Articles from Galatians

Alexander Supertramp was the name he gave himself. His real name was Chris McCandless. He grew up in a high achieving family: his father worked for NASA and his mother worked for Hughes Aircraft. That high achieving family caused pressure on him to go to college, get good grades, and find a respectable upper-class job like his parents.

            But after graduating from Emory University in Georgia, Alexander Supertramp surprised everyone. He sold all his belongings, donated all the money in his savings account to a charity, hitchhiked across America, canoed down the Colorado River, then he hitchhiked to Fairbanks, Alaska. He was done with the pressure from the world: from his parents, from his professors to get good grades, and from his friends that all were getting good jobs out of college. He wanted freedom. And he found it, so he thought.

            Many of us can relate to that external pressure from the world that Alexander Supertramp felt. It comes from our parents that want to be proud of us so they push us to get an education and get a good job. It comes from school when every teacher insists that success in life requires that you do well in their specific class. It comes from our jobs where no matter how good our work is, there is always someone pointing out how we could have done better.

            As we come to the last words of Paul in Galatians he summarizes for us the freedom we experience because of our faith in Christ. “For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus” (Galatians 6:15-17, NASB).

            When we are liberated by Christ we are a new creation. Galatians 6:15 is the apex of the final chapter of Galatians. We are a new creation by God’s transformative grace. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The new creation has taken the place of the world.

            An encouraging part of church ministry is seeing people’s lives changed. A woman named Mona used to attend a Sunday School class that I taught for new believers. Throughout that class I was able to learn about how God liberated Mona from twenty years of drug addiction and dysfunctional relationships. Was it because of something she did? Not really. She would tell you that God was the source. God miraculously removed her addiction and provided her a way out of the abusive relationships she had. Now she has a full-time job, takes care of her mom, and lives a peaceful life. Stories like that are encouraging because you see how God changes people into a new creation.         

            When we are liberated by Christ we experience peace.We experience peace because we are free from the world’s pressures on us. No one is telling us what we have to do in order to gain others favor. We don’t have to put pressure on others to perform at work because of the pressure put on us. We don’t have to climb the ladder of success only to realize it’s leaning on the wrong wall. We have peace because we know where we are going and we know God’s Spirit walks with us along the way. The path might be difficult and painful, but we know the path ends with us spending eternity with God in heaven forever. And that gives us peace.

            But when we are liberated by Christ we will experience regular persecution. The word Paul uses for “brand-marks” (v. 17) is the Greek word, στίγμα, which comes from a verb that means “to prick, to sting, or to stick.”[1] In the first century slaves and some military soldiers had the name stamp of their owners placed on their bodies. Paul uses this Greek word to describe physical scars that Paul had on his body (cf. 2 Cor 6:4-6; 11:23ff). Paul saw his scars as proof that he was a true believer. This provides a reminder to believers today that we too experience persecution for our faith. The brand marks for us because of our faith might be coworkers that mock us and call us weak because of our faith, not getting a promotion because we refuse to cut corners on our job, or a family that ridicules us because of our faith.

            Alexander Supertramp was looking for freedom from the pressures of the world. He thought he found it. In Alaska he was living the life of freedom in the wilderness by himself (at least so he thought). But in that life he ate some bad seeds that prevented his digestive system from absorbing nutrients. And eventually he died from starvation. He was looking for that freedom, but never truly found it.[2]

            For us as believers, we experience freedom from the world, but that freedom doesn’t come because we sell everything, abandon our family, and go live in Alaska (even though that might be appealing at times). It comes from our liberator, Jesus Christ, who died on a cross for us and freed us from our sins that enslaved us. Now, we are liberated by the liberator and we enjoy peace.

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[1] Robertson, A.T. Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933).

[2] Jon Krakauer, Into The Wild (New York, NY: Anchor Books, 1997).

We shouldn’t have to tell other people that we are Christians. They should know it by what they see in us. Now of course, we want to share our faith. Because if we only do good deeds and never tell others about our faith in Christ, we are simply a nice person. But before we ever tell others about our faith in Christ, they should already know that something is different. They should see something different in us compared to the rest of the world.

