January 25, 2012
by David Bergsland
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Self-publishers need excellent typography

Things have changed so much in book publishing, that you must understand the new paradigm and why this means you must understand typography. Self-published authors must learn the art of communication with type. This is an excerpt from Writing In InDesign 2nd Edition which will be released as soon as possible. Here’s a link to the 1st edition

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Writing within InDesign

Here I am again recommending a road less traveled by—not unusual in my life and work. Before the choruses rise up in defense of other workflows, let me tell you my reasonings. I fully recognize that most people write in Word. What these people do not realize [in most cases] is this simple fact starts their book under a great handicap. If they are publishing their own book, they are missing out on the best tools for communicating with readers.

Books are not entirely about words

Of course as a writer this may not make much sense to you. But hear me out. For years I have taught graphic designers that the content is all that matters. This has been a major fight because many designers never read the copy they design into books. This is still true now that graphic designers are responsible for laying out Websites, blogs, ebooks, and more. In the publishing world there is a real disconnect between the writers and the book designers. They are treated as two entirely separate skill sets. Most designers are of little  help dealing with book design as a method of improving communication.

Most designers do not deal well with words,
many rarely read, few read for enjoyment

However, it is equally true to say that most wordsmiths do not deal well with design. Many do not have any idea how essential design and typography is to their efforts to communicate with their readers. Graphic designers [and this includes most book designers] are visual people, focused on how things look. Writers are verbal people and tend to be unaware of how the formatting and typography choices affect communication.

One of my major concerns as I started to write books in the mid-1990s was my experience in my classes of using published textbooks as examples of poor communication—both from the written side and the visual side. The examples are endless.

My pursuit of functional, reader-centered books has been fraught with trials. I was constantly bumping up against standardized procedures of traditional publishers which really made their books hard to read or use effectively. This reader-centered goal is so far outside the norm in publishing today that there is no room at all for an author who even cares about these things (except in this brand new world of on-demand self-publishing).

Let’s talk about some simple examples of this lack of concern for the reader

  • Illustrations listed by number with no connection to the copy which talks about what is illustrated: Most traditional non-fiction publishers require this typographic horror. In many cases, authors are not allowed to even pick out the images because they are not considered professional enough to understand what is required of a graphic. But the result is illustrations, maps, charts, and photos—listed by number—which are often not on the same page (or even in the same chapter) as the content they illustrate.
    Why bother to even have them?
    Few readers will find them or take the time to look for them. The result is frustrated readership and readers who simply quit reading in disgust.
    For fiction, it is equally bad to have an illustration or map which cannot be easily referenced by the reader. In my poor attempts at writing novels, I added maps where they were needed in the copy to help the reader understand what was going on a little better.
  • Heads and subheads generated by designers: In many cases over the years I spent as a graphic designer, I wrote all the subheads, developed all the lists, wrote all the captions, and even wrote most of the headlines.
    I developed them out of a need to help direct the reader through the copy I was formatting. The author commonly had no clue that they were desirable or necessary. I wrote them as a service to the reader. But I was a real minority as mentioned. Many designers [and it may well be most designers] do not even read the copy they layout, as I said.
    As a writer, you must be aware of these issues and realize that they are a primary method of clearing up communication with the reader. Heads, subheads, list design, and all the rest of the typographic tools are key elements of reader support.
  • Page layout determined by fashion and visual concerns: Fonts are chosen because they look good. Layouts are determined by fashion. Columns, margins, sidebars and the like are chosen to stimulate visual interest and provoke excitement. Rarely are they use to help communicate the content more effectively, clearly, and accessible. Clarity and accuracy are rarely considered by a book designer.
    The most glaring example of this is seen in the books where content is broken up into small pieces—supposedly to help people with short attention spans. We recently bought a book on creationism that is virtually unreadable. The gorgeous, fancy illustrations push the copy into bits and pieces that randomly appear out of the visual clutter of the pages’ backgrounds. My wife gave up on it.

