Scott Wade, a friend of mine who preaches for the Church of Christ in Weyburn, wrote the following article. He makes such a great point that I just had to pass it on.
____
“For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles” (Galatians 2:28)
God was at work in the ministry of Peter and in the ministry of Paul. Are we sure about that? The Galatian churches seemed to be questioning whether or not God was at work in the ministry of Paul. This is why Paul says what he does in the above verse. God at work in a ministry dedicated to reaching Jews? Of course! But God at work in a ministry dedicated to reaching non Jews? Apparently they said “no”.
Paul emphatically says “yes!” God is at work in a Jewish scholar, author of 1/3 of the New Testament, who is reaching out to Gentiles. And yes, God is at work in a Jewish fisherman who reaches out mainly to Jews. God is at work in two very different people in two very different ways with the same gospel.
You mean that they were not clones? No! They had different approaches, methods and ways of reaching people? Absolutely!
And God was at work in both of them. Is there a message here for us? Yes! God doesn’t need you to be a clone of me, or the person who sits next to you every Sunday morning.
God needs you to be you so that he can use you to reach others for him.
____
“For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles” (Galatians 2:28)
God was at work in the ministry of Peter and in the ministry of Paul. Are we sure about that? The Galatian churches seemed to be questioning whether or not God was at work in the ministry of Paul. This is why Paul says what he does in the above verse. God at work in a ministry dedicated to reaching Jews? Of course! But God at work in a ministry dedicated to reaching non Jews? Apparently they said “no”.
Paul emphatically says “yes!” God is at work in a Jewish scholar, author of 1/3 of the New Testament, who is reaching out to Gentiles. And yes, God is at work in a Jewish fisherman who reaches out mainly to Jews. God is at work in two very different people in two very different ways with the same gospel.
You mean that they were not clones? No! They had different approaches, methods and ways of reaching people? Absolutely!
And God was at work in both of them. Is there a message here for us? Yes! God doesn’t need you to be a clone of me, or the person who sits next to you every Sunday morning.
God needs you to be you so that he can use you to reach others for him.
Comments