            Sadly, there are a lot of Christians that are known by their name, not their deeds. And that’s one of the reasons the church has struggled for years. We have done a poor job of discipling our church members, and because of that we don’t look much different than the world. We call ourselves “Christians” but the world doesn’t see much of a difference between how we act and the rest of the world’s behavior.

            In Paul’s letter to the believers in the region of Galatia he tells them three ways that they should look different than the world in which they live.

WE HELP THOSE THAT HAVE FALLEN INTO SIN

            We read in Galatians 6:1-2, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ” (NASB).

            The word for “trespass” here literally means “falling aside” or “slip” or “lapse.”[1] It describes someone that unexpectedly enters into sin. If we are active in a church we will always see people start to slip away from the community of faith and into a lifestyle of sin. As a result, those “who are spiritual” are supposed to restore those people from sin. As spiritual people we approach sinners “in a spirit of gentleness.” We don’t come ready to argue or prove our point. Instead, we approach them with kindness and humility.

            When we approach those that have fallen into sin we are supposed to “restore” the person back into a relationship with God. This word is used in Greek literature to describe the setting of broken bones or mending of fish nets.[2] We are supposed to help those people correct their behavior.

            The process of helping others that have fallen into sin is an obligation of Christians (v. 2). The word, “one another” is placed first in the Greek text for emphasis and the word “bear” is placed in the Greek present tense which means we regularly do this. It should be a habit in our Christian lives. The burden that Paul tells us we need to bear is probably related to the process of restoring the sinner of verse one. And when we bear the burdens of others it means we carry their loads. We often have to enter into their struggles to help them. Even if we don’t personally experience those struggles, we still feel the emotions that come with them or deal with the consequences of those burdens.

            If we jump down to verse ten, we see that Paul reminds his readers to help others and he provides two priorities for us.

WE HELP ALL PEOPLE AS OUR SECOND PRIORITY

            “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Galatians 6:10a).

            Paul tells us “do good to all people.” This is a common command for the believer from Scripture. Warren Wiersbe writes about this verse, “It is not only by words that we witness to the lost, but also by our works. In fact, our works pave the way for our verbal witness; they win us the right to be heard.”[3] A few years of life under COVID restrictions has removed us from the habits of caring for others that we used to do such as giving hugs to people in tough times, taking people out for lunch to check on them, visiting people in the hospital, or even simple things like having people over to our homes for dinner. We need to get back into those habits as a way that we do good to all people.

WE HELP THE CHURCH AS OUR FIRST PRIORITY

            We are supposed to help all people, but “especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10b).That’s us. This is the first priority. There should be a balance: we take care of each other within the church while also caring for and loving others outside our church family.

            If you attend church and don’t see someone at church, call them. As a pastor I try to call a couple people each week when I don’t see them at church. I hope you would consider doing the same thing. If you don’t see someone at church or your support group, pick up the phone and call them or write them a note and send it in the mail.

            I hope that we don’t have to tell people that we are Christians. Instead, if we do the three things Paul lists in Galatians 6:1-2 and Galatians 6:10 people should be able to identify us by our actions.

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[1] AT Robertson, Word Pictures of the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933).

[2] Ibid.

[3] Warren Wiersbe, Be Free (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2009), 149.

Years ago Dawson Trotman, the founder of The Navigators discipleship ministry, hiked with a group of Taiwanese pastors back into some mountain villages to minister the Word of God to the groups of Christians there. The trails were wet so Dawson and the Taiwanese pastors returned home with there shoes cold, wet, and covered in mud. Much later someone asked one of those Taiwanese pastors what they remembered about the American Dawson Trotman. The Taiwanese pastor replied, “He cleaned by shoes.”