But it goes much further than that. Here’s a quote from Wikipedia about the normal traditional editorial process (please force yourself to read it, I realize it is difficult to read):

“(Once) a decision is taken to publish a work, and the technical legal issues resolved, the author may be asked to improve the quality of the work through rewriting or smaller changes, and the staff will edit the work. Publishers may maintain a house style, and staff will copy edit to ensure that the work matches the style and grammatical requirements of each market. Editors often choose or refine titles and headlines. Editing may also involve structural changes and requests for more information. Some publishers employ fact checkers, particularly regarding non-fiction works.”

Notice that there is nothing in this process
about serving the readers.

The readers’ needs are not part of the process. It’s all about sales and the marketing decisions of the publisher. Textbooks are some of the worst examples of this editorial damage by traditional publishers.

In most cases they will not even talk to you unless you can convince them that you have a large enough following to guarantee enough sales to cover the costs. Once you’ve passed that hurdle, they will normally insist that you fit your content into their style—even if that style hinders your book.

In Writing In InDesign, I then take a brief look at this world of traditional publishing—that relic of the pre-digital, pre-desktop information age in which we live. In general, these traditionalists are extremely confused by what is taking place in the new digital publishing world.

As an on-demand, self-publisher you have a wonderful opportunity to break out of this trap and truly work on helping your readers.

What you need to have clear in your mind is simple
As an author it is your job
to enable your book to communicate well

In this day and age, readers need all the help they can get to understand what you are trying to say. Excellent typography is one of your most powerful tools to aid in this process.

Word cannot do typography—no word processor can.

You truly need to learn typography!

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January 23, 2012
by David Bergsland
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Learning to walk in freedom, Part 5: Galatians 3:1-

As we continue our study of Galatians we come to the place where Paul is really upset with the people he taught. He calls them stupid which was much stronger than lack of intelligence. But let’s allow Paul to talk to us again.
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Chapter Three: Verse 3:1

You stupid Galatians! I told you exactly how Jesus was nailed to a cross as our Messiah. Who put an evil spell on you? [MVP]

Foolish or stupid?

The word stupid is anoetos which means the following in Noah Webster’s Dictionary:

  • Marked with, or exhibiting, folly; void of understanding; weak in intellect; without judgment or discretion; silly; unwise.
  • Such as a fool would do; proceeding from weakness of mind or silliness; exhibiting a want of judgment or discretion; as, a foolish act.
  • Absurd; ridiculous; despicable; contemptible.

The circumcisionists are being displayed as evil wizards preying on a stupid people. I was taught that the exclamation foolish or stupid is strong, nasty slang. Paul was really upset. How could these people who have the Holy Spirit be so dumb as to allow people to talk them out of their blessings.

Verse 3:2

The only thing I need answered is: did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the Law or by hearing with faith. [MVP]

This is the experiential key. Our rebirth from above and the filling with the Holy Spirit are a direct result of an act of faith. We state our belief verbally to God and in front of Man, ask by faith and it is done. No good change ever happened by keeping the Law.

We avoid police by keeping the Law. We can reap blessings from following the principles shown by the Law. But the Law can never give us salvation, justification, wisdom, or redemption.

Hearing with faith: this can be very unique depending on the person and situation. When I accepted the Lord in 1974, my basic internal attitude was, “I have no idea if you are real or not, Jesus. I’ll give you six months to prove yourself. I need something and I’m desperate.” The Lord honored that, by His mercy. I had the normal prayers prayed over me by my father and others. But I had no idea what they were really doing.

Verse 3: 3–5

How idiotic! You began your life in the Kingdom in the Spirit. Why are you now trying to complete your conversion by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for no purpose? Surely you didn’t waste your time?

I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe what you heard about the Messiah —accepting Jesus to be God’s son. [MVP]

Paul is pounding on them to get their attention, using ridicule, sarcasm, and blatant statements. The sad thing is that it probably had no affect on the Galatians unless the Lord anointed the words as they were read. You will never talk anyone into belief. Without the anointing, whatever you say or do will fall on deaf ears or have no affect.

In the case of this letter, the anointing seems obvious as the letter has become part of scripture and still works in power today.

The message here is a repeat of what he has already said. You cannot complete the work of the Spirit by your own efforts in the flesh. Quitting smoking will not make you a better Christian. It may be an act of obedience to the Lord in an individual case, but it has no power to make your Christian walk more holy or fruitful.

