Paul’s Testimony Part 2

INTRO

Welcome, turn to the book of Galatians chapter 2 where we are continuing to look at Paul’s testimony and how that is important for the churches of Galatia and for us today.

Last week I encouraged you to write down two things, first was saying my testimony is _____________. And secondly, my testimony should be shared with _________________. And this is important for us to be aware of because all of our testimonies are important, they show the effects of the Gospel in our lives. It was important for Paul and it should be important for us. As Jeff Bowen reminded me at our monday morning men’s Bible study (That all of you men are welcomed to come to because it is awesome to spend time in God’s word with other men) that we overcome by the blood of the lamb, the word of our testimony and we love not our lives unto death. Meaning, Jesus saves us, our testimony strengthens us, and we should not be embarrassed of it even if it should bring us to our death. Which, I know sounds intense, but that is also what Paul was facing constantly in his life.

Last week we talked about how twice he had to escape a city because people wanted to kill him for preaching Jesus. Ya but Josh I’m not Paul and that will never happen to me. Okay, that’s fine but why do we our lives so much that we don’t share our testimony with that co worker, with that neighbor, with that fear of man? Paul says in chapter one that we are not here to please man but to be bondservants of God. We spend too much time camouflaging ourselves in culture, in friends, in what is acceptable rather than following Jesus. We, meaning, myself included. This is going to be a challenging message this morning, but I would rather have a sharp knife for surgery than a dull and passive one, how about you? Okay so with that seeker sensitive introduction, let’s pray and get into the word this morning.

PRAY-HOLY SPIRIT BOLDNESS

BODY

English Standard Version Chapter 2

2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.

On the surface here, at first read, it looks like Paul is seeking approval. But his desire to not run in vain is not a seeking for approval. Because he went up to Jerusalem not for approval but because of a revelation. Jesus opened his eyes to something. Jesus told him to go there and to share the Gospel that he had been preaching and had been bearing fruit. He brings Titus, a brother and disciple, and also a Gentile along. Which, for us, this doesn’t matter. Great, Paul needed a traveling buddy. No, this is a monumental statement because what Paul is pursing here is unity in the church.

Paul went to Jerusalem to pursue unity in the church.

We talked a little about this already, but the division between Jew and Gentile has been hostile. It has been this dividing wall for both cultures. But in Christ, Paul, and Peter both believed and saw that in Christ Jesus, we are one family. There is unity in the body not because of social status, gender, or race because Christ accepts us into his family through faith. But the jewish leaders were wanting to push jewish customs and laws on the gentiles to make sure they still had control. They wanted them to follow the law of Moses, not the law of Christ.

So Paul is bringing Titus, a gentile, to Jerusalem to sit with other Jews. I don’t have any words but I do have a picture for how radical and yet unifying this statement is besides this picture.

This is a picture of Mr. Rogers in 1969 where one an episode he asks his friend Mr. Clemons to join him in the pool. A simple gesture. Yet, as many of you may know that during this time it was thought to be wrong to have white and black people swim in the same pool. It has a high racial tension that Mr. Rogers, in his peaceful way was stating, this is ridiculous. A peaceful way to protest that white and black people can swim together.

That is what Paul is doing here. He is not wanting disunity in the church were there is this church over here as the Jewish Christians and then over there is the gentile Christians. They were called to be unified in Christ no matte how they looked.

But there were some in Jerusalem that were not convinced and Paul talks about how he deals with them.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

Here Paul builds on that foundational word, deliver/rescue that he stated in 1:4. You are free or you are a slave. You are free in Christ, or you are a slave to the law. And Paul was not going back to slavery. These false brother, spies, that were there to just control things (which doesn’t happen in churches anymore does it?) came to put not just Titus, but all gentiles into this bondage and Paul was not having it. I love how pastor and commentator John Stott explains freedom for the christian when he says,

The Message of Galatians 1. Paul’s Companion (Verses 3–5)

The Christian has been set free from the law in the sense that his acceptance before God depends entirely upon God’s grace in the death of Jesus Christ received by faith. To introduce the works of the law and make our acceptance depend on our obedience to rules and regulations was to bring a free man into bondage again

Paul gives them no time of day for their slavery. And what is encouraging is that the influential leaders also don’t cave to this so that unity in the church can be maintained.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

There is a lot to talk about in these short verses but I want to focus on two things that are happening that help us understand the effects of the Gospel of freedom in the church.

