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This week's guest speaker is CRE Nellie Baker.
Gathering Around the Word
Prelude ANNOUNCEMENTS CALL TO WORSHIP With all of our hearts we give thanks, O Lord. For You are Lord of all and our praise belongs to you alone. We worship You today for all that You are to us. Your love is forever, Your faithfulness absolute. Throughout our lives we have called upon You. You have always heard us and given us strength. We will praise You forever, O God. And sing of the wonder of Your ways for all time. Amen.
OPENING PRAYER (unison)
God beyond our knowing, we believe that You care for humble people who seek to follow Your Word more than those who are pretentious and proud of power. You have protected Your people when they were surrounded by trouble. You have provided a way of escape in the midst of oppression. Your love never fails. Come, Holy One, to transform us. Work within and among us to renew our minds and build community. Nurse us into the health You intended for all Your children. You are our help and our hope. Amen. *HYMN “The Church is One Foundation” #321 *PRAYER OF CONFESSION: Merciful God, we confess that we have conformed our lives to the ways of the world and not the ways of Your kingdom. We think of ourselves too highly and regard others as lowly. We exalt possessions and power when You alone are to be exalted. We let conflicts prevail over grace and divisions over harmony. Have mercy upon us, we pray. Forgive and transform us, that we may be holy and acceptable to You, discerning and doing Your will. Through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. *Time of silent prayer: *Assurance of Pardon *Response – Gloria Patri *Passing of the peace Children’s Chat Prayer of Illumination Scripture Matthew 16: 13 - 20 SERMON: “Do you know him?” *HYMN “Just As I Am, Without A Plea” # 442 *Apostles Creed Presentation of tithes and offering Offertory *Doxology *Prayer of dedication Concerns and Celebrations Prayers of the people The Lord’s Prayer * HYMN “Open My Eyes” # 451 *Benediction Postlude
BIRTHDAYS Jordan Chappell, Carley McCoy, Linda Miller, Mary Hathaway
ANNIVERSARIES Tom & Linda Miller Sympathy to the family of Lisa Hamilton Remember our food collection. And Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.” Please let Betty Fisher know of anyone within the community that may be in need at this time. Women On Wednesday will meet August 30 at West Middletown Restaurant on Main at 11: 30. Invitation to join West Alexander: Please join us in our community event at the West Alexander Fairgrounds to help kick off Fair Week. What a great time to meet up with friends, neighbors, and family to enjoy songs of Worship, a special message, prayer, Fellowship and refreshments. September 3, 2023 at 6pm.
Continuing Prayer List
Chuck Dicks, Frank Huffman, Tom Westfall, Elaine Belcastro, Sandy Stone, Sarah Wilson, Carl Weber, Jimmy Svetz, Haley Diedier Bedillion, Fred Wilkinson, Ricci Amos, Tiffany Cipoletti, Diane Anderson, Tim Taylor, Suzy Smith, Helen Provenzano, Donna West , Judy Donaldson, Marlene McFeely, Chuck Harton,Wiley Myers, Keith McGill, Ron and Jean Westfall, Billie Wilson, Ed Horne, Sue Gregg, Wendy Willard, Marley Smith, Kirkland Cipoletti, Ellen Morris, Frank Baker, Mike Durila, Alyssa Kuhn, Dave Henderson
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Good morning!
We're so glad you decided to join us today!
When we meet in person, we take time to share our joys and concerns. Consider the last week, and any prayer requests you may have. If you have any prayer requests to share, you can add them as a comment to this post. When you are ready, use the prayer below (source) to get started.
Dear Father, God of the living,
Thank you that Christ's revelation of himself within my soul as Lord of my life and as the living Spirit of truth and holiness testifies that he is not dead but alive forevermore. Thank you that he lives in my heart. By your grace, and by my faith in what you did, I am what I am. The resurrection is preached and I believe it. Thank you, Father! Thank you that I don't have to believe that death ends it all either for Jesus or for me! In the name of Jesus I come, thanking you for your resurrection power and asking that I may live so as to always have hope of sharing in it. Amen.
