Dec 14, 2025 скачать в хорошем качестве

Dec 14, 2025

New Song Christian Fellowship church seGalatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians: Letters for LIFE Paul wrote several letters from Prison (Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians—with Galatians often grouped for its thematic connection), you’re holding a powerful collection of letters written to strengthen the early church. Though each letter is distinct, they share one major theme: The Gospel of Jesus produces freedom, unity, joy, and spiritual maturity in every believer. These four letters answer four big spiritual needs: • Galatians – What does it mean to live free? • Ephesians – What does it mean to live united? • Philippians – What does it mean to live joyfully? • Colossians – What does it mean to live with Christ at the center? Today we explore all four so we can live the fullness of the gospel in our everyday lives. POINT 1 — GALATIANS: LIVE IN FREEDOM Most scholars place it around AD 48–49, making it possibly Paul’s earliest letter. Paul addresses what freedom means – not free to do your own thing… Galatians 5:1,13-15 1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery…13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. Interestingly, many of Paul’s letters were written from Prison, YET Paul writes much about what it means to be Free. What we often think of in the natural as freedom can be almost opposite of the TRUE FREEDOM that Paul is speaking about here. Think of the statement that Jesus made concerning his own life in JOHN 10 – NO PERSON TOOK IT from Him… He laid it down. There was no power of any enemy to take the life of JESUS – a child of God, and the same is true for us. There is real power in knowing that the truest freedom that we have is our ability to FREELY GIVE OF ALL THAT WE HAVE, KNOWING THAT WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH… GOD IS OUR SUPPLY. Romans chapter 8:35-39 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The book of Galatians assures us that Jesus changes everything about how we now live - Galatians 2:20 — I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. The churches in Galatia, a region with a mixed Jewish and Gentile population, were struggling with legalism and pressure to conform to old religious laws. Paul wanted them to understand that they were not under the PRESSURE of the LAW to gain and maintain salvation, but were rather FREE TO DO SUCH THINGS, because they no longer had the pressure of worrying about what they may lose. I have this image in my mind of people swimming in an ocean of spring water that stretches a billion miles in every direction, YET worrying if their share may run out and even denying others a drink. I often speak about KINGDOM COMMODITIES – the things in life that we spend and that are finite… treasure, talent, talk, touch, and time… The Good News is that our portion in our mortal life will pass, but God’s supply is endless – nothing can separate us from God’s Loving SUPPLY! SO we LIVE in FREEDOM – because there is no Barrier between God and us except the ones that choose for ourselves – choose FREEDOM! Stop living like God loves you more on your good days and less on your bad days. Christ’s freedom sets you free from shame, performance, and comparison. Live as loved—not as earning love. POINT 2 — EPHESIANS: WALK IN UNITY AND IDENTITY Date of the Letter: Written around AD 60–62 during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome. In Christ, we are one family. We must walk worthy of our calling. The church at Ephesus was a major port city filled with spiritual diversity, idol worship, and cultural conflict. They needed identity and unity. Several early copies of this letter did not have the Ephesians title and appeared to be used as a circular letter that was meant for multiple cities. Each of the letters from Paul was used in this way and thus preserved for this purpose. Ephesians 2:8–10 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no on