Messages from God
If we think God has spoken to us directly,
we must always verify our experiences
by consulting the Scriptures
and other mature Christian leaders.
Here's Gene:
This Principle actually relates
to Paul's unique calling.
And we've already seen
he's had a unique calling from God--
as an apostle.
And more specifically,
his unique experiences as an apostle.
And he's going to recall these experiences.
Not to justify himself or to brag or be defensive.
But he's concerned about these people.
And people, or leaders there
in these communities, are calling Paul a liar.
He's not a true apostle. He's deceived you.
And so Paul is verifying his authority
that came, of course, from God himself.
Not by man or men--but a calling from God.
And so he refers to this in Galatians 1:11 and 12:
For I want you to know, brothers
and sisters, that the gospel
preached by me is not of human origin. ...
I didn't get it from man.
I didn't get it from men.
I got it from God.
What God told me,
he'd already told the other apostles.
And they verified that.
But he's saying: I didn't learn this
from the apostles, the others.
I learned it from God.
...For I did not receive it from a human source
and I was not taught it [namely by other men]...
I wasn't taught it by other apostles
who had walked with Jesus.
...but it came by revelation of Jesus Christ.
Now at this point, he really feels like
he needs to explain his Jewish roots.
Because, who are the religious leaders
that are leading these people astray?
His fellow Jews. Who were just like him.
Who are just like him--like he used to be. So he says:
For you've heard about
my former way of life in Judaism:
I intensely persecuted God's church
and tried to destroy it. ...
And in essence, the implication is:
just like some in those churches
or in those communities
are trying to do to the churches in Galatia.
When they heard these words
they'd understand what he's talking about:
I was one of you.
In fact, in another place he said:
I was worse than you.
I was the worst of sinners.
So I'm speaking out of experience, he's saying.
...I advanced in Judaism
beyond many contemporaries among my people,
because I was extremely zealous
for the traditions of my ancestors.
So much so, that he was responsible
for Stephen's death--stoning.
And other Christians.
And he was on his way to Damascus
from Jerusalem to take Christians
into custody. To bring them back
and put them in prison in Jerusalem.
And that's when he had his encounter.
So he goes on to share his conversion
and his calling. He says:
But when God, who from my mother's womb
set me apart and called me by [what?]
his grace...
I didn't deserve it.
I was killing Christians--imprisoning them.
And God intervened.
And he said: That's God's grace.
I didn't deserve that.
...called me by his grace,
was pleased to reveal his Son in me,
so that I could preach him among the Gentiles,
I did not immediately consult with anyone.
And this is interesting
because he goes on to say
that people were afraid of him.
Even Ananias who was supposed
to meet with him. And said to the Lord:
He's killing Christians.
And God said to Ananias: No,
that's not the reason you shouldn't meet with him.
You need to meet with him
because I've called him to be an apostle.
And so after that event in Acts 9:15:
[But] the Lord said to him,
"Go, for this man is my chosen instrument
to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites.
Paul is sharing his experience
to defend his apostleship against these people
who are trying to convince these people
they had to keep the law,
and also calling Paul a liar--a deceiver.
So he goes on to say:
I did not go up to Jerusalem to those
who had become apostles before me; ...
People like Peter, and James, and John,
and the other apostles.
...instead I went to Arabia
and [then I] came back to Damascus. ...
We don't know where Arabia was particularly,
but some actually believe this was
in the Sinai region where God
first revealed the law to Moses
and to the Israelites.
And for three years Paul was there
under the tutelage of God himself.
In a sense, reprogramming him from all
that he had learned in his background
which had kept him from faith
and caused him to persecute Christians.
...Then after three years I did go
up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas,
[that is Peter] and I stayed with him fifteen days.
But I didn't see any of the other apostles
except James, the Lord's brother. ...
Who was the leader of the church in Jerusalem.
It's not James the brother of John
because he's already been martyred
for the cause of Christ.
...I declared in the sight of God:
I am not lying in what I write to you.
Which tells us they called him a liar.
And he's defending that.
He goes on to say, in verifying his apostleship:
Then after fourteen years I went up
again to Jerusalem with Barnabas...
And this probably was that meeting
in Acts chapter 15, when they went
up to Jerusalem for the law of grace controversy,
to deal with that.
...taking Titus along also.
I went up according to a revelation
[and] presented to them the gospel
I preach among the Gentiles,
but privately to those recognized
as leaders [that is to the apostles].
I wanted to be sure I was not running,
and had not been running, in vain. ...
And that's a very significant statement.
Even though Paul said:
I had these experiences on the road to Damascus--
the bright shining light, the voice of the Lord
who came to me and said:
Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?
