Parents are rubbish, teachers are tosh, even youth leaders suck sometimes. They all miss the plot. They’re busy running around worrying about this, panicking about that. They try and look important in front of others, forgetting that God wants to know what is going on in their heart. They focus on details, like what type of church people go to, rather to caring about whether they have asked Jesus to be their saviour. Get this, they even argue over whether children can eat the bread and wine when we remember Jesus on the cross through communion. OK, maybe not all adults are rubbish, but you get the picture that many of them forget what Jesus is all about. And to be fair, you and I have hardly got it all together. That is probably why Paul is reminding us here, that at the end of the day, there is only one thing that matters and that is Jesus. Yes, he has spent this entire book telling us to live our lives for Jesus. Many of us will probably disagree about the fine details of what God means when he speaks through Paul. But ultimately we can’t disagree that Jesus died for us and he is the only thing we can boast about. Which means, that even when the adults we know have ups and downs, we can be sure Jesus is rock solid in the middle of it for us. He is always there.

Parents are rubbish, teachers are tosh, even youth leaders suck sometimes. They all miss the plot. They’re busy running around worrying about this, panicking about that. They try and look important in front of others, forgetting that God wants to know what is going on in their heart. They focus on details, like what type of church people go to, rather to caring about whether they have asked Jesus to be their saviour. Get this, they even argue over whether children can eat the bread and wine when we remember Jesus on the cross through communion. OK, maybe not all adults are rubbish, but you get the picture that many of them forget what Jesus is all about. And to be fair, you and I have hardly got it all together. That is probably why Paul is reminding us here, that at the end of the day, there is only one thing that matters and that is Jesus. Yes, he has spent this entire book telling us to live our lives for Jesus. Many of us will probably disagree about the fine details of what God means when he speaks through Paul. But ultimately we can’t disagree that Jesus died for us and he is the only thing we can boast about. Which means, that even when the adults we know have ups and downs, we can be sure Jesus is rock solid in the middle of it for us. He is always there.

I am sure you are bored to death with parents and teachers saying things like, treat others how you want to be treated. Or maybe they say things like, if you haven’t got anything good to say, say nothing at all. The problem is, that it seems God agrees. Paul is passing on Gods wisdom and it’s pretty clear what he means. If Paul was talking to us today, he would say the same. He would say, look out for your mates at Church, help them when they are doing stuff that is going to hurt them. But be careful not to get dragged down with then. Don’t compare yourself to anyone and don’t measure what you can do with you life, by what others do. Don’t gossip and slag other people off. Treat others as you would like to be treated, because what goes around comes around. Yep it seems pretty straight forward, the Bible is as relevant today as it was two thousands years ago. Funny that, it’s almost like God planned it that way!

I am sure you are bored to death with parents and teachers saying things like, treat others how you want to be treated. Or maybe they say things like, if you haven’t got anything good to say, say nothing at all. The problem is, that it seems God agrees. Paul is passing on Gods wisdom and it’s pretty clear what he means. If Paul was talking to us today, he would say the same. He would say, look out for your mates at Church, help them when they are doing stuff that is going to hurt them. But be careful not to get dragged down with then. Don’t compare yourself to anyone and don’t measure what you can do with you life, by what others do. Don’t gossip and slag other people off. Treat others as you would like to be treated, because what goes around comes around. Yep it seems pretty straight forward, the Bible is as relevant today as it was two thousands years ago. Funny that, it’s almost like God planned it that way!

How long have you been a Christian? A month, a year, five years, or maybe as long as you can remember. Being a Christian is about change. If we are afraid of change then we had better get used to it. God takes you like a lump of clay, just as you did in art class. Or maybe as you used to do at kindergarten or nursery school with the play dough. God moulds you a little bit at a time, he transforms you into a closer image of Jesus. Gods, not moulding you into some robotic exact version of Jesus, oh no. More like a version of Jesus with your personality, and looks, and life. Now you and I both know that this will never be complete on this earth, but we should probably start seeing some differences. How big the differences are, may depend on how long God has had to work with us. I am grateful that he doesn’t rush things. But if we have problem with anger, we should start seeing ourselves become more patient with the guys at school, or college. If we never cared about other people, we will probably notice that we are starting to care about the way others feel. It’s a slow transformation sometimes but have a look back and see if you can spot where God has worked in your life, or where he now wants to mould you.

