Walk before you run.....
Galatians 1:10-24 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
[11] I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. [12] I did not receive it from any man, 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 Jews of my own age 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, I did not consult any man, [17] nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. [18] Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter 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 to you is no lie. [21] Later 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.
Am I trying to please men, Paul asks….. the result of this would be competition and comparing yourself to others. Paul points to this in his own life (13-14) - before he met Jesus he was an extremely competitive man, running ahead of his peers, following the rules of his faith and working had to see it advance and be protected. I wonder if Paul had become aware of how unhealthy competition can be? I wonder if he’d realised that its nature of winning and losing, would involve ‘beating’ other people, of striving to get ahead, of hardening his heart towards others, seeing them as rivals and not team mates. I wonder if in our own journeys with God we are seeing those around us as competitors and not team mates, and I wonder how this attitude of getting ahead can be transformed when we’re at work or school into an attitude towards our peers as something more Christ-like?
But as a servant of Jesus, Paul seeks to do his will. This little passage points to some interesting facts about Paul’s life. We can sense the strength of the call God had on his life – yes his conversion on the Damascus Road (Acts 9) was dramatic, but somehow Paul managed to hold on to the sense of purpose, to take the Gospel to non-Jewish people, that he was given (and incidently as he was told by God what the Gospel was Paul will fight for for this truth, of salvation by grace to be known by all). It’s the patience that strikes me. With such a dramatic conversion and mission maybe Paul felt he should run to the churches and start his ministry straight away. ‘God has told ME. Things have been revealed to ME’ When God gives us a vision or a mission then it is a great privilege. But we have to learn to share it and work it in God’s timing – otherwise we go when it’s premature and people are not ready to hear it (See Joseph’s dreams and the reaction of his brothers in Genesis 37) . But Paul knew he needed time to prepare and to grow in his new relationship with Jesus, so we’re told he spends three years (an age when most of us consider three days an eternity to wait for something we are excited about!) quietly in Arabia.
Only after that does Paul go to see the churches, and again in a demonstration of humility consults with Peter, the friend of Jesus, and the leading man in the new faith, spending more than two weeks in his company. In this time Paul knew he had work to do – the Lord had given him a mission but his new team mates were people he had hurt in the past. It was the churches in Judea that Paul had attacked, and now he needed their help. Paul understood that he needed to win their trust by living gently amongst them. At the end of that time he must have brought great joy to the churches as they saw their wild eyed persecutor had found faith in the Lord.
There’s a lesson there for us. Never pre-judge who God will have you witness to and how – Paul had seen many people give their lives for Jesus and this must have impacted him – never write people off as hopeless cases. And like our ancestors in faith we must realise that when anyone comes to know Jesus, absolutely anyone, then this is something worth celebrating!
Who are we in competition with, even if it’s something we keep to ourselves? Is this leading to us comparing ourselves to others? Do we feel better than them, or do we feel diminished? How can we transform this attitude from competition into a pursuit of excellence? Would a real change be a real witness for Jesus, or would we just look ‘wet’ to our peers?
But as a servant of Jesus, Paul seeks to do his will. This little passage points to some interesting facts about Paul’s life. We can sense the strength of the call God had on his life – yes his conversion on the Damascus Road (Acts 9) was dramatic, but somehow Paul managed to hold on to the sense of purpose, to take the Gospel to non-Jewish people, that he was given (and incidently as he was told by God what the Gospel was Paul will fight for for this truth, of salvation by grace to be known by all). It’s the patience that strikes me. With such a dramatic conversion and mission maybe Paul felt he should run to the churches and start his ministry straight away. ‘God has told ME. Things have been revealed to ME’ When God gives us a vision or a mission then it is a great privilege. But we have to learn to share it and work it in God’s timing – otherwise we go when it’s premature and people are not ready to hear it (See Joseph’s dreams and the reaction of his brothers in Genesis 37) . But Paul knew he needed time to prepare and to grow in his new relationship with Jesus, so we’re told he spends three years (an age when most of us consider three days an eternity to wait for something we are excited about!) quietly in Arabia.
Only after that does Paul go to see the churches, and again in a demonstration of humility consults with Peter, the friend of Jesus, and the leading man in the new faith, spending more than two weeks in his company. In this time Paul knew he had work to do – the Lord had given him a mission but his new team mates were people he had hurt in the past. It was the churches in Judea that Paul had attacked, and now he needed their help. Paul understood that he needed to win their trust by living gently amongst them. At the end of that time he must have brought great joy to the churches as they saw their wild eyed persecutor had found faith in the Lord.
There’s a lesson there for us. Never pre-judge who God will have you witness to and how – Paul had seen many people give their lives for Jesus and this must have impacted him – never write people off as hopeless cases. And like our ancestors in faith we must realise that when anyone comes to know Jesus, absolutely anyone, then this is something worth celebrating!
Who are we in competition with, even if it’s something we keep to ourselves? Is this leading to us comparing ourselves to others? Do we feel better than them, or do we feel diminished? How can we transform this attitude from competition into a pursuit of excellence? Would a real change be a real witness for Jesus, or would we just look ‘wet’ to our peers?
posted by Gordon at
8:05 am
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