DISPATCHED

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead—and all the brothers and sisters with me.

Galatians 1:1-2

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today, we are shifting from Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth to his writing to the church in Galatia and the Christians there referred to as the Galatians.

Galatia is located in what we know as central Turkey today and Paul visited there during his first missionary journey around 48 AD (Acts 13 and 14). In Galatia, Paul planted churches in the cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe before returning to Antioch in Syria. It’s believed he wrote the letter to the Galatians around 49 AD which would make it the first of all his letters in the New Testament.

Why did Paul write this letter shortly after he departed the Galatia region?

Because there were other missionaries who showed up after he departed who tried to convince the new Christians that they needed to continue to adhere to elements of Jewish law in order to be saved, the same problem we read Paul addressing in Corinth in Second Corinthians. As we go through the study of this epistle, we will want to be looking for Paul addressing this issue but today, our focus is on the opening two verses of Galatians, verses that Paul uses to make sure the Galatians know why he was a missionary apostle and how he ended up establishing their churches. Look again at his words here:

Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead—and all the brothers and sisters with me. Galatians 1:1-2

As you study Paul’s letters, you will find that they had a set format.

First, he identifies himself and then the audience he is writing to before launching into a greeting and often an associated prayer before getting into the main body and what he wanted to convey. He would then wrap up the letter with a closing that often would serve as a benediction of sorts.

Today, we find Paul identifying himself as the writer and specifically, an apostle, before making it clear that he wasn’t doing his Gospel-sharing work on his own volition. Rather, Paul had been appointed and sent by Jesus and His Father God, the God who resurrected His Son from the dead.

In other words, Paul had been dispatched on a holy mission to help others find salvation through Christ, a salvation offer created by God out of love for all people, love that would not allow them to perish in their sins.

Why was this important?

Because the Galatians had to know right up front that Paul was there at the will of God and Jesus, and if they were sending their apostle there, it was for good reason and the church had better pay attention and heed what Paul had to say.

Today, servants such as pastors and missionaries are still being dispatched by the Lord to carry out His purposes and share His messages with leading people to salvation still the main objective. And Jesus dispatched all His followers, past and present, to go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing by way of the Holy Trinity, and teaching others to obey everything that He commanded.

Like Paul, as we minister to others, we should ensure they know that we are sharing the Gospel because the Lord has called and dispatched us to do so. As in all things, the primary focus and glorification needs to be on the sender and not on the one sent.

Tomorrow, we take a look at Paul’s greeting to the Galatian church.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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