Day 1

Galatians 6

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

The Church is meant to be a place where God remains in charge not man. Jesus says he is the head of the Church. Therefore, the Pastor, the Bishop never becomes the head of the Church, because it is not his Church, it is God’s Church, its Christ’s Church; and then we who are members of that body, the Church, whether you are a hand, or the neck, or the liver, or the kidney, whoever you are in that body, are supposed to live symbiotically with one another. That means, you are living in such a way that you are benefitting from the association with others, but you are also being a blessing to them, helping them to live well.

When we talk about symbiotic living, we are talking about characteristic of living and being close physical association between two or more organisms. So, when you talk about symbiotic, you are admitting, yes, we are different, but we need to work together for our mutual good. So, when we talk about people or organizations, or processes, we are talking about them depending on one another.

That is then interdependence which we are talking about. And if you are a fellowship or a Church, that is what is supposed to be happening within the group. The living together in more or less intimate association or close union despite your being with similar and different needs is only possible when everyone knows that each party needs the other. And it is not one needing the other only but both needing each other.

In other words, let’s be clear, a Christian Church, a Christian fellowship, does not encourage people to live independently of each other. Independence means we are in one Church but we have nothing to do with each other. You feel, I am okay whether you come, or you do not come to Church. No, no, that is independence and that is not encouraged in the Bible.

The other one dependence is also not to be encouraged! This is where you come to Church because there are rich people to benefit from. You do not have a car but you are coming to Church so that you get a lift, yet public means is available. Or you come to Church so that you get donations. That is not really a biblical Church. Where you come as a dependant you do not come to an ideal Church. You should come to the Church to worship, and if people happen to help you, okay. But should not be the reason why you come to Church.

This is because dependence isn’t biblically right. We should only depend on God, not on people. But God could choose to use people to meet our needs. And you can’t have a good fellowship between a benefactor and beneficiary. There will be a problem in their relationship. When you say this is my friend most likely you are in a give and take thing, it is interdependence not dependence.

 

Day 2

Galatians 6

² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfil the law of Christ.

So, in Church independence is condemned, dependence is also condemned. Be where there is interdependence, where we are depending on one another in a give and take relationship.

Unfortunately, many Churches are not that. Some fellowships are not like that. You are likely to have a Church that does not care for one another; they are more independent than interdependence. They are together but independent of each other. Or a Church which creates dependence by the way it treats some of its members. Neither of the two types is actually ideal. It isn’t ideal.

Galatians chapter 6 is actually dealing with this matter. Look at verse 1,

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

 

See this interdependence. You are helping somebody who has sinned but you do not tell them what’s wrong with you! How can you sin?! No, you go with the attitude that , “this time it’s you, next time it could be me. This is not a direction to go for either you or me, we are displeasing the lord” if someone is caught in a sin. What means it will happen anyway, but if means it does not have to happen. So just in case it happens that somebody in this fellowship of yours has sinned then act like you could also fall and need his help. Those who have not sinned, you who live by the spirit, it is your responsibility to restore the person not to condemn them!

Ever heard of the saying in Christian circles, we have friendly fire on each other? You see somebody falling into sin and you kick him to fall faster. But here we are being told that is not a good fellowship! It does not show interdependence. In interdependence you do not want anybody to sin. Any sign of somebody falling or backsliding, it hurts you! So you do anything and everything to restore them. But as you do so, watch yourselves or you may also be tempted.

Therefore, it is very important to understand that this person may have sinned sexually but you have sinned in pride, so both of you are sinners! You need to be very careful as you go to help him.

 

Day 3

Galatians 6

⁵ for each one should carry their own load.

Here, he is encouraging every Christian in the fellowship to see other people’s burdens and see how he can help them  carry them. Carry each other’s burdens means in Church; we should be looking for opportunities to help people whether spiritually, socially, or economically. This is because we are members of one another. As one family we must carry each other’s burdens. That means you carry your own first, but in addition, please, please, have room to burdens that do not belong to you. Do not say what has that to do with me?. That language is a language of Cain! He asked God am I my brother’s keeper?”. That is not a Christian Church attitude. In a Christian Church, there is interdependence. You carry each other’s burdens.

However, those people who are dependents will be very happy about this message. Let’s skip 3 and 4 and look at verse 5, that continues same subject.

What does verse 5 says is the exact opposite of what verse 2 has said.

⁵ for each one should carry their own load. ⁶ Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

 

Remember in verse 2, I am being asked to help you to carry your load. But in verse 5, you are being told do not expect my help. If it happens, well and well, but there should not be an expectation that someone else carries your load. Do not go looking for burdens for others to carry. Like you want to arrange your wedding, but you arrange such an expensive wedding, and you have no money! Reason? ahh! I have rich friends! Have you not read Galatians chapter 6:5 that each one should carry his own load. I am not wedding! It is you wedding, so why should you budget it with my money? I am not building; you are the one building, why would you construct a building you cannot afford? It will be contradicting this message.

