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In the face of this relentless information storm, this is no time for Christians to give up on reading. We need to equip ourselves to weather this information storm, and The Fellowship of Ailbe wants to help.
By the grace of God. Galatians 2.6-10
Galatians 2 (3)
Pray Psalm 68.26-31.
Bless God in the congregations,
The Lord, from the fountain of Israel.
There is little Benjamin, their leader,
The princes of Judah and their company,
The princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
Your God has commanded your strength;
Strengthen, O God, what You have done for us.
Because of Your temple at Jerusalem,
Kings will bring presents to You.
Rebuke the beasts of the reeds,
The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Till everyone submits himself with pieces of silver.
Scatter the peoples who delight in war.
Sing Psalm 68.26-31.
(O Store Gud: How Great Thou Art)
Bless God in all His holy congregations, even the Lord, the Fountainhead of grace.
He calls His people forth from all the nations and gathers them before His glorious face.
Refrain vv. 32, 33
Sing to the LORD, O kingdoms of the earth! Ancient of Days—praise Him on high!
Behold He speaks; His Word is going forth; Ancient of Days—praise Him on high!
Read Galatians 2.1-10; meditate on verses 6-10.
Preparation
1. Who affirmed Paul’s ministry?
2. What did they see to have been given to Paul?
Meditation
Paul did not resent having to submit his message for review to Peter, James, and John. He respected them as apostles—before him, but not superior to him. He and they had the same calling from the Lord; Paul’s was just a little later in time than theirs, but he was equal to them in authority from the Lord.
It might sound as if Paul was intending to bring Peter, James, and John down a notch by his use of “seemed” in verses 6 and 9. No. He’s just keeping everything in perspective. They seemed to be pillars in the church because they were. They stood out as having an authority that even he could recognize. And yet they themselves, like Paul, were under the authority of God only.
But that authority was from God, as was Paul’s. So, despite their “status” in the Church, Paul kept his eyes on the Lord “who worked effectively” in him as in the other apostles (v. 8). They recognized the hand of God in Paul’s message and ministry and acknowledged him and Barnabas—like themselves—to be pillars in the Church (v. 9). Paul gladly joined them, sent to the Gentiles while they were sent to the Jews. And in both contexts, caring for the poor was to be included in their ministries (v. 10).
There will be those in our churches who stand out for one reason or another. We acknowledge them and give them proper respect and deference; but we do not fawn over them, we do not erect a pedestal under them, and we do not hang on their every word as the last word in all matters. Only God and His Word have this place in our lives. He will work effectively in us only if we abide in Him and His Word and Spirit.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
God worked effectively in Peter, James, and John for their work to the circumcised; and
God worked effectively in Paul and Barnabas for their work to the uncircumcised (Gal. 2.8).
And God shows no personal favoritism to anyone (Gal. 2.6).
We all experience the Good News of Jesus Christ by the same means (Eph. 2.8, 9); and
we all are called to Kingdom work by the same God (Eph. 2.10). No one is left out and no one is exempt.
As we are going, we do the work: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deut. 6.5-9). That dictum from Moses seems to cover just about every aspect of our lives—inside, outside, upside-down! (Cue the Berenstain Bears).
Kingdom work happens every moment of every day because that is when life happens. And as members and participants of His Kingdom we are always on task. The interesting thing about this interaction regarding ministering to this group or that is that God prepared each one of them for the job He had for them to do.
Their work fell in line with their gifts and skill sets.
The place where all gifts and skill sets aligned was for the care of the poor amongst them. Because if we are talking the Gospel but not as eagerly living the Gospel, we leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. As James taught us: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (Jms. 2.14-17).
God, through Paul, is trying to teach us that hypocrisy is not the way to live out the Gospel—being one who feigns to be one thing but lives like another, exhibiting behavior that contradicts what we claim to believe—but instead, always abundantly bearing the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5.22, 23).
Standing with other believers, Pillars Together, we will have a bountiful witness in each of our Personal Mission Fields. Working effectively in the particular place into which we have been prepared to serve.
Reflection
1. Do you have a friend whom you regard as a pillar of your church? How can you pray for those who are?
2. What kind of “pillar” does God want to make of you in your Personal Mission Field? What would it take for others to know more of the Kingdom coming to expression through you?
3. Whom will you encourage today in working their Personal Mission Field? How will you do that?
Paul simply means, that the honorable rank which the apostles had attained did not prevent him from being called by God, and raised, all at once, from the lowest condition to be their equal. The difference between them, though great, is of no value in the sight of God, who does not accept persons, and whose calling is not influenced by any prejudices. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Galatians 2.6
Pray Psalm 68.1-4, 32-35.
Call on the Lord to lead and protect you today, and to give you grace and strength sufficient for all your needs. Be specific in your prayers.
Sing Psalm 68.1-4, 32-35
(O Store Gud: How Great Thou Art)
Let God arise, let all Your foes be scattered! Let those who hate You flee before Your face!
As smoke dissolves, as wax in flame is shattered, let all the wicked perish in disgrace!
Refrain vv. 32, 33
Sing to the LORD, O kingdoms of the earth! Ancient of Days—praise Him on high!
Behold He speaks; His Word is going forth; Ancient of Days—praise Him on high!
LORD, let Your righteous ones exult in glory, let us rejoice and praise Your holy Name!
Now let us sing the Savior’s old, old story—Who life to deserts brings, we now proclaim!
Refrain
To You, O God, are strength and exaltation; You fill the skies and dwell in holy awe!
To us You give strength, pow’r, and full salvation. Blessed be Your Name, our strong, majestic God!
Refrain
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
To learn more about the salvation into which we have been delivered, order the book, Such a Great Salvation, by clicking here. Or order a free copy in PDF by clicking here.
Support for Scriptorium comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore
In the face of this relentless information storm, this is no time for Christians to give up on reading. We need to equip ourselves to weather this information storm, and The Fellowship of Ailbe wants to help.