David CM Bell Leadership Blog

 Galatians 3 - Good Deeds Why we do things matters.  That is, what motivates us is known by God and is essential to our ability to do God’s will.  What motivates you?  An obligation to be seen to do right?  Money?  Service to a bossman or to rules and laws?  Service to God to look right or earn good standing with God?  Service to God through thankfulness for what Jesus did for us on the Cross?  I think this passage tells us that we have to hold tight to our faith and freedom in Jesus Christ. The Christian way, very much like the Abrahamic way, is to get right with God, first and foremost - and then to do right by God.  The Mosaic way, very much like the Mohammedan way, is to do, act, and look right, to get right with God.  Does it even matter?  Yes, very much. Each of us will stand before God one day and we will be judged for the good and evil we have done in this earthly body (2 Cor. 5:9-10).  But everything is futi...

 Galatians 3 - Strange Spells The question is, ‘What are we depending on to make us right with God?’  And another, ‘to have a genuine relationship with the Creator, with Holy Spirit, do we rely on our own effort to obey the law or do we receive the Holy Spirit and life because, like Abraham, we trust in the message of Jesus Christ?’  I know you know the answer, but I think it is good for us to constantly review our core beliefs. Paul is hammering home the point that no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.  No one. Check yourself.  See what you really believe.  Lord God, we know we can’t save ourselves.  We need rescue.  We trust in God’s plan of Salvation, His rescue on the cross.  We believe in what Jesus did for us. But how do we live our beliefs out daily?  How do we keep from a legalistic mindset?  How do we ensure we are no longer under a spell, a curse?   Only by faith in Christ and living...

 Galatians 2:11-21 - Building Up What Jesus Tore Down Notre Dame Cathedral (shortly before it was burned) It seems easy to forget what God did for us.  Paul was shocked at how soon the Galatians turned away from the truth of faith and freedom in Jesus Christ (1:6).  Yet God’s Grace should be at the forefront of the Christian’s mind.  Daily.  Jesus died on the Cross.  He did this to make us right with our Heavenly Father.  We know this of course.  It even seems trite - no need to keep preaching it?           But is it?  It seems we, like the mighty Peter, have a tendency to forget that we are now under a new law, a perfect law that sets us free.  Speak out.  Speak out against rulers of this world who scheme to concentrate their power and build up what Jesus tore down.  Be bold in Christ. Are our churches, the culture of modern Christians, characterized by people afraid of what other people think...

  Galatians 2:1 - A Good Start If you are a brand new Christian (or if you’ve been a Christian for decades) we see the example in this passage, the daily need to get and stay in fellowship with Christ.  We do that by starting the day in Scripture.  Make the Bible and the Holy Spirit speaking to you through the Bible your primary source. We have the freedom to follow God with our whole hearts.  We see here the church fathers through Paul’s message to the Galatians showing that legalism and the law of the Jews had forever been replaced by the new covenant of Jesus Christ.  The Jewish regulations, including circumcision, animal sacrifice, food laws, etc. were all fulfilled and ended at the cross of Christ.             False Christians will try to enslave and force us to follow Jewish regulations and other man-made piety rules.  The law of Christ, the new covenant, is different.  It means we are free to obey God ...

 Galatians 1:11-24 - A Godsend Samuel fishing Ivy Creek in Lynchburg, VA There is some debate about whether or not the modern church can have apostles.  I’ll share with you my thoughts with the understanding I have to date.  Definitions matter.  I understand the word apostle to mean one sent forth and commissioned by God.  Jesus is God.  While on earth He had eleven apostles who stayed faithful to Him (Acts 1:13) and after His resurrection, He showed the 11 the man to replace Judas (the apostle who betrayed Jesus and guided those who arrested Jesus).  God saw meaning in having 12 apostles.  The Bible says that it was essential that the twelfth man was part of Jesus’ earthly ministry from Jesus’ baptism to His ascension as it was so important that the twelfth man have eye witness certainty in the resurrection of the Messiah (Acts 1:22).           And so it was, just as Jesus promised, even after He ascended to heave...