            When Dawson and that pastor returned that afternoon, all the men removed their muddy shoes at the doorway. The pastor went into the kitchen to prepare some tea and returned to the doorway to find Dawson Trotman sitting on the floor with a small stick, a piece of cloth, and some water cleaning the muddy shoes of the Taiwanese pastor.

            That spirit of servanthood was a constant mark of Dawson Trotman. He died as he lived: giving his life to rescue someone else from drowning.[1]

As believers we too are called to a life of service. Often we claim the freedom we have in Christ and neglect the love and service to others part. In Paul’s letter to the believers in the region of Galatia, he challenges the Galatian believers to a life of service and love because of the freedom they have in Christ.

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. (Galatians 5:13-15)

            According to Paul, our freedom leads to service in love. Notice he identifies who has freedom.“For you were called to freedom, brethren” (v. 13a). This freedom is where we all belong (see Galatians 1:6; 5:8). It is in the passive voice here which means we receive it, but God does it. God called us to salvation. And because of that we are supposed to live in freedom. Our address is 810 Freedom in Christ Ln.

            Notice also that Paul warns them about that freedom and defines the boundary of that freedom, “do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh” (13b). That liberty given through our faith in Christ should not turn into a license to sin and do whatever we want.

            Notice also he tells us what to do with our freedom. The focus for us is “through love serve one another” (v. 13b). When we are free and live a life of love and service, it keeps us from legalism and license. This is because when we love others and serve them through that love, we are freed from the focus on ourselves.

            I wonder what our Christian churches would look like if we, instead of proclaiming our freedom, practiced our love?

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[1] Jerry Bridges, True Community (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), p. 137.

All of us, at one time or another, have been on the receiving end of a broken promise. From mom and dad not buying pizza for dinner like they said they would, or canceling a family vacation because of unforeseen circumstance, or a spouse that breaks his marriage promise by wanting a divorce, all of us have experienced broken promises.

            Abraham thought he was receiving a broken promise from God. When Abraham was 76 years-old God told him to leave his country and go to a new land and that while there God would make him into a great nation by giving him children (Genesis 12:1-3). But after a decade of new life in a new land Abraham and Sarah had no children. Abraham was 86 and Sarah was 76 and they thought they were too old to have children. But Sarah looked at her servant, Hagar, and got an idea. “I can give my servant girl to Abraham, and maybe through her my family can have an heir.” So that’s what Sarah suggested and Abraham agreed.

            Abraham spent an evening with Hagar and she became pregnant and gave Abraham a son. But about 14 years later God shows up. He appears to Abraham and tells Abraham He’s still going to give Abraham a son. When Sarah hears this she laughs. But, before you know it, at the age of 90, Sarah is pregnant and gives birth to a son and name’s him Isaac, which means “laughter.” God kept His word to Abraham and Sarah. He gave them a son of their own.

            That’s the backdrop for Galatians 4:22-31. In Galatians 4:22-23 Paul provides a brief summary of Abraham and Sarah and how they had their sons. 

“For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise” (Gal 4:22-23)

            Then Paul gives us an interpretation of the passage.

“This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. For it is written, ‘REJOICE, BARREN WOMAN WHO DOES NOT BEAR; BREAK FORTH AND SHOUT, YOU WHO ARE NOT IN LABOR; FOR MORE NUMEROUS ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE DESOLATE THAN OF THE ONE WHO HAS A HUSBAND.’ And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. But what does the Scripture say?      ‘CAST OUT THE BONDWOMAN AND HER SON, FOR THE SON OF THE BONDWOMAN SHALL NOT BE AN HEIR WITH THE SON OF THE FREE WOMAN.’

So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.” (Galatians 4:24-31)

            Isaac was born supernaturally because of God’s promise. Sarah was 90 years old when she had a child. And this was important for the Galatians because they were supernaturally born too. They were Gentiles. They had no claim to be children of Abraham in the natural sense. But in the spiritual sense, they were able to receive that promise because of their faith in Christ.

            At one time we were lost and fallen away. Ephesians 2:1, “you were dead in your trespasses and sins.” Ephesians 2:5, “we were dead in our transgressions.” We didn’t know God, but through His promise and our faith we were brought into a relationship with Him.

