Heart-Heavy: Prologue (1)

Paul was not an impersonal church-planter; instead, he became extremely close to the Christians in the cities where he preached the gospel. This was true for Paul and the Christ-followers in Galatia--in his letter to them, he is nurturing and instructive, but also concerned because their faith was weak and they were prone to straying from the gospel. Galatians 4:8-20 shows us a Paul who is burdened and troubled by the meager devotion his brothers and sisters had to Christ. He experiences anguish over this because he shares a deeply personal connection with these Christians- he has a special place in his heart for them. And when they don't seem to be sold out on the gospel, he hurts.

Paul's relationship with the Galatians is a lot like our relationship with our students. We are personally invested in them. We not only share a message with them, we share our lives with them. We love them and we want to see them grow in Christ. And when they turn their backs on Him, it weighs heavily upon us. It pains us.

This is what my new (and first!) blog series is all about. I'm taking a look at how Paul's concern for the Galatians in 4:8-20 is a whole lot like our concern for our students. Just like Paul, we are (or should be) heart-heavy for our students when they struggle with faith. Here's the posting lineup:

1. Settling for Lesser Gods. (vv. 8-9)
2. Become Like Me. (v. 12)
3. Keeping the Blessing Alive. (v.15)
4. Friend and Enemy. (v. 16)
5. Like Giving Birth. (v. 19)
6. Perplexed. (v. 20)


I pray that this series will be enlightening, insightful, and challenging. Thank you for joining me!