091122    Praxis Class Meeting

Galatians 5:16-26, Title: Fruit of the Spirit

1. Word Prayer (All): “and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (verse 21). Got the Father, this world is darkening with spiritual depravity and the relationships with people have been broken. The world has become a world that pursues all kinds of pleasure. While we are living in this world as God's people, all kinds of trials and temptations are trying to overthrow us. You said that those who live in the world according to the greed of the flesh cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus, hold us by the power of the cross and lead us to the right path. Holy Spirit, please dwell in our hearts so that we may become children of God who live and bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of Jesus. amen.

2. Icebreaker: Let's share what are my favorite fruits and why I like them.

3. Singing(Hymn): assigned by leader

 

4. 본문읽기(인도자): 갈라디아서 5:16-26절을 함께 읽습니다.

 

4. Reading the scripture: Galatians 5:16-26

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

5. Understanding the Text:

As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of the church, we give thanks and praise to God for being with us and guiding us so far. The fact that we have spent 40 years in Albuquerque like the wilderness can be compared to the 40 years of the Exodus of Israel in the wilderness. The 40 years of the Israelites' life in the wilderness was a time of training through all kinds of temptations and trials.

The last 40 years of Albuquerque United Methodist Church have been a time of training through many trials. 40 years ago, on September 12, 1982, 25 church members gathered in a home for a service that was the beginning of our church. They started the church at home because they did not have worship place like church. After that, They rented a church building and had worship service there, but that was not easy either. Of course, They couldn't eat Korean food to their heart's content, and there were many restrictions about the time of worship. If there was a trouble from us, we had to get kicked out and move to another church to get a place of worship. After that, the land to be built was donated, but building a church on the land was not easy. There were a lot of difficult things and impossible things, but after a while, all of them were solved and overcame to reach where we are today. Looking back, there were many trials and tribulations, but the God who was with the Israelites in the wilderness was with us Korean American Methodist Church in Albuquerque.

In our journey of faith, first there is a stage of training and then there is a stage of fruit. During the training phase, we will be faced with many trials, temptations, and adversity. The reason is that we follow “the desires of the flesh” (verse 16). The problems caused by the desires of the flesh are “idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like”(verses 20, 21). The Israelites in the Exodus also encountered these problems in the wilderness. Those who overcame these trials and temptations could enter the Promised Land, but those who fell into temptation and temptations wandered in the wilderness and died. Our church has faced many trials and temptations over the past 40 years, but it is what we are today because we have overcome them well.

As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, God's will for us is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Just as grains ripen and bear fruit with the passage of time, after 40 years have passed, we too must be matured to that extent and bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control"(verses 22, 23). From now on, we hope that our church will be a church full of love that cannot be found in hate, a church full of joy at every worship service, and a peaceful church where there is no fighting or envying each other. From now on, we hope that our church will be a church that endures for a long time no matter how angry or bumped it is, a church that is infinitely kind and compassionate whomever we meet, and a church that does good for the neighbors in difficult and difficult situations. From now on, we hope that our church will become a church faithful for God's will, a church that has many members with soft and warm hearts, and a church having members controling and managing himself or herself well for the growth of faith.

6. Questions:

6.1. What are the fifteen things to do according to the desires of the flesh (verses 19-21)?

6.2. What do those who follow the desires of the flesh do not receive (verse 21)?

6.3. What are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (verse 22)?

6.4. What did the people of Jesus Christ crucify (verse 24)?

 

7. Application questions

7.1. What did I realize in today's sermon? What words do you think are most important to you?

7.2. What is my spiritual state right now? What is my prayer topic now?

7.3. As a Christian, what desire of the flesh do you follow?

7.4. Among the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, which ones have I not yet produced?

8. Prayer(add your prayer lists):

God, please open our eyes so that we can see clearly whether there are sexual or spiritual depravity in our lives, discord in relationships, and the pursuit of pleasure. Just as Jesus, who bore the sins of mankind, died on the cross, help us to crucify all the things that are caused by the desires of our flesh. God, open our ears so that we can clearly hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. In obedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit, shut off all that is happening because of the sinful nature of the flesh. In our following the guidance of the Holy Spirit like a farmer, help us to live a life like a tree that grows healthy and beautiful and bears abundant fruit. In the name of Jesus, who expects the fruits of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, we pray. amen.

9. Praise/ Announcements/

10. End with Lord's Prayer