Deepening Our Relationship with God and Community

Devotional

Day 1: Knowing God and Being Known by God

There is a profound difference between knowing about God and truly knowing God, just as there is a difference between being familiar with a city and being shaped by it. The invitation of the gospel is not merely to accumulate knowledge or perform religious duties, but to enter into a living, dynamic relationship with the Creator who knows us intimately and desires that we know Him in return. This relationship is the foundation of our freedom and identity, and it is central to the good news of Jesus: that we are both known by God and can know God. [05:30]

Galatians 4:8-9 (ESV)
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

Reflection: In what ways have you settled for knowing about God rather than truly knowing Him? What is one step you can take today to deepen your relationship with God, moving beyond routine into genuine connection?

Day 2: Relationship Over Rules

It is easy to gravitate toward rituals, rules, and religious checklists because they offer clear feedback and a sense of control, but these can never replace the life-giving relationship God offers us through Jesus. While traditions and boundaries can be helpful, they are not the source of salvation or transformation; only a relationship with God can truly form us. The challenge is to resist the temptation to settle for a “gospel plus” mentality—adding behavior modification, shame, or cultural expectations—and instead embrace the freedom and abundance found in Christ alone. [09:20]

Galatians 4:10-11 (ESV)
You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

Reflection: Are there rituals or rules in your life that have become substitutes for real relationship with God? How can you shift your focus from religious performance to authentic connection with Jesus today?

Day 3: Christ Formed in Us Through Authentic Community

God’s vision is not just for individual transformation, but for a family—a community where Christ is formed in us together. True spiritual formation happens in the context of real, sometimes messy relationships, where we share our lives, support one another, and pursue Jesus side by side. Being like-minded does not mean thinking alike on every issue, but loving Jesus together and allowing Him to shape us as a people, breaking down barriers and building a table of inclusion and grace. [23:33]

Galatians 3:28 (ESV)
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Reflection: Who in your community do you need to pursue deeper, more authentic relationship with, even if you differ on secondary issues? What is one way you can invest in Christ-centered community this week?

Day 4: Don’t Settle for a Lesser Gospel

There is a constant temptation to trade the fullness of God’s grace for something less—a “gospel” that is just a little off, that feels safer or more manageable but lacks the abundance and freedom Jesus offers. The subtlety of these lesser gospels is that they often look good on the surface, but they keep us from experiencing the wholeness and joy of life with God. God’s invitation is to receive the “seven,” the fullness of His love and mercy, rather than settling for the “six,” a life that is close but not quite what He intends for us. [18:45]

Romans 1:25 (ESV)
Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Reflection: Where are you tempted to settle for “almost” the gospel—something that feels close but is not the fullness of Christ? What would it look like to embrace the abundance of God’s grace in that area today?

Day 5: Invest Your Life in What Forms You

What we invest our time, attention, and love in is what ultimately forms us—whether it’s our phones, our work, or our relationship with Jesus. Spiritual formation is not accidental; it is the result of intentional investment in practices and relationships that draw us closer to Christ. Spending time with Jesus, listening to Him, and being with His people are the ways Christ is formed in us, shaping us into deep people who reflect His love to the world. [21:16]

John 15:4-5 (ESV)
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Reflection: What is one practical way you can intentionally invest your time and attention in Jesus this week, allowing Him to form you more deeply?

Sermon Summary

In Galatians 4, Paul draws a sharp distinction between knowing about God and truly knowing God—and, even more, being known by God. This difference is like the contrast between living in a city as a visitor and being shaped by it as a native. Many of us are formed by our families, our culture, or even our phones, but few are deeply formed by God. The urgent need in our world is not for more intelligence or talent, but for people of depth—those who have spent time with God and are transformed by that relationship.

Paul’s concern for the Galatians is that they are trading the fullness and freedom of the gospel for a lesser version: the gospel plus rules, rituals, or cultural expectations. He reminds them that relationship with God is the heart of the good news, not mere rule-keeping or religious performance. Rituals and traditions can be helpful if they sustain relationship, but they are never a substitute for it. The law, with its rules and boundaries, cannot make enemies into family; only God, through Jesus, can reconcile and form us into a new community.

Paul’s passion is evident as he pleads with the Galatians to return to the relational core of their faith. He reminds them of their shared history, the messiness of real community, and the danger of allowing secondary issues to fracture relationships. The gospel is not just about personal salvation, but about God putting his family back together—breaking down barriers and building a big table where all are welcome.

