Galatians 1:18

Letters to the Faithful - Galatians 1:18

Berean Standard Bible

Only after three years did I go up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days.

King James Bible

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

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To the beloved of God, sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints, to those scattered across cities and nations yet united in the one Body and one Spirit, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I write to you not with human wisdom or persuasion, but as one compelled by the love of Christ and the truth of the gospel, that you may be established in the faith and unmoved by every wind of doctrine. Our meditation today is drawn from Galatians 1:18, where the Apostle Paul writes with sobering clarity and humble precision: “Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.”

Beloved, though this verse may seem a mere historical detail to the casual reader, to the spiritually discerning it unfolds a rich tapestry of wisdom, humility, and divine preparation. Let us, therefore, consider what the Holy Spirit would say to the Church through this testimony of Paul’s journey—his timing, his waiting, his seeking, and his submission—not as a moment of personal reflection, but as a model for all who would serve Christ in truth.

Paul, having encountered the risen Lord on the road to Damascus, did not immediately consult with flesh and blood. He did not rush into public ministry or claim authority by association with the apostles. Rather, he withdrew for a time—a season marked not by passivity but by divine formation. It was three years before he went to Jerusalem. Three years of obscurity. Three years of silence to the watching world, but communion with the God who called him. This is not the path of the ambitious, but of the obedient. For the gospel is not built upon impulse, but on revelation received and tested in the secret place.

And when he finally did go to Jerusalem, it was not to present himself as equal, nor to demand recognition, but to visit Cephas—Peter—one of the original apostles, a man who had walked with Jesus in the flesh. Paul, though already an apostle by calling and commission from the Lord Himself, saw fit to seek out fellowship with one who had been appointed before him. He did not consider this unnecessary or beneath him. He spent fifteen days with Peter, and though the Scripture does not detail every word exchanged, we are left with the unmistakable impression that this was a time of mutual edification, of listening, and perhaps of learning.

Let this speak powerfully to us in a generation that often despises process and resists submission. Many today are eager to declare themselves teachers, apostles, or prophets before they have spent any time in the wilderness of waiting, before they have sat at the feet of seasoned saints, before they have been tested by time, trial, and truth. Yet Paul, the man caught up into the third heaven, saw the value of meeting with Peter—not to validate his own experience, but to honor the continuity and order of God's work in the Church.

There is wisdom here for every believer, and especially for those called into leadership. Do not despise the hidden season. Do not rush to be seen. Let the message be formed in you before you proclaim it from the mountaintop. Let the Holy Spirit write it not only on your lips but on your life. And when the time comes to step forward, do not go alone. Seek out fellowship with those whom God has placed in His Body as pillars—those who bear both scars and wisdom. Ministry is not a solitary endeavor; it is a communion. Paul and Peter did not always agree, but they shared in the same gospel and were accountable to the same Lord.

Also, see the humility in Paul's action. He did not go to Jerusalem demanding affirmation, nor did he assume superiority because of his unique conversion. He recognized the grace given to others and desired to be rightly joined with them. Too often, division arises in the Church because individuals refuse to yield to the wisdom of others, especially to those who have gone before. Yet the Body of Christ is built not only by revelation, but by relationship.

There is, too, a powerful witness in the length of Paul’s stay—fifteen days. Not a fleeting visit, but not a prolonged stay either. Long enough to fellowship, to share hearts, to listen, and perhaps to begin laying foundations of unity. How different would our churches and ministries be if we took even fifteen days to simply dwell with one another in humility, to listen instead of speak, to serve instead of promote, to understand rather than assume?

In a world obsessed with immediacy, Paul's patient obedience calls us back to divine rhythm. In a culture driven by image, his quiet journey to Jerusalem reminds us that God forms His vessels in secret. In a church fractured by pride and personality, his honoring of Peter teaches us that no calling exempts us from fellowship, respect, and unity.

Therefore, beloved, take heart if you are in a season of waiting. Be not discouraged if you are not yet recognized, for the Lord sees and knows how to bring forth His servants in due time. Prepare your heart in secret. Be faithful in the unseen place. And when the time is right, seek out those whom God has raised up—not for validation, but for fellowship. Let your calling be confirmed not only by divine encounter, but by shared life with the Body.

And to those who are further along the path—those like Peter—welcome those whom God is raising up. Do not withhold your wisdom. Share your scars, your lessons, your prayers. Remember that even Paul, mighty in revelation, sought the company of Cephas. Let your doors be open, and your words be seasoned with grace, for the next generation will be shaped not only by what they hear from heaven, but by what they see in you.

In all this, let Christ be glorified—the One who unites apostles and prophets, teachers and evangelists, old and young, Jew and Gentile, slave and free. Let there be no boasting in men, for the grace that calls is the grace that keeps. And let every step of our journey, whether in Arabia or Jerusalem, in obscurity or in influence, be marked by the same spirit of humility that led Paul to seek not only the face of Christ, but the fellowship of His Church.

