Paul Goes to Jerusalem to Meet With Church Leaders
August 4, 2024
Commentary
False teachers seemed to follow Paul everywhere he went. No sooner had he given out the gospel and people believed, than false teachers tried to discredit Paul’s message and challenge his authority. Paul’s co-workers in the Gospel were Barnabas, a circumcised Jew who was a great encourager to Paul and Titus, a Gentile Christian who had never submitted to circumcision but was genuinely saved.
Fourteen years after Paul’s conversion he goes to Jerusalem to meet with the church leaders seeking to get their endorsement of his ministry to the Gentiles (vv. 1-6). The fourteen years mentioned were probably calculated from his time of conversion. The men who evaluated Paul’s ministry were James (the half brother of Jesus), Cephas (Peter) and John who were the main pillars of the Church. After listening to his presentation they recognized that God had given different areas of ministry to different men. In this case there is only one Gospel but two different areas of ministry. James, Peter, and John would go to the Jews of the circumcision (v. 7) and Paul along with Barnabas would go to the Gentiles of the un-circumcision or heathen (vv. 7-9). Only one stipulation was made, and that was that they were to remember the poor, which was the very thing they were eager to do anyway (v. 10).
Compromise is an important element in getting along with others but we should never compromise the truth of God’s Word. As a Christian we need to understand that:
Every member in God’s family is important.Everyone is gifted and prompted by the Lord to reach different kinds of peopleEveryone who knows the Lord needs our acceptance.
Application
It is great to have someone in our life that has accepted and approved of what we are doing for the Lord? I can think of several people in my life who fits this description. I need to make sure that I have expressed my appreciation to these people.
Galatians 2:1– 10 (NET)
1 Then after fourteen years I went up to Jerusalem again with Barnabas, taking Titus along too. 2 I went there because of a revelation and presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did so only in a private meeting with the influential people, to make sure that I was not running—or had not run —in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, although he was a Greek. 4 Now this matter arose because of the false brothers with false pretenses who slipped in unnoticed to spy on our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves. 5 But we did not surrender to them even for a moment, in order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.
6 But from those who were influential (whatever they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism between people)—those influential leaders added nothing to my message. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I was entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised just as Peter was entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who empowered Peter for his apostleship to the circumcised also empowered me for my apostleship to the Gentiles) 9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who had a reputation as pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we would go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They requested only that we remember the poor, the very thing I also was eager to do.
Illustration: A Challenge For Young Men to Enter The Ministry
In the old provincial town of Saumur in France, there stood an ancient Roman Catholic Church of St. Peter. At its entrance was a placard challenging young men to enter the ministry. It read: “There are just four days in anyone’s life: birth, confirmation, marriage, and death. Would you not like to be the one who would be needed on all four of those days?” (Source Unknown).