What Gospel Community Looks Like (from the Study on Galatians Series)

Our pastor is now well into his Study on Galatians Series.  Previously, we have learned what freedom in Jesus is.  We have also talked about God stories.  We are now on the third sermon in the series.  Today, he shows us what gospel community looks like.

Image Credit:  Public Domain Image via Freely Photos

The following are my notes based on my pastors sermon.  You are invited to watch the entire sermon here.

Free - What Gospel Community Looks Like - May 19, 2019 (Message) from Christ Place Church on Vimeo.

 What Gospel Community Looks Like

The joy of authentic community is important in the life of the believer.  Our key verse for this series is Galatians 5:1.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. - Galatians 5:1

Paul wrote the book of Galatians to protect the gospel community.  In Galatians 2, we see cooperation without community.  Paul and Barnabas were Jews but Titus was a Gentile.  Titus looked very different from Paul and Barnabas.  There are a lot of people who don't look like us but they love Jesus.

The church at Antioch was very diverse.  Acts 13 describes Antioch.

¹¹ But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹² For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. ¹³ The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. ¹⁴ But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? - Galatians 2:11-14

Fear is a tool the devil uses to get you off your mission. 

This Bible study is available here.

 

God wants diversity in our church body but we are one in Christ Jesus.

We are not white Christians, black Christians, etc.  We are just Christians.

Confusion in Community

If you want to find something bad in your community, you'll find it.  If you want to find something good in your community, you'll find it.  It is critical that we keep our eyes on Jesus or the church will end up in critical condition.  We don't want to be stumbling blocks.  We want to be bridge builders. 

Christ Within Community

We are inclusive of all people, but not all beliefs.  

Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. - Galatians 2:16

We win people to Christ by loving them where they are. 

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. - Galatians 2:20

If there is any other way to God outside of Christ Jesus, then Jesus died for nothing . . . BUT, Jesus did not die for nothing.  He died for YOU and He is the only way.

Are you free in Jesus?

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Image Credit:  Public Domain Image via Freely Photos

Read all posts in the Galatians Bible study series here.

Recently my daughter and I visited the Chattanooga Zoo for the second time.  The first time, we were not really all that impressed.  There weren't many animals.  We spent about an hour there.  When we left, we felt like it wasn't worth the money . . . BUT . . . BUT . . . BUT . . . I'm so glad we gave it a second chance a few weeks ago.  They have added many animals and they are still building.  It was well worth the visit.

Image Credits:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove) - Collage Created in Picmonkey

 The Chattanooga Zoo

This time, it was just my adult daughter and me visiting the Chattanooga Zoo so we took our time and enjoyed the day.  I took so many pictures.  I'm going to show you a lot of them, but if you are in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area, you need to stop by and visit this zoo.  We found that the animals are clean, well kept, and appear to be well treated.

The first thing we did was visit the chimpanzee training area.  The trainers explained that they never share space with the chimpanzees.  Well, I hope not!  They showed us how the chimps present their body parts through the fence so that the trainers can check their heart rate and all the other things they need to check without entering their habitat.

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Aren't the chimpanzees cute?  

 *Did you know that many of the same mental exercises that zoos use to mentally stimulate their animals are also good for our domestic pets?  Here's a great article about mental exercises for you dog that were leaned from zoos.

This little guy is a Desert Horned Lizard.  Horned lizards obviously love the hot weather.  They eat ants, grasshoppers, and even spiders.  They camouflage themselves into the dirt and sand.  Learn more about horned lizards at the Horned Lizard Conservation Society here.

Desert Horned Lizard - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living

The next little guy is a Great Basin Collard Lizard.  These lizards can run on their hind legs.  They eat insects and other reptiles.  They even eat other collard lizards!  Learn more about collard lizards here at the Arizona - Sonora Desert Museum Collard Lizard Fact Sheet.

Great Basin Collard Lizard - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Collard Lizard - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Here we have a Spiny Tailed Monitor.  Spiny tailed monitors are known for the stripes on their necks.  Their tails can grow to twice as long as their heads and bodies combined.  Learn more about the spiny tailed monitor here at Reptiles Magazine.

Spiny Tailed Monitor - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Spiny Tailed Monitor - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Next up is the venomous Banded Rock Rattlesnake.  This little creature is found in the southwestern United States and Northern Mexico.  Banded rock rattlesnakes grow to lengths between 23 and 27 inches long, but some males have grown to 31 inches long.  They eat lizards, small mammals, birds, and other snakes.  They swallow their meals whole.  Learn more about banded rock rattlesnakes here at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

Banded Rock Rattlesnake - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

I don't like snakes at all, but I took these pictures for those who do.  This one is called a Puff Adder.  Puff Adders are found is Sub-Saharan Africa and and southwestern Saudi Arabia.  The puff adder spends most of its life in camouflage mode.  Learn more about the puff adder here at the African Snake Bite Institute.

