“Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ & God the Father, who raised him from the dead— & all the brothers & sisters with me, To the churches in Galatia…”
Have you ever noticed that Paul started most of his letters in the same manner? Not only with his name, but with the title given to him by the Lord. It can be so easy to skim over the first [& last] part of the letters in the New Testament because they do all start & end very similarly. However, there is a powerful purpose behind such chosen wording.
As I spent time studying the letter of Galatians & letting God bring revelation, it became clear that Paul was specifically addressing his audience by first confirming his appointment. There are certainly two distinct groups of believers today; the first always slap a title next to their name to promote a type of ministry, the second avoid putting any title for fear of claiming a ministry!
I believe it is essential that we know, understand, & step in faith into the ministry & title God gives us. For some, it might be ‘teacher’, for others it may be ‘apostle’. Whatever the Lord has spoken over your life, that is the measure of authority He has entrusted to you. By avoiding using the title the Lord gave, you are avoiding using the God given platform He desires for you to be delegated.
“Paul, an apostle – [to the gentiles]” ….and what about you?
Read previous commentary on Galatians: An introduction
Read next commentary on Galatians 1:3-5