The subtle danger is not always in outright rejection of the gospel, but in settling for something just a little less than the fullness God offers. We are tempted to choose “six” when “seven”—the wholeness and abundance of God’s kingdom—is freely available. The way forward is to invest our lives in relationship with Jesus and with one another. Christ is formed in us as we spend time with him and as we pursue authentic, like-minded community, even when we don’t agree on every detail. The invitation is to resist shallow substitutes and to press into the deep, transforming relationships that God offers—both with himself and with his people.

Key Takeaways

1. There is a profound difference between knowing about God and being truly known by God. Intellectual understanding or religious activity can never replace the transformative experience of relationship with the living God. This relationship is the foundation of spiritual depth and the source of true freedom. [04:47]
2. The temptation to add to the gospel—whether through rules, rituals, or cultural expectations—diminishes its power and leads us back into spiritual slavery. The heart of the gospel is not behavior management, but the invitation to abundant life and freedom in Christ. We must be vigilant not to settle for a “gospel plus” that undermines the sufficiency of Jesus. [06:57]
3. Authentic Christian community is messy and challenging, but it is also the context in which Christ is formed in us. The gospel is not just about individual salvation, but about God creating a new family where barriers are broken down and all are welcomed at the table. We are called to pursue relationships that reflect this reconciling love, even when it is difficult. [13:34]
4. The greatest spiritual danger is often not in outright rejection of God, but in settling for something just short of his fullness. Subtle distortions—choosing “six” instead of “seven”—can keep us from experiencing the abundance God intends. We must resist the allure of lesser gospels and continually return to the wholeness offered in Christ. [18:45]
5. Christ is formed in us through intentional investment in relationship—with God and with like-minded people. This formation requires time, vulnerability, and a willingness to embrace differences while remaining united in pursuit of Jesus. True spiritual growth happens not in isolation or uniformity, but in the shared journey of being shaped together by God’s love. [22:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:18] - Two Ways of Knowing: Boston and San Francisco
[02:15] - What Forms Us?
[03:47] - The Need for Deep People
[04:47] - Knowing God and Being Known
[05:54] - The Galatians’ Trade: Gospel Plus
[07:53] - Rules, Rituals, and Relationship
[10:14] - Paul’s Plea and the Messiness of Community
[12:49] - The Gospel and God’s Family
[14:54] - Zeal, Division, and the Pain of Formation
[16:44] - Settling for Less: Six Instead of Seven
[19:44] - How Christ is Formed in Us
[21:16] - Relating to Jesus: Practices and Presence
[22:37] - Community: Like-Minded, Not Like-Thinking
[24:26] - The Challenge of Differences in Community
[27:41] - Gathering at the Table: An Invitation
[29:50] - Communion and Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Galatians 4:8-20 (ESV) —
> 8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.
> 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?
> 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years!
> 11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.
> 12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong.
> 13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first,
> 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.
> 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.
> 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?
> 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.
> 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you,
> 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!
> 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Observation Questions

According to Paul in Galatians 4:8-9, what is the difference between “knowing God” and “being known by God”? How does he describe the Galatians’ former and current spiritual state? [04:47]
What specific practices or behaviors does Paul mention that the Galatians have started doing again, and why is he concerned about them? (see verses 10-11) [05:30]
How does Paul describe his relationship with the Galatians in verses 12-20? What emotions or imagery does he use to communicate his concern? [16:14]
In the sermon, what does the pastor say is the “urgent need” in our world today, according to Richard Foster? [03:47]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul see the Galatians’ return to rules, rituals, and “the law” as a threat to their relationship with God? What does he mean by “gospel plus” and why is it dangerous? [06:57]
The sermon compares being a visitor in a city to being a native. How does this analogy help us understand the difference between being formed by God and just knowing about Him? [02:15]
Paul says he is in “the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you” (v.19). What does it mean for Christ to be “formed in” someone, and how does this relate to spiritual growth and community? [19:44]
The pastor mentions that the greatest danger is not outright rejection of God, but “settling for six instead of seven.” What does this metaphor mean, and how might it show up in our own spiritual lives? [18:45]

