Full Service

“Politics is downstream of the culture; it is the culture that is really the driving force in American life.” (Andrew Breitbart —increasingly our post-modern form of Christianity is downstream of culture—driven by it.

How are we to handle the direct attacks by the encroaching culture on what we believe?
- Some are proposing a call to arms; the church at war;
- Others are calling for a systematic accommodation to modern lifestyles and values—a capitulation to cultural-driven theology
- The Scriptures call for us to become reacquainted with the uniqueness, supremacy, and sufficiency of Christ and the resulting steadfast commitment to God’s grace in all its truth.

Paul centres this letter (and so will we) on this powerful core reality...”in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” (2:9)

Shore up some parts of us that have and are taking a beating with a high-octane spiritual infusion of truth...
- If you are not fully convinced of the truth and what is true, you will struggle to recognize error and reject it;
- If you don’t hold uncomfortable theology to be sound truth, you will feel free to eject offending teachings;
- If you are tentative and shaky, you will be toppled by opposition;
- When days are difficult, you will turn to what you find most secure.

Who are you? Says who? What do we have? (1:1-2)

Holy (saints)—set apart to belong to Christ and doing it!
“In Christ”; in Durham region—trumps all-culture, location, heritage, ethnicity, heritage, other gods

Says Paul—sent, himself called from within his mother’s womb (Gal. 1:15-16) by the will of God to testify to Christ
(Messiah) Jesus—the man who was recently crucified (I have seen him!) and Timothy collaborating in the truth

A blessing of God’s undeserved favour to you and His perfect peace from the only God, who is YOUR Father!

How our thanksgiving can serve to swamp the onslaught of the surrounding culture... (1:3-8)

For the hope of the truth of eternal life we heard about, the gospel, now evidenced in our lives...
- Faith in Christ Jesus
- Love for all the saints

For the glorious results of the gospel
- Reach—all over world
- Life-transforming work—bearing fruit and growing

For the one from whom you learned the truth
- Heard
- Understood God’s gift of the truth about the universe and how eternity operates

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