Gal.1:1,2 – TPT – Dear friends, my name is Paul and I have been commissioned as an apostle of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. My apostleship was not granted to me by any council of men, for I was appointed by Jesus, the Anointed One, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. I am joined by all the brothers and sisters who are here with me as I write you this letter, which is to be distributed to the churches throughout the region of central Turkey.
There is a different kind of bond for those who are in Christ and are engaged together in the work of the ministry, Paul says we are brothers and sisters fighting together in the work of God. First of all, we are connected supernaturally to one another as Christians. Not everyone sees and appreciates this but for those who do the bond is different than anything else in the world. We are joined together, literally made one, by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is stronger than the biological bond that we call family, this is literally the family of God. We also are joined together by our common passion to see the advance of the kingdom of God. We recognize the urgency of the hour and the only solution to the darkness of this age is the penetrating light of the gospel. Here is how Brian Simmons describes the phrase brothers (and sisters) in this verse.
“The Greek word adelphos is used throughout the New Testament for brothers (and sisters). It is used in classical Greek by physicians to describe “those who came from the same womb.” We are all truly born from the same “womb” of the Father’s heart and the wounded side of Jesus Christ. In the time of Alexander the Great, the word adelphos was used not only for brothers (and sisters), but for “faithful soldiers.” How wonderful it is in our journey to know that we have those fighting for the faith alongside of us who are born from the same womb and faithful partners in our battles.”
This is an amazing portrayal of laboring together for the advancing of the kingdom of God. We are born from the side of Christ and we are warriors, warring together for souls trapped in this dark world. Once you see it you cannot unsee it. You will be in the fight until the end. The good news is that we are not alone but we are in this together.