To Him be glory in the Church throughout all generations, and may we be found faithful, formed, and rightly joined in the work He has entrusted to His people.

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O Sovereign Lord, Almighty and Eternal God, we come before You with reverence and gratitude, standing in awe of Your perfect wisdom, Your sovereign timing, and Your unsearchable ways. You are the God who calls, who appoints, who sends, and who prepares Your servants in ways that defy the expectations of man. We meditate today on the sacred truth revealed in Galatians 1:18, where it is written, “Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.” Lord, there is a holy weight in these words—a glimpse into the hidden shaping of a servant, and a testimony to the way You build, not hastily, but thoroughly, not according to the haste of man, but according to the rhythm of heaven.

Father, we thank You for the life of Your servant Paul, once Saul of Tarsus, once a persecutor, now an apostle by Your grace alone. You arrested him on the road to Damascus, not with the violence of human force, but with the blinding brilliance of Your mercy. You spoke from heaven and shattered the scales of deception from his eyes, not just physically, but spiritually. And yet, Lord, even after such a dramatic and divine encounter, Paul did not rush to build a name for himself, nor did he seek instant acceptance among the apostles. He withdrew for a season—three years, Lord—to be taught not by flesh and blood, but by the Spirit of Christ. He waited in the secret place, shaped by solitude, communing with You, studying the Scriptures afresh through the lens of revelation, being remade into a vessel fit for Your purposes.

O God, how we need this spirit in our time. We are a people so often eager to be seen, to be heard, to be used publicly before we have been prepared privately. But You, Lord, are the God who works in hiddenness. You are the Potter who shapes the clay in silence. You call us to the wilderness not to punish, but to prepare. You teach us in obscurity so we can stand in integrity. You slow us down so we might walk in step with Your Spirit. And so we pray, Father, teach us to embrace the quiet seasons of formation. Teach us not to despise the years of waiting. Teach us that delay is not denial, and that obscurity is not abandonment. If it took Paul three years to be ready to visit Peter, then surely we too can be patient as You write our story.

And Lord, when that season of waiting gives way to the next step, give us the humility to seek fellowship as Paul did. He went up to Jerusalem—not to boast in what he had seen, but to visit Cephas. He did not exalt his private revelation above the testimony of the apostles. He did not distance himself from the Body of Christ, but drew near in honor and submission. Lord, make us a people who seek not isolation but alignment. Let our hearts be free from pride, from competitiveness, from independence that masquerades as strength. Let us know that no calling, no gifting, no revelation exempts us from the fellowship of the saints.

We thank You for those fifteen days that Paul spent with Peter. Days we know little about, yet can imagine were filled with shared testimony, deep conversation, prayer, and mutual encouragement. Days in which one who had walked with Christ in the flesh and one who had seen Him in glory could sit together in the bond of the Spirit. Lord, let such fellowship be restored in Your Church today. Let the seasoned and the newly called sit together, not in suspicion, but in shared awe of Your grace. Let leaders open their hearts and homes. Let emerging servants come not with entitlement, but with honor. Let there be a deep and holy communion that strengthens the Body and glorifies the Head.

And Lord, remind us that Your timing is perfect. You did not allow Paul to meet Peter immediately, but after three years. You are not in a hurry, though we often are. Teach us to walk by Your timetable. Let us not force doors You have not yet opened. Let us not strive in the flesh to accomplish what must be born of the Spirit. Let us be content to follow Your leading, trusting that You who called us are faithful to order our steps.

We pray for those right now who are in their own “three-year season”—those who feel hidden, forgotten, or delayed. Encourage them, Lord. Whisper to them that You are not wasting this time. Assure them that You are not silent, but deeply at work within. Let them feast on Your Word. Let them dwell in Your presence. Let them grow in grace, in character, in discernment. And when the time is right, bring them into the relationships that will strengthen and establish them for the work You have prepared.

We pray also for those who, like Peter, have walked with You for many years. Let them have open arms for the Pauls who are rising up. Let them not fear being eclipsed or replaced, but rejoice in the multiplication of Your laborers. Let there be no rivalry in Your vineyard—only mutual joy in the harvest. Heal any wounds of competition. Break down every wall of suspicion. Let there be a divine exchange between generations, a mutual honoring, a deep love that confounds the wisdom of this age.

And above all, Lord Jesus, may You be glorified in every stage of our journey—in the moment of calling, in the years of formation, in the days of fellowship, and in the outpouring of our ministry. Let none of us think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Let none of us boast in gifts or titles. Let us be like Paul, who counted all things as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing You.

So we surrender again to Your process. We yield to Your timing. We embrace both the wilderness and the upper room, both the solitude and the fellowship. Make us vessels of honor, shaped by Your hand, ready for every good work. And may the Church be built up, not by the strength of men, but by the wisdom and leading of the Spirit.

We ask all this in the matchless name of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord, our coming King, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Amen.