July 7, 2019

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for July 7th: 2 Kings 5:1-14; Psalm 30; Galatians 6:1-16; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20: Theme: evangelism – bringing others into the fold Luke: The gospel is the story of how Jesus recruiting his 12 disciples to start to do the work of the church. As Jesus’ ministry started to expand beyond just the Jews, he realized that he needed even more help. He realized that he would need to train even more people. So Jesus recruits 72 other people to go out and to make a difference in the world. He trains them how to go out into the world and to spread the good news. They cannot be afraid of strangers, but they do not need to force anyone to like them. Jesus also teaches them how to protect themselves in a very lonely world. Whatever they accomplish, they have a reward in the spirit. God will be grateful for all of the hard work that they do. Galatians: We have had a continuous reading of what it means to live life in the spirit. Life in the spirit is never a life lived in isolation. It is always a life lived in community. A life with certain challenges. Just as our personal life depends on the fruits of the spirit, so does our life in community. When we are living in the spirit, we have the authority and the responsibility to correct others. When negativity creeps up in their life, we have to encourage others to sweep it away. There is no limit to being good. It works in every situation. We can be confident that everything that we need is in Christ. there is never a reason to seek evil or to go back to worldly ways? Questions: Have you ever tried to spread the gospel to someone who didn’t know it? What do you do when you are rejected? How are you training yourself to spread the gospel? How do you correct others when they are wrong? Do you like to be with other people? Or do you prefer to be faithful all alone?