Affirmed In The Gospel Series

The nature of work has radically changed. Moving away from a “job for life”, todays workers struggle with company reorganizations, changing customer demographics, labour laws, environmental regulations, trade pacts and on and on. All this comes on top of personal struggles. This week a congregation in Chino, California, was shocked to find out that their pastor, Andrew Stoeckleinm committed suicide. In the two sermons he preached in the weeks preceding his suicide, Stoecklein spoke to his congregation candidly about depression and anxiety and how to fight it—a subject he was intimately familiar with. (https://churchleaders.com/news/331944-pastor-suicide-depression-and-anxiety-claim-young-pastors-life.html)

God designed the Church to be a place to talk about real struggles in the real world. Regardless of who you are or the position you hold, struggles are real and we are not designed to go at it alone. Unfortunately, we live in an independent age. Men especially are told to just keep their problems to themselves. Independent, self-reliance however is a recipe for disaster.

Galatians 2:1–10 sets before us a prototype of mutual recognition and concern for one another, despite our differences. It teaches us … how to distinguish between things that really matter and things of lesser importance …, where to stand firm and where to concede, and even when to defy people and pressures and when to shake hands and reciprocate with expressions of mutual concern.(Richard Longnecker as recorded in Barton, B. B. (1994). Galatians (p. 49). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House).

In our age of independence what difference does it make to be associated with a local congregation? What impact can it have in checking and verifying the orthodoxy of beliefs, for teaching, support or affirmation? Understanding how Paul relates with the Christians in Jerusalem, provide insight into the benefits of being associated and affirmed by other Christians. Galatians 2:1–10 Paul was “Affirmed in the Gospel”, as shown through 1) His Coming (Galatians 2:1–2), 2) His Companion (Galatians 2:3–5), 3) His Commission (Galatians 2:6–8), and 4) His Commendation (Galatians 2:9–10) that he was of one truth and one spirit with the other twelve apostles.

Believers can be “Affirmed in the Gospel” through fellowship with other believers as seen through:

1) PAUL’S COMING (Galatians 2:1–2)

Galatians 2:1-2 [2:1]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. (ESV)

Paul says that he went to Jerusalem “after fourteen years,” that is, fourteen years after his previous visit to Jerusalem or about sixteen or seventeen years after his conversion. The date would have been around A.D. 48.( Polhill, J. B. (1999). Paul and his letters (p. 111). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman.)

Please turn to Acts 15

It seems probable, as many scholars believe, that this trip of Paul’s again to Jerusalem was for the council (Acts 15) called to resolve the issue, and that again does not linguistically denote a second visit. (William Hendricksen’s New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Galatians [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1971], 69–77.) According to Acts 15, professing Jewish Christians from Judea went to Antioch, where Paul and Barnabas were ministering

Acts 15:1-7 [15:1]But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." [2]And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. [3]So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. [4]When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. [5]But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses." [6]The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. [7]And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. (ESV) (Keep you place in Acts 15)

In addition to the leader, Paul and his intimate Jewish friend and companion Barnabas, … Titus, a spiritual child of Paul and his co-worker (Titus 1:4–5), went along with me, being among the “some of the others” mentioned by Luke. Barnabas was a friend and a fellow worker. The name Barnabas means “son of encouragement,” and you will always find Barnabas encouraging somebody. When the Gospel came to the Gentiles in Antioch, it was Barnabas who was sent to encourage them in their faith (Acts 11:19–24) (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 690). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.).