Galatians 1
Be Still: Lord Jesus, still my heart at the start of the week to give this time to you. May the moments I spend intentionally now have an impact on my whole week. Amen
Read: Galatians 1
I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being...
Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard the report: 'The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.' And they praised God because of me. (vv11-16; 21-24)
Encounter: For context, Paul has preached to the Galatian church the gospel of faith in Christ crucified, but people within the Jewish community are trying to add additional clauses for Gentile (non-Jewish) converts, to align their lifestyles with the rules of the Old Testament covenant.
Never one to mince words, Paul writes to vehemently oppose any good news which differs from the one he shared, which came by direct revelation from Jesus. Indeed, Paul’s own life is testament to the radical nature of this new gospel. He himself was the most violent persecutor of Christians before his conversion, but now ‘preaches the faith [he] tried to destroy’ (v23).
Were people at work behind the scenes, led by the Spirit to pray for their tormentor? Perhaps there were groups of Christians who upheld Saul/Paul in prayer even as they feared for their lives.
In Acts 8-9 we see this man, then named Saul, progress from extremely zealous anti-Christian fervour (persecuting Christians) to becoming Paul the Apostle. This is an incredible turnaround. In Paul’s example, we see that the gospel is contrary to our human expectations based on earning and striving. No-one is too far from God to be reached by his love and grace, forgiven and called a child of God. This gives us pause to rejoice, but also reminds us never to give up hoping for the world around us.
Apply: Do you have a friend, colleague, neighbour or family member who seems as unlikely a convert as Paul? Pray for them now.
You may like to commit to praying for them more frequently in the coming weeks: set a timer on your phone, fast once a week, place a picture of them somewhere you frequently pass within your house. Don’t give up hope!
Devote: Lord Jesus, thank you that your love is for everyone, and even where my hope feels dim, you still work in miraculous ways. Please bring [this person] to an authentic relationship with you, and plant in me a longing for this which is persistent in prayer.