This week's lesson is on 1 Corinthians 15:20-28.
Lesson Context
The book of 1 Corinthians is a letter written by Paul to the church in the city of Corinth. The church there had major problems, and the letter was meant to help the people understand. This text comes from the next to last section of the book, where Paul discusses the resurrection. Our book says that God will raise the dead so that they are alive as a unity of body and spirit. They will be in fellowship with those who are still alive at Christ's second coming. This will be the ultimate victory of God. Some members of the church in Corinth did not believe the idea that God would raise the dead. This may have been due to pagan Greek philosophy, which viewed the body as a prison from which one's spirit desired to escape. Paul argued that God does raise the dead because God raised Christ from the dead. He recounted the many people who saw Jesus after his resurrection, alive in his body that had been dead and entombed. He considered himself the last of these witnesses.
Guaranteed Victory
For ancient Israel, the day of firstfruits, or the Festival of Weeks (for today's Jewish people, Shavuot), involved a sacrifice of the produce of the land. This was to express that all that was harvested came from God and was dedicated to God. With this offering, the faithful pledged to God not just this one offering but the entirety of their harvest. Paul says that Christ is the firstfruits, which God has provided. What was begun with Christ's resurrection will be completed with the resurrection of God's people. Christ's resurrection tells us that God is not finished. We have much to look forward to. Paul puts Christ's resurrection within the context of the entire biblical story. God intended to sustain people's lives as they depended on him. But people rebelled, and separated humans from God's sustaining power. Humanity brought death upon itself, both the loss of physical life and the ruin of God's goodness in our lives. Resurrection reverses all of this.
Plan for Victory
Paul offers a sequence of events for God's plan, though not a timeline. First, Christ was raised from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. Next, those who belong to him. This could refer to the dead in Christ who are raised when he comes, those still alive when Christ returns, or both. Then, the present age, when sin and evil seem to prevail, will end. Christ's return is not something for the faithful to fear. It means resurrection life. It means the defeat of evil in all its manifestations. It means the end of suffering. It means joy and peace. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. God pronounced death as the punishment for sin. The victory of God means the end of death. God destroys death by raising his people from the dead, uniting their spirits with resurrected bodies, and bringing them into eternal, unbroken fellowship with God and with one another.
Total Victory
All of Christ's enemies will be trodden under foot. Everything is subject to the Christ with one exception: God the Father, the one who brings the enemies under the king's authority. When the plan has been completed, the Son will willingly subject himself to the Father. God becomes all in all. 
Conclusion
A Christian's mind often goes to the promise of God that death is followed by life with God in heaven. That promise is real, true, important, and a real comfort as we consider our mortality. But today's passage reminds us that there is even more to look forward to. Biblical scholar and professor N.T. Wright says life after death is followed by "life after life after death." Raised from the dead, God's people are made whole. The life to come will bring us together with all of God's people from across the ages. We can only imagine what God has in store for us.
Prayer
Great God, your ways are far above our ways. Your promises to us are more than we can imagine. May we live in the light of your promised kingdom. We look forward to seeing the promise of resurrection fulfilled. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Questions for Discussion
Benediction
This week's benediction is from the King James Version. 
Next week, we start the fall quarter.
Today's guest speaker is Rev. Renny Domske.
