Element Christian Church
Galatians - To The Churches In Galatia
Week 4 - Our Story In His Story
We all have a grid for how we view our life—the things that happen around us and the things that happen to us. At Element we are constantly trying to get people to see their lives through the larger narrative of God’s story. Very often, we tend to narrate life through the lens of our past. All of our joys, sorrows, ups, and downs filter through and inform how we interpret the world around us. If we place ourselves at the center of our story, then our vision will be skewed by life’s events. If our stories can be re-narrated with God at the center, everything we have ever gone through can have a new and different purpose—a redemptive purpose.
Galatians 1:24 ESV
Galatians 1:11-24 ESV
Galatians 1:10 ESV
Acts 8:1-3 ESV
1 Timothy 1:12-16 ESV
1 Timothy 1:13-14 ESV
1 Corinthians 15:10 ESV
Galatians 1:24 ESV
2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV
• Reflecting on the thoughts and conversations you’ve had over the past week:
› What is your life’s narrative?
› What things dominate the way you think/talk about yourself?
› What defines WHO and WHAT you are?
› What parts of your past do you think about often (or shapes the way you think/speak)
Galatians 1:11-24 is Paul’s somewhat shortened version of his story; it is recounting his old life versus his new life in Christ. As a boy, Paul’s mind would have been filled with the Jewish heroes of the prophets and martyrs who had lived and died “fearlessly for God and His Law.” Paul is named after Israel’s first king, Saul. Paul will describe himself as one of those who were strictest in their adherence to, and application of, all of the Jewish traditions. He thought he knew the way the LAW applied to all aspects of life, but he was wrong before coming to know Christ.
Read Galatians 1:11-24.
• What is Paul’s grid of life?
• How was his life re-narrated?
• If you consider yourself a follower in Christ, in what ways does your old life and new life differ?
• What false things do you do/believe because of a false narrative? (You might need others to speak into this.)
Paul explains where he had come from, how he had been confronted with the revelation of the risen Jesus, and what immediate effects it had on his life; this was his testimony. Understanding our story entails us understanding our grid,
knowing what our hearts truly love, and seeing the change that God brings in us. Our story should always be told in the light of God’s larger narrative with Jesus as the hero.
• In what ways does your story mirror that of Paul or Augustine’s?
• Do you have false humility or false pride?
Paul says what he does about being “the worst” because he understands what the Bible says about sin and grace. Sin is a desire to have everything in the universe revolve around us; it is why Augustine says that all sin stems from pride. Because of pride in his heart, Paul says he is easily as bad as the worst “sinner” imaginable. Jesus showed Paul his own heart in stark detail so Paul was able to see how it had deceived him. Jesus then changed and redeemed Paul so he can say in 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.
• How does GRACE define who you are and shape your grid?
An understanding of the reality of the Gospel is so important. The Gospel reminds us that we are the worst in our pride, but also reminds us that we have been given grace. On the cross, Jesus steps into our place, becomes the worst, in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Paul says, “That’s the message that changed me and how I preach and understand God’s world.” That is a grid change that we all need.
• What have been some of the primary factors in your life that have shaped your grid?”
• What are some situations in your life that you have seen the Gospel’s re-narration change how you interact with either God or those around you?
• Share the re-told story of your life.