How long have you been a Christian? A month, a year, five years, or maybe as long as you can remember. Being a Christian is about change. If we are afraid of change then we had better get used to it. God takes you like a lump of clay, just as you did in art class. Or maybe as you used to do at kindergarten or nursery school with the play dough. God moulds you a little bit at a time, he transforms you into a closer image of Jesus. Gods, not moulding you into some robotic exact version of Jesus, oh no. More like a version of Jesus with your personality, and looks, and life. Now you and I both know that this will never be complete on this earth, but we should probably start seeing some differences. How big the differences are, may depend on how long God has had to work with us. I am grateful that he doesn’t rush things. But if we have problem with anger, we should start seeing ourselves become more patient with the guys at school, or college. If we never cared about other people, we will probably notice that we are starting to care about the way others feel. It’s a slow transformation sometimes but have a look back and see if you can spot where God has worked in your life, or where he now wants to mould you.

Do you know anyone who claims that they are a Christian and yet doesn’t seem to act like one? Maybe it’s a mate from youth group, who just acts completely different at school. Maybe you discovered that someone at college goes to Church, but you would never have guessed by the way they act. Paul warns against this. He says, look just because God has given you your freedom, you don’t have the right to go about your life in a way that doesn’t show you are thankful. Put it like this. Your mate needs to use a computer and you have the latest, fastest beast on the planet. You say no problem, use mine, I trust you, feel free any time. Then it happens, the next time your use your computer it is completely trashed. There are viruses everywhere, half you data is missing, and there are loads of pirated software on it. How do you feel now? Do you feel that your mate has used the freedom you gave him wisely? Of course you don’t, you are going to have to start from scratch and you probably won’t let them use your computer anymore. Well it’s a simple message, if that’s how you feel, then don’t do the same to your life. Gods given you the freedom to use your life wisely, don’t take advantage.

Do you know anyone who claims that they are a Christian and yet doesn’t seem to act like one? Maybe it’s a mate from youth group, who just acts completely different at school. Maybe you discovered that someone at college goes to Church, but you would never have guessed by the way they act. Paul warns against this. He says, look just because God has given you your freedom, you don’t have the right to go about your life in a way that doesn’t show you are thankful. Put it like this. Your mate needs to use a computer and you have the latest, fastest beast on the planet. You say no problem, use mine, I trust you, feel free any time. Then it happens, the next time your use your computer it is completely trashed. There are viruses everywhere, half you data is missing, and there are loads of pirated software on it. How do you feel now? Do you feel that your mate has used the freedom you gave him wisely? Of course you don’t, you are going to have to start from scratch and you probably won’t let them use your computer anymore. Well it’s a simple message, if that’s how you feel, then don’t do the same to your life. Gods given you the freedom to use your life wisely, don’t take advantage.

Everyone in this world has to make their own mind up when it comes to God. Yep, that teacher at school, your mate at college, the shop keeper down the road, your parents and even you. There is no excuse. If you are listening or reading this you already know about God, and you will have to make a decision one way or the other. Actually the Bible even talks about the world itself pointing towards God. So haven made your own mind up what’s next? Well if you are a Christian that seems pretty straight forward. God tells us to help other people discover him. But what about they guy who chooses not to follow Jesus and then mocks you? What about the guys who tempts you to ditch Jesus and follow some other path? Well it seems that God has some pretty harsh things to say about them. Paul explains in this passage that the person who does this type of thing, is going to get judged very harshly. We like to ignore this part of Gods message when we talks to our mates. We are very happy to talk about Jesus as a friend and how he died so that we can party in Heaven, but the flip side of that coin is a little less appealing. It might be less appealing but at the end of day God is straight about it. Whether people choose to believe in God or not is irrelevant, they still end up in front of him after they die. Gods fair too, if you choose not to be with him on this earth, then you won’t spend forever with him in Heaven. But be warned; don’t take others down with you.

