Grace, Peace and Fellowship

Confessions: I am not a bible teacher, scholar or theologian...however, I will give you a peak into where my heart is at as I have been studying God's word...I invite you to respond or dialogue with me from this passage.

I have been camping out the last few days in Galatians....looking at different verses, pondering them, asking God to teach me and speak to me.

Fourteen years after Paul had met with the disciples the first time, he met with them again and shared with them what God had been teaching him and laying on his heart...and although his ministry was different from theirs...they extended to him the right hand of fellowship...or their blessing as we would probably say today. (Chapter 2:1-10)

I have been thinking about grace and peace and fellowship. Sometimes it is hard for us to accept things that look different to us. Paul says in verse 9 that when Peter, James and John acknowledged the grace that had been given to him through the Lord working in his life that they gave the right hand of fellowship to him and Barnabas to continue in the ministry that God had given them.

I can only imagine how protective of the gospel the original disciples were...Paul's background was sketchy enough. He and Barnabas were going against everything that was culturally accepted in that day...but they perceived by the Holy Spirit the same grace that had been given them and they blessed them.....even though, they did not agree on everything.

Grace and Peace and Fellowship.....

Oh, I think our view of the Lord can be so small. He loves to surprise us with the unexpected.

The people of Israel were expecting their King to arrive in royal majesty and power to save them from their enemies....Jesus showed up as a helpless baby, poor and common, and taught that they should love their enemies. The disciples were a ragamuffin band of fishermen and social misfits....God used them to change the world. Paul...the most unlikely person to follow Jesus...a religious fanatic, persecutor and hater of christians was transformed by the grace of Christ and became one of the greatest teachers of all time.

Just thinking about that, gives me hope and confidence when I look at my own life and the grace God has given through all of my mistakes and short comings.

May the Lord open my eyes and heart with more grace to see the unexpected and see Him at work among us....even when things look different from what I'm used to.