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Puff Adder - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Here's a fun one!  The old Roadrunner cartoon was one of my favorites while I was growing up so I was excited to see a real one.  I'm not sure I've ever seen a real one.  Roadrunners are fascinating little creatures.  They live in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.  They were born to run.  Roadrunners can outrun humans and kill rattlesnakes.  Learn more about roadrunners here at All About Birds.

Roadrunner - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

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I think this is one of the cutest animals we visited at the Chattanooga Zoo.  This is a Fennec Fox.  The Fennec Fox is the world's smallest fox.  They live in Africa's Sahara Desert but the heat doesn't bother them too much because they are nocturnal.  They eat almost anything.  Learn more about the Fennec Fox here at Wildlife Learning Center.

Fennec Fox - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

I didn't know that mole rats are not moles or rats.  These little guys are Naked Mole Rats.  Apparently, the naked mole rat is more like a porcupine.  The naked mole rat lives its entire life underground.  They grow to approximately 3 inches long.  The largest member of the colony is the queen and she can weigh a whole 2.5 ounces.  Personally, these are ugly little creatures.  Learn more about the naked mole rat here at Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

Naked Mole Rats - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Have you ever heard of a Rhinoceros Iguana?  It gets its name from the horn like structures on its head.  It loves the sun.  The rhinoceros iguana can live about 20 years, sometimes a little longer.  Learn more about the rhinoceros iguana here at the Sea World website.  

Rhinoceros Iguana - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

This is a Spotted Sea Turtle.  They spend most of their time in slow moving shallow waters.

Spotted Sea Turtle - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Spotted Sea Turtle - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

The Bobcat is the most common wild cat species in North America.  They live in forests, grasslands, and swamps.  Humans don't see them very often because they are pretty sneaky animals and they mostly move at night.  To learn more about bobcats, visit the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute here.

Bobcat - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Bobcat - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

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The Snow Leopard is one beautiful animal.  This one was absolutely gorgeous.  Snow Leopards are considered to be medium sized cats.  They live in the mountains of Central Asia.  Learn more about the Snow Leopard here.

Snow Leopard - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

 A Closer Look

Snow Leopard - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

The cougar was a pretty impressive animal to visit as well.  A cougar usually weighs about 136 pounds.  Some other names for the cougar are mountain lion, puma, and panther.  They like to eat deer, coyote, raccoons, and porcupines.  Learn more about the cougar at National Geographic here.

Cougar - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

The Golden Lion Tamarin is one of the most endangered species in the world.  There home is found in the Atlantic Coastal Forests of Brazil.  They live almost entirely in the trees.  Learn more about the Golden Lion Tamarin at the Zoo Atlanta website here.

Golden Lion Tamarin - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

 

We loved the gorgeous colors of the beautiful rainforest birds.  Macaws are known for their beautiful feather colors, but they blend into their natural habitats well which includes green leaves, yellow flowers, and red fruits.  The heaviest of the birds weigh a little more than three pounds.  The lightest weigh less than 5 ounces!  Some can fly as fast as 40 miles per hour.  The Macaw beak is so strong that it can crush a human knuckle.  Ouch!  Learn more about these beautiful Macaw birds at the Sand Diego Zoo website here.

Macaws (Rainforest Birds) - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

The Jaguar is known to be the largest cat in the New World.  They mostly live in Central and South America.  They are nocturnal hunters.  The jaguar has large jaw muscles and sharp teeth so they can eat almost anything.  The jaguar has the second strongest jaws in the world.  Only the hyena has stronger jaws.  Learn more about the jaguar at Defenders of Wildlife here.

Jaguar - Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

What an impressive animal!

These are some of the animals we visited at the Chattanooga Zoo.  There were also lots of deer, beautiful peacocks, coyotes, cattle, a Great Horned Owl (which was beautiful but my photo was terrible), spider monkeys, and spiders. 

A Chattanooga Zoo employee told me that they have added so much to the zoo in recent years and they are adding a lot more.  This is not a zoo I would travel for days to see or buy a plane ticket to visit YET, but it's getting there.  However, if you happen to be visiting the Chattanooga area, the Chattanooga Zoo is a great way to spend a few hours.  My daughter and I enjoyed our day and since we visit Chattanooga often, we will most definitely go back.

Collage Created in Picmonkey

After you visit Chattanooga, how about heading south to visit Georgia's 7 Natural Wonders?

Visit Georgia's 7 Natural Wonders

If you haven't figured it out already, we go to Chattanooga, Tennessee a lot.  A few years ago, we discovered a little gem tucked away over on the North Shore.  It's a little Tex Mex restaurant called Taco Mamacita.  They serve a large variety of southwestern foods.  You can check out their complete menu in more detail here on the Taco Mamacita website.

