RevoDevos – Day 4

Thursday, June 26^th
Read: Galatians 2:6-10

As for those who were held in high esteem- whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism- they added nothing to my message. On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. James, Cephas (Peter) and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

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

Who is held in high esteem in this passage- who is Paul referring to, and why were they held in high esteem?
James, Cephas and John extended ‘the right hand of fellowship’. What could this have looked like? Was there actually a hand…?
From previous passages, what ‘grace’ was given to Paul?

Ask your own questions:

Because some in Galatia were opposing Paul’s message by questioning his legitimacy as an apostle, Paul has preceded this passage with his claim to apostleship based on his personal call from God. He is trying to prove that his message is not from himself but is from God. He asserts that those who are ‘held in high esteem’ added nothing to his message, that when he went to meet with them they recognized his authority to preach, as well as the message itself- that it was not lacking anything. They agreed that there was an equal split of audience: some are sent to the Jews and others to the Gentiles, but that the message is the same to all of them: Jesus Christ has come and died and risen again, and we are now able to live as members of his kingdom. It is interesting, however, that the apostles in Jerusalem emphasized that Paul not neglect the poor, as their final point of argument.

Now, it’s important to realize that Paul isn’t defending himself in this passage, he’s defending the Gospel. He didn’t take what anyone was saying about him personally. He was more offended by the fact that the Galatians doubted the gospel and less about what they had to say about him. So ask yourself—

When you witness, who are you speaking for? Is it you or God? Do you express your own thoughts and feelings or do you express the Heart of God? Are you just trying to please people with an emotional story and enticing words? It’s important to know why it is you’re sharing what you’re sharing, to know if your message is from God or from man.

Also, when someone doesn’t agree with what you’re preaching who do you defend? Do you fight for yourself or your message? Do you take what the person is saying to heart or do you listen to what they are saying and gently, with respect, show them how they might be wrong, by showing them the truth? And if they are right, do you admit that? I’m sure if Paul were wrong on this, which he clearly wasn’t, he would be humble enough to admit that to the Galatians.

Not only does this passage show the Galatians the authenticity of Paul’s message, but it can also be a lesson to us. I think that we can sometimes discard some of Paul’s writings a little too frivolously. I mean, almost everyone’s got something to say about his views on marriage. This passage shows us that Paul’s apostleship was ordained by God, and that he was given great authority to proclaim God’s salvation to the Gentiles. So before disagreeing with Paul, consider what he’s saying, pray into it, wrestle with it, lean not on your own understanding, and find out what God says about his writings.

Process:

– “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor” How do we remember the poor?