Unity in Christ Part III
It is better to take steps of faith as a child of God and miss it once in a while, that will serve as a learning process, than to play safe all your life and miss the blessings that comes by taking steps of faith. Our scriptural focus for today states – But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. {Gal 2: 11 – 12 NLT}
Apostle Paul was a man that held the other Apostles in high esteem, especially Apostles James, Peter and John that were the pillars of the early church. His respect for Apostle Peter did not stop him from opposing him when it came to defending the gospel of Christ. That Apostle Peter was one of the leaders of the early church did not insulate him from making a mistake that would have destroyed the faith of the Gentile Christian’s. He was afraid of standing up for the unity of the body of Christ. Leadership demands standing up for the truth at all times and in any situation.
We must not be Christians who are afraid of being criticized or being misunderstood by those who do not understand the gospel of grace. We must not choose to be hypocritical in our behaviour or turn a blind eye to the truth in order to go with the crowd and defeat the purpose of Christ. Like Apostle Paul let’s learn to politely stand up for the truth of the gospel of Christ. Do not be afraid of men to the point of choosing to live a lie in order to please them rather fear God whose purpose you have a mandate to protect here on earth.
Defend the unity of the body of Christ.
Have a Grace filled day – Good News awaits you.
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Last modified: July 11, 2016