            Each believer also experiences a supernatural birth as Paul wrote in Galatians 4:29, “born according to the Spirit.” John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said to [Nicodemus], ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” And in John 3:5, “’Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

            When we experience this new birth we are the recipients of the promise of salvation (Galatians 3:9, 22, 29). As Paul tells us here in Galatians we have become “children of the promise” (4:28) and “children . . . of the free woman”(4:31). God kept his promises to Abraham and Sarah. And through Jesus Christ, God keeps His promise to us that we can become part of His spiritual family.

In 1636 17,000 puritans migrated to New England. While there were some pastors, many people realized a college was needed to train the next generation of pastors. A college was started in 1636 and several years later a pastor donated half of his estate and 400 of his books to help the college as it was beginning. The college was then named after that pastor and continued training ministers. Its early motto was Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae, Latin which meant “Truth for Christ and the Church.” In those early years half of the graduates became ministers. Ten of the first twelve presidents of the university were ministers. The college trained pastors, was ran by pastors, and placed pastors into local churches to preach the gospel.

            But in 1701 one of those pastor presidents ended his service, and it marked the start of a long struggle between orthodox Christianity and liberalism. Throughout the 1700s ideas from the enlightenment, the power of reason, free will, and other liberal theologies began to clash with the traditional Calvinistic groups.

            One of their presidents, in 1869, “eliminated the favored position of Christianity from the curriculum while opening it to student self-direction. . . he was motivated not by a desire to secularize education, but by transcendentalist Unitarian convictions. . . these convictions were focused on the dignity and worth of human nature, the right and ability of each person to perceive truth and the indwelling of God in each person” (Wikipedia).

            That college which I’ve described for you is Harvard University. A college once created to train pastors for ministry now no longer resembles that desire. In fact, it still has a so-called “Divinity” school, but the people that go there to study are not Christians.

            There are similar stories of Yale and other colleges that started with an intention to train people for ministry, but over time they drifted away from the truth of God’s Word.

            Most of us are just a decision or two away from departing from the truth of the Gospel. And Paul tells us about some people that drifted away from the truth in his letter to the people living in the region of Galatia. The Galatians once were Paul’s friends, but now they are foes, “So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” (Gal 4:16, NASB). People had come into the Galatian church teaching false doctrine and shielding the Galatians from Paul. Paul describes them this way, “They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them. But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable manner, and not only when I am present with you” (Gal 4:17-18).

            But Paul has a plan to get the Galatian believers back on the right track. The Galatians have gone backwards and need to be discipled again, “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you” (Gal 4:19). Paul wishes to be present with them again so he could work with them, “but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you” (Gal 4:20).

            We as believers need to make sure we don’t drift from the truth like the Galatian believers did. To keep from drifting from the truth we need to distinguish false teachers from truth tellers. And we need to disciple the people that we evangelize.

            That story I shared with you about Harvard breaks my heart. There motto was “Truth for Christ and the Church.” But they drifted away from that truth. The Galatians, too, drifted away from the truth. I pray that we don’t drift away from the truth either. 

We all depend on promises in our lives. Our job promises to give us a paycheck in return for faithful labor, our car mechanic promises to put clean oil back in the car after he drains the dirty oil, and our grocery store promises to sell us food that is healthy and accurate based on the labeling.

            God made promises to us in the book of Genesis a least 6,500 years ago:

“And I [God] will put enmity

Between you [serpent] and the woman [Eve],

And between your seed and her seed;

He shall bruise you on the head,

And you shall bruise him on the heel” (Gen 3:15, NASB)

            This was God’s first time revealing (in a subtle way) how He would send a savior to deliver the people and offer them salvation. Theologians call this verse the protoevangelium (first gospel).[1]Here God announces a battle that will occur between Eve’s descendants and Satan’s descendants. God promises that one of Eve’s descendants will bruise Satan on the head which will be the death blow announcing victory.

