Partners and Fellows - October 20

Read Galatians 2:9-10 

…and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Only, they asked me to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. 

Reflect 

How are today’s verses an example of how different Christian ministries, organizations, and individual churches should interact with each other? 

If you’ve ever watched a home remodeling show, you know the importance of structural support systems. It seems like in every episode I’ve seen, a homeowner is planning to knock out a wall but finds out in the nick of time that the wall they wanted to remove is load bearing. They often have to put in an overhead beam or leave a support post in place to carry the load. If they don’t, they run the risk of the house collapsing on top of them. 

When you think of ancient architecture, especially in Greece or Rome, pillars probably come to mind as a key feature. These very visible and often ornate columns provided support for ancient structures, some of which are still standing tall among ruins today. 

In the early church, Peter (Cephas), John, and James (the brother of Jesus) were considered by many to be pillars of the church. They were key figures used by God to support the building up of His church. But they weren’t the only men the Lord used to take His Gospel to the rest of the world. Another example of a pillar of the early church is Paul himself.  

Remember, in this passage of Scripture, Paul isn’t disparaging Peter, James, and John in the slightest. Rather, he is defending himself against the false claims of the Judaizers that Paul is not a legitimate apostle. The Judaizers must have been name-dropping “the three pillars” to support their accusations against Paul, as if Peter, James, and John agreed that Paul was a false teacher.  

They didn’t think Paul was a false teacher, of course. The Judaizers were actually the false teachers! Furthermore, these three pillars in Jerusalem were in doctrinal agreement with Paul. Once they “perceived the grace given” to Paul and discerned that he was a true believer in Christ, they linked arms in fellowship with him.  

Peter, James, and John recognized that they were in the same league as Paul but they were called to serve on different mission fields. Paul wasn’t a false apostle. He was a partner with the apostolic pillars of the early church and an apostle in his own right. Paul had been called and appointed by Christ to go primarily to the Gentiles and they had been called to go primarily to the Jews. They preached the same Gospel and had the same goal—to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. They considered each other partners and co-laborers for the Gospel. They didn’t ask Paul to change a single aspect of his doctrine, they just reminded him of an important practical application. They urged him to remember the poor, just as their Lord had commanded, and Paul affirmed that he was eager to do that.  

In Christ, all of us are supposed to interact with other believers the way the pillars of the early church interacted with each other. Even if we are involved in different ministries or attend different churches! In Christ, we have all received the same grace, we should all be united around His Word, and we have all been given the same mission—go make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not all called to the same mission field but we should view our fellow Christians as our partners, not our competitors. Like the pillars of the early church did with Paul, let’s be ready to extend the “right hand of fellowship” to all of the genuine believers in our circles. 

Respond  

Lord, as You prayed in John 17:21, help us to be one in You so that the world may believe in You. Help me to engage and interact with my fellow believers as my partners in the mission that You have given us. Amen. 

Reply Partnership and unity in the church often begin in small, personal ways. This week, think of another believer or ministry in your community that you don’t normally interact with—maybe a nearby church, a parachurch organization, or even a friend who serves God differently than you do. Reach out with a simple gesture of encouragement: send a note thanking them for the way they’re serving, volunteer to help with one of their outreach efforts, or invite them to share a meal and talk about what God is doing through their ministry. Instead of seeing them as “someone else’s team,” look for common ground and shared purpose. When you choose to extend the right hand of fellowship, even in quiet ways, you help build a stronger, more united body of Christ that reflects His grace to a watching world.