Memorizing Galatians in under 6 Months

There are many resources available to help us treasure up God's Word. Paul exhorts the church to let "the Word of Christ dwell in you richly," or as my pastor puts it, 'stockpile' Scripture so we may further study it, share it, and sing it in worship and thankfulness to God (Colossians 3:16). Just today, John Piper linked to a blog post here that details some practical tips on how to memorize Scripture, along with this helpful encouragement:

The reason memorizing Scripture is important is that remembering God's word during the day is a matter of defeat or victory.
— John Piper (@JohnPiper) June 30, 2012

One of the more creative and practical ways that has come out was the Memory Moleskine by Timmy Brister. A couple years ago he wrote about how he divided the book of Ephesians into several weeks' worth of memorization, printed out the text and glued it into a moleskine so he could add his own journaling notes. Last year it became a group effort when Brister and The Resurgence put out a more polished PDF of Philippians that broke up the book into 4 months (January 1 to Easter Sunday) so that everyone on the internet with a moleskine could "partner together" to learn and meditate on the togetherness-servanthood of the church in light of Christ's sacrifice.

We've reached the halfway point of 2012 and if you're like me then you have long ago disappointed yourself with your New Year's reading/memorizing goals. Take heart, because by the end of 2012 you can memorize all of Galatians and become enamored with the Gospel. I put together my own homemade PDF you can download here:

Memorize Galatians in 24 Weeks


You should be able to print the document out and fit the columns into a medium-sized Moleskine (check out the Philippians link above for details on how to put it together). The last few pages are the same tips that The Resurgence provided, summarizing Andy Davis' popular extended memorization plan. If you just want the schedule, then here is what you can memorize each week to get all the way through (Remember, review is the key, every day! But there are extra weeks for catch-up and review):

(Week 1) Galatians 1:1-10
(Week 2) Galatians 1:11-20 
(Week 3) Galatians 1:21-2:5
(Week 4) Galatians 2:6-14
(Week 5) Galatians 2:15-21 
(Week 6) Galatians 3:1-9
(Week 7) Galatians 3:10-16 
(Week 8) Galatians 3:17-23 
(Week 9) Galatians 3:24-29
(Week 10) – Review 1-9
(Week 11) Galatians 4:1-7
(Week 12) Galatians 4:8-14
(Week 13) Galatians 4:15-20
(Week 14) Galatians 4:21-27
(Week 15) Galatians 4:28-5:3 
(Week 16) Galatians 5:4-12
(Week 17) Galatians 5:13-21
(Week 18) Galatians 5:22-26
(Week 19) Galatians 6:1-6
(Week 20) Galatians 6:7-12
(Week 21) Galatians 6:13-18
(Week 22) – Review weeks 11-21
(Week 23) – Recite weeks 1-22
(Week 24) – Meditate, Pray, and Rejoice!

If you look at the length of the text or the number of verses per week, you can tell I slightly front-loaded the work - if you start today, half the book will be done by Labor Day. This was intentional for three reasons. I assume most of us have a slightly less busy life in the summer and can spend a little more time on Scripture Memory. Also, when I start a new project most of my good energy comes at the front so I will want to memorize more earlier. Finally, it's easier to memorize more early because there is less to review.

I included a black title page if you wanted to put something on the front of your journal. Brister had a catchy title for the Philippians work, "Partnering to Remember," that matched both the intent of the memory project and a major theme of the letter. I tried thinking of a similar catchy title for memorizing Galatians but came up blank - "Gospeling Galatians," "Grounding in Faith,"... Nothing really fits. What do you think?

Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life: The Work of Christ in the City

One night near the end of our time in New York (yes it is true, I came back home), the team sat around at our guest housing and got out some of our 'authentic' market-bought djembes and sang songs in a very touching time of worship. Since we all came from different churches and musical backgrounds, we made use of some old hymnals in the building (it was Baptist guest housing, after all) to get on the same page with lyrics and melody. After several rounds of familiar hymns, one of the guys flipped open to a song that was a poignant reminder of the pain and challenges of living in the city, and also an encouragement of the many graces that Christ provides in such an environment. As the world becomes more urban, more crowded, more tense, it seems the gospel of Christ has the ability to ring out even more clearly to those broken souls who long for a Savior.

Where cross the crowded ways of life,
Where sound the cries of race and clan
Above the noise of selfish strife,
We hear your voice, O Son of Man.

In haunts of wretchedness and need,
On shadowed thresholds dark with fears,
From paths where hide the lures of greed,
We catch the vision of Your tears.

From tender childhood’s helplessness,
From woman’s grief, man’s burdened toil,
From famished souls, from sorrow’s stress,
Your heart has never known recoil.

The cup of water given for You,
Still holds the freshness of Your grace;
Yet long these multitudes to view
The sweet compassion of Your face.

O Master, from the mountainside
Make haste to heal these hearts of pain;
Among these restless throngs abide;
O tread the city’s streets again.

Till sons of men shall learn Your love
And follow where Your feet have trod,
Till, glorious from Your Heaven above,
Shall come the city of our God!

Unfortunately I could not find one decent vocal recording of this hymn so here is a nice piano rendition. Apparently the common tune can be traced back to Beethoven.

New York: Week Wrap

Our work in Harlem is practically finished. We still have a little bit of packing, cheap sightseeing, and a plane to catch, but conversations that are happening have happened. The work now is in the hands of Chris Clayman and his small team of full time missionary workers and church planters. They have already done much work, in fact some of the people we met, Chris already knows them well and has even visited family members back in actual Africa, wives and children of those unable to visit them while financially stuck in New York's Little Africa. Hopefully our conversations have pushed the people here who have been stuck in a cultural and hardened Islam to consider Chris's constant Gospel testimonies anew and fresh. Definitely keep praying as our team will, that our short relationships with the West Africans will lead to fruitful long friendships for the missionaries and ultimately reconciled relationship with our God and Father.

