FREEDOM to serve Paul writes, It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1). Then he goes on to discuss law and grace. Next he writes, You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13). Then he goes on to discuss Spirit and flesh. So, on the one hand we are to remain free form the law and on the other we are to remain free from indulging the desires of the flesh (enumerated in 5:19-21). The alternative to both of these is life in the Spirit once again a freedom statement: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We spent September exploring the idea of hearing God personally in our individual lives. Learning to hear Gods voice is just that, something we learn through experience and practice. And learning to hear and distinguish Gods voice is critical to our spiritual formation and growth as daughters and sons of our Heavenly Father. If I am to enjoy the freedom for which the Lord Jesus has set me free, then it will be the result of living in the Spirit or, learning to discern and live my life out of the living Word of God. So what do we do with this freedom that God has given us in Christ Jesus? Paul hit it square on the head in the middle of this part of his letter to the Galatians (and us all these centuries latter) when he writes: rather serve one another. The entire law is summed up in a single command; Love your neighbor as yourself. (Galatians 5:13b-14). This is what the Kingdom of God is all about. How we translate that into our everyday lives is why hearing God, being attuned to the Spirit, having ears to hear is so critical to our life in Christ. This is why the parable of the Sower and the Seed is first among the parables. This is also why Jesus gave this counsel about listening: Consider carefully what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. (Mark 4:24-25). This fall we are presenting a series called Not a Fan. The series will look at how Jesus call comes to us and what it is he is calling us too. The play in the title of the series has to do with where are we in relation to this call? Are we in the stands or on the sideline or are we in the game so to speak. The call of Jesus in our lives is a call to action Love your neighbor as yourself! James exhorted the churches along the same lines: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22). Through the fall we will look at various stories form the Gospels and explore what they might mean for us as we continue in our discipleship journeys. Also, beginning in October we will have a number of GROW Groups meeting throughout the week on different days and at various times and locations. I encourage you to join one of these groups as part of listening and being part of the conversation during October and November. Joining a GROW Group will also give you the opportunity to make new friends, enjoy fellowship, give and receive encouragement and support. There will also be several opportunities for you to be part of SACCCs outreach this fall. One opportunity is the Trunk or Treat event Halloween evening on the church campus. Another will be the 20th annual Lock-In October 26th when the whole facility is taken over by 130 or 140 7th, 8th, and 9th graders. Finally, if you are in town and dont have anyone to celebrate Thanksgiving with, there will be a Thanksgiving dinner at the church in the Fellowship hall. All three events are opportunities to reach out to our community in the name of Jesus. Details will be forthcoming. Remember, He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

Have a great fall, Pastor Dan