Go!

Meditations for Ragamuffins

October 25, 2023

Go! 

They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they praised God because of me.

Galatians 1:23-24

Many years ago, I visited a young man in the hospital who was under police guard. As I approached his room, I was stopped by a Police Officer. I identified myself and told him I had received permission from his Captain to visit the young man. The Officer responded, “Who are you?” I again gave my name and repeated that I had been authorized to make this visit. He again asked, “Yeah, I got that, but who are you?” He was trying to establish my credentials; was I an attorney, relative, or friend of the family? None of the above. All I could do was repeat myself. Eventually the Officer gave up and allowed me to make the visit.

 The Apostle Paul was in a similar situation. He had moved on after first proclaiming the Good News in Galatia, and other Christians, who took exception to Paul not requiring Gentile converts to keep the Law of Moses, had moved in. The issue of Paul’s credentials, his authority to lead the church, had been called into question. The issue of who has the authority to speak for Christ is still an issue for the Christian movement today.

At the time of writing the letter to the Galatians, Paul had been completely accepted by the church leaders in Jerusalem, and he had been commissioned as an evangelist to the Gentiles. His authority was undeniable; yet he never relied on that ecclesiastical authority in making his case to the Galatians. As the adage goes, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. Paul reported that the Christians in Jerusalem knew that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” And they praised God because of me” (Galatians 1:23-24).

Paul isn’t teaching us that clergy credentials don’t matter. He is teaching us that while they certainly have their purpose and place, there is something else that is more important. Is there fruit? Is their ministry making disciples for Jesus Christ? Can you see evidence that they are building for the Kingdom of God?

The young man I went to see in the hospital was there because he had tried to commit suicide. He was under guard because he had been arrested for dealing in drugs. I went to see him to share my faith in Christ and offer the hope of Christ to him. We prayed at the end of my visit, and I left him thumbing through the Gideon Bible. He called me the next day to tell me that after reading Psalm 32, he had prayed and asked Jesus to be his Savior. This was several years before I became a credentialed minister. I was just plain ole John Q. Church-Layman. Paul didn’t make a big deal out of his church credentials because he wanted to be clear that it is Jesus who authorizes us, each one of us, to go and make disciples for the Kingdom of God.

My Takeaway: Go!

By the way, this is what the young man read: “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven,  whose sins are covered” (Psalm 32:1).

 

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.