Effects of the Gospel of Freedom in the Church

Different Callings/gifts

I know I touched on this a little last week but it is important enough to repeat. Peter, James and John saw that Paul was in line with the Gospel and that he had a calling on his life to preach to the Gentiles. Peter had a calling to feed the sheep of the Jews. Both are important roles, but also both are really different. As different as a pastor who is pastoring in Dallas in the Bible belt (Jerusalem) as a pastor who is pastoring in New York (Gentiles). But the Gospel shows us that we are all called to something different, to follow the calling on our life that God is directing us to. The Gospel engages us, not sedates us. This is for all believers, not just for pillars of the church, but for each person God has put different people in our lives to minister to. It is the same Gospel, but a different audience that we all get to pursue. You are the roster of heaven, did you know that? That is how Christianity spread, not through a influencer, not through powerful people, but every day people who followed Jesus and stayed engaged in they present evil age by bringing heaven to earth. Praying for their neighbors, caring for others who were different then them. Living in freedom of love and joy and peace. And this looks different for all of us, but I want you to keep pursuing it, keep asking, seeking, and knocking on the father’s door of what gifting and calling he has on your life. He will show it to you.

But we are also all called to one thing, which is

Care for the poor.

At the time of Paul’s meeting there was a famine that was across the land. It was affecting a lot of people. And one way the church was shining and being a powerful force of love was by caring for the poor, the needy, just how they saw Jesus cared for the poor, the outcast, and the one who was not able to repay. Did not our Lord, who brought us freedom, say this:

English Standard Version Chapter 5

46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

So the Gospel, according to Paul and Peter, changed how they viewed people, especially those who were in need. It meant that the Gospel brought activation for those in need, not repulsion.

This is the Gospel of Paul, the Gospel of Peter, and ultimatley, the Gospel of Jesus. The question of reflection I have for all of us, including myself, is this…

REFLECTION

Did the Gospel bring you a testimony that brings…

If we are not careful, the Gospel becomes a one time event, that we did some time in our life, and while it was transformative, it was almost like saying ya I breathed once before, I don’t need to do it again. No, it’s every day man, every moment, to be alive. So the first thing is that we see is

Unity to the church

Has God changed your heart toward the nations yet? Or is there is pride that says, all people need to look like me. That’s what the Jews were doing and we can still see it in churches today. Oh you don’t dress like us? You can’t come here. You don’t talk our way, you don’t belong here. You don’t speak in tongues? You don’t belong here. You don’t have the same kind of house as us? Sorry you can’t be here. That’s they type of churches that are out there and I pray to God that we don’t become like that. I will be transparent, I want us to be more cultural, I don’t know what that means, but I do believe that there is beauty in seeing different cultures come together to worship Jesus and to be unified under his name. Not a denominational name, not a national name, but the name of Jesus. If you testimony is more about how you conformed to something other than Christ, you are believing a distorted Gospel.

Freedom

Here is a powerful question to reflect on. Are you free in Christ? Or is there a list of things that you have to do in order to be free? Is there a freedom in your life that can only be because of the living God sacrificing himself for you so that you don’t have to sacrifice yourself. That accepts you as you are and then puts His Spirit in you so that you can live in a different way for the age to come and not this present evil age? This was a hard question for me, because this is radical and raw. Like there is no middle ground, you are either free or in bondage. No middle ground. But the Gospel does bring freedom not to conform to anything but to Christ and to let you actually love others. Not bound by rules and regulations. But bound to the living God.

Equipping the saints

Is there a desire in you to see others in your life walk in their destiny? Do you pray for your children to know their spiritual gifts? Do you try to encourage others in your life group and in your life when you see God in them to keep pursuing that? Or is there more of a desire for people to only look one way. Spiritual maturity is not preaching or getting a platform, it is walking in love and obedience to what God has called you to. No need to have covetousness or idolatry of their people’s gifts because you understand the body of Christ. You are understand the Holy Spirit gives different gifts but they are all for the building up of the body. How does this work into a testimony? You share how God has transformed you and then you ask that person if they know what God is doing in their life. How is God gifting them and co laboring with them in the kingdom of God. These are not things that everyone does perfectly but like it says, just reflection questions on what we are about. Are we about a Gospel that we prayed once and no we just live our lives the way we want? Or are we seeking first His kingdom, building up His body, partnering with God every day in every situation? Its easy to get lazy and apathetic, I know. But when we realign our vision with the Good news of Jesus, things start to transform.

Care for the poor

Josh don’t get humanitarian on us, get back to the Gospel. And didn’t Jesus say we will always have the poor among us, so it it kind of pointless, right? But did he also says, that whatever you do for the least of these, you did it to me. Our love for the person that is hurting, broken, poor, un able to repay us is a way to love God in return. Why? Because it is the Gospel in the flesh showing us spiritually that we were poor, blind, unable to repay God and yet he came and loved us. I’m not saying you have to hand money out to every poor person you see, I’ll trust the Holy Spirit to speak to you on this, but the biggest thing is what is our mindset to those who are poor, helpless, and in need? Is it, “well they get what they deserve!” or is it, “Jesus, what is it that I can do for them?”

The Gospel transforms u. It gives us a testimony that is powerful and life giving. It frees us so that we can care for others. If this is not your testimony of your life right now, because you somehow started believing a distorted Gospel, today is a great day to believe again in the beautiful Gospel of Jesus that unifies His church, brings freedom, equips His saints, and helps us care for the poor.

Let’s ask HIm to continue to have grace to trust Him more in prayer.