In Galatians 2:1-10, Paul writes of a meeting he had with the other apostles; however, he denies it was to seek their approval. He mentions he had Titus with him who was uncircumcised and if circumcision was so necessary why did not the other apostles ask him to circumcise Titus. Instead, they agreed that Paul would concentrate on the uncircumcised and they would focus on the circumcised. This is an example of how...
Grace seeks unity; legalism seeks uniformity
The Jerusalem apostles recognized that our unity is based on truth, not on traditions. We can only be unified on truth; we will always be diversified on traditions. It has always been difficult for Christians to fully accept others who have not come out of their tradition. Let us strive to be content to accept others based on the unity of the gospel which we profess and preach rather than based on the denomination or theological tradition from which we have come.
This is often impossible with legalistic mindsets whose natural inclination is to be exclusive…separatist, not just from the world but even from other Christians they consider to be of an inferior ilk. Grace, on the other hand, seeks to be as inclusive as possible. Legalists build walls to keep people out. Grace builds bridges to let them in, but our unity must be based on the truth, especially the truth of the gospel. Where the gospel is at stake, we cannot compromise. We must stand firm on the truth of the gospel, and we must stand against those who pervert the gospel in the church. Where that truth is denied, there can be no unity.
Sometimes the best way to head off conflict is to head toward it
Paul says in verse 2, “I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain.”
For most of us, our natural inclination is to head away from potential conflict, but here Paul received a revelation directing him to head toward it. We must move toward people with whom we have potential conflict, or the divide will only become wider. Sometimes in our efforts to avoid conflict, we only create greater conflict. If confrontation is held off, so is resolution. Jesus said in Matthew 5:23-25 in His Sermon on the Mount that we should move quickly toward resolution so we can move just as quickly toward reconciliation.
Your ministry, although important, might not be God’s number one priority
God wants us to value our ministry, but God does not want us to value only our ministry. Paul says he was eager to remember the poor in Judea and, in effect, the ministry going on in that region. Are we eager to remember the ministries of others and the problems they are facing? We can get tunnel vision regarding our ministry or the ministries we support as though they are the most important things occurring in God’s universe.
Worship people can get tunnel vision about worship, children’s ministries people can get tunnel vision about children’s ministries, and so on. We all want people to support our ministries, but do we support other people’s ministries? Celebrate your ministry but do not forget to celebrate the ministry of others too! The Pauls must remember there is also a Peter ministry out there somewhere, and the Peters must remember there is a Paul ministry out there somewhere. Unity does not mean everyone must be uniform in their ministries. Instead, we must recognize not only the grace that God has given to us, but also the grace He has given to others.