Everyone in this world has to make their own mind up when it comes to God. Yep, that teacher at school, your mate at college, the shop keeper down the road, your parents and even you. There is no excuse. If you are listening or reading this you already know about God, and you will have to make a decision one way or the other. Actually the Bible even talks about the world itself pointing towards God. So haven made your own mind up what’s next? Well if you are a Christian that seems pretty straight forward. God tells us to help other people discover him. But what about they guy who chooses not to follow Jesus and then mocks you? What about the guys who tempts you to ditch Jesus and follow some other path? Well it seems that God has some pretty harsh things to say about them. Paul explains in this passage that the person who does this type of thing, is going to get judged very harshly. We like to ignore this part of Gods message when we talks to our mates. We are very happy to talk about Jesus as a friend and how he died so that we can party in Heaven, but the flip side of that coin is a little less appealing. It might be less appealing but at the end of day God is straight about it. Whether people choose to believe in God or not is irrelevant, they still end up in front of him after they die. Gods fair too, if you choose not to be with him on this earth, then you won’t spend forever with him in Heaven. But be warned; don’t take others down with you.

There is a book by a famous preacher guy called Bill Hybels and the book is called “Who You Are When No One’s Looking”. The book is pretty amazing but the title alone is probably challenging enough. It asks the same question Paul asks at the beginning of today’s passage. When you are at college and there is no one from Church around who are you? How do you treat others? When you are at school and your parents are not around, how do you talk about others? And trust me, you’re not alone in struggling with this. Your parents, those guys at Church, your youth leader and yes even the pastor, struggle being the same person they are in Church, when they are at work. Why? Because it’s hard to do the right thing by God all the time. Doing the right thing, does not mean being boring, it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, and it certainly doesn’t mean that you’re soft and can get pushed around. Being Jesus like when no one is looking, is about trying your hardest to do what Jesus would do. It’s about not giving up when you mess up. It’s about going back and saying sorry when you did mess up. It’s about, making sure next time is different. WWJD badges and bracelets might seem a bit corny or even un-cool, but the whole WWJD concept is a great help, when no one is looking. Next time no one is looking ask yourself that simple question, really “What Would Jesus Do?”

There is a book by a famous preacher guy called Bill Hybels and the book is called “Who You Are When No One’s Looking”. The book is pretty amazing but the title alone is probably challenging enough. It asks the same question Paul asks at the beginning of today’s passage. When you are at college and there is no one from Church around who are you? How do you treat others? When you are at school and your parents are not around, how do you talk about others? And trust me, you’re not alone in struggling with this. Your parents, those guys at Church, your youth leader and yes even the pastor, struggle being the same person they are in Church, when they are at work. Why? Because it’s hard to do the right thing by God all the time. Doing the right thing, does not mean being boring, it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, and it certainly doesn’t mean that you’re soft and can get pushed around. Being Jesus like when no one is looking, is about trying your hardest to do what Jesus would do. It’s about not giving up when you mess up. It’s about going back and saying sorry when you did mess up. It’s about, making sure next time is different. WWJD badges and bracelets might seem a bit corny or even un-cool, but the whole WWJD concept is a great help, when no one is looking. Next time no one is looking ask yourself that simple question, really “What Would Jesus Do?”

Seems to me that the guys in the passage used to really look after the sick, but they have lost their way now. Pauls saying they can start again and do what Jesus wants them to do. I’ve been in that place to, how about you? Was there a time when you were fired up doing just what God wanted you to do? Maybe you looked out for the lonely guy at school and invited them to join you, but these days you are just far to busy. It’s possible that you used to manage to keep away from stuff that you know God didn’t want you to do. But somehow you slipped into areas that are just not healthy for you. Maybe drink, maybe sex before marriage, maybe drugs. Do you feel a failure? Do you feel that God doesn’t want to know you? Well that’s trash, that’s the talk of the world, but it’s not how God sees you. Our God is a God of second, third, and millionth chances. You remember the prodigal Son returning to his Dad after he spent all the dosh and partying his life away, well that’s us. If you feel that you knew God but somehow he walked away, I am here to say that he didn’t walk away and he is busy looking for you. Stop, now, this very second and say sorry, he wants to know you more.

