Monday, September 26, 2016

Beware the Extremes


“James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.”

Galatians 2:9-10

 

Paul, James, Peter and John had a meeting.

Paul had gone to the leadership in Jerusalem and they recognized God’s hand in his work and calling.

They extended the right hand of fellowship and not the ‘left foot of ostracism’!

They essentially endorsed what God was doing through Paul among the Gentiles.

It is essential to note that their discussion included remembering the poor.

This is no light matter for the church.

It wasn’t then nor should it be now.

We are called to include in our ministry those less fortunate than us and the placement of this verse at such a pivotal point of the early churches formation should only serve to emphasize this point to us.

Jesus said that we would always have the poor with us so this was not a 1st century assignment only that we are free to ignore in the 21st century church.

Some today eagerly preach the Gospel and ignore the poor while others have a ‘social Gospel’ that is quick to minister to the poor but ‘forgetting’ to preach the Gospel.

A true believer will do (and live) both!

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