            God further clarified that promise to Eve’s descendant, Abraham, when God told Abraham,

           “Go forth from your country,

      And from your relatives

      And from your father’s house,

      To the land which I will show you;

      And I will make you a great nation,

      And I will bless you,

      And make your name great;

      And so you shall be a blessing;

      And I will bless those who bless you,

      And the one who curses you I will curse.

      And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Gen 12:1-3, emphasis added)

            God further clarified His message to Eve when He promised Abraham that through Abraham’s descendants all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

            Then six hundred years later God gave the Law to the nation of Israel through Moses. The Law was God’s way to show Israel their sins and in the process show them their need for a savior (Jesus Christ). Jesus would be Abraham’s descendant and Jesus would bless everyone who places faith in Him.

            With that background and those promises given to Israel, Paul told the believers in the region of Galatia,

“But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Gal 3:23-25, NASB).

            Paul is showing the Galatians how God kept His promise given to Eve, then clarified it to Abraham, and elaborated on it through Moses and the Law. God kept His promises to the nation of Israel in spite of their unfaithfulness to Him.

            I know you have had people make promises to you but not keep them. Promises of, “I vow to love you till death do us part” might have turned into “I don’t love you anymore, I’m not happy, I want a divorce.” A promise of, “I’ll never drink alcohol again” turned into “Just one drink here and there won’t hurt.” A husband states, “I promise I won’t watch porn anymore” eventually becomes “I need it because. . .” A young potential spouse says, “I want kids when I am married” but eventually reveals “Kids bother me and I don’t want any.” The promise, “I’ll never touch drugs again” turns into “I don’t know where those family heirlooms went. . .”

            God gave a promise to Eve, extended it to Abraham, elaborated on it to Moses through the Law, and it was still valid in A.D. 49 when Paul wrote his letter to the believers in the region of Galatia. And that promise continues to us today. While humans are not the best example of how to keep promises, God is.

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[1] Warren Wiersbe, Be Basic (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 1998), 76.

Cooking is getting more complicated. When I was a kid my sister and I would help my mom cook. I only remember us using a skillet pan, boiling pot, and a rolling pin. But over the years what is in the kitchen to cook has become more complicated. People on TV and people in cookbooks are telling us we need more.  

            This has resulted in rice cookers, crock pots, instant pots, George Foreman grills, charcoal/gas/pellet BBQs and smokers, air friers, blenders, food processors, juicers, cast iron skills, non-stick pans, pans that have no chemicals in them, stove-top kettles, electric kettles, bread makers, microwave ovens, new wave ovens, French friers and air friers.

            Companies and personalities are always adding to our kitchen and are further complicatingwhat we have and how we store it.

            The Galatians faced a similar issue. But it didn’t deal with their kitchen, it dealt with their faith. Was their faith in Christ enough for salvation? Did they need something else in addition to belief in Christ Jesus as their savior? Paul reminds them of that truth writing, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness” (Galatians 3:6). Paul needed to remind the believers in Galatia they were saved based on their faith and not anything else because of a group of people that were following him and confusing people about his teachings.

            After Paul left the region of Galatia and traveled to other places a group of people arrived in Galatia I call “Legalizers” (also called “Judaizers” in many study Bibles and commentaries). These Legalizers were teaching that salvation by faith in Christ was not enough. Instead, the Legalizers taught that people also had to follow parts of the Old Testament Law such as getting circumcised (Galatians 5:2-6; 6:12-13), following the Jewish festivals and feasts such as Passover, Pentecost, Purim (Galatians 4:8-11), and that the Holy Spirit was given to them through the works of the Law (Galatians 3:1-3). These Legalizers were adding to the gospel and complicating it.

            But Paul reminds the believers living in Galatia that “those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer” (Galatians 3:9). We are saved because of our faith in Christ for salvation. Nothing else. It’s a simple concept, but easy to complicate. While Paul had to remind the Galatian believers that they were saved by faith and faith alone, we too need reminders. It’s easy to get caught up in what Bible translation a church should use, what type of music is best for us to sing, or what day is appropriate for worship services. But those things don’t matter when it comes to our salvation.