Seems to me that the guys in the passage used to really look after the sick, but they have lost their way now. Pauls saying they can start again and do what Jesus wants them to do. I’ve been in that place to, how about you? Was there a time when you were fired up doing just what God wanted you to do? Maybe you looked out for the lonely guy at school and invited them to join you, but these days you are just far to busy. It’s possible that you used to manage to keep away from stuff that you know God didn’t want you to do. But somehow you slipped into areas that are just not healthy for you. Maybe drink, maybe sex before marriage, maybe drugs. Do you feel a failure? Do you feel that God doesn’t want to know you? Well that’s trash, that’s the talk of the world, but it’s not how God sees you. Our God is a God of second, third, and millionth chances. You remember the prodigal Son returning to his Dad after he spent all the dosh and partying his life away, well that’s us. If you feel that you knew God but somehow he walked away, I am here to say that he didn’t walk away and he is busy looking for you. Stop, now, this very second and say sorry, he wants to know you more.

If I was talking to very young people I might sit here and talk about how the people Paul is talking to in this passage, used to have false gods before they accepted Jesus into their lives. I might very carefully and patiently explain that their false gods could easily be the same as something in our lives that completely takes over. I would explain that this could be something like computer games, football, tv or anything that we put before Jesus. Do I need to dance around you, like that, or should I ask you straight? As I sit here looking at this passage for us, I picture you as someone who can take what God has to say and does not need it watering down. Someone who when they make a decision to follow Jesus, decided that there is no turning back. Where ever you are in you walk with Jesus, whether you are looking, just started or running at full pelt, I know that Jesus loves that black and white attitude about him. You’re not grey, when you decided to be for Jesus, you decided to be complete for Jesus. So no messing. What is getting in the way of you moving on with Jesus? You know what it is, so deal with it today.

If I was talking to very young people I might sit here and talk about how the people Paul is talking to in this passage, used to have false gods before they accepted Jesus into their lives. I might very carefully and patiently explain that their false gods could easily be the same as something in our lives that completely takes over. I would explain that this could be something like computer games, football, tv or anything that we put before Jesus. Do I need to dance around you, like that, or should I ask you straight? As I sit here looking at this passage for us, I picture you as someone who can take what God has to say and does not need it watering down. Someone who when they make a decision to follow Jesus, decided that there is no turning back. Where ever you are in you walk with Jesus, whether you are looking, just started or running at full pelt, I know that Jesus loves that black and white attitude about him. You’re not grey, when you decided to be for Jesus, you decided to be complete for Jesus. So no messing. What is getting in the way of you moving on with Jesus? You know what it is, so deal with it today.

Do you ever stare at text book at school or college and wonder what the heck any of it means? I used to do that all the time. Sometimes I’m like that with the Bible too. I stare at it and blink and wonder just what the heck the person who wrote it is trying to say. See I said it, sometimes I don’t understand the Bible. I bet you thought you were the only one didn’t you. Take this passage for instance. I mean that’s a heck of a lot of words, just to say the something he has already said before. Jesus loves us; he died for us, so that we can go to Heaven. We don’t have to do lots of things in a particular order to go to Heaven, and no one can take that away from us. See how difficult was that. So, is it only me, or do you struggle with the Bible sometimes too? Well the good news is, that’s OK, maybe that’s why God often says the same thing in a different way. Maybe your mate gets this passage, I figure out another passage and you understand yet another passage. We shouldn’t struggle with the Bible, after all God gave it to us as a book to live by. If we struggle with understanding it, no need to feel dumb. I just grab the nearest leader and say things like “hey what the heck does this mean?”