Is beating up your body for health reasons Godly?

Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. It all depends on your reason and attitude. Narcissism is sin. Worrying about health to the detriment of fruit development is sin. How do you react to health issues and cultural norms?

When God told us to quit nearly 30 years ago, our obedience carried a blessing but that blessing was not quitting smoking. It may be argued that our flesh is now healthier, but is that because of quitting smoking or because God blessed our obedience? Paul talked about this exact issue in Colossians 2: 20–23.

Why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!” about things that are destroyed by use? Such rules are only human teachings that may seem wise in promoting religion, self-denial, and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping fleshly indulgence. [MVP]

There is no power in these cultural and traditional rules. It’s all about faith and following the lead of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s point here is that they were not following the Spirit at all when they required circumcision to be acceptable. We cannot make ourselves acceptable in the flesh.

Verse 3:6–9

Abraham “believed God, and it was put on his account as righteousness”. Therefore it is those of faith who are the children of Abraham. And the scriptures, knowing beforehand that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the good news to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” This means that those having faith will share in the blessings that were given to Abraham because of his faith. [MVP]

This seems like a strange argument to we modern Americans, but it is rooted in the idea that the descendants share in the inheritance of their forefathers and mothers.

Here we get to the root of Bible study. If the scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit, then everything from Adam and Eve to the New Jerusalem is talking about a single conceptual creative project of God. It all ties together, and still applies to us today.

Inerrancy?

This is the belief that scripture is absolutely literally true. This belief approaches the occultic view of books of power where precise word by word spells are required and necessary.

You need to understand how inspiration works. The Holy Spirit inspires—BUT: God does not use automatic writing like demon-inspired works do. He uses people to write down what they hear from Him as accurately as possible.

Does error creep in? No, that’s not true—but we are reading translations of translations.

Does everything literally apply today? No, much of what was written only applies to the time in which it was written. Only the Holy Spirit, the original author, can sort it all out for us Then we get anointed teaching like Paul shows us here.

Abraham “believed God, and it was put on his account as righteousness”.

This little sentence in Deuteronomy 15:6 does not seem like much. But the Holy Spirit showed Paul that it is key to our understanding of what the Messiah did and what God’s plan was from the beginning. The basic concept is that everything that happened to Abraham happened before the law was given.

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January 20, 2012
by David Bergsland
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Are your people immune? Only Jesus can break that yoke!

Have the ones you feel called to serve been vaccinated with religion?

We all know what a vaccine is in this day and age. The basic principle is simple: if you place some dead disease into a person’s body, the body will react as if it were alive and do its best to fight it off. In the process the body will form antigens, dedicated warriors, to combat this specific disease. Then if the person is infected by the real disease, the antigens are already present and kill the invader.

Most of the church in America is inoculated. The sheep have been given a dead religion of which the main effect is to make the person immune to live religion—the real thing. This is a doubly dangerous vaccine however because it infects the host with the disease of religion. The result is millions of people who believe they are Christians, but who only practice the form of religion denying the power thereof.

As some of you are aware, Paul told us this was coming in his second letter to Timothy—I’ll paraphrase parts of it. If you are not familiar with the verses you really need to read them.

But realize this, in the last days perilous times will come, for mankind will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, verbally abusive, disobedient to parents,[and on & on]…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of religion but denying the power of it—avoid people like this… [II Timothy 3:1-7 MVP]

Perilous times

The greek for perilous is chalepos we get the following meaning in the lexicon

1) hard to do, to take, to approach
2) hard to bear, troublesome, dangerous
a) harsh, fierce, savage

The greek for times is kairos which means a limited time, a fixed and definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis, the decisive period for which we have been waiting. Additional meanings suggest this is a relatively short time within the last days. This is a time when self-centered people focus on the financial side of life but there is no humility here. They are certain they are doing fine. They boast of their achievements. They actually believe aphorisms like “pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps”, becoming a self-made man or woman. Their insecurities make them arrogant and verbally abusive. Their parents can’t tell them anything—after all what could they know about plugged-in digital age? Look at how the New Living tells the tale:

They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. [II Timothy 3-5 NLT]

As we read this we can surely see we are in those days. Young people who are not that way get daily teaching on how to become that type of person in countless sitcoms and weekly dramas. The movies have become propaganda for this type of life style. These people are often religious. But, they only have just enough religion to become immune to it. So, how do we minister to them and lead them out of the darkness?