            What matters is that we are saved by faith alone in Christ alone.

Church was scheduled to start at 11am, but the homeless man arrived at 10:30am and took a seat in the back of the church. He was wearing a baseball hat, hoodie sweatshirt, and torn jeans. His shoes were severely worn and his clothes were dirty. He also had a very long unkept beard. It was clear he was homeless.

            People from church began arriving and noticed the homeless man but ignored him. When 11am arrived the pastor was not at church! Pastor Stout was missing. People started asking, “Have you seen him?” His wife, Joyce, was there. So the church members asked her. “Have you seen Pastor Stout?” She responded, “He’s here somewhere.”

            At 11:05am the homeless man stood up, walked to the front of the church, took off his baseball hat and removed his fake beard, and guess who it was? Pastor Stout![1]

            That story (which is true and was told to me by a woman that was at church that day) causes us to ask ourselves: do we treat everyone the same way regardless of their looks, race, economic status, or family?

            Paul had to confront Peter because Peter was acting differently in front of different groups of people. He was treating people differently because of their race.

            Paul writes about this confrontation in Galatians 2:11, “But when Cephas [Peter] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.” In Galatians 2:12 Paul describes the problem, “For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he [Peter] used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he [Peter] began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision [the Jews].”

            Peter had arrived in Antioch and was enjoying food and fellowship with the Gentile Christians, but when James’ Jewish Christian friends arrive in Antioch, Peter “began to withdraw” himself from the Gentiles and meets with the Jews, James’ friends. The text says Peter held himself “aloof” or “separate” (NIV). It was like he was better than the Gentiles now. But why would he do this?

            It says that Peter was “fearing the party of the circumcision.” Peter was afraid of what the Jewish men would think of him for eating with the sinner Gentiles. 

            Paul describes why this was a problem in Galatians 2:13, “The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.” This was a problem for two reasons. Peter was acting different depending on what group of people he was around. Hypocrisy is “the practice of claiming to have higher standards or more laudable beliefs than is the case” (Concise Oxford English Dictionary). Faith in Christ makes us equal in God’s eyes, therefore there is no place for hypocrisy in God’s kingdom.

            The real tragedy is that Peter is not the only one who errors here. His actions cause others to error as well. Paul reveals to us that, “The rest of the Jews joined him” (v. 13) in his hypocrisy. So much “that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy” (v. 13). Barnabas was a Jew but became a Christian and actively worked with Paul to bring the gospel message to the Gentiles, but Barnabas has followed Peter and abandoned fellowship with the Gentiles.

            I wish we knew how Peter responded. We don’t know what he did. But most commentaries on this passage state that he likely admitted he was wrong and brought the two groups together (based on the book of Acts and what he wrote in 1 & 2 Peter later).

            As believers in Christ we must treat each other as equals because we all share the same faith in the same savior: Jesus Christ.

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[1] Glen Stout still serves as Senior Pastor at New Life Church in Exeter, CA.  

It’s easy to get busy and forget about the poor. There are many “good” activities we do within the ministry of a church: discipling people in small groups, visiting church members in the hospital, organizing kids ministry, or caring for the church building to make it look good. Those are all good things. Those are all important things.           

            While the apostle Paul had been helping the poor, he also was in a battle for the gospel. A group of people were following Paul and deceiving his new converts saying that salvation by faith was not good enough. They were teaching that people also needed to follow the Law too! This gospel battle led Paul to Jerusalem to verify his gospel message was correct. Paul describes his trip in his letter to the believers in the region of Galatia:

            “Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain. . . Seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised (for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles), and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They only asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do” (Galatians 2:1-2, 7-10, NASB)

            In the middle of Paul’s battle for the truth of the gospel we see the importance of serving others. Believing the right things wasn’t enough. He was also told to care for the poor. Paul says he was “eager” (v. 10) to do that. And we know he practiced what he preached. In Acts 24:17 Paul brings money from the Gentiles to the poor Jewish believers in Jerusalem. Similar acts of charity are facilitated by Paul in Romans 15:25-28 and 2 Corinthians 8:13-14; 9:12-13.