Do you ever stare at text book at school or college and wonder what the heck any of it means? I used to do that all the time. Sometimes I’m like that with the Bible too. I stare at it and blink and wonder just what the heck the person who wrote it is trying to say. See I said it, sometimes I don’t understand the Bible. I bet you thought you were the only one didn’t you. Take this passage for instance. I mean that’s a heck of a lot of words, just to say the something he has already said before. Jesus loves us; he died for us, so that we can go to Heaven. We don’t have to do lots of things in a particular order to go to Heaven, and no one can take that away from us. See how difficult was that. So, is it only me, or do you struggle with the Bible sometimes too? Well the good news is, that’s OK, maybe that’s why God often says the same thing in a different way. Maybe your mate gets this passage, I figure out another passage and you understand yet another passage. We shouldn’t struggle with the Bible, after all God gave it to us as a book to live by. If we struggle with understanding it, no need to feel dumb. I just grab the nearest leader and say things like “hey what the heck does this mean?”

Ok Paul we get it. Oh my, he has been banging on about the fact that we can’t be good enough to get into Heaven and that’s why we need Jesus. It’s like scripture for the hard of hearing. Yes Paul we understand that we need Jesus. Maybe these Galatians were a bit slow on the uptake but to be honest I pretty much had got it by the third time you nagged us about it. Well that’s how I feel, I don’t know about you. Why did Paul go on and on about the fact that it’s not about what we do, it’s about what Jesus did? Is it possible that during our lives at school, college and work, that we start thinking that it is all about what we do? Jesus shoots from the hip about this as well. Jesus said “without me you can do nothing.” So if Jesus thought we needed regular reminders about the fact, that it doesn’t matter what we do, then maybe we do need reminding. Maybe when we are successful in our lives we start getting a bit big headed and start doing things our way rather then the Jesus way. We may even appear to be a bit successful. Maybe we pass exams, maybe someone of our mates join our youth group. But if we are relying on our talents then eventually we will crash and burn. We need to use the talents that our God has given us, but rely on Jesus. That is a little different and may take us a little time to get into our heads.

Ok Paul we get it. Oh my, he has been banging on about the fact that we can’t be good enough to get into Heaven and that’s why we need Jesus. It’s like scripture for the hard of hearing. Yes Paul we understand that we need Jesus. Maybe these Galatians were a bit slow on the uptake but to be honest I pretty much had got it by the third time you nagged us about it. Well that’s how I feel, I don’t know about you. Why did Paul go on and on about the fact that it’s not about what we do, it’s about what Jesus did? Is it possible that during our lives at school, college and work, that we start thinking that it is all about what we do? Jesus shoots from the hip about this as well. Jesus said “without me you can do nothing.” So if Jesus thought we needed regular reminders about the fact, that it doesn’t matter what we do, then maybe we do need reminding. Maybe when we are successful in our lives we start getting a bit big headed and start doing things our way rather then the Jesus way. We may even appear to be a bit successful. Maybe we pass exams, maybe someone of our mates join our youth group. But if we are relying on our talents then eventually we will crash and burn. We need to use the talents that our God has given us, but rely on Jesus. That is a little different and may take us a little time to get into our heads.

Thank you Jesus that I don’t have to be perfect. I don’t know about you but I would find that pretty hard to do. I would probably fail ten times before I got out of bed let alone got to work, college or school. Of course you might be different but somehow I suspect you might be in the same boat as the rest of us Christians around the world. Like Paul says if we had to be perfect then why did Jesus die. I find it incredible that Jesus died for me and you. So incredible I want to cut this short today because I want you to spend a little longer on today’s action.

Thank you Jesus that I don’t have to be perfect. I don’t know about you but I would find that pretty hard to do. I would probably fail ten times before I got out of bed let alone got to work, college or school. Of course you might be different but somehow I suspect you might be in the same boat as the rest of us Christians around the world. Like Paul says if we had to be perfect then why did Jesus die. I find it incredible that Jesus died for me and you. So incredible I want to cut this short today because I want you to spend a little longer on today’s action.