Religion will not work!

While it is true that real religion is a good thing, those inoculated get no benefit from it. The enemy has done a number on the American church. Most of the pastors in the church are no longer believers.

In 2004 George Barna took an extensive survey of American pastors, and I quote:

What constitutes a “biblical” worldview?  Christian researcher George Barna says it includes a belief in absolute moral truth as defined by scripture, as well as acceptance of six core biblical beliefs: the accuracy of biblical teaching, the sinless nature of Jesus, the literal existence of Satan, the omnipotence and omniscience of God, salvation by grace alone, and the personal responsibility to evangelize.
In a recent survey of Protestant pastors conducted by the Barna Research Group, only half (51%) passed the test on whether they possess a biblical worldview.

Barna told us several years ago that something like 62% of pastors, priests, and ministers no longer believe in the virgin birth. Huge numbers do not believe in real miracles and try to explain them scientifically. Most have bought into the “old earth theory” put forth by the religion of evolution. If you believe that— then Jesus lied in the Gospels when He talked about Adam & Eve being created in the beginning [Matthew 19:4–6] and we’re off to the races.

The statistics are far worse for Americans in general. In 2009 Barna did another followup poll:

Overall, the current research revealed that only 9% of all American adults have a biblical worldview. Among the sixty subgroups of respondents that the survey explored was one defined by those who said they have made a personal to commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today and that they are certain that they will go to Heaven after they die only because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior. Labeled “born again Christians,” the study discovered that they were twice as likely as the average adult to possess a biblical worldview. However, that meant that even among born again Christians, less than one out of every five (19%) had such an outlook on life.

The figures are appalling for young adults and liberals:

The research data showed that one pattern emerged loud and clear: young adults rarely possess a biblical worldview. The current study found that less than one-half of one percent of adults in the Mosaic generation – i.e., those aged 18 to 23 – have a biblical worldview, compared to about one out of every nine older adults.

Other groups that possess a below average likelihood of having a biblical worldview included people who describe themselves as liberal on social and political matters (also less than one-half of one percent); Catholics (2%); Democrats (4%) and residents of the Northeast (4%).

In 2011, a poll found many more appalling stats. Here’s one more: In particular, 84% of Christian 18- to 29-year-olds admit that they have no idea how the Bible applies to their field or professional interests.

We are not saved by religion

Though all the stats above give us cause for concern, we all know the spiritual shape of the people we meet and those who we feel called to love, serve, and mentor. The true good news is that the Holy Spirit is not limited by religion or these polls. In fact, Jesus never had any trouble with people. The only ones he rebuked and chastised were the religious. All that did was get Him killed, but then that was the point, right?

True religion where people worship Jesus and the Father in Spirit and in truth [John 4:23–24] is a wonderful thing. Once you get a person born from above and saved, true religion will be an amazing blessing to him or her. The key is simple, they must be born again. So, the question becomes: how do you do that?

You focus on Jesus

You talk about Jesus: His love, His joy, His power, His wisdom, His Love. You acknowledge within yourself that the Holy spirit is doing all He can and that He can do it better than anyone. In fact,  Here’s a checklist:

  • You cannot lead anyone to the Lord: only the Holy spirit can do that
  • Asking someone to church is a waste of time: in many if not most cases today, they will not hear the Gospel there unless you preach it, teach, and lead them into it.
  • You must love them: This is genuine agape love where you put their needs before your own. You love them, serve them, laugh with them, play with them, work with them, and let them see what a difference Jesus is making in your life.
  • You need to show them that Jesus cares about everything in your life: Thank him for the things he does as you work,play, and talk with your friend.

