The Blue Church

The Story: Paul, Peter, and The Joy Stealers                         After God had revealed the gospel to Paul (Galatians 1:11, 12), He again reveals that Paul is to go to Jerusalem, for the express purpose of cross-checking His gospel with what the Jerusalem apostles proclaimed. Paul was not called on the carpet, but on the contrary, went voluntarily, and he did not go alone. He brought a Gentile with him.               Significantly, the Gentile, Titus is not required to be initiated into the nation Israel by covenant sign. The “real brothers” accepted this, but there were “false brothers” who observed the whole thing with the intention of undoing this progress, and persuading all Jesus followers to keep the Law. All was settled when the Jerusalem apostles extended full fellowship to Paul and blessed his mission to the Gentiles, as they had gone to the Jews.               Or so Paul thought! When Peter and others were on Paul’s home turf (Gentile Antioch, in Syria), they were eating and drinking with the Gentiles. But when some other Jerusalem leaders joined them, they quickly withdrew, and stopped fellowship with the “unclean” Gentiles!               Paul calls Peter out on his hypocrisy, creating quite the stir, point-ing out that Peter had STOPPED “living like a Jew” (keeping kosher and observing the cleanliness laws, Acts 10!), only to revert when pressured.               This narrative is key because it illustrates perfectly the tension felt by both Jews and Gentiles as they struggled to deal with their new-found freedom in Christ. Freedom brings responsibility and requires courage.   Freedom Principle #3:The Good News of Jesus Christ frees                         us by erasing the Jew/Gentile distinction.