You know we don’t actually need Jesus. No don’t stop listening, don’t stop reading hear me out. It’s pretty simple really, God is perfect, right? God is so perfect that he can not be the presence of selfishness and wrong doing, that thing we sometimes call sin. So all we have to do to not need Jesus, is not sin. So when we get up in the morning, we need to keep pure thoughts in our head. No wishing you brother or sister would shut up for once. No swearing under you breath when you realise you have a class you just hate. Actually, no hating. Ok, so it’s not as straight forward as I made out, but it could be possible. Well it could be possible, if millions of people hadn’t already tried and failed. As Paul is saying in this passage, before Jesus turned up, there was a list of rules and laws people had to obey to be pure. The truth of the matter is, they were pretty rubbish at it and God realised it’s wasn’t working. Hence Jesus came to die for us so we could be pure and go to Heaven. The problem is some people forget that Jesus has done the work. There isn’t a list of rules we can keep, so that we can go to Heaven anymore. We can’t do enough good things to get into Heaven. No, we just have to thank God for Jesus, ask him to be our saviour and then try and live the life he would want us to live. We don’t do good things to get into Heaven, we do what we can to help others as a thank you that Jesus has already got us into Heaven.

You know we don’t actually need Jesus. No don’t stop listening, don’t stop reading hear me out. It’s pretty simple really, God is perfect, right? God is so perfect that he can not be the presence of selfishness and wrong doing, that thing we sometimes call sin. So all we have to do to not need Jesus, is not sin. So when we get up in the morning, we need to keep pure thoughts in our head. No wishing you brother or sister would shut up for once. No swearing under you breath when you realise you have a class you just hate. Actually, no hating. Ok, so it’s not as straight forward as I made out, but it could be possible. Well it could be possible, if millions of people hadn’t already tried and failed. As Paul is saying in this passage, before Jesus turned up, there was a list of rules and laws people had to obey to be pure. The truth of the matter is, they were pretty rubbish at it and God realised it’s wasn’t working. Hence Jesus came to die for us so we could be pure and go to Heaven. The problem is some people forget that Jesus has done the work. There isn’t a list of rules we can keep, so that we can go to Heaven anymore. We can’t do enough good things to get into Heaven. No, we just have to thank God for Jesus, ask him to be our saviour and then try and live the life he would want us to live. We don’t do good things to get into Heaven, we do what we can to help others as a thank you that Jesus has already got us into Heaven.

How many Churches are there in your town? One, two, three, loads? Do some Churches think they are better then others? Does your youth group think it’s better than the one in that Church down the road? Hey, lets be real about this, maybe it is. Maybe God has blessed you with a great leader who can communicate Gods love in a way you and your mates enjoy and learn from. That just means that your youth group has been given great gifts and skills. God says for those have been given many gifts and skills, then He expects a great deal from them. In this passage Paul and his church group have met Peter and his Church group. Once they worked out they believe the same fundamental things they realised they should work together. It was pretty simple really. Paul and Peter’s conversation would have gone like this. Paul says “Do you believe Christ died for our sins?” Peter replies “Err Yes.” Peter says “Do you believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven?” Paul Responds “Of Course.” Once that was done they didn’t argue over who they should speak to, or which was the more trendy way to speak about Jesus. They didn’t spend years designing their website, or putting a band together, they got on with the job in-hand, together. So how is that youth group down the road doing? How about you make the first move and invite them up to you?

How many Churches are there in your town? One, two, three, loads? Do some Churches think they are better then others? Does your youth group think it’s better than the one in that Church down the road? Hey, lets be real about this, maybe it is. Maybe God has blessed you with a great leader who can communicate Gods love in a way you and your mates enjoy and learn from. That just means that your youth group has been given great gifts and skills. God says for those have been given many gifts and skills, then He expects a great deal from them. In this passage Paul and his church group have met Peter and his Church group. Once they worked out they believe the same fundamental things they realised they should work together. It was pretty simple really. Paul and Peter’s conversation would have gone like this. Paul says “Do you believe Christ died for our sins?” Peter replies “Err Yes.” Peter says “Do you believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven?” Paul Responds “Of Course.” Once that was done they didn’t argue over who they should speak to, or which was the more trendy way to speak about Jesus. They didn’t spend years designing their website, or putting a band together, they got on with the job in-hand, together. So how is that youth group down the road doing? How about you make the first move and invite them up to you?

