Pastor's Page

Pastor Shadday's Page

I want to welcome you to our website. We, at St. Paul’s want to be a blessing to you in whatever ways we can. We invite you to our worship, and to enjoy our Bible Study opportunities. Christ has richly blessed us with His saving grace. We want to show our thanks for His grace by offering opportunities to put people in contact with that grace.

On this page of our site, you will find various resources we would like to make available. Some will be worship resources, some Bible Studies; some other resources intended to be a blessing to God’s people. We would be happy to share these with you, most via e-mail.

This month’s example of available Bible Studies is from a study we have completed on Galatians.
Galatians 1:10-24
Verse 10
Notes
* areskein (areskein) to make amends, please, appease

Discussion Questions
1. In what ways do people try to appease men in the church?
2. How do we respond to such efforts?
3. What does Paul say of us if we try to appease men?

Verses 11-12
Discussion Questions

1. Is it proper to say that the Gospel originated with men? Why or why not?
2. In what sense are the biblical writers considered the authors and how should that be reflected in our references to them and their works?
3. Where does Paul claim to get the Gospel? How did that happen?

Verses 13-14
Notes
* uperbolhn ediwkon (huperbolein edioken) I persecuted to extreme or excess

“By ‘my ancestral traditions’ Paul refers to the traditions of the Pharisees, that whole hedge of 613 human commandments which the rabbis had built around the law, and which the Pharisees made the business of their party to maintain at all costs. Here we should recall all the virulent clashes of Jesus with the Pharisees, for instance, the climax in Matthew 23:13, etc. Paul’s violence against the Christians was so excessive because the church meant the death of Pharisaism. A converted Jew and a Pharisee might live in the old Jewish way and freely choose to observe parts of the Mosaic law; but he would certainly give up the traditions of the elders as being mere useless and dangerous ‘commandments of men.’ These very traditions were the apple of Paul’s eye; for them he wished to tear the church of God to pieces.” R. C. H. Lenski

Discussion Questions
1. What is Paul referring to in these verses?
2. Who were the Pharisees and what were they like?
3. Why was Christ so opposed to, and enraged by, the Pharisees?
4. Could Paul be a Pharisee and a Christian at the same time? Why or why not?

Verses 15-17
Notes
* ek koilias (ek koilias) before birth, when in the womb

“The intentions of God’s good pleasure are not conceived at the time of their execution but long before, so long in advance that he shapes and directs all things toward the good end he has in view. How the divine and human factors are combined in attaining the good outcome is beyond mortal insight. Speculations are generally unsatisfactory. The point we should note is the full stress Paul lays on the divine agency which made him the apostle he was. No one would have believed that the babe born away off in heathen Tarsus, the child of the strictest Pharisees, would come to be the apostle who fought this Pharisaism so mightily.” R. C. H. Lenski

“In this passage you hear what sort of doctrine was given and committed to Paul, namely, the doctrine of the gospel, which is the revelation of the Son of God; as Psalm 2:11 says, ‘Kiss the Son.’ This is a doctrine different from all others. Moses does not reveal the Son of God; he discloses the law, sin, the conscience, death, the wrath and judgment of God, and hell. These things are not the Son of God. Oh, if only one could distinguish carefully here and not look for the Law in the Gospel but keep it as separate from the Law as heaven is distant from the earth! In itself the difference is easy and clear, but to us it is difficult and well nigh incomprehensible. For it is easy to say that the Gospel is nothing but the revelation of the Son of God or the knowledge of Jesus Christ and not the revelation or knowledge of the Law. But in the practice of conscience and in practice it is difficult even for those who have a lot of experience to hold to this for certain.” Martin Luther

Discussion Questions
1. Does God decide things about us on the spur of the moment? (Defend your answer)2. Who reveals God’s Son to us and how is that done?
3. Having been redeemed, what was Paul’s purpose in life?
4. What does that say to us?