It would be remiss of me not to make known that the work is great and the workers are few, but New York is always looking for more sowers, tillers, and harvesters. Chris would love to receive a team from any church or ministry group. His website has some more information, including a flyer and short brochure on a doing one year internships with the team. http://ethnycitybook.com/NYC-Missionary-Training-School.php

New York: Friday

John 14 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Today we had an interesting conversation with a gentleman at a tailor's shop. We asked him what he liked about New York and why he came from Senegal. His answer was a little bit different than what others have told us this week. He said that what he has loved about being in the states is that he has finally found peace. Peace, from knowing that he has a safe and productive job, a safe place to live and reside, days free from danger and conflict.

What most interested me about his answer is that, at least from what I've heard, peace is not a common interest or hope for Muslims. It's not that they are actively seeking conflict, at least not the West African ones, but their emphasized values are more on seeking honor and avoiding shame for themselves and their families. Hindus and Buddhists are on a search for peace and rebuke the American lifestyle for not finding it. Yet, for this tailor and probably under the surface for many West Africans, there is a desperate search for some final peace.

Isn't that true for the rest of us, too? Daily we are always encountering conflict, something that stresses us out and worries us, and our heart longs for some inner peace, a knowledge and comfort that our conflict will be relieved.

This is the message Jesus has given to the disciples, that when he left the world and they felt that all was wrong in the world, Christ's peace would still be with them. And not just some ethereal emotion, but the tangible presence of the Spirit of God would be upon them and in them. And that is the gospel we proclaim to the nations: that though they say they have found peace through financial and political stability, a deeper and fuller peace is known through reconciliation with the God who created and rules the universe by means of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and manifested in the giving of the Holy Spirit to all who would put their trust in Jesus' work.

Friday is our final workday in Harlem. Pray that we make plain the peace of Christ that is supreme over all other copies and shadows of peace and comfort found in this world.

New York: Tuesday

Ephesians 2:11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands- remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

One of the toughest things about connecting with the people is the large culture gap. Different ethnicities, different cultures, different skin colors, different languages, different hobbies and entertainment. An even greater hindrance is that our team is part of the national 'majority' culture, and our target group, the West Africans, are vulnerable immigrants. They are strangers in a foreign land and have little welcome from Americans. Strange to me, there is even a longstanding tension with the African-Americans.

But that is part of the beauty of the Gospel. In our sin and our shame we were divided, hostile to God, far away, strangers to his people. Christ humbled himself and sacrificed himself on the cross so that we could have peace, so the hostility would be torn down, so we would have hope and be near to God. Muslims have an acute sense of the holiness of God and the distance between this world and God's dwelling. What they are missing is the peace of knowing that in Jesus, God has brought himself near to us, despite our utter sin.

Today, we seek to continue breaking down walls between ourselves and the people we are trying to reach. A couple members of our group have spent time (or were even born and raised) in Africa and know some of the languages or the colonial French, which lessens the culture gap. For the rest of us, the work may prove hard and slow. But the Gospel runs deep and is powerful. For the glory of the Father.

New York: Monday

Luke 10: 5Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.

Today we finally have our first 'work' day in New York. That's not to say we are not already tired! Yesterday (Sunday) we got to worship with a congregation of brothers predominantly from Burkina Faso. What a blessing to sing praises to Our Father with the nations, and we didn't even leave the USA! In the afternoon we prayerwalked the Harlem areas where West Africans are mostly gathered. While it's not central Manhattan, Harlem is still filled with tons of people in tight quarters. There are churches on many corners, but most lack vibrancy and solid gospel truth. Even still, the work among West Africans is nearly zero. Among African peoples with Muslim backgrounds, there are no established churches. There are, however, around 60 West African mosques in Harlem, not even counting the 400 non-African mosques in the city.An overwhelming task before us. How will we ever reach all these people? Today, we pray that God will lead us to these 'persons of peace' that will be receptive to our message and to our friends, so that we may sow seeds of the Gospel on soft ground.

Pray: New York

For the next week I will be in the Big Apple, the grand city, New York, on another mission trip with the school. This is a little different adventure than the last time I wrote asking for trip prayers. I will probably be challenged a lot more in expanding my relational qualities, and the people we interact with will probably be a lot more hesitant to hear what we have to say and to be connected with the local 'missionaries' we want to connect them with. Primarily we are working with a team of church planters in a section of Harlem that is primarily filled with West African immigrants, many of which are Muslim. Most of the week will be spent walking and talking on the streets of the marketplaces, trying to build short friendships and break down barriers in the community that prohibit the gospel.

Our trip leader gave us a prayer-walk guide and I wanted to share the outline of it here so you could pray with me for God to work in the lives of the people we will see and interact with. The whole prayer is premised on God opening what he will open and doing the work through our obedience that he wills to happen. Some of these should be self-explanatory.

Pray that God would:

1. Open the heavens. Isaiah 64:1-4 "Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down that the mountains might quake at your presence...no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him."

2. Open hearts. Ezekiel 11:17-21 "...And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God."

3.  Open homes. This is the "person of peace" strategy, that through one peaceful person a whole family or neighborhood will be invited to hear the gospel. Luke 10:1-10 "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest...    Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you."

4. Open highways. Specifically, that God would grant proper channels and methods, that our work would not distract or conflict with God's declared plan. Isaiah 62:10-12 Go through, go through the gates; prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway; clear it of stones; lift up a signal over the peoples... “Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” And they shall be called The Holy People,The Redeemed of the LORD; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.

5. Open hands. Matthew 10:5-8 "...And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay."