4 Ways to Cultivate Spirit-Filled Community (Galatians – 6:1-10)

22 Jul 4 Ways to Cultivate Spirit-Filled Community (Galatians – 6:1-10)

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4 Ways to Cultivate Spirit-Filled Community

• God cares about our vertical relationship with Him
• God cares about our horizontal relationship with others
• A religious spirit has caused them to “bite & devour”
• Paul is like a dad resetting the family dynamic
• Just finished w/flesh vs Spirit

#1. Build People Up, Don’t Beat People Up

6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

Clean from – monsoon season, unlimited car wash

1. People paid fee but never use the car wash.
2. People paid fee & use car wash whenever they need it.
3. People paid fee abuse privileges using when don’t need it.

Keep from – God wants you to defeat the problem, Satan wants you to double the problem

• Be honest about own temptations
• You are not always the best person to help (e.g. opposite sex)

#2. Be a Burden Lifter not a Burden Giver

Galatians 6:2-5 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.

1. Religion – burdens you “heavy load”
2. Relationship w/Jesus – unburdens “come to me weary heavy laden, my burden is light”

Burden Lifters – “Bear one another’s burdens”

• Things to heavy for us to carry alone

Burden Givers – won’t “bear his own load”

• Things light enough for us to carry alone

1. Irresponsible people seek out overly responsible people to transfer their burden to & call it love, ministry, and fellowship “Can you wake me up for work? Can you drive me to/from church? Can you have a weekly lunch with my wife?”
2. Burden Givers make excuses. Burden Lifters make plans.
3. Burden Givers get bad gas mileage, Burden Lifters get good gas mileage.

#3. Receive and Give Generously

Galatians 6:6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.

Generosity is the test of grace

• Can I receive it? (only = greedy)
• Can I give it (only = proud)

Thank you that I get to teach “the word”

Thank you for being so gracious & good to my family and I

#4. Keep Sowing to the Spirit

Galatians 6:7-10 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, gas we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Spiritual compounded interest

1. You reap what you sow
2. You reap where you sow (work, home, body, soul, mind, $)

Many pains & problems don’t sneak up on us quickly, but creep upon us slowly

Health, finances, marriage (not enough deposits for the withdraw)

3 Kinds of Relationships

1. Law + Grace = abusive relationship
2. Law + Law = brutal relationship
3. Grace + Grace = healthy relationship

Suffering people can be selfish people
If someone’s in the middle of a fire & running for their life, they are understandably selfish. Once you are certain you are out of hell, you can start focusing on helping others not saving yourself.
Grace: What does this look like in a life?
Martin & Katherine Luther story