Application Questions

The sermon says that many of us are formed more by our families, culture, or even our phones than by God. What is one area of your life where you notice you are being shaped by something other than God? What would it look like to let God shape you more deeply in that area? [02:57]
Paul warns against adding rules, rituals, or cultural expectations to the gospel (“gospel plus”). Are there any “add-ons” you’ve noticed in your own faith journey—things you’ve felt you had to do to be accepted by God or others? How can you return to the simplicity and freedom of the gospel? [06:57]
The sermon highlights the messiness of real Christian community and the temptation to let secondary issues fracture relationships. Can you think of a time when a disagreement or difference threatened a relationship in your faith community? How did you respond, and what might you do differently now? [25:29]
The pastor says, “The greatest spiritual danger is often not in outright rejection of God, but in settling for something just short of his fullness.” Is there an area where you feel you’ve settled for “six” instead of “seven”? What would it look like to pursue the fullness of what God offers? [18:45]
Christ is formed in us through intentional investment in relationship—with God and with like-minded people. What is one practical step you can take this week to spend more intentional time with Jesus? (e.g., reading Scripture, prayer, silence, a walk, etc.) [21:16]
The sermon challenges us to pursue authentic, like-minded community, even when we don’t agree on every detail. Is there someone in your life or in this group with whom you have differences? How can you move toward deeper relationship and unity in Christ, rather than letting those differences divide you? [26:33]
The pastor asks, “Are you in real authentic relationships with people who are like-minded, who you can pursue Jesus with?” What is one way you can invest in or seek out these kinds of relationships this fall? [29:06]

Sermon Clips

It can be rare to interact with someone and walk away going, that is a truly deep person. That's someone who's spent some time with God. Someone who doesn't just know about God, but someone who knows God. [00:04:20] (22 seconds) #KnowingGodDeeply

The Galatians. These churches in Galatia have traded the fullness of the abundance, the vast riches of the gospel of Jesus Christ for a lesser gospel. And this, this trade is so troubling, it's so personal to Paul because he had started these churches, right? He was the one who had shown up and began to preach to them the gospel. The gospel of freedom and inclusion. This good news of abundant life through Jesus, death and resurrection. This good news that is for everyone everywhere. [00:06:04] (42 seconds) #AbundantGospelNotLesser

Paul wants them to know and experience the freedom that they have because of this gospel. And he's deeply troubled because they are now falling for the gospel plus the gospel plus behavior modification, the gospel plus sin management, the gospel plus shame, the gospel plus you need to become more Jewish first before you can be a part of this thing. All these things that they had been added and Paul says no, this is no gospel at all. [00:06:57] (41 seconds) #FreedomBeyondRules

If traditions and rituals help sustain your relationship with God and with people, that's great. But the point is, is the relationship, not the ritual, the feedback that we can get from, you know, I did the thing, I checked the box, I did my religious duty. It can be very satisfying, can actually be like a dopamine hit in our brains. But Paul's concern here is that in adding all of these things, the Galatians are losing relationship with God, and he will fight, he will fight to make sure that they maintain relationship with God. [00:09:21] (48 seconds) #MessyCommunityRealFaith

The truth of the gospel, what Jesus has done on our behalf, it's not just personal thing. It is a personal thing, but it's not just a personal thing. It's not just Jesus redeems you, it's Jesus redeems us, a people, a family. [00:13:06] (28 seconds) #InclusiveGospelBigTable

Gospels that other people that are focused on rules and rituals and who is in and who is out and who's doing this the right way, these are always lesser gospels. Those are not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ draws a big circle, builds a big table, is marked by inclusion and breaking down walls of hostility between groups of people. [00:14:06] (26 seconds) #EnemiesToFamilyInChrist

In our cultural moment, there's a lot of value placed on zealousness, right? And if you're passionate about something, if you can kinda whip people up into a frenzy about something, you can attract a crowd, you can gain traction, you can get a following. But look at what Paul be zealous for things that are good. We don't have great filters for what is good. And so we have a lot of zealousness, but not a lot of zealousness for what is good. [00:15:22] (32 seconds) #SettlingForLessThanFullness

Most of us spend a little bit of time and maybe a small amount of mind space to think about Jesus, but we don't spend time with Jesus, relating to Jesus, communing with Jesus, speaking with Jesus, listening to Jesus. [00:20:49] (24 seconds) #AuthenticRelationshipsFormChrist

So in order to have a relationship with someone, you must relate to them. In order for Christ to be formed in us, we must relate to Christ, spend time with Jesus, talk to Jesus, listen to Jesus, be with Jesus. [00:21:39] (19 seconds) #LikeMindedNotThinkAlike

The problem is that for too long we have equated being formed by Christ with thinking alike versus being like minded. Being like minded means we may have. In fact, we probably do have differing convictions and opinions about a wide variety of things. But we both love Jesus and we want to see his mission move forward and the kingdom of God come on earth as it is in heaven. Christ is forming in us together. [00:26:43] (33 seconds) #FormedByGodThroughCommunity

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