Been disqualified in the Niagara Falls Marathon.
They have had more than a hiccup.
They've had a fiasco. Because what happened is that
the man that won the marathon followed the lead biker.
That's what you're supposed to do, apparently.
Not like I would ever be leading a marathon, so I wouldn't know
experientially, but apparently you're supposed to be lead
following the lead biker. But guess what?
In the Niagara Falls marathon, the lead biker cut a kilometer
off. Yeah.
And the marathon runner who won even said or thought he had won,
had the medal said, but I asked him and there was a mistake
because he followed the wrong leader and the leader didn't
know the right route. And he has had his first place
winning the marathon revoked and and he's appealed it.
And they were of the six first place 6 like 123456, three of
them have lost their placement because they followed this biker
and the biker was confused. Have you ever been disqualified?
Because as we head today into Galatians Chapter 2, that is
what Paul wanted to avoid. Now we talked last week about
the social pressures haven't changed on the cities of
Galatia. They were worried very much
about their community acceptance and community acceptance said
that if every anything goes bad and you're the one that didn't
pacify the idols, it's your fault.
They were worried about the economy and the government
powers that be, and Caesar worship was what was expected.
And so the Jewish communities, as we said last week, have
gotten around this. How did they do it?
They got around by saying we will pray for Caesar instead of
to Caesar. So this is still the same
pressure. We've got social pressure.
We've got economic, political pressure and we have religious
pressure because the Jewish communities don't want these
Christians messing up their hard won liberty.
And so Paul is writing and we're going to talk some more today
about maintaining the unity. Let's go now and think about
this poor marathon man as we read what Paul says in Galatians
2. Then after 14 years, I went up
again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas.
I took Titus along also. I went in response to a
revelation and meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders.
I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the
Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not
running and had not been running my race in vain.
Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be
circumcised even though he was a Greek.
All right, we have. Paul has gone back to Jerusalem.
This is probably 14 years after what happened in chapter 1.
You can go and read Acts 11 and you can read Acts 15.
There's two Jerusalem visits and you'll get some of the backdrop.
But in all of this, he had with him Barnabas, and he had with
him Titus. Now Barnabas had been the one
that helped Paul meet the Jerusalem church when everybody
else was like, this man kills Christians, we why would we have
him in our community? Barnabas had brought him in, and
Titus, as he says, is a Greek, and so here he brought someone
who had already made him acceptable to the Jerusalem
church, and he also brought someone that was a part of his
ministry who he had led to Jesus, who would have been
outside the normal part of the Jerusalem church, realistically.
And why did he go? Well, verse 2 says he wanted to
be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in
vain. What we don't know is was he
going also with this a little bit to correct the Jerusalem
church because of the Jerusalem church was most influenced by
where they were with a largely Jewish community.
And Paul is sailing all over the Mediterranean, sharing Jesus
with people who were not Jewish background were what they called
pagans. And so here is what is at stake
is yes, Paul is having Christian community confirm his call that
he had not been running in vain. But also what was at stake was
the existence of the church because, see, people were very
acceptable to stay siloed in their culture groups.
Now, we're an intercultural church, but if you look around,
are we sitting still a little bit in our culture groups or or
our faculty groups? So one of the things to start to
think about is why? And so I love this quote from NT
Wright because it calls us into what really was at stake with
Paul's, the race he was running. It's the very existence of a
single messianic family. Messianic.
That's Messiah. What is it that unites us is
Jesus, and it's cutting through human divisions.
That means economic, linguistic, political, all of the cultural,
racial, whatever the divisions that humans usually are
quantified on, Jesus cut through all that so that we all together
could enjoy the new creation of God.
And here's the thing, it's assigned to the powers of the
world. Yeah, political powers, but also
to the spiritual powers. Think Ephesians 6 that God was
God, Jesus was Lord, the new creation had begun, that all
human powers and empires in the world could not touch it.
And that is what at least NT Wright, who's a better scholar
than I am, thinks is at stake in verse 2.
In this meeting is essentially unless those of you, some of you
sitting here may have some Jewish heritage, but for all the
rest of us who have no Jewish heritage, our access to Jesus
and his spirit working amongst us was at stake in this
conversation. So Paul was making sure he
wasn't following the wrong bike, but he was also making sure the
Jerusalem church wasn't following the wrong bike.
Now let's keep reading Galatians chapter 2, verse 4.
This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated
our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to
make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a
moment so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for
you. So somebody had been hassling
Paul and so he decided, all right, that's enough, let's go
get this worked out. And so he went to Jerusalem to
work this out. And here is the thing, he knew
that Jesus had called him on the road to Damascus.
He had had his time in Arabia that we looked at.
He had had his call affirmed again and again.
Here are some more verses for you to look at for those of our
call. Paul knew what Jesus wanted him
to do, but he also knew that it mattered that the whole church
was in on it. Now, I want to suggest that you
might be at a season where you're like, I don't actually
know what I'm called to do. So do you know that you are
called into relationship with your heavenly Father?
