Living Beyond Yourself - Session 1

Free at Last!

During the first week of our study together, we began with an overview of the Book of Galatians.  "Galatians makes an astonishing statement about Christian freedom:  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.  The goal of our trip is genuine freedom - the freedom that comes only through a life filled with the Holy Spirit.  Such a life displays the character traits the Bible calls the fruit of the spirit."

Galatians 2:20 says "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."  What does it really mean to be "crucified with Christ?"  The term means identifying with Him in His death in such a way as to allow Him to live through you.  Although every believer has been "crucified with Christ" in the ultimate sense of victory over sin and the grave, we must make certain choices to be crucified with Christ for victory in our daily battle with sin.

In Day 3, we looked at ten characteristics of the crucified life.

1.  Few will understand
- If you seriously decide to live a life crucified to self and alive in Christ, you will discover that few will understand.  More importantly, those who misunderstood will most likely be the ones you have to relate to the most.  Galatians 2:20 describes a radical change that many find confrontational.

2.  You must abandon your own will and your own agenda
- As long as you cleave to a personal agenda and continue to nurse your own will, the personalized daily will of God will be thwarted in you.

3.  Your intimate spiritual companions will be few
4.  Intense times of aloneness with God are required
5.  You will be constantly on the witness stand

- There will never be a time when we are not subject to the observation of others.

6.  You must  go "outside the camp"

- Do not be surprised when God continually forces you outside your comfort zone.
7.  There will be times when your dignity is forfeited
8.  You must forego your rights
9.  You must accept that death is painful

- We love our flesh and it hurts to have its desires crucified!  Never misunderstand pain as permission to forego the will of God.

10.  Because He was forsaken, you never will be

"Perhaps you continually struggle with the fear that if God had known some of the mistakes you were going to make and the sins you were going to commit, He never would have chosen you.  Scripture is clear - God foreknew you from birth to death, yet He predestined you for His very own.  It's called grace.  I don't understand it either, but I praise the name of the One who offers it!"

So what does this all mean for you and me?  To be totally free and live a life filled with the Holy Spirit we must be prepared to step out of our comfort zone and it may be painful at times because we struggle with our flesh.

Some questions to ponder - please go ahead and post any comments to any or all questions.  I would love to hear from you.

1.  Can you think of a time when seeking someone's approval ultimately proved to be a very negative influence in your life?

"Galatians 1:10 says "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."  So you might say, what does seeking the approval of man and servanthood have to do with one another.  Approval and servanthood are connected because we become immediate slaves to the person(s) from whom we seek approval."

2.  For you, what would it mean to seek only God's approval?

3.  Read Matthew 27"32-44.  Put yourself in Jesus' place.  How difficult would it be to surrender your rights and not "come down from the cross and save yourself"?

4.  Can you describe an instance in which you were challenge to "believe" God and He showed himself faithful?

5.  In what way did the Father show His great love for you, and what does His demonstration suggest about His willingness to meet your needs?

Living Beyond Yourself - Intro

Our MOPS group is starting a self-paced online bible study called "Living Beyond Yourself - Exploring the Fruit of The Spirit" by Beth Moore.  This study is based on Galations 5:22-23.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

This is a great option for those busy moms out there but is open to everyone (men and women alike)!  This online bible study allows you to watch the videos from any internet browser at your own convenience. 

Some women might hesitate to join this online study because they are familiar with Beth Moore and know that her studies have quite a bit of homework.  In trying to be sensitive to that (especially with those busy moms out there) we are going to watch one weekly session and do 5 days of homework but we are going to extend the timeline to every two weeks (instead of one).  Take 15 minutes every day.
  
In order to purchase, please go to www.lifeway.com/lby

The cost is $23.95 and includes streaming video/audio, downloadable homework, session notes, online Bible study tools and an interactive community.

The member book is $14.95 and is optional.

We will start our study on Monday, December 12th (please note that you can go as fast or as slow as you want).  Also, please note that this Bible study is not meant to replace anything else but I know there are many of you out there that may be struggling with your devotional time as I do at times (especially with young kids) and I think this would be a great way to get in to the Word and share with one another.

So you are asking what do I do next?  Purchase the online study.  Logon starting on Monday, December 12th and start watching the Introduction Session Video and then download Week One's Homework and finish by Friday, December 23rd. 

On Friday, December 23rd, log on to our blog and you will find a blog post with discussion questions.  Join in the discussion and post your comments.  I am looking forward to this journey as we study God's Word together and learn how to apply the Fruit of the Spirit to our daily lives.