  Galatians 1:6-10 - Stand for Truth Death is not the worst thing that can happen to us.  Life is short.  And yes, filled with troubles and trying times.  We look forward to eternity with God.  We may have a lot of tough seasons here, but the best truly is yet to come.  God is good to us in this earthly life and He gives us a foretaste, more than enough light, to show us that we can trust His eternal promises. God knows our troubles and heartache.  He understands our frustration with injustice.  He is well aware of our sorrow.  The Bible says that God knows the count of each tear that falls (Psalm 56:8).  David had his fair share of tears.  So did Job, Abraham, Sarah, and so many other Bible characters.           In the New Testament, we see the paradox of incredible trials juxtaposed with the miraculous advance of God’s people.  Be brave.  Our enemies will retreat when we call God for h...

  Galatians 1:1-7 - Unity of Purpose Genuine Christians are not people pleasers.  That’s not our mindset.  We are loving and kind.  We seek to imitate Jesus through the fruit of the Holy Spirit's work in us.  We seek God’s approval.  What we prioritize matters.  Do you prioritize seeking God's favor, blessing, and the riches of His table?  Or His nod of approval for a job well done?           We see in Galatians, God exposing Christian hypocrisy.  No human, in our human nature, is truly wise and seeking God (Psalm 53), yet God is wise; He will give us wisdom if we ask Him (James 1).  Let's do that today.  We need God's wisdom more than ever. Make no mistake, Christians can be fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth (v.7).  Some people seek to destroy God’s church.  But miraculously those same people through the revelation of God and transformation from the Holy Spirit can become...

 Galatians 1:1 - Freedom Freedom means understanding that when we are directed by the Spirit of Christ we are no longer under obligation to the law of Moses.  When we are truly free we will not only know what is right, but we are also able to do it.  Slaves to sin may know right, they may want to do good, but they are not free men.  They are not able, not free to overcome the strong power controlling their minds.  That power is a stubborn and wicked master.  That power is our human nature, our sinful nature.           The good news of Galatians is that the God of all creation loves freedom and he calls each man and woman to freedom.  He offers it as His free gift.  But we have to accept it and live in it daily.  He calls us away from slavery to our human nature and the strong power over our minds.  Thank God! Jesus Christ our Master offers each of us the gift of new life.  A life of freedom.  A...

  Galatians 1:1 - The Answer I'm so excited to dive into Galatians.  Galatians is the answer to what ails us individually, and to what ails our churches.  If we don’t understand Galatians then we don’t understand our roles and responsibilities as Christians. It is the secret to everlasting life.  It tells wonderful and terrible spiritual truths.  It explains the dangers of entanglement in sin, slavery to our human nature, and living to please ourselves rather than God. It explains the mystery of being truly set free.  And it reveals the purpose of the law, the old covenant, and the new covenant.  The Christian must be on guard to reject legalism, be careful not to turn away from God, and get tied up in slavery to the law.  And yet, we must be holy in obedience to the moral law of Christ. The new covenant, the law of Christ, sets us truly free.  It sets us free from sin and decay and death.  We are saved through the cross of Chris...

 2 Corinthians 13 - Dive Into God's Purpose for Your Life Abe, in our FL pool. At this stage of my life, I recognize I’ve wasted a ton of time.  So be it.  It is what it is, but I do wish that I could have that time back when I studied French.  That was indeed a waste.  Knowledge is good.  I want that.  But more so I’m now seeking to understand.  I’m asking God for knowledge of His way, and His will.           I know we can make all sorts of crazy plans, but in the end, God's purpose will prevail (Proverbs 19:21).  It’s obvious, but here's a gentle encouragement.  You cannot buy redemption.  Only God redeems people from the power of the grave (Psalm 49:15).  I know you know that, but I needed to be reminded of that this morning.           What is Jesus like?  What are his disciples like?  We get a picture of that from what Paul paints for us in this chapter...