And how do you deepen that relationship?
That is a call. Do you know the character that
you are called to walk in? That is a call.
And so whether or not you've had a road to Damascus shining
light, you know much of what we as Christians are called to do.
So obey what you do know, follow the call you do have, and more
will come. And so Paul had started with
Jesus and he had to do a 180 and start following him instead of
persecuting his followers. And then Jesus kept revealing
Paul didn't know it was going to end with him in a Roman house
arrest. He didn't know all of where the
call would take him, but he said yes to what he knew.
And now he is working out. And so here's what it is.
How many of you will only go to an event if you can take a + 1?
OK, so I didn't know this is a culture piece.
So where I'm from, if I invite you, of course somebody who's
important to you could come with you too.
And I was so fascinated when I talked to somebody and they knew
they were having 87 people at their event.
Like how do you know 87 And I was like, well, we had an RSVP
and I was like, yeah, I always have an RSVP, but 8 like I've
never had such a precise number. But what they knew is that they
had said no plus one and that only those that were invited
would dare to come. And it was just a culture
difference. Here's what I want to say that
the gospel of Jesus has no plus one in We don't get to add to
it, whereas in all these other spaces we're saying come on in,
let me be as agreeable and with you.
But on the gospel of Jesus. It is what God has said and he
has said I love you so much. We like that part.
Most people like God loves us and then guess what, we all sin.
I had a friend who sent her child to Christian camp and then
got really angry that they told him he was a Sinner.
I don't know what you thought was going to happen.
OK. And she goes, well, how would
you have felt because my kids hadn't gone to that camp.
And I said, well, I actually think that by grade 6, most her
son was in grade 6. Most children realize they're
not living up to everything their parents wish.
And I actually think there's some health and not trying to be
perfect. And so that's when Jesus says I
have fallen. You, Paul said in Romans, fallen
short of the glory of God. That's what it is to sin.
We have fallen short of all the goodness we're created for.
So God loves us. We have all sinned, and that is
why God sent Jesus to the cross to die, to conquer, to overcome
the powers of this Dark World. But the overcoming ends with the
resurrection. All right.
And then he sent his Spirit to fill us.
So that's the gospel in a nutshell.
And because he keeps talking about the truth of the gospel, I
just thought we might ought to say it for a minute.
And so can you concisely communicate what is the truth of
the gospel or what is the plus one?
What is it? You and I might have left
something out and I'm willing to talk to you about that.
But what is it that you're like? But don't Christians have to or
can't Christians not? Those are plus wanting's the
Spirit of Jesus will call you into life and godliness and
change some of your behavior. But the truth of the gospel is
what Jesus has done for us and what his Spirit is doing in our
midst. And so Paul calls a meeting.
Now I want you to think about you and how God is at work with
you. So in verse 6.
As for those who are held in high esteem, whatever they were
makes no difference to me. God does not show favoritism.
They added nothing to my message.
On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with
the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as
Peter had been to the circumcised.
For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle, apostle to
the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the
Gentiles. 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. And so Paul for 14 years has
been living out this call. There is a physical difference
between Jewish Christians and non Jewish Christians who are
male. He acknowledged that there was a
difference in culture, there was a difference in location, there
was a difference in background, but there was still the Lord
uniting them. And So what happened is they
noticed and they named where did they see the power of God?
The word here for the power of God at work is what we get our
word for energy from. The New Testament has another
word. It's the word we get dynamite
from. These are verses about seeing
the power of God at work for you to look at on your own.
But what I want you to notice is that Paul new the power of God
working through him, as did Barnabas, as did Peter, as did
James, as did John. And so in all of this, how have
you experienced the power of God at work in you?
Paul in another place points out that he is not ashamed of the
gospel because it's the power of God that brings salvation.
So how has the goodness of Jesus worked out in you to show the
power of God? And if you're like, I actually
don't know, that's where we also need Christian brothers and
sisters because Paul went back to Jerusalem and they all
recognize the power of God. So sometimes when you don't see
it, ask somebody else, where have you seen the power of God
amongst us or in my life? The power of God is a beautiful
thing and it's not always the kinds of things that make it to
social media or that make it into news.
Think about Elijah on the still small voice of God.
So God is, if you have said yes to the gospel of Jesus, he is at
work in you. And it's a beautiful and
important thing to recognize the power of God through you and in
others. It's a thing brothers and
sisters in Christ do for one another.
And sometimes we do it because we're in awe of what it looks
like for the power of God to be working through somewhat.
And sometimes we do it because we want to call out more of the
goodness. It's a gratitude thing that if I
recognize this week I was sick, Craig was away, somebody
Brittany offered me to bring me supper.
And I said, well, I don't need supper, but I'm really worried
about Halloween trick or treaters.
And what I need is a bunch of candy to give children because
I'm not going to make it to the store.
And so she brought it the power of God's kindness to see that I
was sick and to ask somebody to ask me.