Gathering Around the Word
Prelude ANNOUNCEMENTS CALL TO WORSHIP from Psalm 39 I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin, I will put a muzzle on my mouth in the presence of the wicked. Now, O Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in You, save me from all my transgressions and from fools. You rebuke and discipline men and women for their sin. Their wealth is consumed; each person is but a breath. Hear my prayer, O Lord! Listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping. Look away from me, that I may pass the test. May I rejoice again before I depart and am no more. The span of my years is as nothing before You. Now, O Lord, what do I look for? All my hope is in You.” INVOCATION
*HYMN “Rock of Ages” # 438
*PRAYER OF CONFESSION: His Name is wonderful. His Name is wonderful. His Name is wonderful: Jesus my Lord. O Lord, we sing songs such as this one and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”----but we do not act like it. We act like WE are the wonderful one. WE are the friend all should have. WE are selfish. Help us to know we need forgiveness. Help us to know that You must always come first in our lives. Help us to learn to have a forgiving spirit toward others. Thank You for being such a wonderful model of how to live. We are sorry we have sinned. *Time of silent prayer: *Assurance of Pardon *Response – Gloria Patri *The peace of the Lord Jesus be with you. And also with you. *Passing of the peace Children’s Chat Prayer of illumination Scripture reading Hebrews 13: 1 – 8 Christine Welling Hebrews 13: 9 – 21 SERMON: “What Kind of Offering Does God Want?” HYMN There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit in This Place #408 (acapella) *Apostles Creed Presentation of tithes and offering Offertory *Doxology *Prayer of dedication Concerns and Celebrations Prayers of the people The Lord’s Prayer * HYMN “His Name is Wonderful” (insert) (acapella) *Benediction Postlude
BIRTHDAYS Marilyn Ward, Don Hanes
Remember our food collection. And Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.” Please let Betty Fisher know of anyone within the community that may be in need at this time. Women On Wednesday will meet August 30 at West Middletown Restaurant on Main at 11: 30. The collection information for the fair last Sunday 8-13-23 is reported as $1,340.00, going to the Washington County Food Helpers. Also, there were 3 checks for total of $160.00 made out to Food Helpers directly. Grand total of $1,500.00. It was reported there were 195 in attendance.
Continuing Prayer List
Chuck Dicks, Frank Huffman, Tom Westfall, Elaine Belcastro, Sandy Stone, Sarah Wilson, Carl Weber, Jimmy Svetz, Haley Diedier Bedillion, Fred Wilkinson, Ricci Amos, Tiffany Cipoletti, Diane Anderson, Tim Taylor, Suzy Smith, Helen Provenzano, Donna West , Judy Donaldson, Marlene McFeely, Chuck Harton,Wiley Myers, Keith McGill, Ron and Jean Westfall, Billie Wilson, Ed Horne, Sue Gregg, Wendy Willard, Marley Smith, Kirkland Cipoletti, Ellen Morris
Good morning!
We're so glad you decided to join us today!
When we meet in person, we take some time to share about our last week. This includes our joys and concerns. If you have any prayer requests you would like to share, you can add them as a comment on this post. When you are ready, use the prayer below (source) to get started.
Dear Father,
Help me to live according to your Holy Scriptures. That is why I pray to you in their very words. I want to be conformed to your will, for you will what is best for me. Help me not to be puffed up against my brothers and sisters in Christ. For who sees any difference in me. We all have been freely justified by your grace, forgiven of our sins. What have I that I have not been given? I cannot boast of anything as if it were not a gift. Whatever I am or have, Father, you have given. I would not be addressing this prayer to you if you had not called me to be your servant, your child, and your warrior in prayer. Thank you for calling me. Thank you for all your gifts. You are so gracious, so kind, so bountiful, so wonderful. My God, let me walk humbly with you all my days. In the name of Jesus, who calls us to his own kingdom and glory. Amen.
This week's lesson is on 1 Corinthians 4:1-6, 17-21.
Paul’s language towards the Corinthians is sharply and appropriately judgmental. Paul founded the church in Corinth. A few years after leaving the church, Paul heard some disturbing reports about the church. They were full of pride and were excusing sexual immorality. Spiritual gifts were being used improperly, and there was rampant misunderstanding of key Christian doctrines. The apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians in an attempt to restore the Corinthian church to its foundation—Jesus Christ.
The church was plagued by divisions. The believers in Corinth were dividing into groups loyal to certain spiritual leaders. Paul exhorted the Corinthian believers to be united because of devotion to Christ. Many in the church were essentially approving of an immoral relationship. Paul commanded them to expel the wicked man from the church. The Corinthian believers were taking each other to court. Paul taught the Corinthians that it would be better to be taken advantage of than to damage their Christian testimony. 
Prayer
God, we come to you in repentance of the arrogance that we all have been guilty of at times. May we abandon our focus on our supposed entitlements and focus instead on the entitlements Jesus voluntarily gave up so that we might live with him eternally. In his name we pray. Amen!
Thought to Remember
With God as our judge, the church lives in humble fellowship.
Benediction
This week's benediction is from the New Living Translation. 
Next week's lesson will be on 1 Corinthians 15:20-28.
Good morning!
We're so glad you decided to join us today!
We are not meeting in person for Sunday School today. Instead, we are having worship at 10 am at the Washington County Fair.
We will see you next week, in person, for Sunday School!
When we meet in person, we take time to share joys and concerns. Consider your last couple of weeks, and the upcoming week. If you have any prayer requests to share, please add a comment on this post. When you are ready, use the prayer below (source) to begin.
Most Merciful God, we join our voices in this prayer of confession because we realize that we are united with each other in our own sinfulness. We all sin in ways that are unique to us as individuals. We say and do things that go against Your will for our lives. Forgive us for considering others' sins worse than our own. Forgive us for being so quick to recognize the sin in others, yet slow to see it in ourselves. Grant us the humility of spirit and the gladness of heart that comes from knowing that Jesus died to take away the sins of the world. Touch our lives with Your healing grace and create in us clean hearts. We pray these things in the Name of Jesus Chris, our Savior. Amen
This week's lesson is on Romans 14:10-23.
Have you ever had a day to do just what you wanted, only to feel let down afterward? Maybe it was a day off of work. Maybe friends gave you a break from your normal duties. Somehow, we often experience disappointment at the end of such times.
Why does that happen so often? Perhaps it is, to some extent, because we long to be part of something bigger than ourselves. “Me time” sounds great, but God has put in us a desire that our lives matter for others. I had so much “Me time” during the pandemic that I knew I needed to be a part of something else. The church is too often (because even once is too often!) the place where people seem most devoted to their own preferences. Churches have become infamous for the pettiness of their arguments over matters of opinion. We all grieve the fact, but it is likely that we all have been part of the problem at times. Today's lesson will be the uncomfortable mirror in which we see ourselves in this regard. Our text comes from Paul's letter to the Romans. The letter addresses a church divided between Jewish and non-Jewish (Gentiles) followers of Jesus. While we cannot know the exact circumstances, it appears to that each group looked down on the other for the way it practiced life in God's kingdom. Paul wrote this letter to show each group that they belong to God's kingdom on the same terms: faith in Jesus to God's good news about him. So Paul says “first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” that each group has the same status. All have sinned, both Jews and Gentiles. Paul's addressees belong to God's kingdom not by observances of the Law of Moses, which defined the Jewish people . Rather, they belong by faith in Jesus, who died that all might live eternally. This equality of status must be practiced. Jews were accustomed to keeping the laws of clean and unclean laid out in the Law of Moses. In a city like Rome, finding meat that was ceremonially clean was probably difficult. Add to that the fact that much meat had been sacrificed to pagan idols, and it appears that many Jews in Rome simply given up meat altogether. Meanwhile, Christians from a Gentile background had been brought into God's kingdom by their faith in Jesus, being formerly excluded because they did not belong to the people of Israel. They had never been subjected to the laws of clean and unclean. For Jewish followers of Jesus, dietary restrictions had always been a sign of devotion to God. But for Gentile followers of Jesus', these rules seemed strange and unnecessary. Whose rules should prevail? Both Jews and Gentiles are guilty of sin but that both can be restored to God's kingdom by expressing faith in Jesus. No Christians regardless of background identity, can judge another status on other criteria. To do so over foods is most unfitting for a follower of Jesus. There are two reasons for not passing judgment on others. First, if any judging is to be done with regard to practices of dietary choices, that will be God's prerogative, not ours. Second, we will be called to account on the last day for all judgments we formulate. God alone is Judge. Now through Jesus' death and resurrection, God had ended the deeper exile of sin and has made salvation available to all nations. As a result, no human group or category has a privilege over another. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will acknowledge God as ultimate king. Judging fellow believers is to give way to caring for them. Paul uses figures of speech to describe such caring; a stumbling block is something in a roadway that can makes someone trip, or an obstacle is something that blocks a path or causes a misstep. Paul reaffirms that there is no difference between clean and unclean foods. This reflect what the Lord Jesus declared; purity is not about food but a person's inner character, Israel's rules regarding clean and unclean food were always intended by God not as definitions of right and wrong behavior for all people, but as cultural boundaries that defined Israel as a distinct nation. Good and evil have always been about our inner dispositions that drive our actions. Paul states that if another Christian believes that a food is unclean then we should not partake so we do not become a stumbling block to them. Rules and practices regardless food are among the most obvious ways that group of people mark their differences from other groups. Food preferences are central to a people's culture. Even apart from Israel rules of clean and unclean, those rules were important to the Israelite because they were observed constantly. But Paul reminds us that God's kingdom is not merely about what is easily seen. Food is nothing compared to what God has done in Christ, what now defines his people as subjects of his kingdom. God's peace is not just a cessation of strife. It is harmony in loving, caring relationships. The gospel calls us not just to get along but to work for one another benefit. Joy flows from the abiding sense of confidence that God is making things right as he establishes his kingdom. Peace and joy are among the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Deferring to others' concerns even gains human approval. In social structures of the first century AD, Jewish Christians stood apart from the larger Jewish communities because of their acceptance of Gentiles as God's people. Gentile Christians, for their part, had abandoned the pagan worship that required loyalty to the Roman Empire. If these two groups became known for their arguments over food, their credibility would suffer all the more. But if they could demonstrate love, their example could shine. When the church fights, a vile reputation results. When its members love as Christ did, we become the salt and the light of the world. The peace of God's kingdom is a gift of God. But putting peace into practice is not automatic. They must apply diligent effort to make sure that everyone in Christ's body is respected, included and loved. Conflicts will be necessary when confronting doctrinal defection, moral defection or divisiveness. But such conflict should serve the greater good in protecting the integrity of the church. 
Conclusion
Peace, Not Conflict Up to the point of today's lesson text in Romans, Paul had spent many chapters reminding Christians in Rome that no group had any preference before God. Faith in Jesus-not being in a certain biological lineage or doing better works-is what brings sinners of every ethnicity into God's kingdom. United with him in death and resurrection, they are now dead to sin. They live a new life, empowered by God's Spirit, transformed to love and serve one another. But can we bring that truth to shared meals? Can we exercise our faith in such a way as to defer to one another as we learn to use our freedom for the benefit of others, not ourselves? The concern of those with strong faith should be for the welfare of those with weaker faith toward greater understanding. Of such love, grace, patience, and edification is the kingdom of God. Prayer Gracious Father, we thank you for our freedom in Christ. Lead us to use that freedom to build up others, never to tear down. May we be instruments of your peace in the name of your Son. Amen
Questions for discussion
Benediction
This week's benediction is from the Tree of Life Version. 
Next week's lesson will be on 1 Corinthians 4:1-6, 17-21. We will be back in person then.
Today's guest speaker is Rev. Renny Domske.
Gathering Around the Word
Prelude ANNOUNCEMENTS CALL TO WORSHIP: from Psalm 37 Do not be envious of those who do wrong and are evil; Like the grass and green plants, they will soon wither. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Commit your way to the Lord and trust in Him. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; Do not fret—it only leads to evil. Those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. The Lord laughs at the wicked and loves the just. INVOCATION
*HYMN “Lord, I want to Be a Christian” # 729
*PRAYER OF CONFESSION: Lord, I want to be a Christian inna my heart, inna my heart. Yet too often I love myself too much. I care about what affects me more than I care for my neighbor, my brother, my sister. I am interested in what value I receive from my efforts rather than what value my efforts give. Forgive my sin. Forgive my selfishness. Forgive my lack of effort in telling others about Your love, Your hope, Your forgiveness. Allow me to “Taste and See that the Lord is good” again. O Lord God, I am still learning to love You! *Time of silent prayer: *Assurance of Pardon *Response – Gloria Patri Baptism of Savannah Marie Hathaway *Passing of the peace Scripture reading Psalm 27: 1- 8, 13 – 14 Lois Miller Acts 2: 36 – 41 Prayer of Illumination SERMON: “Hangin’ Out With The 3000” *HYMN “Take My Life” #697 Confirmation of New Members *Apostles Creed Presentation of tithes and offering Offertory *Doxology *Prayer of dedication INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE Let Us break Bread Together # 525 Communion Alleluia / A Hymn of Joy We Sing Lord’s Prayer * HYMN “Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart” # 804 (verses 1,3,5) *Benediction Postlude
BIRTHDAYS Billie Wilson, Mike Hildebrand
ANNIVERSARIES Don & Karen Hanes SYMPATHIES To the Family of Dr. Robert Vande Kappelle To the Family of Evelyn Wood Remember our food collection. And Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.” Please let Betty Fisher know of anyone within the community that may be in need at this time. Welcome, Welcome, new members to our congregation. Savannah Marie Hathaway Caleb Xavier Cummings Jacob Elijah Cummings Women On Wednesday will meet August 9 at the Church at 9:30. All are welcome to have fun and fellowship. Remember Fair is next Sunday, August 13. Church is at the fair that Sunday at 10 o’clock. Barb O’Hara would like prayers for Ellen Morris, a friend who was attacked viciously by a dog and had to have surgery.
Continuing Prayer List
Chuck Dicks, Frank Huffman, Tom Westfall, Elaine Belcastro, Sandy Stone, Sarah Wilson, Carl Weber, Jimmy Svetz, Haley Diedier Bedillion, Fred Wilkinson, Ricci Amos, Tiffany Cipoletti, Diane Anderson, Tim Taylor, Suzy Smith, Helen Provenzano, Donna West, Judy Donaldson, Marlene McFeely, Chuck Harton, Wiley Myers, Keith McGill, Ron and Jean Westfall, Billie Wilson, Ed Horne, Sue Gregg, Wendy Willard, Marley Smith, Kirkland Cipoletti, Ellen Morris 
Good morning!
We're so glad you decided to join us today!
This week, we are not meeting in person for Sunday School. Instead, we will be enjoying the children's Vacation Bible School Program.
Next week, we will be at the Washington County Fair for worship at 10 am. We will not be meeting for Sunday School.
When we meet in person, we share our joys and concerns with each other. If you have prayer requests to share, you can add them to the comments on this post. When you are ready, use this prayer to get started.
God, our Father, we often come to you with requests for things that we want in our personal life, for help in difficult times or for health and healing. But sometimes our desires are simply for worldly success, for comfort, for more things and more money.
This morning we ask that, through your Spirit, you would make us more like you — more loving, more caring, more patient, more compassionate, more joyful even in difficult times. Help us to bear fruit so that there will be more unity in the church and more Christlike love for all people. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.
This week's lesson is on Galatians 5:13-26.
Introduction
Imagine, if you can, being a convert to the Christian faith in the first century. You have come from a world of pagan religion and sacrifices to appease the gods. You have responded to a message of love and forgiveness preached by a man named Paul and built on the life and teachings of Jesus. But Christianity is not entirely new. It comes out of the Jewish faith to which Jesus firmly belonged. Therefore, some Jewish Christians see the faith simply as a continuation of Judaism. They argue that to be a Christian one must obey all of the Jewish laws. Those who came to Christ from pagan backgrounds, they say, must be circumcised and obey the Jewish dietary laws. But even though Paul is a prominent Jewish leader himself, he argues that God has done something in Jesus that completely changes how people of faith can now relate to God. The nature of the controversy indicates that the Galatian church included spiritual brothers and sisters from both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds. These disparate groups had been made into a family by God’s call. That call is the good news that in Jesus, God had come in the flesh, had submitted to death, and rose to new life.
