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The Amish Voice 9
The book of Galatians is one of those
books of the Bible that has been of
tremendous influence in my life. In the
other letters to the churches, specifically 1
and 2 Corinthians and Colossians, Paul
wrote concerning immoral practices that
needed to be purged from the church. The
church at Galatia had a different problem.
It was the same thing that so often
happens when churches lose their spiritual
zeal: they default to legalism. Martin
Luther said, “Religion is the default mode
of the human heart.” Religion enslaves,
and the pure gospel of Jesus Christ sets us
free. Anyone, regardless of birth or creed,
can be set free.
When the Anabaptist movement
began, it focused on the baptism of adult
believers. The need to make a public
confession of faith in Jesus Christ was key
to being baptized. It was common to have
thousands of converts in a year. So many
joined the Anabaptist movement that the
established church was losing members in
alarming numbers. I am convinced the fire
of the Holy Spirit was driving them.
Today, Anabaptists are no longer a threat
to established churches in the way they
were back then. Unfortunately, the fire has
mostly gone out.
Paul, contrasting slavery and freedom
in his letter to the Galatians, draws upon
the Old Testament example of Abraham
and his two sons. One was from a slave
woman and one was from the promise
made years before.
I sometimes wonder what it was like to
be a slave in the South, hoeing and
picking cotton. If we were to drive past a
plantation, we would not likely know the
difference between a free man and a slave
by observing them in the field. They both
worked hard all day and got dirty from
their work. One was paid for his labor and
the other was not. A slave could not be an
heir. If we had been slaves working for
someone else and then found freedom, we
would value freedom very highly.
Slaves and freemen both did in the
field what needed to be done to bring a
crop to harvest. The difference was seen
in the house. A free man could say no to
his boss without fear of severe
punishment. He could ask for time off,
perhaps to see a distant relative. An
adopted son, who had once been a slave,
would appreciate his freedom better than
anyone else. That is what we are as
believers. We work because we are asked
to join in the effort Jesus put forth to make
his kingdom on earth and heaven a reality.
Galatians 4:6-7
And because ye are
sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his
Son into your hearts, crying, Abba,
Father. Wherefore thou art no more a
servant, but a son; and if a son, then an
heir of God through Christ.
This verse takes on special meaning
when we realize the word “Abba” was a
term a child would use similar to the way
“daddy” is used today. A relationship has
need of constant nurture, or it will grow
weaker. So the primary difference is
whether we have a relationship with Jesus
Christ or we practice a list of do’s and
don’ts. That is why believers need to meet
together often, and yes, even more as the
day of Jesus’ return approaches.
Hebrews 10: 25 says,
Not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together, as
the manner of some is; but exhorting one
another: and so much the more, as ye see
the day approaching.
Rekindle the Fire
—Eli Stutzman
Open Discussion
Conference Lines
We have set up a
Confer-
ence Call Line
so you can
call in and
discuss
the articles in
The
Amish Voice
and other truths found in
the
Bible
. We can discuss topics, you
can ask questions, and we can learn to-
gether. We will begin with a couple ses-
sions and see how it works. Let us learn,
pray, and seek God together!
To start out, we are scheduling two con-
ference call sessions on the following
dates and times:
1. Friday, March 22 at 8pm
(Eastern Standard Time)
2. Friday, April 5 at 8pm (Eastern
Standard Time)
Show up when you can and stay as long
as you like. We hope it will last until 9
p.m., but may continue longer if the dis-
cussion is going well.
Calling Directions:
Dial
1-267-507-
0240
and then enter the conference code
number:
409703
Help Us Try Something New!
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Chapter of the
Week Phone Line
Get involved with Alton
Nisley’s
Chapter of the
Week
discussion by calling in on the
following number: 330-232-9194.
Not only will you be able to join oth-
ers who are reading the same chapter
of the week, you will be able to leave
a message and/or contact a live per-
son for further discussion.
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