RevoDevos – Day 2

Tuesday, June 24^th
Read: Galatians 1:11-24

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any human source, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.

Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas (Peter) and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles- only James, the Lord’s brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.

Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they praised God because of me.

Spend a few minutes discussing questions you have about this passage. Here are a few to get you started:

What does it mean to receive the gospel by revelation? (for Paul’s story, refer to Acts 9)
What might Paul have been hoping to gain from his zealousness for Judaism?
God “was pleased to reveal his Son in” Paul- what does this mean?
What other questions do you have?

Here we have this guy, Paul, who has spent his life working to build himself up—being the best Jew, doing everything right. He devoted his whole life to Judaism. He would do anything for it, even commit murder! This was his life; this was what he put everything he had into. And it paid off! Paul was thought of very highly, because he was zealous for tradition and advanced beyond his years.

However, all this paled in comparison to a revelation of Jesus. When God revealed His Son to Paul, everything else faded away. It didn’t matter how advanced he was in Judaism, or how zealous he was for tradition, or even how highly respected he was. When compared to God— all of this stuff didn’t stand a chance. It wasn’t about what other people thought, or his reputation anymore. We are told that he didn’t consult any man. Now it was completely about God. Paul had tasted worldly success and fame. He had spent years earning respect and favor. But in one moment— that was gone! Years of fame, success and power couldn’t even compare to one moment with God. Everything that Paul had spent years investing in, everything that he had once thought, didn’t matter anymore. It was now irrelevant.

As I thought about Paul, and the revelation he had, this song came to my mind:

“All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres, and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now, compared to this
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You,
there is no greater thing…”

From the moment that Paul encountered God, he turned away from his old life and never went back. We are told that God, who set Paul apart from birth, and called Him by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to him so that he might preach amongst the Gentiles. So, our God—who is so mighty, powerful, awesome, good, and beautiful, that nothing else compares with Him— loves each one of us individually and has a specific purpose for us. Even if the only thing that anyone else saw was a zealous Jew, a religious man, a power hungry guy, or even a murderer, God saw something more. Even when Paul was persecuting Christians, God already had a divine purpose for him—God had already set Paul apart. He was called by God’s grace. He certainly hadn’t done anything to deserve it. It was all by God’s grace. No matter what you work at or build up, no matter what you gain or achieve, it cannot compare to our Lord God. And no matter the sins you have committed, no matter the mistakes you make, they can never be too great for God’s grace to cover.