Paul the apostle has been
addressing the members of the churches in Galatia because there were
false teachers who were persuading them to believe that in order to
truly be saved they must have faith in Jesus and obey the law. Paul
employed his background as his basis to instruct them in the correct
teaching once again. He told them it was God who was pleased to see
that he be born, and it was God who called him by His grace. In
chapter one and verse sixteen we see the reason and purpose God had
for Paul's birth and calling. He wrote:
To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the
heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
Paul says God's first
reason for him being created and called was, “to reveal
his son in me.” If Paul was
ever to be effective in the kingdom of God, it would first have to
begin within him. Jesus had to be disclosed, made known and
manifested to Paul before he would ever preach the gospel. Far too
often many people try to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ without
ever knowing Him themselves. It was God's pleasure to save Paul by
revealing His Son to him, and then he used him as a preacher of the
very grace he received.
Paul adds, “that
I might preach him among the heathen;” The
word “heathen”
means, “a multitude, a company, troop or swarm. A tribe,
nation, human family or people group”,
and it is often used by Paul to describe the Gentiles. Paul's mission
given by God was to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Though Paul
attempted to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with his fellow Jews,
they often rejected him. However, the Gentiles often received Paul's
words and became believers in Jesus Christ.
In addition to Jesus
being revealed to Paul and his being called to preach to the
Gentiles, Paul tells the members of the churches of Galatia,
“immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:”
In other words, Paul did not go to other believers for a discussion
about his faith. He did not seek their advice or direction, nor did
he receive any instruction from them. Paul went directly to God. When
we consider this idea perhaps we should apply it to ourselves. Far
too often we seek the counsel of others before we consider God about
a subject. Who among us has not heard or used this phrase, “Well, I
tried everything else, and then I prayed...” Rather than being our
first action, we often go to the Heavenly Father after we have
exhausted all other means. Paul's method should inspire us all to
receive from the Lord Jesus first, and then employ advice from our
friends. By the way, it was over three years before Paul did the
same. Maybe we should allow a little waiting time for God to answer
us too.
Next
time we discover more of what Paul did after he received the grace of
God, so read ahead, and let us join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look for
the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to
Generation” in all major
bookstore
sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to
e-books, and find it
locally
at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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