Galatians 1.18-24

¹⁸ Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord's brother. ²⁰ I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.

²¹ Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. ²² I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. ²³ They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." ²⁴ And they praised God because of me.

What sticks out to me in this passage is the attitude of the church toward Paul (formerly Saul, the persecutor).

What would you think if someone who was previously your worst enemy now claimed to be your strong advocate and encourager? What if Osama Bin Laden suddenly decided to rebuild the part of lower Manhattan he once destroyed? Would I be inclined to accept and approve of his offer?

Paul "saw the light," so to speak. And the response of the church was to praise God. Talk about being on the same page with God in His work of redeeming lives and turning them toward His purpose.

Am I on that page?

Galatians 1.11-17

¹¹ I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ¹² I did not receive it from any human source, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

¹³ 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. ¹⁴ I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵ But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ 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.

Paul is concerned here with the authenticity of his ministry. He wants the Galatians to realize that what he does is not motivated by any earthly thing, but motivated by a special calling from Jesus Christ.

I wonder if my ministry is authentic in that sense? Is it a thing that comes about because I have willed it to, or is it only attributable to God and his plan and grace? I wonder if I take too much credit for what God has done and is doing...

Paul is also concerned with drawing a sharp distinction between his former life as an enemy of the church (and of God, by extension) and his present life of humble service. Even though Paul expended a lot of effort persecuting the church, he STILL views his whole life in view of God's purpose...despite the roadblocks, GOD STILL SET HIM APART AT BIRTH!

Oh, the mystery and wonder and unsearchableness of the Lord God Almighty!
Who has known his mind that he might counsel him?

Galatians 1.6–10

⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷ which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let that person be under God's curse! ⁹ As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let that person be under God's curse!

¹⁰ Am I now trying to win human approval, or God's approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Today it seems there are people who used to have beliefs a few years ago, and now have changed their minds to believe in something totally different. How do people get so caught up in beliefs that are not of Jesus? I hear about people I use to know in my high school days and I wonder what or who has gotten a hold of them. I looked up to these people because of their faith. They relied on God everyday and I prayed I could have enough faith to know and believe the bible is true. But someone or thing has put doubt in their mind and they follow another religion or group like Mormons or Jehovah witnesses. They still read the bible right but then they have other beliefs and doctrine that they believe that’s not part of the Christian bible.

Galatians 1.1–5

¹ Paul, an apostle—sent not with a human commission nor by human authority, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ² and all the brothers and sisters with me,
To the churches in Galatia:

³ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Our devotional efforts today take us to Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia, which is also a letter to us.

As we read through this epistle we’ll find some of the words to be pretty harsh, but here in the beginning Paul reminds us of the compassion of our God. The greeting wishes us grace and peace. Paul then reminds us that Jesus is the one who gave himself up to rescue us from the present evil age.

The first century could be called a “present evil age”. It was a time of violence, a time of uncertainty, a time in which Christians were being harshly criticized; sounds a lot like the twenty-first century. Just browse the internet and you will be flooded with stories of violence, uncertainty and it is easy to find those who are harsh toward Christ’s church.

Take time to examine Jesus, investigate his claims, and then take time to thank him for his willingness to be our eternal life rescuer.

2 Corinthians 13.11–14

¹¹ Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

¹² Greet one another with a holy kiss. ¹³ All God's people here send their greetings.

¹⁴ May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

In this section Paul is basically saying good-by and finishing his letter, but there are some important last minute reminders that he wants to bring up. He says to aim for perfection; a simple reminder that our standards are to be higher than those of the world. He says listen to my appeal. Basically, make sure that you take the advice in this letter to heart and put it into practice. Be of one mind—focus on the things of Christ in your thought life. And, finally, live in peace; be concerned about others even more than you care for yourself.

He goes on to say that they should greet each other with a holy kiss which would be kind of awkward in CCF so I wouldn’t recommend it.

Lastly, he reminds the church that the saints say hello and the most important thing, that no matter what happens God and Jesus are always there for them just like they are here for you and me.