Galatians 2:9-10 — 3 Pillars

READ THIS: Galatians 2:9-10

9 James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. 10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

 

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

After Jesus went back up to heaven, there were 3 people seen as the biggest leaders, or "pillars," of the early church: James, John, and Cephas (who we know a lot better as Peter). James was the younger brother of Jesus, while John and Peter were two of the closest people in Jesus's life. The earliest groups of believers looked up to those three as leaders of the future church, and many people looked to them to make decisions toward how the believers of Jesus should be living. That is A LOT of power!

But James, John, and Peter were different from most people with power. Instead of hoarding it for themselves, they saw the work done by Paul, someone who at one point hated Christians, and they welcomed him and his friends into their ministry. Not only that, they encouraged Paul and his group to continue sharing the good news to the rest of the world while they continued to share the good news to the Jewish people. The "3 pillars" recognized that God always has room for more people when it comes to sharing the good news to the world around us, and that includes YOU!

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Have you ever been prideful about a position or title you had over someone else?

2. Who is the most humble leader in your life (not counting Jesus or any human you don't personally know) that you can think of? Let that person know today that you value their humility!

 

TRY THIS:

James, Peter, and John led humbly by allowing other people to work alongside them. Find one thing today at work, school, or at home that you can invite someone to do with you!