Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

23 September 2025

Reading From Galatians 2

“(For he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 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 us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”

—Galatians 2:8-10

     God works in us and through us to accomplish His will upon the Earth.  His sons and daughters are conduits, vessels through which His love, grace and power flow through and into our present reality of time and space in the fallen world we live currently live in.  We are tools in His hands to build His Kingdom. 

     Paul spent time with the early churches after he had been born again and as he was with them, he noticed that James, Cephas and John seemed to be pillars in the faith community.  They did not introduce themselves as the pillars, others did not call them pillars.  The influence that the Holy Spirit had upon them and through them was simply naturally recognized. The emphasis was not placed on titles or positions, but rather how the Spirit flowed in and through and anointed the Lord’s ministry through them.

     James and Cephas and John had the poor as a high priority.  So high that they made special mention of taking care of those less fortunate to the newer apostles Paul and Barnabas.  It is to be my priority and the priority of my modern day brothers and sisters to show practical compassion to those living in poverty.  We need to provide for not only their immediate needs, but to provided long term solutions and spiritual provision to them as well.  The Gospel is a message for body, mind and spirit; Good News for the whole man, the whole woman.

“Lord Jesus, thank You for Your goodness and mercy to me and to those in Your eternal family.  I ask that You fill Your children to overflowing with Your love, Your grace and the anointing oil of Your Holy Spirit.  Empower us to do Your work upon the Earth.  As we work together, open our eyes to the special gifts and talents that You have blessed others with in our communities of faith and remind us to appreciate them for the special work You do through them, but also remind us Lord to serve with humility and grace.  I pray that we as a people would be known for our generosity, that we would share the abundance You have blessed us with both spiritually and temporally.  In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray these things.  Amen.”

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

—Galatians 2:15-21