Verses 18-22
Discussion Questions
1. Why does Paul include these verses?
2. Was Paul’s purpose in going to Jerusalem to learn the gospel? Why or why not?
3. “Churches which were in Christ” (22) as opposed to what?

Verses 23-24
Notes
* thn pistin (tein pistin) the faith, that which one believes (as opposed to that by which one believes)

* en emoi (en emoi) in me, because of me, for what they saw in me

Discussion Questions
1. What was Paul’s major reputation in this area?
2. What was the rumor about him?
3. What was the reaction to his message?
4. What is the meaning of this to us?

Our list of available Bible Studies is . . .
A Prophet Like Moses                                     Jonah
Bible Scavenger Hunt                                     The Temple    Philippians                                                     Visions
Close Encounters of the Divine Kind               Genesis Stewardship                                                 Galatians

We would be happy to share our Adult and Youth Confirmation Materials with you. Our Adult materials teach the Catechism using the order of worship, so that the Chief Parts are taught as they occur in the Liturgy, not as they appear in the Catechism. Our Youth materials take two years to teach the Catechism and use Bible Study to demonstrate how those teachings come from the everyday reading of Scripture.

To visit previous lessons of the Family Catechism, Our Worship, Bible Study or Devotions, click on these links.

Devotional materials are also available. Here is an example of our Stewardship devotions.

Motivation

“We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) Why? Why use what we have received to God’s glory? Why return to God in proportion to what He has given us? Why give thanks in all we do? Why should we be concerned at all about our use of God’s gifts?
The answer is found in the cross. Love is not defined by our love for God, but by His love for us. God loves us with an everlasting love and demonstrated His love in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Through faith, we are given God’s love to be our expression of love for Him through our love for others. Love guides our behavior as Christians. Our motivation for good use of God’s gifts is Jesus and His love for us. We use the gifts God has given us to show His love to others in thanks. The love God has for us motivates and causes us to live lives of thanksgiving. The love of God is the tool we use to give to the One who has given all to us. No matter what we do, the reason is always the same; God’s love.

Our devotional materials are . . .
Hymn Devotions
Our Worship
Stewardship

We have resources on the family available as well. The following is from a book, “The Gospel and the Christian Family – Marriage.”