Now, there are other people I could have asked, but I was
like, it's two blocks away. You're not that sick.
Except I felt really awful. So sometimes it's a form of
gratitude. Sometimes it's recognizing how
good God's being to you. But let us notice, just as they
did, God was at work. And Peter and God was at work
and Paul. So how is God at work amongst
us? The resurrection is not just an
Easter story. The resurrection is the very
power you have access to. So if you are feeling hopeless
and despair, instead of that, God is at work and you say,
Jesus, I need a little more of your resurrection power.
That was not just for the resurrection.
That was for you to live through me.
The Spirit of Jesus lives in US who call him by name.
And just as Paul could be this really effective missionary, so,
so broadly you can do beautiful and powerful and amazing things
with the Spirit of Jesus working through US.
Paul's not solo here. He's with Barnabas and he's with
Titus. So let's look for more
resurrection power for more of the Spirit of Jesus, not because
we need more, but because I think we need to pay more
attention to what is already here and what is already
released. The Spirit of Jesus is doing
beautiful things through you. So let's name it.
Well, notice it. Let's name it and then celebrate
what God is doing now. Here is here's a doozy.
What is unifying for us? I think it's Jesus.
I hope so. Let's see what was unifying in
this church. So in verse 10 of chapter 2 he
says all they asked was that we should continue to remember the
poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.
Now the truth is is that Paul was probably from a higher socio
economic background than James, John or Peter.
James, John and Peter had been entrepreneurs as Fisher people
before they became fishers of men, and Paul was elite enough
that he had both Roman citizenship, he knew his Hebrew
well enough to start Pharisee school, and in all of that they
both felt called to remember the poor and in that they had the
heart of Jesus. If you read the book of James,
which is a very applicable book, which is either this James or
one other, there were two James leaders in the church in
Jerusalem, but they were both active in the church.
He's very concerned about the poor and the treatment and how
they're respected when they sit. James had a lot to say about the
poor and Paul has other verses on the poor.
They are both in keeping with teaching from the Old Testament
all the way through. Now, there are many things that
I hear Christians unify about. We unify about politics.
We unify about styles of worship.
We unify about how we do our Bible study.
We unify about political agendas.
We unify about service opportunities.
When's the last time you heard Christians unified about serving
the poor in the early church? That is the call out.
And I hope and pray it can also be the call out for us.
This was an active memory. This was a faith without works
is dead. This was a oof, open your wallet
kind of thing. Because if this aligns with the
Acts 15 visit of Paul to Jerusalem, guess what?
He came with money from all these Pagan churches because all
of those Christians had heard about a famine in Jerusalem and
had given to contribute. And so in the midst of the many
things that unify us or in this case bring some disunity, Jesus
and how we treat the poor or what brought these brothers in
Christ back together. Now, what can you do?
I would ask who are you following, not just on campus
but online? Who are the teachers that you
follow? Are they going to help you run
the race? Well, I would ask, are the
teachers that you are enthralled by the worship leaders that get
you excited? Are they supporting that Jesus
loves all people and are they calling you to remember the
poor? Be careful.
Do you all know the song? Be careful little eyes what you
see. Be careful little years what you
hear, for the Father up above is looking down in love.
Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see.
So when we look and when we listen, we are influenced and
there are many that would influence us to have a heart
hardened to the poor. There are many that would
influence you to go after all that you can for yourself.
That would encourage you to remain in your whatever is the
silo that matters to you in your studies, in your ethnicity, in
your history of who you are as a person.
And so run your race well empowered by the Spirit of
Jesus. I would also say, recognize,
caught, and affirm the power of God at work in one another.
That means we get to know each other, and we might get to know
each other and the messy stuff and the things that don't seem
godly. And yet that's where the Spirit
of Jesus also shows resurrection power.
And then ask yourself what unifies you or what breaks your
unity. Look for who is generous to the
poor and cozy up to those people.
Why? Because there's something in our
character that can catch generosity, but we can also
catch stinginess. And so if you are close enough
to catch a cold from somebody, you are close enough to catch
some character from them too. And so let's go and run our
race. Well, most, not quite everybody,
but almost everybody in this room is younger than I am.
Have you already seen Christian brothers and sisters stumble and
fall? Someone gave them permission.
Someone fed the fury or fed the addiction.
Someone said it's not that big a deal.
We all done that. So you figure out who you're
following. Run your race well, affirm the
power of God amongst those you are close to and and when you
notice it in others. And let us remember the poor,
Let's pray Jesus, may we be as courageous as Paul to keep the
Gospels truth. What is so important in our own
hearts and minds. Lord, there are many things
vying for our attention and our energy, but we want to know You
and the power of Your resurrection at work amongst us.
And so we say, Lord, make us courageous and truth telling,
and to seek out the unity of our relationships with Christian
brothers and sisters and to recognize and celebrate Your
power at work amongst us. And that we would be a people
known for being generous in our money, in our time, and in our
ways of thinking with the poor. In Jesus name, Amen.