Basic HTML Version
The Amish Voice 5
gospel and the One who calls men to the ministry. Men have
not developed the gospel, not the real gospel, and men do not
call other men to the ministry, not to the real ministry.
APPLICATION 1:
All believers, especially ministers, need to search their hearts
with such questions as:
How many of us seek the approval of leaders over the ap-
proval of God?
How many of us seek the call of churches or leaders over the
call of God?
How many of us seek the favor and help of men over the
favor and help of God?
How many of us seek to add to our reputation by associating
with leaders instead of seeking God and His place of ser-
vice?
And, of extreme danger, how many of us add and teach our
own ideas, rituals, and rules instead of the pure gospel?
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and or-
dained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that
your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the
Father in my name, he may give it you” (Jn.15:16).
APPLICATION 2:
God treats all men alike. He has no favorites and shows no par-
tiality. Every person is saved by the same gospel, and every true
minister is called by the same Lord.
“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I per-
ceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation
he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted
with him” (Ac.10:34-35).
5. HE DEFENDED THE SPECIAL CALL GIVEN EACH MIN-
ISTER TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL (vv.7-10).
Note the word
contrariwise
or
to the contrary
: the leaders of the
church did not agree with the Judaizers as the Judaizers had hoped; on
the contrary they stood with and championed the call and gospel of
Christ. They saw that God had called Paul to preach to the Gentiles
(the uncircumcision) just as he had called Peter to preach to the Jews
(the circumcision). They championed the truth that God gives to eve-
ry man a particular task.
Note who the leaders were in Jerusalem: James, the Lord’s brother,
who was pastor of the great Jerusalem church, and Peter and John.
The point to note is that the great pillars of the church were
now
standing together
proclaiming...
that salvation by grace through faith alone was the true gospel.
that God was the Person who called Paul and all other minis-
ters to preach the gospel.
that Paul and all other ministers should remember to minister
to the poor, not just to the middle classes and wealthy.
“For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory
of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I
preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have
a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation [trust, trus-
teeship, commitment] of the gospel is committed unto
me” (1 Co.9:16-17).
ILLUSTRATION:
As we share the gospel, we need to make sure that every aspect
of our community is exposed to the love of God. No one should
be left out.
There are many “hidden people” throughout the world—and
some even close to home.
A great life insurance company in New York invited all its
agents throughout the country to a conference in New York, and
while in attendance one of the agents from the West insured the
barber, the elevator man, and a waiter in the restaurant, all of
whom had been employed for years by the insurance company in
its great building. No one had thought to offer policies to these
men in the home office building!
Exactly so. That is the reason the professional evangelist
sweeps in so many; he simply improves the chance that has been
there all the time. But why must we wait for him?
(
Sunday School
Time.
Paul Lee Tan.
Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations: Signs of
the Times
. Rockville, MD: Assurance Publishers, 1985, p.1327.)
Closer to home, who needs to hear the gospel from you today?
This article was taken from the Teacher’s Outline and
Study Bible (TOSB) Commentary, Galatians? Did you
know—you can buy the whole New Testament commentary
set? To order, please go to the back cover (page 11) and use
the ordering form.
QUESTIONS:
1. Why are some people in the world overlooked by the witness
of the church? What kind of role can you play as a solution?
2. Do you have a burden for the lost? What can you do in order
to cultivate this in your life?
3. Who are some of the hidden people—overlooked people—in
the world? In what ways does your church reach out to them?
What can you do to help your church reach out to them?
SUMMARY:
God has placed you in the courtroom of the world where your task is
to defend the gospel as well as your role in proclaiming the good
news. As you face your prosecutors and juries, will you win your
case? You will if you faithfully apply these major points to your life
as Paul did:
1. Paul’s second trip to Jerusalem.
2. Paul defended the work of the gospel.
3. Paul defended the gospel before false believers.
4. Paul defended the gospel before any and all persons.
5. Paul defended the special call given each minister to proclaim
the gospel.
QUESTIONS:
1. Unfortunately, politics creeps into the local church. In a
subtle shift, we begin to seek to please men instead of
pleasing God. What kinds of things can be done to correct
this problem?
2. Why is partiality considered wrong?
3. What dangers result from a man-made gospel?