“But
contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed
unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought
effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was
mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed
to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and
Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and
they unto the circumcision. Only they would that we should remember the poor;
the same which I also was forward to do. But when Peter was come to Antioch, I
withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain
came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he
withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also
was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not
uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them
all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do
the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?” (Gal.
2:7-14)
Notice first in
verses 7-8 the COMMITMENT OF THE GOSPEL. The brethren here recognized a
great truth. Paul had been given an anointing, or a calling, or a mission to
the Gentile world. (By the way, you should be saying “Amen” right now because
that is how you had the opportunity to be saved. Unless you have a unique
lineage, someone had to bring the gospel out of Judaism so that you could
eventually hear it.) The other apostles saw that Paul had the gift to reach the
Gentiles, just as Peter had the gift to reach the Jews. God showed them that
they could take the gospel to both groups.
They were committed
to people. They knew that the mission of the church was to reach the world
with the gospel of Jesus Christ. God showed them that there would not be angels
appearing or mystical writings across the sky to communicate the gospel. A
preacher is sent, the message is heard, and people receive Christ. That is how
it is supposed to work.
As Christians, we
either make it happen or we don’t. The gospel has been committed unto us. Look
at II Cor. 4:5-7. “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord;
and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this
treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God,
and not of us.”
Verse 7 makes it
pretty clear. The treasure is the gospel. The vessel is me (or you). The gospel
has been to you so that you can distribute it throughout your sphere of
influence. God’s plan since creation has been to spread out around the world
with this message. We do not build communes to bring people in; we build
churches and send people out. There are many methods, but the best one is when
you and I share the good news of Jesus Christ to another person in a one-on-one
situation.
The apostles were committed
for a purpose, and we should be as well. Your main job on Earth is to
magnify Jesus Christ through your life. Your chosen vocation, whatever it may
be, is simply a tool to help you do that. It is a way for you to meet people.
When people in my
church tell me how they have given out tracts or talked to someone about the
Lord, it excites me. Even if no one gets saved, they have done their job. It is
God’s job to bring them in, and it is our job to get the word out.
One of my men
operates a fast-food restaurant and it has become a ministry for him. What a
great opportunity he has – many of his employees are teenagers with no
knowledge of the Bible, some of them without parents. He is able to answer so
many questions that they have about life and about God. The average person on
the street thinks his job is to cook chicken, but his main job is to magnify
Christ. Of course, he should do a good job for his employer and not steal his
time. But when the opportunity presents itself, he should make much of Jesus.
That is our purpose.
Notice in verse 9
their COOPERATION IN THE GOSPEL. The older I get, the more I understand
the words of Paul Chappell: “Teamwork makes the dream work.” This is not about
a one-man show. It is about everyone doing something to further the gospel. In
this passage each man went in a different direction so they did not cross into
each other’s lanes, but every one of them was getting the job done.
On a recent
Wednesday night we had a number of people saved at our church. It started when
one man fueled up our bus. Someone else drove that bus, and several people went
out and invited folks to come. During the service there were nursery workers
who did their part, and anyone who helped visitors feel welcome did something
important. For every person who trusted Christ, there were as many as ten
people who played a role. It is never about just one person.
I learned years
ago that I cannot do it all myself. God puts people in a church for a certain
time and season. He knows our needs and sends us the personnel to take care of
them. I do not have any idea how much money each family in my church gives, but
I have been told of instances where one family moved away and their giving was
replaced by another family that came to us at exactly the right time. We are
all just small pieces of a large pie, and together we can do so much more than
we can do alone.
The CONSIDERATION
FOR THE GOSPEL is noted in verse 10. Paul was instructed to preach to the
poor, and he noted that he had already set his mind to doing just that.
Look at what Jesus
said in Luke 14:12-14. “Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou
makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither
thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a
recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the
maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot
recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”
The point here was not to target the affluent or any demographic group for your
own advantage, but to go after those who can do nothing for you.
One day I took a
picture of our church buses all lined up in a nice row, and I posted it on
Facebook with these words: “The bus ministry is still the best evangelistic
tool we have for reaching boys and girls with the gospel.” Many people insist
that the bus ministry is only a financial drain, and the rising costs of gas
and insurance seem to support that argument. It would be cheaper to stop
running buses, but someone needs to go get those poor kids who otherwise could
not come to church. Occasionally I will hear someone say, “Pastor, we need to
go after the up-and-comers, the one who can bring money into the church.” I
learned a long time ago that if you reach children, widows and others who
cannot help you, God will send you people who can help you.
God save us from
the mentality that we only target a certain culture, demographic or color. If
you are not comfortable around all types, then it will take you a few million
years to get used to Heaven, because that place will look like a rainbow. As
the old children’s song says, they are all precious in His sight.
