Jump Start # 1736 

Galatians 5:20-21 “idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”

  I have to admit that I am one who completely gets into the holiday spirit of things. I love Christmas shows and Christmas music. I’ve already watched Rudolph, the cartoon version of Grinch and Ernest saves Christmas. And we are just now in December. On my list to watch is Elf, Frosty, Christmas Carol, and It’s a wonderful life. The radio on my car is set to Christmas music. When we lived in Kansas City, there were two radio stations that competed about bragging rights about being the first to play Christmas music. One year, on a Tuesday afternoon in October, one station started the Christmas music. Immediately, the other station followed. It was great.

I was listening to the song the other day, “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.” There is a line that caught my attention. It says, “You got garlic in your soul.” I’m not sure what that is supposed to mean, other than it’s not good. It sounds corrupt, evil, and wrong. And that brings us to our verses today.

Paul warned the Galatian Christians about what we call the “works of the flesh.” There are behaviors, attitudes and “garlic of the soul” that will keep one from Heaven. I find it interesting that he reminds Christians about these things. Most of us would assume that if a person is in Christ, then they have left these things already. Apparently not. The carnal spirit was alive among the Corinthian Christians. Later in Galatians, we would find warnings about “biting and devouring one another.” John would warn about hating others. Just because a person has believed that Jesus is the Son of God and has obeyed Him in baptism, doesn’t mean that his insides magically change. Often, little is done to change the insides. And the results are “garlic in the soul.”

You may have witnessed sour behavior out of Christians. It’s shocking and sometimes we think, “Why don’t they know better?” The answer is obvious, they haven’t changed their insides. They haven’t put off the old man as the Ephesians were told. They haven’t walked in a new life as the Romans were told. They were baptized but they continued on with their selfish ways. Jealous, envious, angry, gossiping, dividing the ranks, this sort of garlic in the soul keeps a congregation from reaching it’s potential. Such a church is handicapped. These internal attitudes will cripple any good that a congregation tries to do. It doesn’t take very long for a person to recognize things aren’t right in a congregation. Tension, mean talking, hard feelings come to the surface rapidly and the damage that these do is profound. Hurt feelings. A spirit of not being welcomed by some.

It helps us to realize that a person must continue to grow in Christ. The new babe in Christ needs to learn so many things. Often, too often, there isn’t any set program. He’s baptized and he starts attending whatever adult class is offered. That class can be over his head and not dealing with the necessary changes that he needs to be working on in his heart. Nothing is ever said about these inside things. All appears to be fine because he was baptized. Not only do months pass, but years pass. The new convert notices others who seem to have some garlic in their souls as well, and nothing is ever said about it. The new convert settles into a routine of worshipping, helping out here and there, but he never gets the message that he ought to be re-wiring his thinking. He needs to be like Christ. The fruit of the Spirit, which follows this section in Galatians, never becomes a part of his character.

When I look back through the years, some of the meanest things ever said to me, came from the mouth of Christians. What they said was hurtful. Who said it made it even worse. When you look at some of the first conversions in Acts, Pentecost, Ethiopian, Lydia, Jailer, Samaritans—they were obedient to the fact that Jesus was the Christ. There isn’t much detail about changing your thinking and putting on Christ. We pick up on more of this in Paul’s letters. The Ephesians were told, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you…” That’s some of these works of the flesh. That’s changing our insides. That’s pitching the garlic that is in our souls. Shepherds and preachers need to lead the way in teaching and showing Christians the spirit and heart that God expects us to have. It’s not natural to be generous, forgiving and thinking of others. A person must learn.

Unless the Galatians changed, many of them, although they were Christians, would not make it. They became their own worst enemy. It makes us wonder how many of us will make it? A church house full on Sunday is a great sight, but Christ living in us on a Thursday is a better sight. Letting the word of Christ richly dwell within you is the key. These things are a matter of choice. We choose to grow, excel and become like Christ or we choose to remain pretty much just as we are.

Jealousy and envy will eat you up. Fighting, dividing and being angry will run people off. Acting like the world will win no one to Christ. In this same chapter Paul said, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” That’s it. That’s the solution. That’s what we must do. We must walk by the Spirit. Now, we must figure out, through a study of God’s word, just what walking by the Spirit means and what it looks like. Then we must master it and do it.

If you take a car to the car wash, you can clean the outside and make it shine so nice. But if the engine is knocking, and it’s burning oil and doesn’t start half the time, clean on the outside doesn’t fix the inside. The hood must be raised and some attention given to the motor. The same thing goes for us. We can look good on a Sunday, but listen to what we are saying. Watch how we act during the week. Maybe it’s time to raise the hood on our hearts and give some attention to our souls.

Let’s leave the garlic soul to the Grinch. If you watch the cartoon version, you’ll notice at the end, even the ole’ Grinch changes on the inside. His heart grows and he becomes loveable, kind and generous. If the Grinch can do it, just imagine what we can do with Christ and His word working on us.

Roger