Read Galatians 4:8–18
Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What
they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous
for them.
Galatians 4:17
One of the marks of a false teacher is that he tries to attract other
people’s converts to himself and not simply to the truth of the Word
or to the person of Jesus Christ. It was not the Judaizers who originally
came to Galatia and led them to Christ; it was Paul. Like the cultists
today, these false teachers were not winning lost sinners to Christ but
were stealing converts from those who were truly serving the Lord.
Paul had proved to be their loving friend. Now they were turning away from Paul and following false shepherds. Paul told them the
truth, but the Judaizers told them lies. Paul sought to glorify Christ, but
the Judaizers glorified themselves and their converts. “Those people are
zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate
you from us, so that you may be zealous for them” (Gal. 4:17).
A true servant of God does not “use people” to build up himself
or his work; he ministers in love to help people know Christ better
and glorify Him.
Something to Ponder
Have you ever used people to build up yourself or your work? What
prompted that? How might Paul have responded to your actions?