I received two invitations to preach last Sunday in two of the biggest churches in Kota Kinabalu. God willing, I shall be teaching an intensive course in Ranau at the end of June. Yesterday I grabbed an hour plus writing my Galatians commentary. It is up to the place where Paul rebuked Peter publicly. Nowadays who dares do that to a top leader in the denomination?
But Paul, being Paul was relentless in fighting for the truth, even the truth of the Gospel. It was an act of separation that aroused Paul's ire over Peter and Paul knew what was at stake. If the church is not united by faith alone it is not united over anything. Peter in his error would have split the church between the circumcised Jews and the uncircumcised Gentiles. Paul would have none of that. Just like now people separate and segregate on the basis of vaccination. We need another Paul to rebuke those Peters in our midst, causing dissension and division and not upholding the truth of the Gospel. The Gospel accepts everyone, vaccinated or not, and they should sit together to worship the one God and Father. The only thing that unites the church is the faith of Jesus Christ. Anyone who puts on obtacles and hindrances is one who is to be avoided as he teaches doctrine contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 16). The sick comes to Jesus, the sick needs to be ministered to, not to be shunned if we believe in a God who heals and restores our souls and bodies.
No comments:
Post a Comment