Peter shows us how this works in his second letter:

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;  and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection (philadelphia, or brotherly love); and to mutual affection, love (agape, God’s unconditional love by conscious decision). [II Peter 1:5-7 NIV]

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January 18, 2012
by David Bergsland
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Readability: the most important aspect of typography?

If you ever took one of my classes, you know how much I harped on readability—especially the importance of aperture and other page layout factors concerning readability. Aside from the kindness issue (blessing your readers), this is governed by the realities of modern living.

Everyone has too much to read. If you give them any excuse, they will quit reading your work and go on to the next piece in their long list of things they have to read.

I seen my wife throw novels away because they were too hard to read. People cancel magazine and newspaper subscriptions because of reading issues (even if they are not conscious of what is bothering them). Difficult to read books have become commonplace. One of the attractions of ebooks is the ability to fix some of the worst designs because you can change the type style and size to make it more comfortable to read.

Here’s a little graphic to show you some of the things in the physical design of fonts which influence how easily you can read a font.

I’m convinced that aperture is much more important than most people acknowledge. As you can see above in the table, I list seven design characteristics in a font which influence comfortable reading: humanist axis, moderate modulation, slanted crossbars, double story characters, ovals, and a hint of the calligraphic.

I can see now that I was still very ignorant at that time. In the years that have followed I have greatly increased my experience. It’s not important that you understand these seven characteristics at this point. What matters is that you see that Jenson, Brinar, and Caslon (in that order) are the most readable out those six font choices.

What I have discovered I need in a font design are the following attributes

  • A humanist axis, but not rigid: We need to believe it was produced by a human
  • A wide open aperture: The white space within the character shapes help us see those shapes better
  • Moderate modulation: This softens the look increasing the hints of human production
  • Slightly slanted crossbars, for the e, A, and H especially: This is just me. I think it makes the fonts look a little “happy” (whatever that means)
  • Double-story a & g: These are much more distinctive letter shapes
  • Slightly oval bowls: Rigid geometric circles tend to confuse glyph shapes
  • A slight homage to calligraphic writing: Again we want indications that a person was involved—not a machine
  • An x-height at about 40% of the point size: This increases the white space a little
  • Built-in leading at about 5% of the point size

This should give readability and reading comfort that is very good.

More white space considerations

Yet another area I was not familiar with and therefore didn’t take care of in my early years is the whole issue of white space—both within the font design and in the page layout. As mentioned, this is why an open aperture is important, but it goes beyond that. We recognize word shapes by the distinctive outline of the top half of the type. This is why a slightly smaller x-height helps.

But we need to look at the page as a whole. Professional type should have an even color. When your book is seen from far enough away so that the body copy can no longer be read, it must blend into smooth gray shapes. You will come to see that this even type color is imperative. It is what allows the control of the reader’s eye which you need for clear and comfortable communication. You will learn to keep your type as smooth as possible, stepping outside of that only to make important points that the reader really needs and wants to know.

Again, part of this is produced by the design of the fonts you choose. Excellent, consistent letterspacing is one of the major considerations in font choice. InDesign can really help here also. If you have a font that is looking blotchy, you might try to use Optical Kerning. InDesign does a good job of spacing letters optically and evenly. Of course, it is usually better to use and buy fonts which are spaced specifically for text work and which have good metric kerning built in.

Smooth type color needs to become one of your major concerns.

This attribute of excellent typography has a strong influence on readability. That might surprise you. This smoothness is what makes headlines, subheads, and our specialized paragraph styles work. The white space surrounding specialized paragraphs stands out from smooth type color. This white space attracts the eye and leads it to that statement. Without smooth type color, you are forced to make your headers much stronger and the reader often feels like you are shouting at him or her. That is definitely not a comfortable reading experience. Smooth type color needs to become one of your major concerns.

Column width is a major concern

If your column is too wide, readers will have a difficult time finding the beginning of the next line. Basically you are shooting for nine to eleven words per line—this can be stretched with a good font to thirteen words wide. Short line lengths break up too much of the phrasing which makes the reading choppy and comprehension more difficult.

