The Churches of Galatia

Jesus Christ builds his church and accomplishes his kingdom mission through you. “Me?” you may ask, “No way! I cannot. I think not.” But this morning I want to remind us that “the God of Creation, the God of Salvation, the God of Eternity, the God of All has welcomed you and me into relationship with Him and—what’s more—into partnership with Him for the cause that is deepest and rarest to His heart: the building of Christ’s church” (Stumbo, 52). He is building his church for His mission to save the world. This morning we look at the powerful calling of God on our lives, the challenges and hardships we face in that calling, and how to persevere by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1. Hardships in Mission & Ministry

We continue to follow the story of the early church. The church has now expanded from Jerusalem to Antioch. The church of Antioch sent Barnabas and Saul on their first missionary journey. They traveled to Galatia, a region of Central Asia Minor. There, they planted a network of churches in different cities. And it is through their experiences that we learn that discipleship and missions come at a cost. Challenges and hardships go hand in hand with ministry. Barnabas and Paul faced especially four hardships: abandonment, ailment, antagonism, and astonishment.

Abandonment — When they landed at Perga in Pamphylia, John Mark abandoned them. He accompanied Barnabas and Paul and on Cyprus, “John was with them as their helper” (Acts 13:5). However, when they landed in Perga, he left them. “From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem” (Acts 13:13). We don’t know why. Paul and Barnabas must have experienced a sense of abandonment. They were investing in the next generation giving this young man the opportunity of a lifetime to be part of this trail-blazing, gospel-advancing ministry. Yet, he turned back. Perhaps the cost was too high and John Mark chose the comforts of home over the challenges of missions.

It is always hard to lose a team member. Paul’s disappointment was so great that he refused to take Mark with them on their second missions journey. “Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work” (Acts 15:37). Barnabas the Way-Maker and encourager, took Mark under his wing. And we know that Mark became a valued member of Paul’s ministry team.

We should not give up on investing in the next generation. All of us should be aware that we are models and mentors who disciple the upcoming generation and future leaders. It doesn’t matter how old you are. Someone is watching you. The middle schooler watches the life of the teenager in high school. The teenager watches the example of the college student. The young couple expecting their first child watches the young parents around them. Someone can benefit from our intentional investment into their personal and leadership development. Regardless of our current age, every one of us is called to make disciples of all peoples.

Ailment — Their work in Galatia was impacted when Paul became sick. “As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself” (Gal 4:13-14). Physical ailments that slow down or hinder ministry happen. It surprises us and we don’t always understand why and how God would use negative circumstances such as illness, weariness, or other impediments to accomplish His will. ZAMBIA — MALARIA & BILHARZIA

Antagonism — As Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel great multitudes of both Jews and Gentiles believed. “… many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas … On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. … When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. … they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed” (Acts 13:44, 48-49; 14:1).

However, jealousy soon arose. “When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him” (Acts 13:45). It is sad to see how jealously, then and now, can influence people and impact ministry. So, “the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region” (Acts 13:50). They moved on to the next town but there the story is repeated. “The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them” (Acts 14:4-5). The ministry team fled for their lives and continued to preach the gospel in the next town. But the leaders followed them, stirred up and won the crowds over. “They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city” (Acts 14:19-20). A miracle happened. God’s power is stronger than human jealousy, and He will accomplish His mission.

Astonishment — Paul and Barnabas concluded their mission and returned to Antioch. After some time news reached Paul of recent developments in the churches in Galatia. Other teachers have been teaching their own theologies and views there. Paul is very unhappy. “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” (Gal 1:6-9).

Paul was stunned and angry. A different gospel was being preached. His response was uncompromising and full of passion. “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? … Are you so foolish?” (Gal 3:1-3) They had been running such a good race, but someone now has cut in on them to keep them from obeying the truth (Gal 5:7). Like the Galatians, many people today are also quickly drawn away from the true faith and lured away from the true gospel. MONGOLIA EXAMPLES.

2. Disappointments & Discouragement

When faced with hardships, challenges, and disappointments like these, we can become discouraged very quickly. The courage and the passion to lead and do ministry are drained out of us. Our expectations clash with the realities on the ground. “We expect church life to be easier than it often is. We expect work for building Christ’s kingdom to move more rapidly than it often does. We expect better out of other Christians than we often see” (Stumbo, 57). Our Lord’s Kingdom is a contested kingdom. Forces, both demonic and human, do not want the church to succeed and so arise to oppose it. Therefore, the planting, building, and sustaining of the church will always be challenged. This will continue until our Lord returns. Until that day, we must persevere. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9).

Following Jesus comes at a cost. Christian ministry, leadership, and missions come at a cost. Yes, God is at work and Jesus is building his church. His kingdom is advancing. Yet, these highs are intermingled with the lows and the hardships of real life in real ministry. “We’ve watched God work. We’ve known what it is to see the church advance. We’ve witnessed the powerful joy of seeing lives changed, communities helped, addicts freed … while simultaneously, we’ve experienced the heartache of abandonment. We know what it is to be sidelined by an ailment or undermined by antagonism. We’ve sat in jaw-dropped astonishment over the [disappointing] news we just received.” (Stumbo, 62). Through all this, Paul persevered. He did not give up. We should persevere and not give up. How and why did he persevere? How and why should we persevere?

3. The Power to Persevere

First, Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit. The book of Acts can rightly be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit. The early church’s success arose from their relationship to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the true source of their strength. He guided and directed them. He counseled them on what to say. He empowered them to do signs and wonders. He enabled them to persevere. In the same way, we should ensure that we live Spirit-filled and Spirit-empowered lives. Our effectiveness and success in ministry come from our moment-by-moment dependence upon and obedience to the Holy Spirit, not from our own strength.

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. … if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. … the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal 5:16-18, 22-25). Jesus Christ is building His church through His Spirit. Therefore, when we are walking in step with the Spirit and He is working in us, then we have every reason and resource to persevere. God is calling us to keep coming to the Holy Spirit and He will give us the love, wisdom, perseverance, and grace needed to endure in ministry and invest in others, even when it’s hard.

The second reason for Paul’s perseverance is the power of God’s calling upon our lives. He calls us into relationship. He wants us to be His own, His children. We are not to live our own lives for our own purposes based on our own whims and feelings. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Cor 6:19-20). “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Cor 5:15). To the Galatians, Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).

Paul knew he was called to do what he was doing. “But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles …” (Gal 1:15). We too are “called to live in the grace of Christ” (Gal 1:6). Each of us has different roles and different gifts. Each of us has a unique personality. And God placed each of us where we are for a purpose. Yet, all of us are called to Him in relationship and called for Him in service. We are God’s children (Gal 4:6-7). And we “are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:10). Therefore, we are called “to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Eph 4:1-2). It’s the power of this calling that keeps us going through hardships. KEEP GOING EVEN WHEN TIRED OR NOT MOTIVATED.

The world needs a community of called, Holy Spirit-filled, persevering champions for Christ and His kingdom. We are that community. You and I. The God of all creation has chosen us. He appointed us. He commissioned us. It’s powerful. It’s amazing. It’s humbling. It’s grace. It’s empowering. Know and be assured that our Lord is building his church through us. The power of His calling and the Holy Spirit enable us to persevere no matter the hardships we may face.