Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing. And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile. Even that question came up only because of some so-called believers there—false ones, really—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you. And the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.) Instead, they saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews. For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles. In fact, James, Peter, and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews. Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do.
Galatians 2:1-10 NLT
Godly leadership greatly matters. Paul had stated clearly that his message was fromJesus and not dependent on the Jerusalem leaders, but he still had respect for their Christ-given leadership and authority. He went to Jerusalem to talk with them and make sure they were preaching the same message of truth. Titus was not circumcised (and the Galatian Christians didn't need to be either). There were, however, those that ignored the message of Christ and the authority of the leaders – they were the ones going around saying that Gentile Christians needed to be circumcised in order to be saved. Paul was faithful to Christ and respectful of the leaders and authority that Christ had put in place. At the same time, he strongly opposed the false teaching that these misguided Jewish Christians were spreading.
God put leaders and authority figures in our lives, and it is important to be respectful of them. While Jesus calls everyone to a personal relationship, He also calls us to community and to follow godly leaders. The ultimate authority is the Lord (Matt 28:18), yet we also submit to those in authority over us. When we have authority, we lead with integrity. These verses are a great example of how to follow Christ above all while still submitting to godly leaders. Take some time to reflect on how you can do this.
Who are the leaders and authority figures in your life, and how can you show them respect? Who are the people in your life that you have authority over? How can you make sure you lead with integrity and respect them?
