https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lifelink-devotions/id1559931973

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, June 17, 2021

When the Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Galatian people, he was under attack. There were false teachers who were attempting to discredit him of teaching a made-up gospel. They were accusing him of being misled by other teachers who were unfaithful to the traditions of the Jewish faith. They did not believe that he was qualified to be an Apostle.

Paul does several things to declare his credibility as an Apostle:

1. He tells them that what he is teaching did not come from other teachers,  He testifies that the truth he teaches was not made up by man, nor did he learn it from men. What he is preaching is of divine origin.
2. Paul reminds them that his past was one of complete devotion to the Jewish traditions, but when He met Jesus his loyalties were immediately changed. The transforming power of Jesus Christ in his life resulted in a determination to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the rest of his life.
3. He declares that he received the Gospel directly from Jesus Christ, in the same way all the other Apostles did. This means that after his conversion to Christ, Paul spent three years in the wilderness being taught the truths and principles of the kingdom of God by Jesus directly. His qualifications as an Apostle were equal to all the others.
4. Then he renounces any idea that he was trained for the Gospel ministry by any person. No one could accuse Paul of being influenced by anyone other than Christ.

Here how Paul states it in Galatians 1:16b-17. 

…I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

Here’s my application point for today:

Are we being trained for Gospel ministry by the Holy Spirit of God, or do we take pride in how people and their methods of Bible Study have influenced us?

It is so easy to become enamored with the way certain people teach and preach. We are better known as a follower of our favorite author than we are of Jesus. We post and quote human teachers before we quote Scripture. We even have Facebook pages and small groups devoted to teachers and preachers. But what if all those resources were gone except for the Bible? Do we not understand that the teaching of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God is absolutely sufficient to train you for Gospel ministry?

We must stop honoring people. Granted, there are great Gospel authors and commentaries. But the Holy spirit alone is the revealer of truth to us. All others are simply seasoning. Don’t focus on what’s on the meat or on who cooked the meat. Focus on the meat!

Pastor John