March 26th, Thursday: Galatians 1- 2

Gal 1

To Paul, the Gospel is much more than a message he preached – it was a miracle he had experienced himself!

The Gospel is the power of God to salvation and it brings freedom.

You see, Christ died that He might deliver us.

When Paul trusted Christ, he became a free man!

The shackles of sin and legalistic religion were broken.

But the Gospel was also a treasure that Paul guarded.

Paul did not invent the Gospel or learn it from others – God gave it to him.

There is no other Gospel.

To dilute this Message or substitute another message is to destroy it.

No wonder Paul attacked those who attack the Gospel.

Because when you lose the Gospel, my friend, you lose everything.

The Gospel is a tie that binds God's people together.

Saul the enemy became Paul the brother.

And he was able to fellowship with people he once had persecuted – only the Spirit of God could do that.

Christians may disagree on minor matters of interpretation and organization, but they agree on the message of the Gospel.

Paul Reese wrote, 'The Gospel is neither a discussion, nor a debate – it is an announcement!'

Gal 2

The runner,

Paul saw himself as a man running a race.

And he was absolutely certain he was on the right track and headed for the right goal.

The Judaizers were trying to move the church into bondage and get them on a detour course.

The steward.

God has committed the Gospel to His people.

And we must guard it and share it with others.

God is not looking for popular celebrities, He is looking for faithful stewards.

The watchmen.

Paul was not afraid to confront the apostle Peter when Peter moved away from the truth of the Gospel.

'Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty' said Wendell Phillips, and that applies to our spiritual liberty as well.