The message is clear! Each one should carry his own load, do not plan on other people’s resources. It is not scriptural, it is wrong. That idea which is very often in Africa of trying to budget outside your means so that you are living by the generosity of others, and you actually budget on it, is not right. What happens, when somebody does not give you, you make him an enemy! This spoils the fellowship. And yet he has done nothing wrong, it is your burden not his.

 

Day 4

Galatians 6

⁶ Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor

 

Have you heard of people where, the father used to pay his school fees, but the moment he leaves university, the father marries a second wife! Why? Now he has somebody who can carry his load. So, he is marrying a second wife, and is your responsibility as his first born to educate the children of this new wife.

You know, that is not a biblical direction, the scriptures are very clear; each one should carry their own load. Do not take a load you cannot carry.

But having said that, we must remember verse 2 still applies. Verse 2 seems to be still saying, whereas as a person I do not budget on anybody helping me, and that I should carry my own load, you as my brother should still be trying to persuade me to accept a bit of your help. I am refusing but you are pushing me on it. Can you imagine the picture that Galatians chapter 6 is giving? Is of people who do not budget on others help yet it is Offered. Each one in the fellowship never wants any help, does not look for it, but also each one in the fellowship, sees it as a way of being blessed by sharing the things God has given him with others. The picture is that we are giving others who do not even want to receive the help. They need to be persuaded, for it is not in their budget. That is the picture I see in Galatians chapter 6, where the rest of us, are being told to try to help you. Yet you are being told never to expect any help from us.

But you know, we have a real problem in many Churches where you find some are Pastors who will talk about how blessed they are, why? because they depend on others. I went to Kisumu, they bought me a suit! Then I went to Mombasa, they bought me these shoes, then I went to Nakuru, look at the kind of shirt they bought me. Basically, you are trying to say you do not pay for anything, and you are proud about it. You do not know what happens to your Pastor’s salary, as he imply that is a normal thing, that that is the way it should be.

Do we get embarrassed about depending on others? Which Bible do we read? We even talk proudly of how we depend on others!!! Now, God will be contradicting himself if he is encouraging you to be dependent on others.

 

Day 5

Galatians 6

⁷ Do not be deceived: G: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Therefore, interdependence is not the same as being dependence. It is important that we maintain that balance, where nobody who calls himself, a Christian should live his life to depend on others. You have one harambee after the other; one harambee for your birthday after another for you children. This is even on things you can avoid. Like a wedding it is your own, you plan it, and there is no particular figure required in a wedding. Why do you want to give people tea? It is not a must. If you want it, then plan for it!

But of course there are other need that are different. For example, somebody is sick, they even have a medical scheme, but after sometimes, three or four weeks in ICU, the whole medical cover is totally depleted. Even if he does not want our help, we should force him to accept our help in that case! Because, he would be thrown out of hospital before he heals! So we should come in and help. But he did not plan for us to help him. That is why he had medical cover. It is we who are pushing to help. The scripture expect us to help; and that needs to be understood by all of us Christians.

It will be wrong for people in the same fellowship to see a brother or a sister or their children being thrown out of hospital because they have run out of their medical cover and do nothing.

But you know there are others who do not have a medical cover. Why? ahh! The fellowship will help .So you do not plan for any possibility of sickness. Should you not plan in case I get sick, this is the way I will deal with it myself. We come to help you because the bill has become bigger that your medical cover.

Just see the verse again,

carry each other’s burdens,

 

It is an instruction, but later that instruction goes on to verse 5 to say,

each one should carry his own load.

 

That is the balance that we must maintain. So, you cannot refuse to help and yet call yourself a Christian where you only think about me and myself and us, only.no! You must budget in your income some money not for your use, but for helping others in the fellowship. That is the way it should be.

But at the same time, nobody in the fellowship should run their lives on the basis of budgeting on others to help them. If they are helped, it should be incidental, not by plan. You should not live your life on others money according to this passage. My prayer is that this will come out clearly to every Christian.

Can you imagine what a good fellowship it will be where nobody is dependent on anybody else but yet they want to help each other? You have to persuade people to accept help because they do not want to get helped as they feel embarrassed about it.

If you think this view is unscriptural, or I am interpreting the verse wrongly, just go to Philippians and see a guy called Epaphroditus who did not want people to know he was sick, and when he learnt that his home Church had learnt he was sick, he was really distressed. He was not distressed because he was sick, distressed that they heard he was sick.