When are you going to tell your mates about Jesus? When are you going to invite that guy at college to your next youth meeting? Here is what some of the adults do. They read all they can read about Jesus so that if they get asked any questions they will know the answers. They wait to invite their friends to Church until they have got it all together. They say things like one day when I know it all I will tell my friends about Jesus. The problem is that the one day they are waiting for will never come. The problem is that they are focussing on what they know rather then focussing on Jesus. Now I know that we would never miss the point like that, would we? After all, Paul is telling us in this passage that he got straight on with the job of befriending people and letting them know about Jesus before he knew anything. Now if a guy who used to Murder Christians one day, could turn around and tell people about Jesus the next day, then maybe we can too. Maybe if we get on with the job of telling people about Jesus then maybe, just maybe the adults will catch on too.

When are you going to tell your mates about Jesus? When are you going to invite that guy at college to your next youth meeting? Here is what some of the adults do. They read all they can read about Jesus so that if they get asked any questions they will know the answers. They wait to invite their friends to Church until they have got it all together. They say things like one day when I know it all I will tell my friends about Jesus. The problem is that the one day they are waiting for will never come. The problem is that they are focussing on what they know rather then focussing on Jesus. Now I know that we would never miss the point like that, would we? After all, Paul is telling us in this passage that he got straight on with the job of befriending people and letting them know about Jesus before he knew anything. Now if a guy who used to Murder Christians one day, could turn around and tell people about Jesus the next day, then maybe we can too. Maybe if we get on with the job of telling people about Jesus then maybe, just maybe the adults will catch on too.

Pauls at it again, shooting from the hip. There is no messing with Paul is there? When he wants to get a point across, he doesn’t dress it up in flowery language, he says it as it is. If Paul was writing this letter to the Galatians today he would probably say something like. “Get a life, stop following messed up preachers, follow the true message that Jesus left us. Oi, muppets, checkout your Bible.” Pauls has a good point though, because it is important that we don’t mess with the message that Jesus lefts us. We can add all sorts of stuff to the Bible, and you often hear people misquoting the Bible. Things like, cleanliness is next to Godliness, God works in mysterious ways. Both may be wise sayings, they may even be true, but they are not in the Bible. So, if it’s so easy for us to believe people when they say they are quoting the Bible, and Paul says that it is massively important that we don’t follow the wrong teachings, how can we tell the difference? Well, the good news is, that you do not have to depend on what anyone says, because it’s down to you to check out the truth. When you hear someone say something about Jesus check out what your Bible says. When your youth leaders pass on some Biblical wisdom, check out what the Bible says. Heck, when you hear an Aftershock dev, check out what your Bible says. Following the true teachings of Jesus is down to one person and one person only. That’s you, oh and of course your Bible.

Pauls at it again, shooting from the hip. There is no messing with Paul is there? When he wants to get a point across, he doesn’t dress it up in flowery language, he says it as it is. If Paul was writing this letter to the Galatians today he would probably say something like. “Get a life, stop following messed up preachers, follow the true message that Jesus left us. Oi, muppets, checkout your Bible.” Pauls has a good point though, because it is important that we don’t mess with the message that Jesus lefts us. We can add all sorts of stuff to the Bible, and you often hear people misquoting the Bible. Things like, cleanliness is next to Godliness, God works in mysterious ways. Both may be wise sayings, they may even be true, but they are not in the Bible. So, if it’s so easy for us to believe people when they say they are quoting the Bible, and Paul says that it is massively important that we don’t follow the wrong teachings, how can we tell the difference? Well, the good news is, that you do not have to depend on what anyone says, because it’s down to you to check out the truth. When you hear someone say something about Jesus check out what your Bible says. When your youth leaders pass on some Biblical wisdom, check out what the Bible says. Heck, when you hear an Aftershock dev, check out what your Bible says. Following the true teachings of Jesus is down to one person and one person only. That’s you, oh and of course your Bible.