The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 4 May 2019 – Authenticity of the Gospel of Christ
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TOPIC: Beware Of False Brethren
READ: GALATIANS 2:1-10 New King James Version (NKJV)
- Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me.
- And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain.
- Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
- And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage),
- to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
- But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me.
- But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter
- (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles),
- and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
- They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.
THE MESSAGE:
Just as it was in the time of Paul, there are mixed-multitudes in the Church today.
These false brethren profess to know God, but they deny Him by their deeds. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good deed, rebellious, burdened with sin, ever learning yet never able to know the truth (2 Timothy 3:7).
Our reading today tells us that Paul didn’t yield to their demands nor did he compromise his faith. He maintained the truth of the gospel by refusing to yield to their influence.
The intention of these false brethren is to bring us into bondage, thereby hindering us from finishing our heavenly race. We find them everywhere today: in the Church, in the society, in our families, and even among our ministers. Watch out and beware of them. They are faithless, compromisers; members of the synagogue of Satan (Revelation 2:9), enemies of the gospel and men and women of counterfeit faith. By their fruits, we shall know them.
Brethren, we can overcome them by studying the word of God and meditating on it so that we will be well-rooted and grounded as the word dwells richly in us. We must never yield to the craftiness of these false brethren.
Prayer: Lord, please deliver us from the evil nets of false brethren; help us to finish this race strongly in Jesus Name.