See Philippians 2

²⁵ But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. ²⁶ For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. ²⁷ Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow

He did not want to become a burden to his home Church. But, although you hear him not wanting to be a burden to them, he was actually very sick to the point of death. Yet he did not want to be a burden to any more than needed to know. That is the biblical way of doing it. The other one of becoming a social parasite, depending on others, it is not biblically right.

 

Day 6

Galatians 6

³ If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.

In a good fellowship, you should not be looking for opportunities for pride, trying to push your way to show how wonderful you are. You think you are something I am special in this fellowship, No! People can recognize you, that is different, but you should not be pushing your name. Anyway, you are deceiving yourself, because others may not be pushing their own way but they are actually very, very important in God’s kingdom also. A good fellowship recognizes each other’s contribution without any one having to push his own way.

look at verse 4,

⁴ Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else.

 

Again, in a good fellowship first people help whoever is weak or whoever has sinned, we have seen people notice other people’s burdens and want to help, but we have also seen in a good fellowship, nobody budgets on other people’s help, for their help is incidental not expected. But now we notice in a good fellowship, people do not think too highly of themselves and push their name, but instead, in a good fellowship people do not compare themselves with others. You do your thing, according to God’s calling, according to what he wants, or he has asked you to do, but is not vis a vis somebody else‘s ministry. Do not ask did I preach better than so and so? No! You preach the way God has led you. If helping in the Church, you do not say, nobody else sweep the Church except me .Do your job! Each one should test his own actions, so you do not do it with wrong motives.

It will be wrong for you to be trying to enter into this so that I force somebody else into it. No! Do what you need to do. Test your own motives. Test your own actions. Be happy when you do what God has asked you to do without comparing yourself to somebody else.

One of the greatest weaknesses in any fellowship is comparison. It destroys fellowships! This is because that way you think people do not recognize how important you are, and you might not come to the fellowship again. You argue last time they didn’t even recognize my contribution? That is not a good fellowship. Do your job, nobody needs to appreciate you, since doing it to God’s glory. Be happy yourself you have done it because that is what God has asked you to do.

Read the verse again.

⁴ Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else

Take pride alone with yourself; let it be something you are happy with whether people recognize it or not. I write books. one of the reasons why many people never publish is because they think people will not appreciate their work. Here you are being told, test your own work, have you done your best? Is there a message? Is it a well checked message? Is it well edited? If yes, then just try to go to the market. Some will like, some will not like. Do not start fearing. That is the kind of intimidation out of perfectionism, it is not right! Test it yourself and once you are happy, release it!

Therefore, in a good fellowship people are encouraged to be themselves and are not compared to others is what I am hearing this passage saying. Yes, each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself. In other words, you are happy in yourself alone. Whether others appreciate or not should not be what pushes you.

The clear instruction is, without comparing yourself to someone else. That idea of saying “so and so is better than so and so” is unscriptural, and it is wrong.

 

Day 7

Galatians 6

⁶ Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor

In other words, nothing said here, means we cannot pay our Pastor. if the Pastor is spending all his time in Church, his children still have to go to school. Isn’t that a burden the Church should carry? So, in this emphasis of not becoming dependant, the Pastor is excluded. The person, who shares God’s word with you, especially if he is not doing any other work, must be supported. I think that is what I hear verse 6 saying. The one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor. So, the Pastor should be supported by the Church.

Then verse 7 we read,

⁷ Do not be deceived: G: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows

In a good fellowship, people do anything they do for God, and, because God sees in secret, their motivation is pleasing Him. Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked; you will certainly reap what you sow, even if nobody gets to know about it, if you are doing something undercover, it is God you are working for.

Then verse 8 says,

. ⁸ Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the spirit, from the spirit will reap eternal life

so, we are learning, if the things you are doing is so that you become famous, that is the only thing you get, nothing special, nothing from God. Yes, you become famous but so what! But when you are pleasing the flesh, from the flesh you will reap eternal destruction. But if whatever you are doing is to please the spirit, then from the spirit, you will reap eternal life.

So it means in this good fellowship, you must ask am I doing things just to be seen? or I am doing them to please God. Is it for God’s kingdom? Do not look for any appreciation from man, but you know God is going to appreciate you. May the lord help us to do things that will bring glory to him.

Verse 9 says,

. ⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

 

Do good in and out of season. That is what the word of God is telling us to do, to do good to all people. So, there should not be pockets of people in the fellowship helped and appreciated but not others. Everybody is supposed to be included.

Then finally verse 10 says,

¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers

The fellowship must the place interdependence where you know you are contributing to the welfare of others, yet you are also benefitting as God uses others to meet your needs, it is also acceptable that although you are to do good to all you should start with those in your fellowship.

 

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