the implications are massive for us, and those we love.

Matthew 12: 22-32