In Galatians 4:12-20 we get a glimpse into the personal life of Paul. We see him in his vulnerability, in his discouragement, and in his relationships with those he once knew as close friends. Paul taught them well, but now his Gentile converts were following the misguided teachings of a group known as the Judaizers – those who believed that to be a good Christian you must first be a good Jew. Paul had left them on solid ground spiritually, but now they were fading from faith to a works-based belief system that was actually a trap. This was not the first time Christians had wandered from the faith of the Gospel and it won’t be the last.

Jesus dealt with the slow fade of faith within hours of dying on the cross. In Mark 14 Jesus says that all of the disciples will deny Him whereupon we find Peter saying, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.” What we sometimes overlook is that in verse 31 we read that all of the others said the same thing. These were the same disciples who in Mark 14:50 all deserted Jesus and ran away.

The slow fade of the church is clearly seen in two of the seven letters to the churches in the book of Revelation. The Church at Ephesus was said to have left their first love. The Church at Laodicea was declared by Jesus to be neither hot nor cold but rather just lukewarm. So disgusting that He said He would vomit them out of his mouth.

However, the warning that we must heed today concerning hearts turning cold comes in Jesus’ discourse in which he describes the end of the age. Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. Many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.

~Matthew 24:9-12~

Guard your heart – even the most zealous can grow cold.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, March 15, 2026. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons, which covers the Book of Galatians, is A Cry for Freedom: Grace that Is Still Amazing. You can find print and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/a-cry-for-freedom-galatians-study-guide/ . Handouts with class presentation content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

YouTube – youtube.com/@fromthebackporch

X – FromtheBackPorch@nationalfast

TikTok – tiktok.com/@fromthebackporchintexas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com