    Sin is the greatest obstacle couples face in their quest to reflect the marriage covenant of salvation. Sin separates. It separates us from God and from each other. God’s relationship to us since the fall into sin has been a relationship of redemption and forgiveness. His plan and action in promising as well as sending Jesus was to remove the separation of sin so we could live with Him as His bride forever.
    Sin also separates us from each other. The sins we commit against each other cause hurt, mistrust, fear, and resentment. So often we fail to resolve sins as husband and wife. The effect often becomes like a pile of laundry; one piece is not much to handle, but when more and more is piled on, it becomes an overwhelming task to face. This is often how unresolved problems grow in marriage. One spouse does something that causes a particular hurt. This sin may not be a major issue in and of itself but, when left unresolved, causes the next episode in the relationship to be interpreted by the hurt caused. The mistrust and resentment of unresolved sin cause us to assume the worst about the intentions and actions. One sin is followed by others, real or imagined. Soon this isolated event has become a mound of sins, hurt, frustration, and miscommunication. Instead of one stain to deal with, couples find themselves facing a laundry pile that reaches to the sky. It becomes so overwhelming that they see no hope of ever getting back to square one.
    Repentance is the key. First, we repent to God. In sinning against each other we have also sinned against God. We must receive His forgiveness. When our conscience has been cleansed by Christ’s redeeming grace, we then approach one another.
    “I’m sorry” is often one of the most difficult things to say. It causes us to admit our sin, and to place ourselves in the vulnerable position of relying on forgiveness. We know God forgives us. Sometimes we are not sure about others, even our spouse.
    Marriage problems cannot be truly resolved without forgiveness. God has established our homes as a living reflection of His covenant of salvation. The foundation of that covenant is forgiveness. If we are to reflect Christ and the church, forgiveness is the key. We forgive as Christ has forgiven us. This is the point He made in the parable of the king who forgave an un-payable debt, only to have that servant hold another to a comparatively small debt (Matthew 18:21-35). The point Jesus made is that God has forgiven us innumerable sins. In thanks for such grace, we are called in joy to forgive others.
    This especially applies to those God places in our lives. Marriage is founded on Christ’s forgiveness. When we pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” the application of the second part of that petition lives with us. Our spouse shares the privilege of reflecting the covenant of forgiveness and grace we have with Christ. The despondent face across the table from us needs resolution that can only come through the forgiveness of sins.
    Never hesitate to ask for forgiveness and never hesitate to give it. When you pronounce a sin forgiven, let it go. Don’t dwell on it or bring it up when other problems arise. God wipes our sins from memory. In response to such grace from Him, we forgive as He has forgiven. It is gone.
    The Gospel repairs our relationship as husband and wife. Couples are sometimes reluctant to go through the humbling process of seeking forgiveness because they think they will simply be left with the same relationship they had before. This is where the Gospel comes in. Christ assures us of his forgiving grace, His faithfulness, and the grace of the Holy Spirit to work in us as well as through us to do good works. Good works are a product of God’s grace, not the expectations of the Law.
    In that context, God restores us to each other in marriage by showing us the Gospel as that which we reflect in our love for each other. God does not leave us to a life of simply living up to His and our spouse’s expectations. He gives us the privilege of being His children and showing each other our understanding of His gracious relationship with us. We cannot be God’s children apart from His grace. We cannot live as God’s children apart from His grace. We cannot reflect His loving relationship with each other without His grace.
    Genesis 3:16 points out the changes that sin brings into family relationships (women to children and husbands). Being a mother will now be painful. The harmonious relationship between husband and wife will now be different. How can these problems caused by sin be overcome? This comes through our understanding and reflection of the Gospel. The nurture, care, forgiveness, and love that characterize being a wife and mother is not a response to the expectations of the Law. It is showing the love of Christ found only in the Gospel. The willingness of a husband and father to sacrifice in love for the family is not fulfilling a command, but it is a living confession of what God has done for us in the Gospel. Marriage based on Law is dominated by expectations. Interaction becomes little more than the assertion of rights or authority.
    Marriage based on the Gospel is giving and living in love. Authority is not domination; it is loving service. Forgiveness is the foundation on which the house of loving service to one another is built. Sin is dealt with in Christ. Then, couples are free to move on to a loving confession of faith, lived out in their love for each other.

FAMILY RESOURSES

All these resources are available free. E-mail Pastor@stpaulsindy.com and make arrangements to receive the resources you want.

The family resources are . . .
The Gospel and the Christian Family (Bible Study)
The Gospel and the Christian Family – Marriage (Book)
The Marriage of God as the Definition of Marriage (Thesis Paper)
God-Gender-Gospel (Bible Study)

IN CLOSING

I am an amateur song writer. I write songs of faith, family, and freedom. I have made 2 CDs of my music. They are available for $10.00 a piece. Half will go to our youth group, half to making and shipping the CDs. If you are interesting in hearing this month’s song, send me an e-mail. The lyrics to the song are . . .

Legacy of Grace

Lord, we’ve brought our children into Your presence
To the font, the altar, here to seek Your face
As we see the years of hope and growth and blessing
From generation to generation, a legacy of grace

Like our parents and their parents we have taught them
To hear your Word, to love an seek your face
Now we give them to each other with Your blessings,
A generation with a legacy of grace

Bless our home, bless our family, bless our children
Brought together by the promise of Your Word
Make us all to dwell within the shadow
Of the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord

O Lord grant that our children and their children
May join the host arrayed in heaven’s place
May we sing the hymn of Jesus with thanksgiving
For generation to generation, a legacy of grace

If any of these things can be a blessing to you, e-mail me at Pastor@stpaulsindy.com. May our Lord richly bless and keep you in His care.
Pastor Shadday