This world, this present age, seems to be upended. War, disease, social unrest and personal struggle are all present. There is immense suffering.

I firmly believe in the supreme adequacy of Scripture. These inspired words are timeless. Yes, they do not describe every situation and circumstance, nor are they intended to be a sort of user manual. Instead, scripture contains deep truths and ancient wisdom that serve to illuminate our life and living. The bible is immeasurably rich.

One of the most prolific writers of early Christianity was a man named Paul. He wrote 13 letters, or epistles. Before this, he was considered one of the most zealous of Jewish leaders in a order called Pharisee. This group particularly sought to protect Jewish law and custom by any means. When Jesus came to live among man in humble form, it was the Pharisees you may recall that had him crucified. Jesus embodied what Pharisees appeared to despise. They had no place in their law to understand Jesus of Nazareth.

The Jewish people had become the custodians, or stewards of the earliest promises, or blessings of Gods covenant. Since Noah’s ark God had set aside a portion of humanity, a thread, that he would use to redeem the world. More clearly defined in Abraham, then Jacob whom he would call Israel. And then Moses and the Hebrews of Egypt. This tree grew magnificent branches. Then after war and civil war, his remnant planted in Judea, His people became the Jews. And when it pleased God in the fullness of time, that promised root of Jesse, Jesus the promised messiah was born into an hour of dead religion and Roman occupation.

And now, in Christ, salvation burst forth in all consuming light, eradicating the siege of darkness. The powers, rules and authorities of this evil age pushed further to their own looming judgement. As the captives, God’s people, no matter their race or heritage, became freedmen.  The early body of believers, the diverse church, began meeting in homes, forming deep communities that transcended their former creeds, culture or religion.

But persecution continued. The Roman authorities, and the Jewish zealots, tried to snuff out the movement. There was immense suffering. There needed to be even greater hope. Greater spiritual resilience and power. Greater love. 

At this time Paul wasn’t Paul at all. His name was Saul. And yes, to the Pharisees he was a strong and pious leader. To the early Church, especially in the days after Christ returned to His heavenly throne, Saul was a religious terrorist.

He sought to judge, and in so, had many from this the earliest of Christian movement, imprisoned and even killed. 

You may recall Stephen. Who cried before the Lord as the angry mob stoned him to death. Saul stood by, as they laid their coats at his feet. Proudly he approved and in truth thought there was none more righteous. Saul led the war against The Way, this new and growing movement of Jesus followers that formed the early church. Their weapons to resist such warfare? Well…. we will get to that.

Everything changed when Saul met Jesus.

As the story in Acts retells, Saul was confronted by none other than Christ himself on the road to a city called Damascus. He was stricken with blindness and sent to the mercy of the very people he so violently persecuted. They received him, and with his vision restored and heart full of repentance, he saw more clearly than ever. Christ, the cross, the resurrection, the way. He was wrong about it all. He knew this as much as he relied on God for his next breath. He was changed, and with that became a catalyst for the greatest movements of God’s love in all of history.

We call this the gospel. The good news. And Saul, in his new life as Paul, became an incredible ambassador to the non Jewish world. He laid down his own war effort, and took up arms in the true kingdom of God.

Paul pinned many letters to the churches he started, including his letter to the Galatians. These gentiles were Celtic people called Gauls who settled in the area of Galatia, what we now know as Turkey. They were, like most Celts, incredibly tribal, strong and staunchly pagan in their synchronized religious practices.

The gospel was ground breaking in this new frontier but it needed to be guarded. The Jewish community wanted the Galatians to still follow Jewish laws and customs and have faith in Jesus. The would be the main body of work for Paul. Through this letter he argues insatiably for salvation through grace alone by faith alone. He was the perfect man to reach them, calling himself the most zealous and pious Jew to ever live. He abandoned all of it for Jesus. 

If we can learn anything from Paul, we can learn how God redeems our past to impact the world and bring Himself glory. Not by law, or work, but through freedom in Christ.

As I walk through Galatians, I hope to highlight two key ideas:

The War

Every human ever exists in this tension of flesh and spirit. This is as much a personal war, as it is a present war. You, yourself, have a battle you must fight. Your flesh and spirit are in conflict. But the war is not just for you or about you. There is a much greater war of flesh and spirit that is occurring all around you. The very kingdom of Satan and powers of darkness are also in conflict to the Kingdom of God and His heavenly host. We must be sober minded to understand this multidimensional war, and to actively fight for our own part, through the most practical and intentional means.

The Weapons

If what I said above was true, then certainly God would be quick to give us what we need to stand against the schemes of His enemies, and to make His grace known through the gospel. Certainly, these weapons would be available to not only fight the internal war, but the external as well. We must seek to understand how Paul instructed the Galatians to employ these ancient weapons, to have not only spiritual victory in an unseen realm, but very real experiential victory in our lives, families, churches and communities. We can also see as a manner of demonstration how Paul employed weapons in his ministry and life.

The war in and around us, and the weapons we are armed with have great implications for our personal spiritual formation and well being as well as how we engage our daily life and those around us. I pray this series will be incredibly tangible and helpful for you and your own ministry.

Peace be with you.