Calvary Lutheran Church | Golden Valley, Mn, Usa | Calvary.org

After 4 chapters, Paul wants to remind us what is at stake, our freedom! Don't get tempted to turn around and backwards and miss out on the freedom you can have! Paul says, "So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law." If you are in Christ you are truly free. You are no longer on the performance plan. You are accepted. If your version of Christianity doesn't make you feel free, you're doing it wrong! So, how are you doing to USE the freedom you have in Christ? We often get pulled to two extremes: license and legalism. The Galatians kept getting pulled backwards, hanging on to old rules and traditions, instead of embracing the freedom they had in Christ. Paul says, "For you have been called to live in freedom...but don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead use your freedom to serve one another in love." Imagine if that was our focus as Christians, and as a church! When we live in love, led by the Spirit, we develop th

If we have faith in Christ, we can claim our identity as children of God! This privilege is not because of anything we have done, but only through what Jesus has done.

Losing My Religion: Covenant Living In order to understand the law and how God uses it, we need to understand the different kinds of covenants. They work together to lead us to Christ!

We live in a world full of divisions, but Jesus unites all Christians of the world in freedom, mission and generosity. Let's focus on how we are one in Christ!

According to the book of Galatians, the Gospel is the good news that God sent his Son Jesus to live and die and rise again so we could have life—a free and complete gift of grace, not dependent on anything we do or say or earn.

Pollster George Gallup once observed, "Americans are among the loneliest people in the world," but God created us to connect with others. Life change and spiritual growth best happens in circles, not rows!

We all experience darkness in our lives. But Jesus, the true light, enters into the darkness—and offers us the gift of his light and love.

Sin creates division and conflict between us and God, but Jesus came to defeat sin and make peace between us and God.

The world tells us to be full of joy and happiness, but sometimes all we feel is grief and sadness. Joy is made possible by the promise that God is with us, and this is seen no more clearly than in Jesus.

Relationships can be messy. But because of God's grace and love towards us through the coming of Jesus, we can move from being bitter to loving others!

Advent(ure): Anxiety to Hope The world can seem like a dark place, but it is into the darkness that God sent Jesus to be the light. Light gives direction. Light offers protection. Light gives us hope!

Live Generously: Who's the Boss? When we have a plan, we manage our money instead of letting our money manage us. When God stays in charge, we manage our money His way!

Live Generously: Where's Your Hope? When our wealth becomes our hope, our lives get out of focus. But Paul tells us to "put our hope in God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." So, where are you putting your hope today?

People matter to God, so they must matter to us. We need to always stay focused on reaching those who don't know Jesus. To have God's heart for people. To make disciples who go make disciples!

We often approach our faith and church like consumers by asking, "What's in it for me?" Instead, God is calling us to serve in and as His church. The church does not exist for us, and we as the church exist for the world!

Jesus didn't come to establish a new religion. Instead, He came to invite us into a living relationship. By God's grace, we can know Him more each day and invite others to do the same.

Many people see Christianity as a "once and done" thing. But we all have another step of faith we can take—we should never stop growing until we finally go to be with Jesus forever.

Living beyond regret is not a one-time decision—it is a way of life. Every day we can recognize our regrets, release our regrets and experience redemption.

God wants to turn our stories of regret into stories of redemption. What is redemption? Only God can truly and fully redeem, redemption takes time, and redemption takes many different forms.

One of the most powerful ways to release regret is to forgive—forgive someone you hurt, forgive yourself, forgive someone who hurt you... God brings redemption and healing through forgiveness.