Living in freedom (13-18)
In Jesus, Paul says, God set us free from the requirements of the law. Not only that, but God also set us free from living only for ourselves and our own desires and pleasures. That is not true freedom. That is merely license. Living that way may look like freedom, but ultimately it is just another path to slavery — slavery to sin. Instead, God calls us to the kind of freedom that allows us to love others in truth and sincerity. It’s the kind of love that Jesus showed toward others. It is not contrary to the law because, as Paul says, “the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Despite having different backgrounds, the love for God and the love for others is something that unites all Christians. This, for Paul, is the foundation of the Christian faith. The alternative to this central commandment is to have churches where there is constant bickering and internal divisions. To avoid that, churches might divide into Jewish- and Gentile-based congregations, the lesson suggests. However, that would create divisions as well, and Christ’s church should not be divided. Instead, both groups can admit their different backgrounds while focusing on the love that unites them. How can we live such a life? How can we live together with people who see the faith differently? How can we learn to love and serve others? Christians must turn away from their own selfishness and listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. God provides that Spirit to each Christian, but we must still be willing to listen and obey. That requires a daily decision to set our self-interest aside and to ask how God’s Spirit is leading us to love other people. The difference between the old way and this new way of life is what Paul describes as living by the flesh or living by the Spirit. Even for Christians, this is a continual struggle.
Rejecting selfishness (19-21)
At this point, Paul offers a list of sins that show just what a difference it makes to live by the flesh. Such unrestrained selfishness leads to sins like sexual immorality, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, jealously, fits of rage and selfish ambition as well as divisions and envy and finally, drunkenness and orgies. These sins range from personal failings to religious failings. They include failing to live lives that reflect self-sacrificing love and that create more divisions and hostility between people. These sins are common among people outside the church, but Christians who live without the Spirit’s guidance can succumb to them as well. Falling into these practices is not freedom. As we mentioned before, this is license, and when unchecked it reveals that we are not citizens of God’s kingdom and that we have no inheritance in it.
Pursuing Godliness (22-26)
By contrast, Paul now offers a list of attitudes that are reflected in those who live by the Spirit’s guidance. Paul calls them “the fruit of the Spirit,” which is fitting because they are what grows in a Christian life that is cultivated with attention to the Spirit. They are the harvest of daily spiritual attention that allows us to consider others instead of just ourselves. The first of these fruits, of course, is love, but along with it are joy and peace, patience, kindness and goodness toward others. In addition, those guided by the Spirit will be faithful and gentle and self-controlled. Living this way does not come naturally. It requires dying to our old way of thinking and living and continually “crucifying” that old person that vies for control of our thoughts and our actions. This internal battle will never fully go away while we are living, but life in the Spirit will make us more like Christ as we grow in our faith. 
Conclusion
Paul begins and ends his vice list with the commonly named pagan vices but devotes most of his attention in the middle to matters of hostility and disunity. He is driving home a point to Galatian church members that need to be heard through the ages: When we divide the body of Christ for self-serving reasons, we serve the flesh. We might tend to minimize such acts by pointing to the blatant evils of the ungodly world around us, but our selfish hostility is just as evil. We paganize ourselves when we refuse to love one another. Do you want a kingdom life, the life that God always intended for God’s people? Then let the Holy Spirit bear his fruit. Prayer Thank you, God, for your incomparable blessing of freedom and life in the Spirit. We rely on the power of your Spirit so that we can be people who reject our Lord’s resurrection. Amen!
Questions for discussion
Benediction
This week's benediction is from the Revised Standard Version. 
Next week's lesson will be on Romans 14:10-23.
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