Read Galatians 4:12-20

Vs. 12 “Brothers…” personal again. (vs. 19 “my little children”)

I “entreat” you…

child – tell w authority, teen – convince / persuade, adult – try to win freely.

“entreat” or “beg”

Argue, debate, discuss, influence, beg, persuade, coerce, compel, force.

“Become as I am for I as you”

Paul always willing to change his cultural distinctives, preferences, likes, dislikes, those that aren’t essential… for those whom he is trying to win to Jesus Christ.

1 Cor. 9:19-23

19For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

1 Cor. 9:19-23 19 Porque aunque soy libre de todos, de todos me he hecho esclavo para ganar al mayor número posible. 20 A los “Spanish” me hice como “Spanish”, para ganar a los judíos; a los que están bajo la ley, como bajo la ley (aunque yo no estoy bajo la ley) para ganar a los que están bajo la ley; 21 a los que están sin ley, como sin ley (aunque no estoy sin la ley de Dios, sino bajo la ley de Cristo) para ganar a los que están sin ley. 22 A los débiles me hice débil, para ganar a los débiles; a todos me he hecho todo, para que por todos los medios salve a algunos. 23 Y todo lo hago por amor del evangelio, para ser partícipe de él.

1 Cor. 9:19-23 (to the Arabs I became as an Arab) 19فاني اذ كنت حرا من الجميع استعبدت نفسي للجميع لاربح الاكثرين. 20فصرت لليهود كيهودي لاربح اليهود. وللذين تحت الناموس كاني تحت الناموس لاربح الذين تحت الناموس. 21وللذين بلا ناموس كاني بلا ناموس. مع اني لست بلا ناموس الله بل تحت ناموس للمسيح. لاربح الذين بلا ناموس. 22صرت للضعفاء كضعيف لاربح الضعفاء . صرت للكل كل شيء لاخلّص على كل حال قوما. 23وهذا انا افعله لاجل الانجيل لاكون شريكا فيه.

Instead of ‘assimilating’ peoples into our culture, politics, preferences, and styles,… we should bring ‘diversity into unity’ by 1st becoming like them!

When beginning to witness… or beginning to build rapport… do you rush to tell them things…. To you talk…. Do you ask questions only to get to your answers….

Or do you ask to truly “get to know” this person… do you ask to let them “speak” first… are you “slow to listen”….

And then maybe finally… after they hear… see… even feel…. “your personhood”…. They may ask for the opp for you to share… or you might can walk across that bridge without them ever feeling threatened by it.

Asian woman owner,… daughter… asks about mommy,… I know I’ll be in there 50 time in 2 years…. Built rapport… invited while back… knows I’m a pastor… really got to ask her again the other day…

Got to ask old gentlemen… who was looking to chat… he asked me about my big book… I asked about his home, his family, and was able to tell him I was studying the book of Galatians.

I was sitting eating with Butch… great time just to fellowship… took him a bit of a while to figure out if I was in the program … or one of the ministry helpers… we talked flat out about Jesus….

Took some missionary kids home the other day… got to ask goofy questions about killing turkeys… eating broccoli… and then life as missionaries in the Philippines and reverse evangelism…

In the midst of approaching death… comfort and fear came up… and I was able to clearly speak of my confidence in the one who is able to hold us securely as we trust in him in the face of the unknown.

What about you? Do you see the opps God puts before you all the time? Are you responding with gentle gloves… as if you really are handling something extremely valuable… but yet you are indeed handling it.

John Stott “In seeking to win other people for Christ, our end is to make them like us, while the means to that end is to make ourselves like them. If they are to become one with us in Christian conviction and experience, we must first become one with them in Christian compassion.”

Vs. 13 “You did me know wrong (no injury)”….

Maybe there because of an illness in the first place… and at the least preaching to them with this illness…

No way to know what it was… hypothesis are: malaria from insect infested coastal regions so he came here to lower mountains to recoup; from physical abuse and mistreatment from preaching the Gospel in Lystra; thorn in the flesh 2 Cor. 12:7 ; eyes problems relating the self gouging in vs. 15 and 6:11.

Vs. 14 On the contrary… they accepted him… helped him… received his message of the Gospel… and received him as an “angel of God”… or messenger, as “Christ Jesus”.

As if they had clearly, purely heard the beauty of the Gospel as if from Christ himself. You know… we are to “be followers of Christ”… right….

“Christian” (Follower of the Christ, the anointed one, to adhere to Christ, as a slave.)

Paul is definitely receiving undue praise, or non-human equality with angels… this is the one that would count himself accursed if he could for his own people… one who considered all his previous “righteousness” as dung… the one who said “I am the chief of sinners”….

Paul is reporting the facts… but is again using it in his case to “entreat” and beg them…. To come back to their senses of the pure Gospel without the law.

Vs.15 Why have things now changed? What happened?

Have you ever been away from someone for a while… and then you found out “something” has changed.

Honestly… it has happened to me frequently. Simply because I was in a ministry position that over the years dealt with many teenagers,… growing, maturing, developing…. Active at youth group… or as vital leaders…

Then they graduate and go to college… or the military….

And some of them… not all of them…

When I run into them again later…. “something” has changed.

There is an obvious arm’s length distance.

It can personally be painful… I try not to express anything different…

In this verse is the possible reference to his infirmity maybe concerning his eyes…

Or maybe just a vivid example.. though a bit odd.

Vs. 16 Yes… indeed information has reached Paul that something is different in the relationship. Why would Paul ask if he had become their enemy. Man…. Before they would have done anything for him… because he brought the freedom of the grace of the Gospel in Jesus Christ… but now… some legalizers have come in… and obviously impressed them that Paul either was incomplete… or a false teacher… and that the Galatians were missing how to be obedient to the law.

And thus now Paul must ask if he has now become their enemy by telling them the truth… the truth about real freedom as sons… heirs… grace.

Or hopefully he is just pressing the point… that if you are swayed back to a law… the law… away from Grace… then you are making Paul an enemy yourselves.

Vs. 17 The legalizers are there to “make much of you”…

But it will not be for your good.

Literally… “They want to lock you up”, that you may make much of them.

Paul is thinking of the “law that locks us under sin” back to 3:22.

Their seeming zeal to show them the full truth in the obedience to the law… actually will lock the Galatians up in the curse yet again… and they will be beholden to these teachers of the law.. .instead of freedom in the life of Christ.

Vs. 18-19 “It is good to be made much of for a good purpose”… sure…. Zeal for good purposes is good…. But these legalizers aren’t doing that… they are doing the very opposite of everything that Paul is arguing for.

“Not only when I am with you”… paul’s implications… that his working with them was for a good purpose…

Paul uses this analogy only here… the idea of anguish in childbirth…

“my little children”… personal… loving…

“again” in the anguish of childbirth… over this issue of them turning to the law…

He is in anguish over this. Paul’s mixture of evangelism in converting… yet true care and concern as a mother… laboring now again over their retreat.

Christ is to be formed within them.

What about you? Is Christ being formed in you?

Vs. 20 We don’t know why Paul couldn’t go and be with them again at this time…. However… he wouldn’t change his teaching… but the way he could communicate this would be different. He could talk, listen, and not have to argue against these legalizers while carefully expressing his care for but sincere serious concern for the Galatians.

Just like today… if you are around someone all the time… you can be more choosy… tactical… sensitive… in your presentation of Christ.

If you are on a plane for one time in all of history… and the bridge has formed… you might have to walk boldly across it in love and in truth then and there.