Not After Man

Today, we pick up our study in Galatians 1:11-12 where it says, “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Paul is reminding them that the gospel message he preached did not come from men, but God. In other words, he got it directly from God. As you may remember, after Paul’s conversion experience in Acts 9, he tells the Galatians, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days” (Galatians 1:15-18). In other words, he didn’t immediately go and ask others what they thought or felt about Jesus Christ. Instead, he went out into the wilderness and spent time with God to receive the message of who Jesus Christ was for himself.

It should be the same for you and me as well. Yes, we need to seek the counsel of others at times. However, sometimes we just need to wait on the Lord to see what He would have us to do. The Bible says in Isaiah 30:21 in regards to decisions in our lives, “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” Simply put, our friends and family do not have all of the answers all of the time. There are situations in life that only you and God can sort out.

I believe that we are far too quick to seek counsel from people who really are not qualified to give it to us. A lady came into my office one day and said that she had already watched Ophra and Dr. Phill but they could not help her with her problem. Sadly, the church was her last resort. God should have been her first.