And Jesus said: I'm Jesus--
you're persecuting me.
He had these incredible experiences.
But he was being attacked.
And he says, in essence: I need to make sure
that I'm not crazy. That I'm not
going in a direction here
that's just something that is
a part of what I think that I'm supposed to do.
And so that verification was very important,
even for the apostle Paul.
And then he goes on to say:
...But not even Titus, [there in Jerusalem,]
who was with me, was compelled
to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.
. . . When James, Cephas, and John--
those recognized as Pillars--
acknowledged the grace
that had been given to me,
they gave the right hand of fellowship
to me and Barnabas,
agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles
and they to the circumcised [to the Jews].
In other words, he's simply saying:
They verified that my calling was real.
And that my calling was especially
a ministry to the Gentiles.
So he is actually addressing these thoughts
to these people who are being influenced
by false teachers--like he was.
False rabbis--like he was.
In order to verify that he is an apostle
called by God to the Gentiles.
And at this point, it's legitimate to say:
What was his motive?
Well I think I've tried to explain that.
But my mind went back to 2nd Corinthians
where he spent a great deal of time
defending his apostleship.
And those of you who are in the study together
may remember what Paul said to the Corinthians.
He said: You have thought all along
that we were defending ourselves to you.
No.
In the sight of God, we are speaking in Christ.
And everything, dear friends,
is for building you up.
And we could take that verse
and lay it right into Galatians
because that's what he's doing.
Everything he's saying in defending himself
is to build up those saints and to protect them
from the wolves that entered that flock
and were beginning to destroy them.
That was his motive.
Now here's a point I want to mention:
We all have a calling in Christ.
In fact, Paul talks about that
in Ephesians when he says this:
Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord,
urge you [all of you] to live worthy
of the calling you have received...
And this takes us right back to the Principle.
So let me state the Principle:
If we think God has spoken to us directly,
we must always verify our experiences
by consulting the Scriptures
and other mature Christian leaders.
And here's what I'd like to say:
All of us who have salvation
have been called by God.
But there's a big difference
between being called by God,
after salvation, to become an apostle.
Apostle--that was unique.
And so Paul is describing experiences
that were unique for him,
as well as the other apostles.
So there's an important lesson here
that I'd like to just share with you:
Throughout church history and even today,
there are individuals who have claimed
to have personal encounters with God,
even receiving direct messages.
Have you met them?
Some reference Paul's experiences
to justify their own.
Unfortunately, this kind
of biblical interpretation
combined with subjective experiences
has led to religious cults
and serious doctrinal errors
within the broad Christian community.
Now, having said that,
God can reveal himself anytime he wants.
And there are stories today
of encounters with Jesus Christ.
But in those encounters, if you study it carefully,
they always point to Scripture.
Somewhere where they can learn
the Word of God.
That's verifiable through studies
of people who claim--
particularly in very pagan cultures--
to have encountered the Lord.
God can do that. There's no question about it.
But that relates primarily to salvation--
not to apostleship.
And we're dealing with a very unique situation
and Paul is describing that relationship.
The question is:
Why is it important to seek advice
from other mature Christians
regarding both our interpretation of Scripture
and our subjective experiences?
I remember meeting a lady one day
in a church. It was a pretty
experientially-oriented church, theologically.
And she came up to me after I had spoken.
And she just had gone through
a horrible divorce.
She had five kids.
And she said: Gene, I really believe
that God has spoken to me
and that he's calling me
to be a missionary in South America.
I said: Really?
Now I'm facing a very sensitive situation
because she's a very sincere individual.
And I walked her through, very carefully,
why that wouldn't fit with Scripture.
In the sense that God would not be calling her.
She wasn't qualified to be a missionary.
And also, Scripture says your family is first--
you've got to take care of them.
And most mission boards would
never accept her and send her there.
And I remember, after a very kind
and gentle conversation she said:
In other words, that's my thinking.
That's what I want to do.
I said: I think so.
And basically, what she was saying was
she had this false theology
which she emotionalized,.
And in essence used it as: This was the escape
from all the pain and suffering
that she was going through.
You see how Satan can really deceive us
if we don't understand the unique calling
that we see described here, as well as
the way in which God works in all of our lives.
And that's why this Principle,
which let me just restate again
so you understand what we're saying:
If we think God has spoken to us directly...
I'm not saying he can't but it's unusual.
But if you think so:
...we must always verify our experiences
by consulting the Scriptures...
Because anything that contradicts
the Scriptures is not from God.
And there are a lot of people
who claim to have experiences
that are not in harmony with Scripture.
...and [of course also consulting]
other mature Christian leaders.
I believe that Principle emerges
from what Paul is sharing here
with the Galatians.