Reflect: When was the last time you were challenged and felt yourself undermined? Did you ask yourself some version of, “Am I strong enough? Am I smart enough?” What did the experience do to your self-confidence? How do these questions reveal our underlying heart attitudes about what we value and what we really rely upon?
Read Galatians 2:1-10. To get your bearings, it may help to reconstruct the story Paul is telling here into a timeline. (Leaders: You may also want to review Acts 15 for another telling of the events.)
What was the situation regarding circumcision for Timothy or Titus? Why was Titus’s situation unique enough to make it what Ryan called a “test case”? Was Paul a hypocrite for treating these two men differently? What was it a test case of?
What were the “spies” in verses 3 and 4 after? What did they despise about Paul’s teaching? How have you seen Christian freedom attacked by fellow Christians? What standards have you been tempted to add to the formula, “Christ + _____________”?
Paul says “God does not show favoritism”; who was? How? In light of this, explain why the Titus situation is so important to Paul?
What does the phrase “living below your privileges” mean? How can you apply it this week?
What different callings do the people in today’s text have? Did these callings have a unifying, or a divisive effect? Why?
Why does Paul find it significant to record that he and Barnabas received the right hand of fellowship? How does that add to our understanding of whether the gospel holds water?
Ryan said the test of the gospel is whether it holds the weight of your needs, hopes, fears, etc.: Does it? How so? And how does today’s text reinforce that?
Finally, reassess your initial reflection in light of this discussion.