 2 Corinthians 12 - Strengthen Each Other I’m thankful that God gave us the ability to think.  Each of us is a free person; we are free-thinking people.  May God give us the ability to use that faculty well today.           We hear Peter telling the church to think clearly and exercise self-control; let’s do that (1 Peter 1:13).  Each Christian is supposed to grow.  The church is supposed to grow (and indeed it is!).  We will not grow if we turn back to our old life and our old ways and our old sins.           Let’s strengthen each other and help each other grow into the full experience of salvation that God designed for us.  That’s the plea in this chapter.  Paul wants the church to think clearly.  And to grow in holiness.  As believers in Jesus Christ, we are born again, yet still a work in progress - a step forward, one back, and two forward.  Let’s advance today - two...

 2 Corinthians 12 - God's Power God’s people ought to be different.  That’s a good thing.  God’s ways are different than the world’s ways.  God is and will be honored everywhere (Psalm 47:9).  One of the many paradoxes of Christianity is that God’s power works best in weakness.  Hard to understand, but true. Jesus uses the weak to shame the strong.  Be careful what you boast about.  Your testimony is best shown in your life, in the fruit of your life.  Maybe try using no words, by keeping silent and letting your work show for itself (Proverbs 17:26-27).  It is essential that we not become proud.  The most significant compliance risk for any Christian organization is pride.  Recognize and expose it as a weakness - your boasting and pride is not a strength!  Stop copying the world. God used Paul in his weakness.  Jesus’ grace was all Paul needed.  Do we need more?  Jesus’ power works best in our weakness...

 2 Corinthians 11: - Love the Church Christians, genuine believers in Christ, please hear this Gospel call to be burdened for God’s church.  Our goal is to see God’s church with pure and undivided devotion to Christ.  May we love and care for the church as God does.  It is a jealous love, a love that shall not be corrupted by multiple lovers.           This passage packs a hard punch.  There are false preachers.  They preach a different Jesus, a different Spirit, and a different gospel than the one preached by the apostles of Jesus Christ.  This passage says they are servants of Satan (v. 15).  They are masters of disguise.  But they are recognizable.  By their boasting, their fruit, and their greed. It’s a little awkward to use the metaphors used in this passage today (pure bride with undivided loyalty).  We don’t want to offend anyone.  We, like the ancient Corinthians, want to make ever...

 2 Corinthians 10:7 - Authority Used Well Some people can’t handle even the least amount of authority.  We see principles of properly used God-given authority in this passage.  If you’ve been in the business world for even a short while you’ve seen all sorts of leaders.  You’ve seen managers and leaders boasting and taking credit for the work others have done.  Paul says Christian men should never do that.  You’ve seen people lord their authority over others, treat them poorly, and tear them down; never do that. Paul’s tone hear is remarkable.  His words are filled with love, authenticity, power, and authority.  He is begging the Corinthians to turn to godliness and away from false teachers.  He makes it clear that he knows his mission and his God-given authority.  Yet listen closely.  Paul uses the plural “us” and “our” to refer to the spiritual authority God gave them (10:8).  Paul was an apostle appointed by Jesus Christ...

 2 Corinthians 10 - Authority          In Cumana, Venezuela with my friend Felix.           This is a really interesting and important chapter.  It talks of the supernatural authority of those indwelled by the Holy Spirit, Christians.  The biggest compliance concern in any Christian organization is pride (Proverbs 11:2).  We should all be concerned about the secularization of the church.  Like King David does in Psalm 38 we need to confess our sins and be deeply sorry for our failure to honor God in what we do.           “We are human, but we do not wage war as humans do.  We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.  We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God.  We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ” (10:3-5).  That’s...

 2 Corinthians 9 - Set Your Heart I pray that God gives you a generous harvest.  A high yield.  That is what this chapter is about. I’m mindful today about setting my heart for the day.  I know that we begin to live when we start walking with God (Proverbs 9:6).  If you are not walking with Jesus Christ just yet I pray that today is the day you decide to give your life to God.  It’s a new day.  The Bible tells us that we are but a breath.  Our lives are short, no longer than the width of our hands (Psalm 39).  It’s good to remember that.  It gives us perspective.  We can heap up wealth, but ultimately it is useless.  Our only hope is in Jesus Christ. Decide in your heart what to do for the day.  How generous with other people will we be?  What will we eat?  What will we watch and read?  How hard will we work?  How will you exercise and discipline your body?  When will you go to bed?  Dec...