Galatians 2:14 Face to face? Huh, me?

Good morning everyone! God is good all the time, all the time God is good. TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!

Things happen, innocently or intentionally, but things do happen. Yesterday, entitled hypocrite, comes to mind that is probably you, me, and others. What did Paul do?

Galatians 2:14 "When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, 'Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?'"

When Paul observed or heard of a wrong he confronted Peter. Paul saw that Peter, the leader of the church, was acting like a hypocrite. He knew better, yet he was driven by fear of what James and the others would think. Do you do this? Act differently because you are afraid of what people will think? If you are doing God's work, following God's will - then WHY?

Proverbs 29:25 "Fearing people is a dangerous trap."

Peter knew he had to confront Peter before his actions damaged the church. So, Paul publicly opposed Peter. Please note that Paul did not go to the other leaders, nor did he write letters to the churches telling them not to follow Peter's example.
Instead, he opposed Peter face to face. Sometimes sincere Christians, even Christian leaders, make mistakes. It may take other sincere Christians to get them back on track. If you are convinced that someone is doing harm to himself/herself or the church, try the direct approach. There is no place for backstabbing in the body of Christ.

Think about this in your Christian walk, your work walk, your family walk; do you face a person doing wrong face to face or do you go around telling others and causing damage? It is up to you - let the Spirit lead? Or, let your hypocritical side lead? Oh, LORD, please let me be strong and go face to face in Christian love to correct a wrong that either I or they have done. Thank you Jesus.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny