Some of the Galatians had begun the race well. Paul compared this Christian life to a race that demanded discipline if the race is to be successfully completed. Who has interfered with you to hold you back from following the truth?” Elder Maughmer says you were running well – What Happened. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?” The New Living Translation says it like this: “You were getting along so well. The NIV has it: “You were running a good race. I like how some of the other Bible translations bring this scripture out:. In spite of their excellent beginning, something had gone wrong. The church at Galatia had some of their membership actually stop doing what they had started out doing.
In our text the same thing was going on and Paul addressed the very same situation. The church was growing, people were being delivered, and the anointing was flowing, it seemed like things where moving in the right direction, but then comes the time when you look around and the fire that was once there seems to be dying out, the joy and exuberance that once filled the pews is gone, we don’t praise like we used to praise, we don’t sing like we use to sing, we don’t dance like we use to dance and we must stop and ask the question WHAT HAPPENED? We can look around here and see those that started this race, but are now no longer in the race anymore. When we look at the ones that have turned and gone back we see they all have one thing in common and that is they all start out well, but along the way for some reason they make the decision to turn away and no longer live this blessed life of holiness. This is a tragedy and should cause us to become sadden because a soul that was lost had been found only to become lost again. They turn away, backslide, become lukewarm, and leave their first love. It is extremely sad when a person no longer walks with God.
COULDN T KEEP IT TO MYSELF FULL
However, some that have started this race have and they are no longer in full stride, but have dropped back and are now just leisurely walking along, while yet others have fallen out of the race altogether. You began this race well and for some you are still running this race with patience and doing well. You would go and witness and bring people to church with you. A bill collector could call you and you were so excited about the Holy Ghost you would tell the bill collector about Jesus. You would call people on the phone and tell them about Jesus. Love overflowing was coming out of you and you would tell everyone you came in contact with about the wonderful change that had taken place in you. You wanted everyone to feel what you where feeling. No doubt you might have said like one song writer put it “Said I wasn’t going to tell nobody, but I couldn’t keep it to myself”. The Bible lets us know that the angels in heaven rejoice over one soul Luke 15:10 says “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth”, and we here are filled with great joy and will shout because another lost soul has been found and is now headed in the right direction.įor just a moment think back to when you first received the precious gift of the Holy Ghost. There is a glow that radiates from them, a smile that is truly glorious is on their face and they speak with such excitement and exuberance that they have been born again. When they have received the Holy Ghost and you can literally see that their very countenance is changed. I believe that this is the greatest experience anyone could ever experience. I truly feel that the most beautiful and precious sight in the church is when a soul is delivered from the grips of sin and that person begins to walk in the newness of life. TEXT: Galatians 5:7 “Ye did run well who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth?”
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