"The Message Remains the Same"Galatians 1:10b-11
If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin.
Thoughts for Today:Paul wasn't preaching what the Galatians wanted to hear in order to make friends or gain greater influence over them. If that were the case, he would not have been a true servant of Jesus. And as a "servant", he had only one master -- the Lord. (Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.") Therefore, Paul spoke only the message God had given him. (1 Thessalonians 2: "On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.")
In our passage today, Paul tells the Galatians, "The gospel I preached is not of human origin." Why is this important? Because if God truly gave the message to Paul, then there could be no room for modification. The Lord is the same, His message is consistent, and it never changes. (Hebrews 13:8-9a: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.")
In the same way, we should never allow the Gospel to be changed and preached in our churches simply to fit into our culture. New styles and modern methods of communication can certainly be adopted; however, the message must always remain the same.
Questions to Ponder:Is the Gospel you've been hearing the same Gospel? Have there been changes to it? Take a close look. Is the presentation different to match our current culture or has a critical component been changed? What about your personal view of the Gospel as it is applied in your life? Have you rounded off some of the edges to make it easier? What would that look like? What changes is God calling you to make? Will you?
If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin.
Thoughts for Today:Paul wasn't preaching what the Galatians wanted to hear in order to make friends or gain greater influence over them. If that were the case, he would not have been a true servant of Jesus. And as a "servant", he had only one master -- the Lord. (Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.") Therefore, Paul spoke only the message God had given him. (1 Thessalonians 2: "On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.")
In our passage today, Paul tells the Galatians, "The gospel I preached is not of human origin." Why is this important? Because if God truly gave the message to Paul, then there could be no room for modification. The Lord is the same, His message is consistent, and it never changes. (Hebrews 13:8-9a: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.")
In the same way, we should never allow the Gospel to be changed and preached in our churches simply to fit into our culture. New styles and modern methods of communication can certainly be adopted; however, the message must always remain the same.
Questions to Ponder:Is the Gospel you've been hearing the same Gospel? Have there been changes to it? Take a close look. Is the presentation different to match our current culture or has a critical component been changed? What about your personal view of the Gospel as it is applied in your life? Have you rounded off some of the edges to make it easier? What would that look like? What changes is God calling you to make? Will you?
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