"To the congregations of Galatia," Galatians 1:2.
To whom? To the people who had heard the preaching of Jesus' gospel. Yes, and who, in consequence, believed in God truly and changed their lives for Christ. Yes, and who, baptized into Christ, got dressed with Christ. Yes, and who received God's Spirit. Yes, and who congregated together into a body of Christ-followers. (What's with Galatia? it's a region where Paul had already announced the gospel, and now the apostle's writing a follow-up letter - nowadays we call it central Turkey.) Should they pay attention to what this messenger from Jesus writes? (Well, duh!) What's the message? This: God sends his grace and his peace to them. This reminder: the Lord Jesus gave himself for their sins to save them from the present evil age. He, too, sends them generosity and peace.
Hearing the same message from God and his Christ also to us, we visit with a brother or sister today. And, together, we bless God's bounty through Jesus Christ our Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment