RevoDevos – Day 3

Wednesday, June 25^th
Read: Galatians 2:1-5

Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.

Spend some time discussing questions you have about the passage. Here are a few to get you started:

What was Paul doing for those 14 years?
How might Paul have been running in vain?
Write down and discuss other questions you have:

Have you ever wondered if you were on the right track, or if you were running in vain? Paul did.

17 years after Paul’s encounter with God on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:7, Galatians 1:18, 2:1) he went to Jerusalem to meet with the Jewish church leaders located there. As Paul said in Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” The leaders he wanted to meet with were the leaders of the Jewish people—even though Paul had been preaching to the Gentiles.

Recently there had been some opposition by some of the Jewish believers. They thought the new Gentile believers should follow the Jewish cultural practices. Because of this pressure on the new Gentile believers, Paul wanted to meet with the church leaders in Jerusalem to discuss these suggested requirements.

Paul’s preaching focused on the freedom we have in Christ—he had not been placing importance on the cultural practices of other believers. Paul wanted to protect believers from unnecessary rules and restrictions. Instead, he wanted to have them focus on the sacrifice that Jesus had made for them on the cross and the freedom from sin that Jesus made possible for us.

When you have disagreements with leadership or any other believers, it may seem easier for you to simply gossip about how you think they are doing things wrong. It seems easier than building up the courage to meet with them and find out what they really mean, and together come to a consensus on the issue. Search God and His Word on the issue, and if you are still not satisfied, humbly (not in anger) meet with the leadership. In this way you will be more likely to find the truth about God and his will, and more able to live in unity with others.

Process:

– When you hear someone has said something about you, do you go directly to that person to find out the truth? I encourage you to do so and not to simply believe what you have heard from others.

– Have you prayed today for the leaders in your church? Take some time now to bless them and ask the Lord to increase their ministry. Pray also for the Church, that we may have unity in the Truth.