God At Work

Galatians 2:8 For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles.

I am often surprised by the people who don’t seem to fit the stereotype. They are a little out of the box. The mold was broken before they were formed in it. Their personalities, their gifts and natural abilities don’t seem to add up to the results that I see. There is a mismatched first impression and the reality.

At those moments it is good to question our assumptions that helped us form our tentative conclusions. If we were wrong about this particular person, how many others have we misjudged? What is there in us that pushed us toward that conclusion?

In our text today we find Paul contrasting the objects of the preaching of the Gospel and their respective teachers. For Paul, the world was divided into two groups of people, Jews and non-Jews. This is the common understanding found in the Scriptures.

And from the birth of the Church there had been a division of effort between these two groups. Paul and his companions focused on reaching the Gentiles. Peter and his companions focused on reaching the Jews. This meant being in different locations. Peter was primarily based in Jerusalem while Paul traveled around the Roman world.

But despite the different objects of the work, it was the same God who was reaching people. This is important. There were not two Gospels, only one. The Good News sounded slightly different to each of these groups as it was tailored to them. God spoke through different people to effectively reach so many.

The same Spirit who was at work in Paul with the Gentiles was with Peter toward the Jews. This was important because all people are important and valuable to the LORD. The outward differences mean nothing, for we are all made in the image of God. And the LORD redeemed us all. We are His work created in Christ Jesus to do good works.

So next time you see something that might divide the world into “us” and “them,” slow down and remember that the LORD is at work in both groups. Remember also, that to the LORD there is only one group, that we are all united in Christ Jesus. All the barriers have been smashed on the Cross.