ASLC Devotions - Friday

Galatians 2:10 They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was^* eager to do.

Paul spends chapter 2 recounting a summit that he had with Jesus' disciples who had grown into the leaders of the early church. They talked about the basics of the faith and what each of them preached, and found that they agreed. They found that the Holy Spirit had called Paul to spread the good news of God in Christ to the uncircumcised (the non-Jewish) world, and that God had called Peter to lead the effort to preach to the Jews. So they agreed to go their separate ways and directions, knowing that the one God and the one Spirit was present in each of their ministries. And then there was the closing reminder.

Remember the poor. That's what they agreed was essential that both groups do. Paul, in converting the Gentiles, was given the freedom to proclaim the Gospel a little bit differently than those preaching to Jews. And vice versa. They all agreed that differences in how the Gospel was proclaimed didn't make them enemies or servants of a different Gospel. The one thing they all agreed they both needed to do was to care for the poor. That was the uniting factor.

We live in a divided world and a divided church. When we remember the poor together, we proclaim our unity.

In Christ,
Pastor Seth


Remember to join us this Sunday before the big game: 9 am Education Hour, 10 am ONE worship service, 11 am Congregational Meeting with lunch to follow.