{\rtf1\ansi\deff0

\margl1800\margr1800\margb1440\margt1440\deflang1033\lndscpsxn

{\colortbl;

\red114\green179\blue114;

\red128\green128\blue128;

\red102\green0\blue204;

}

{\fonttbl;

{\f0 Arial}

}

{\b\fs48 Episode 1556: A New Creation is Everything\b0}

{\pard \line \par}

{\b\cf1 Scott Maderer:\b0}

{ }

{\cf2 [00:00:00]}

{ Thanks for joining me on episode 1,556 of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. }

{\pard \line \par}

{\b\cf3 Lola Adeyemo:\b0}

{ I'm Lola Adeyemo challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent, and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the ability to understand yourself and others is key, and one way to continue to be inspired to do that is to listen to these The Inspired Steward Podcast with my friend Scott Maderer.}

{\pard \line \par}

{\b\cf1 Scott Maderer:\b0}

{ We'll not grow weary if we're sustained by the body of Christ. That's what Paul is saying. People do come into our lives for a reason and we go into other people's lives for a reason. And that reason is to be shaped for the service in the }

{\cf2 [00:01:00]}

{ name of Christ and to be shaped for good Welcome and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.}

{\pard \line \par}

{If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be to, you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling. In the inspired Stewardship podcast, you will learn to invest in yourself. Invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.}

{\pard \line \par}

{In today's spiritual foundation episode, I talk about Galatians chapter six, verses one through 16. I share how we are called to community, not to be self-centered, but rather to be strengthened and be other-centered. I also share how we all come into each other's lives for a reason as they come into ours.}

{\pard \line \par}

{Galatians chapter six, verses one through }

{\cf2 [00:02:00]}

{ 16 says, my brothers and sisters, if anyone is detected in a transgression you have, who have received the spirit, should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another's burdens and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ for if those who are nothing think they are something they deceive themselves, must test their own work, then that work rather than their neighbor's work will become a cause for pride.}

{\pard \line \par}

{Foral must carry their own loads. Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked for you. Reap what you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you'll reap corruption from the flesh. But if you sow to the spirit, you'll reap paternal life from the spirit.}

{\pard \line \par}

{So let us not grow weary in doing what is right for we will reap at harvest time if we do not give up. So then wherever we have an }

{\cf2 [00:03:00]}

{ opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. See what large letters I make when I'm writing in my own hand. It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh, who try to compel you to be circumcised only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.}

{\pard \line \par}

{Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything but a new creation is everything.}

{\pard \line \par}

{As for those who will follow this rule, peace be upon them and mercy and upon the Israel of God. Have you ever heard the song for good? It. It's from Wicked, and it's when }

{\cf2 [00:04:00]}

{ close to the end of the play. Th This actually didn't occur in the movie version yet. Maybe it'll be in this next movie, but it's sung almost at the end.}

{\pard \line \par}

{'cause the two main characters who have been friends, they've been enemies, they've been partners, they've been rivals, and they meet towards the end in less than ideal circumstances, and they sing for good. They know that they'll probably never see each other again. The song is an apology. It's an affirmation.}

{\pard \line \par}

{It's an acknowledgement of a deep and lasting connection of the impact that one person can make on another. Steven Schwartz, who wrote the song and composed it, considers it one of the greatest songs he's ever written. Some of the lyrics go, I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn, and we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let }

{\cf2 [00:05:00]}

{ them and we help them in return.}

{\pard \line \par}

{I don't know if I believe that's true, but I know I'm who I am today because I knew you. The song kind of has a pun in the title, the for Good, because it's recognizing that the influence that others bring to our lives and the impact that they make often in very surprising ways, is also sometimes very permanent.}

{\pard \line \par}

{The turn of the phrase is around things that are beneficial for good influence. It comes from those close to us and has a permanent or for good effect. It can stay with us for a long time. So the for good can be for good. We're different because of the good that others bring to our lives. So this.}

{\pard \line \par}

{Writing from Galatians about Paul. We've been talking a little bit about some of }

{\cf2 [00:06:00]}

{ Paul's writings, and we'll talk some more in the weeks to come forward instead of thinking in singulars. Think in plurals, we tend to think about ourselves, especially in the Western world. We tend to think about what can I do?}

{\pard \line \par}

{How can I grow in my spiritual walk? What's good for me? And in this new creation that Paul is describing as he is writing this letter to the church is about relationship. It's about community. We are a new creation, and it's that community that is the new creation. My faith is wrapped up in your faith.}

{\pard \line \par}

{My growth is in part your growth and as you grow, I grow. Paul is asking us in this sixth chapter to measure our faith by our impact on the wider community and on the folks around us. Towards the middle, in verses nine and 10 it says, }

