Galatians 1:1-5; How to Say Hello (Household of Faith, part 1)

Introduction: When I was new to the ministry I had a real problem with how people perceived me, because of how I perceived the ministry. My first fulltime church ministry was Associate Pastor of Education & Outreach. I had just graduated college, fresh with my Bachelor’s Degree in Bible with an emphasis on Religious Education. We moved on the field to rural Arkansas. A very sweet church, one of the best first churches a person could have. It was known for taking on young ministers and helping them get their feet wet in preparation for the ministry. And boy did I get wet.

I’m a very goal oriented person, so my perception of what I was there to do was accomplish tasks. E.g., start an outreach program, raise up new volunteers, train teachers, etc. Well, I had a Sunday school class too. Sunday morning comes, & I have tunnel vision. I stay in my office until it’s time for class. I gather my Bible, my notes, whatever else I had, and went to my classroom. Along the way, I probably passed 30-50 people. I do mean passed, went right by them, I didn’t say a word. I didn’t acknowledge them, say hello to them, greet them or welcome them in any way. I had a task to do!

Several months later, there was this deacon & I knew we had a problem but I didn’t know what it was. After deacon’s meeting one night I just confronted him. I asked him if he had a problem with me & he said yes. Then he told me that I was stuck up and that’s how people perceived me. Well, I knew I wasn’t stuck up. I came from a poor family, put my way through college, everything I had I worked for, so I knew I wasn’t stuck up, so what was it? Partly it was my personality, I am an introvert by nature, but partly it was my perception- see, I thought ministry is what happened when I got to the room & started to teach. That’s wrong- ministry is people. Ministry begins as soon as you see the other person. Ministry starts with hello.

Today we’re beginning a new series in Galatians and that’s where we’re going to start, with the hello, with the greeting. Galatians 1:1-5, 1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Galatians is a letter, & like all letters it begins with a greeting. To greet one another, or receive one another, is a commandment that Scripture repeats 4-5 times. Greeting one another is one of the ways that we fulfill Christ’s commandment to “love one another.” Ministry to one another starts with welcoming one another, so it’s vitally important that we start right here with- how we say hello.

1, We greet out of our GIFTS. Vss. 1-2

The author of the letter to the Galatians was the Apostle Paul. Paul was a Hebrew man who studied under the rabbi Gamaliel. He was a member of the Pharisees,

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Psychological Observations

Paul’s writings demonstrate that he exhibited a high level of self-confidence. For example, he declares himself an “apostle” on par with Jesus’ first disciples (

The audience

2, We greet out of God’s GRACE. Vs. 3

3, We greet out of the GOSPEL. Vs. 4

4, We greet out of the GLORY of God. Vs. 5