Man on Fire: Part V

Let's fast forward a bit to Galatians.

How many times have we gained an enormous amount of excitement for some idea or some project that we were working on, only to fizzle out and either delay, or quit all together on the thing we thought would be life-changing for ourselves and others?

Paul had a very different outlook as we see in Galatians.

Galatians is written well into Paul's ministry and we not only see his fire for Jesus, but his personal conviction for his mission strengthening. It is in his pure and unwavering "belief" in his own intestinal fortitude for his cause that we find Paul's fire.

Galatians provides an example of his commitment. We get a very clear picture of this in Galatians 2:1-2 as Paul begins by saying, "Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain."

Most of us in our careers work on "perfecting" our craft. We climb the corporate ladder. We work toward promotion after promotion. Management, not front-line employees. If we are in a partnership structure, being named as a partner is when we feel we have "arrived."

As is the case most times, there are exceptions. Research scientists provide us with an excellent example. There are those that will spend their entire careers working on a cure for a specific type of cancer. Or, how about those who will study a specific ecology, perhaps within a very remote part of the world, attempting to answer a question that has driven their hypotheses that they will stop at nothing to prove; in hopes of coming to an understanding, and thus provide meaning to their work.

Jerusalem was one of Paul's "first stops," on his personal mission to spread the gospel. And in Galatians 2:1-2, we see him return. Keep in mind that it has been fourteen years since he first "took up his sword" for Christ. We see that he has kept his commitment, not strayed from his belief or his commitment, and has returned for a divine and specific purpose.

Who does he come to? It says in verse 2 that Paul went immediately to the "esteemed leaders." I think that is something important to note. While God has time and time again used ordinary people to do extraordinary things, Paul went to the leaders.

It seems prudent to believe, although it does not say, that some of the leadership upon his return were there when Paul began his witness for Christ and the gospel story fourteen years earlier. Paul felt that it was extremely important to measure his impact. Was he running a solid race? Where was the impact, and was an impact, in fact, being made?

In Galatians 2:6-7, we see Paul's answer concerning his own "effectiveness" measure. "As for those who were held in high esteem - whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism - they added nothing to my message. On the contrary, they recognized I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the uncircumcised."

From this passage, we gather that Paul was there to retrace his steps with a purpose. Going back to verse 2, we read that Paul was there "in response to a revelation." We have all had our "a-ha" moments, but did we press on in continuation of our primary goal? Paul's was divine, but are our own revelations more often new, and then not too long afterward, fleeting?

Paul found that his message was clearly not as effective as he had hoped. He saw many turning back to their old ways.

Paul writes in Galatians 4:8-16, "Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God - or rather are known by God - how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. 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. Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

I can see the fire in Paul's eyes as he is saying this. Belief. Conviction. Commitment. Desire. Intestinal fortitude. All of these attributes are present in the passage above. I love the representative personification in his personal belief of his mission when he writes in verse 15, stating, "if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me."

He desired that the people of Galatia not only hear his mission, his presentation of the gospel, but to take on his belief. Turn their eyes away from false prophets and gods. And if not, lend there eyes to Paul so they might have the proper perspective. Paul would help them see, and see for them if they were not able; blind to the truth of his teaching.

I think it appropriate to make a bold claim:  Paul's mission as a "Man on Fire" for Christ is perhaps best represented in Philippians 3:7-9. Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians, "But whatever gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith."

We should all be so lucky, as to find something that we would forfeit all human gains in our belief in our personal mission; for Christ!