{\cf2 [00:07:00]}

{ so let us not grow weary and doing what is right for we will reap at harvest time if we do not give up.}

{\pard \line \par}

{So then whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all and especially for those of the family of faith. And at first, when you hear this, let us not grow weary in doing what is right. Just simple, right? Just hang in there. Just keep plugging away. Keep doing it. The living this way is a marathon, not a sprint.}

{\pard \line \par}

{It's a process, not an event. Keep at it. And yet at truth is, that's really doesn't feel very satisfactory. I don't know about you, but the idea that I can, through willpower, through just sheer force of will, through keeping my nose to the grindstone, hustling, putting one foot in front of the other, driving forward, doing it more, and somehow through my own power, I can be better service to God and my neighbor is overwhelming at best and nonsensical }

{\cf2 [00:08:00]}

{ at worst.}

{\pard \line \par}

{I dunno about you, but. I often, through my own power, through my own will find it difficult to keep going. I wanna quit. Sometimes. It's hard, especially with everything going on in the world and battering us each and every day with bad news. It's hard to keep serving when the energy runs out. It's hard to be selfless when the energy runs out.}

{\pard \line \par}

{So what is Paul saying when he says, let us not grow weary. The problems in the church that he's writing to in Galatia were many and complicated. There was a division at the core of the church. There was argument about some serious theological topics, but most of the division had to do with practice how they lived out.}

{\pard \line \par}

{The new faith. Do you get circumcised? Do you not get circumcised? Do you do this? Do you do that? Do we sprinkle? Do we dunk? How do we do the different acts of our faith? How do they }

{\cf2 [00:09:00]}

{ live into this new faith? And it got so argumentative that it led to name calling, separation, anger, frustration, fear, splitting the church.}

{\pard \line \par}

{And Paul was grieved by this, but he wasn't ready to give up. It starts this chapter with a condemnation or a command or a direction. Of how to deal with conflict. It says things like, use a spirit of gentleness and bear one another's burdens. This is a very different tone than what the church normally does when it comes to division.}

{\pard \line \par}

{I don't know about you, but I've seen a lot of whoever shouts the loudest wins even in church meetings. And Paul seems to be saying there's different priorities. There's different methodologies, but different doesn't necessarily mean bad or wrong. He says, we who are taught in the world }

{\cf2 [00:10:00]}

{ word bear a responsibility.}

{\pard \line \par}

{We have expectations to live up to. There's a standard that we're held to. And then in the midst of that, verse nine and 10 appear. I don't know about you, but one of the words that jumped out to me is especially for those in the family of faith I don't know about you, but immediately I started thinking wait.}

{\pard \line \par}

{Are you saying we need to take care of ourselves first? That the churches should look inward? I don't feel that's really the command. I don't think that's in, in keeping with what else we're called to do, to go out and make disciples of faith. How could we sustain working for good only when we do it for ourselves, but maybe the especially means something different.}

{\pard \line \par}

{Maybe it means we can only sustain working for good when we do it in partnership with the wider community. I. After all, if I'm incapable of sustaining my }

{\cf2 [00:11:00]}

{ own desire to do good, to build up, to work for the kingdom all on my own, then don't I need help from my brothers and sisters and faith I. Don't I need reminders that I'm not alone?}

{\pard \line \par}

{Don't I need a family of faith? Maybe that's what especially means in this verse, not that Christians are more worthy of good works or acts of kindness than non-Christians, but rather we've gotta be connected to other Christians so that we can all work together to support and to love and to reach out.}

{\pard \line \par}

{And to treat people with kindness. Even when we run out of energy, we're crafting relationships and we're being transformed by those who have come into our lives. And we're encouraged and we're equipped to be better and to serve with passion, care and love. We are remade with good. }

{\cf2 [00:12:00]}

{ And we can continue to serve as long as we remain connected.}

{\pard \line \par}

{We will not grow weary if we're sustained by the body of Christ. That's what Paul is saying. People do come into our lives for a reason, and we go into other people's lives for a reason, and that reason is to be shaped for the service in the name of Christ and to be shaped for good. Thanks for listening.}

{\pard \line \par}

{Thanks so much for listening to the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoyed this episode, do me a favor. Go over to facebook.com/inspired stewardship }

{\cf2 [00:13:00]}

{ and like our Facebook page and market that you'd like to get notifications from us so that we can connect with you on Facebook and make sure that we're serving you to the best of our abilities with time and tips there.}

{\pard \line \par}

{Until next time, invest your time. Your talent and your treasures. Develop your influence and impact the world.}

}