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

 Places to Eat in Chattanooga, Tennessee:  Taco Mamacita

One of our favorite items is their Sloppy Joe Taco.  Yes, a Sloppy Joe Taco.  I had never heard of one until we visited this little tucked away North Shore restaurant.  I like Sloppy Joe sandwiches and I like Tacos.  Well, the folks at Taco Mamacita figured out how to combine these two yummy foods into one and it is soooooo good.

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Look at that photo.  This really huge soft taco is filled with Sloppy Joe filling, loads of cheese, jalopeno peppers and I don't even know what else.  It is simply amazing.  Some days I want to drive the 2.5 hours up there just to eat one.

So, if you find yourself on Chattanooga's North Shore at meal time, head over to Taco Mamacita's and order one of these Sloppy Joe Tacos - or choose from a huge variety of other mouth-watering menu items.

Their Chattanooga address is:

109 North Market Street
Chattanooga, TN  37405

Check them out on Facebook here.

Looking for an easy keto chicken recipe?  I've got you covered.  This lemon garlic cinnamon chicken recipe is keto friendly and it only takes a short time to make it.  My husband loves a lot of spices so I loaded this recipe with them.

 Keto Lemon Garlic Cinnamon Chicken

You'll need:

2 - 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 TBSP Lemon Juice
2 TBSP Chili Powder
2 TBSP Ginger Spice
2 TBSP Garlic Powder
2 TBSP Coriander Spice
2 TBSP Onion Powder
2 TBSP Cinnamon
2 TBSP Butter
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Can Rotel Tomatoes
1 Cup Chicken Broth

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Instructions:

First, you'll need to dice up the chicken.  Then, in a medium size bowl, add the diced chicken and 1 TBSP each of lemon juice, chili powder, ginger spice, garlic powder, coriander spice, onion powder, and cinnamon.  

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Mix it all up and let it marinate for a few minutes.  Then, add 2 TBSP butter to a deep skillet.  After the butter melts, add the chicken mixture.

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

While stirring frequently, cook on medium heat until the chicken is cooked through.

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

While the chicken mixture is simmering, add to a medium size bowl 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 1 can  of Rotel tomatoes, and 1 cup of chicken broth.  Add in 1 TBSP each of lemon juice, chili powder, ginger spice, garlic powder, coriander spice, onion powder, and cinnamon.  Mix it all up and then pour the mixture over the simmering chicken.  Continue simmering for 10 or 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

It's not a  pretty dish, but trust me, it's good!

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

Serve with steamed broccoli.  If a keto friendly recipe is not important to you, this tastes good with mixed vegetables too.

This recipe is not keto friendly but if you love pork chops and you're not following the keto lifestyle plan, try these bacon ranch pork chops in gravy sauce.

Bacon Ranch Pork Chops in Gravy Sauce

What is Your God Story? (from the Study on Galatians Series)

Our pastor has started his new series.  We are going through a study on the book of Galatians.  Previously, he taught us about freedom in Jesus.  This week, his sermon is titled "Your God Story."  Our key verse in Galatians for this series is Galatians 5:1.

Image Credit:  Ben White - Public Domain Image via Freely Photos

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. - Galatians 5:1

The following are my notes based on my pastor's sermon.  You are invited to view the entire sermon here.

Free - Your God Story - May 12, 2019 (Message) from Christ Place Church on Vimeo.

 What is Your God Story?

God stories encourage us.

¹¹ For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. ¹² For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³ For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; ¹⁴ and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. ¹⁵ But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, ¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.

This scripture wall art is available here.

¹⁸ Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) ²¹ Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; ²³ but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they were glorifying God because of me. - Galatians 1:11-24

No one is beyond the reach of God's grace.  Paul led a terrible life of persecuting Christians before he knew Christ.  Before Paul knew Christ, he believed he was the best pharisee.

And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. - Galatians 1:14

Being good will not get us into Heaven.  No one is "good."  We all need Jesus.  Paul thought he was doing God's work, being advanced in Judaism.  He thought he was doing God's work by getting rid of Christians.  Yet, Paul was lost until He believed in Jesus.

When did you start believing in Christ?

¹⁵ But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles. - Galatians 1:15-16

Before Paul knew Jesus, his name had been Saul.  Take a few minutes to learn about Saul's conversion here in Acts 9.

 Paul was pursuing Christians but God was pursuing Paul.   

If you are persecuting followers of Jesus, you are persecuting Jesus . . . just as Paul was doing.

BUT God has set Paul apart even when he was still in the womb.  God had a plan for Paul.  

Paul's eyes were opened and he saw that he needed Jesus.  Have your eyes been opened?

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. - Galatians 2:20

God had prepared Paul to preach to the Gentiles.  

God is preparing you for what He has planned for you. He loves you and He is pursuing you for His good.  

In case you missed it, see Kim's God story here.

   

What is your God story?

 Read all posts in the Galatians Bible study series here.