            All of us (that call ourselves Christians) are called to help the poor. What if we all had one person or family that we helped significantly? It could be an elderly person that needs help fixing the sprinklers in their lawn. Or a single adult that lives alone and is sick and needs someone to pick up medicine. Or a young family that might need someone to watch their kid so they could have a date night. We all must focus on the poor. Just as God’s love and grace has been extended to us, we too should extend God’s love and grace to others. And we can do that by ministering to one person or family.

The apostle Paul traveled thousands of miles sharing the gospel, but his life and purpose was not always for Christ. Most of his early life was spent working against Christ. Paul shares about that change in the first chapter of his letter to the believers in the region of Galatia:

For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.

Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” And they were glorifying God because of me. (Galatians 1:13-24, NASB)

            God grabbed Paul, changed his life 180 degrees, and used his life to reach the Gentiles. Like Paul, I’m sure you have your own story of life before Christ. There probably was a point in time you were living the life you wanted “but when God” (v. 15) got ahold of you He changed you and turned your life in a different direction.

            Take a moment and think about your story. When did God get ahold of you? When did He change your life? God is the source of your story, just like Paul. Here are four tips to show the source in your story: 

            1. Accept your story. Don’t hide it and don’t be ashamed of it. It is part of who you are and it is part of God’s plan for your life. Be willing to share it with others. 

            2. Look for the “but God” moment. When and where did God insert Himself into your life? (Just like Paul had when God showed up in his life.) You might have to think about it, but I am confident you have one.

            3. Explain and show how God changed you. Or at least explain how God is changing you. For me, it was anger. I often struggled to control my anger, but when I got saved that changed drastically.

            4. Share it with love. Don’t argue, lecture, preach, or condemn. Simply tell your story with love for the other person. It is hard for people to argue with you about a story. If you share facts and details, they can debate you. So share your story with them and let God work in their hearts. 

            All of us have a “but God” moment when God inserted Himself into our lives. Let’s go out this week and show the source in our story.

The source of things is important. I love baked potatoes and recently wanted to learn how to make the best baked potato I could. So I searched on the Food Network app and found Alton Brown’s advice for making awesome baked potatoes. But before he gave his recipe he discussed the importance of getting the best baked potato from the correct source. For him, he said that Idaho potatoes were the best.

            I tell you that story about “source” because where things come from affect how we use them and how others perceive them. When people ask us as Christians, “What do you believe?” or “Why do you act that way?” or “Why do you believe that?” we must recognize the source we rely on as Christians. That source is described in Galatians 1:11-12 where Paul tells us clearly that Jesus Christ was the source of the message Paul was preaching.

            Paul writes, “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man” (Galatians 1:11, NASB).Paul’s first description of the source of the gospel is that it didn’t come from humans. But Paul’s opponents (often described as the “Judaizers”) were arguing that Paul was not a true apostle and that he was given his gospel from a person on earth. They tried to say that since his message was from man, he was not a true apostle and did not have a true message. 

            Paul often refuted their claims saying, “For I neither received it [the gospel message] from man”(Galatians 1:12a).It was not from a person, specifically he didn’t get it from some other Rabbi like Gamaliel that he had studied under. Furthermore he writes, “nor was I taught it” (Galatians 1:12b). He didn’t get it from any philosophy or religious school of thought. But what was the source of his gospel message?

            The gospel message was revealed to Paul by Jesus Christ, “but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:12c). Paul’s message and his ministry were from God.

            What we believe and how we act as followers of Jesus is based on the teachings contained in the Bible. The Bible’s made up of 66 books which were written and compiled between 1406 BC and AD 95. They haven’t changed. It’s been the same source. And that source is what we use to guide our faith today.