If you are
unfamiliar with a church, take a look at the choir. That is usually an accurate
representation of the church itself. Some members come from difficult
backgrounds and may be struggling today, and others are more successful and
stable. There are all ages, colors and backgrounds. One person who was in
church since childhood may sit next to another who was saved out of a messy
adult life. It is a microcosm of the entire church.
There was a time
when every family that joined a church was a mom and dad with two or three
kids. It is almost never that simple anymore. There are so many different
family structures now that you sometimes need a scorecard to keep up with who
is related to whom. That is the world we live in. If you cannot work with
broken families, you will not build a church today. You must have a mindset to
work with hurting people and give them room to grow. Not everyone is going to
come in with Bible in hand, ready to plug right in as a faithful, tithing
member. Some are going to be spiritual infants that you have to bring along
slowly and gently. Instead of insisting that they be right with God before they
set foot in church, get the heart of Jesus and meet them where they are.
I have found that
some of the greatest Christians come from the most difficult backgrounds.
Having a consideration for the gospel means that you are reaching people who
may not help your bottom line but will make your heavenly line look really
good.
The final verses
of this passage cover the CONFLICT OVER THE GOSPEL. It looks like Paul
and Peter had a public disagreement, based on verses 11 and 14. If you look
carefully, you can see that there was a Biblical reason for this
conflict.
Peter was
exhibiting signs of racism, being friendly with Gentiles one day and then
shunning them when his Jewish friends were around, as verse 12 indicates.
Our practices separation for ministry, but not
segregation. When we began our current children’s program some people thought
we were segregating, but we determined that it was more effective to make
separate groups because some children have been raised to be more disciplined
in their behavior and already know a considerable amount about the Bible than
others. Rather than expel the kids who just can’t sit still or let them scare
off some of the other kids, we decided to adapt so that we could minister to
them. As these young people grow, we move them to the other department and
disciple them appropriately. But we respect everyone regardless of where they
come from, and we do not separate based on color.
Paul told Peter that he was treating people the
wrong way because of their cultural background, and it was having the wrong
kind of influence on others, as noted in verse 13. This is the only negative
comment you will read about Barnabas in the Bible. He was a powerful man of
God, but he let himself get carried because of Peter’s reputation. This is a
reminder to us that our bad decisions always affect someone else who is looking
up to us. I am convinced that much of the trouble in our churches is not
because of the majority, but because of a handful of people who are influencing
many weaker, younger Christians.
Paul gave a Biblical response in a public
forum. It was an open sin that needed an open rebuke. A lot of things we
concern ourselves with are really none of our concern, but this was not that
kind of situation. He also rebuked him personally, not by sending him a letter
but by meeting him face to face. A letter does not show tone or diction, and
thus it is not as personal. Paul also did not go around and talk to everyone
else about it first. The way he handled this situation was a good lesson for
those who witnessed it, as they learned how to properly deal with such matters.
I believe that this was a passionate, issue-only
rebuke. Paul had no other motive but to see the gospel given to the Jew and the
Gentile alike. He wanted only to get this problem fixed so everyone could move
forward for the cause of world evangelism. It could be that he raised his
voice, but it was his passion, which should not be confused with anger. We
would do well to give people a little room when someone is passionate and does
not mean harm. The cause of Christ could always use some more passion.
Paul’s life backed up his message in a way that
Peter probably took it the right way. If someone has the reputation of a jerk,
that is what people will assume in most cases. In contrast, if a person is
known to be consistent and solid, he will get the benefit of the doubt.
There are going to be problems in our churches, and
good people will say some strange things. If are going to grow, we must learn
that good people should have room to disagree and to correct one another when
necessary and when done properly.
It is important to remember that Paul stayed within
the boundaries of the problem. He rebuked Peter with the precepts of the Word
of God. He didn’t say, “Oh, by the way,” and then bring up something Peter did
four or five years earlier. They dealt with this issue and it was over.
Too much of what
we see in our world today is over preference, pride, and personality. Some
people are too sensitive, and others are not interested in helping someone as
much as cutting them down. We get our feelings hurt at church so often it is
not scriptural at all.
How many church
splits are over something Biblical? How many are because of pettiness, or
politics, or something so meaningless? I have heard of very few churches
dividing over the virgin birth, but plenty who went their separate ways because
they couldn’t agree on the color of the carpet. It is petty and pitiful. It
destroys churches and breaks the heart of God.
Some things are
important enough to fight over. If you are teaching another gospel, that calls
for a confrontation. Let’s make sure what we say is right and in the right
spirit. The gospel is worth fighting over, but it is not to be trampled over by
petty things. Our mission is too important, and we must move forward in the
right spirit.