The formula I use for column width is very simple and gives you a good starting point for readability. It’s a practical rule of thumb that’s less complex than most:

40% of the body copy point size in inches
or the point size in centimeters

So, 10 point type works well in a column that is four inches or 10 cm wide. 12-point type may need nearly five inches (40% is 4.8”). This assumes a normal x-height of about 50% of the cap height or a third of point size. If the x-height or width of the letters is radically different than the norm you will need to make adjustments to keep the word count good.

The same is true with leading (or line spacing). We need to give the reader all the help we can to easily find the beginning of the next line of type. Adding a bit of built-in leading in the actual font design helps here. The norm for body text in publishing is 10/12—or ten point type with twelve points of leading.

This is a mere beginning point, though. It all depends on the x-height, glyph width, letterspacing, and line length. Adjust if from there to make it comfortable both on screen and in your hand. You need to set a full page of nothing but body copy and see if it is actually comfortable to read. If you find your mind wandering after a paragraph or two, you’ve got some issues. If you find yourself thinking about something else before you finish the first paragraph, you have real trouble.

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January 16, 2012
by David Bergsland
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Learning to walk in freedom: Part 4 Galatians 2:15-21

Today we get into one of the core verses of scripture: Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with the Messiah. I no longer live, but He lives in me.”
Until we understand this transaction, it is hard to move forward in our walk in the Kingdom.
______________________________

(Galatians 2 continues)

Verses 2:15–16

We are Jews by birth and not sinners come out of the Gentiles. However, knowing that a person is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Jesus our Messiah, even we have believed in Jesus—that we may be justified by faith in Jesus and not by the works of the Law; since by the Law no flesh will be justified. [MVP]

Here is the quick two verse summation of Romans 1–5. This is the core of Paul’s message. In this, his first letter preserved, the theological development is clean and simple. God has provided a solution to the real problem—which is that none of us can keep the law and justify ourselves in the eyes of God. Being made right with God by faith in Jesus gives us a wonderful way out.

Verse 2:17–18

If we seek justification in the Kingdom of God and then are found guilty because we have abandoned the law, does that mean the Messiah has led us into sin? Absolutely not! Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. [MVP]

Paul’s basic argument is this: if we believe our faith is what matters, then the legal requirements of the Law really cause problems. We step outside the Law to base our salvation on faith. Resurrecting the Law only proves we are sinners (very quickly, by the way).

How does the Law of Moses affect us now?

The purpose of the Law is to prove guilt. It does not save us. It brings no hope.

Verse 2:19

It was the Law itself that killed me and freed me from its power, so that I could live for God. [CEV]

For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. [NASB]

For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. [NLT]

In the Spirit, this concept is very clear. Putting it into language is very difficult. The Law made it clear to me that I deserved death, because I was a sinner. So, the only real hope I have of serving God and pleasing Him is by dying. I cannot please God as a sinner. I only cease sinning when I die. That seems plain and simple—right? What a conundrum!

Verse 2:20

I have been crucified with the Messiah. I no longer live, but He lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh is lived by the faith of Jesus who loved me and delivered himself up for me. [MVP]

I have died. This is what baptism symbolizes—but it goes far beyond symbolism. Romans 6: 3–11 gives us Paul’s full argument. Our faith places us in the body of Christ. This body died when the head was killed and rose again when Jesus burst out of the grave. We must recognize our death in Him, with Him, and into His Body.

Faith in or of?

In this passage the translation is normally “the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in Christ”. But we need to remember something. One of the major things my father taught me was what he saw in the Greek grammar of Galatians 2:20

…the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God…

I don’t live by my faith in Jesus, I live by His faith and what He did. Yes, I need faith, but even that is a gift. I can’t produce this powerful faith. All I can do is receive it as it is given to me.It’s a small quibble, but the attitude behind it is important. All we have is given. By grace we are saved by God.

Our faith accepts the righteous penalty for sin—death. Giving Jesus control of our lives legally allows us to gain the benefits of his death on the Cross. We become part of a spiritual super-being who fulfilled all the requirements of the law, paid the penalty of death for us all, and brought us through to the other side alive in the spirit. All believers are included in this new organism of the Messiah—the head, mind, and character of which are Jesus himself.

Paul talks about this when he is mentoring Timothy. He clearly understands that the faith and love belong to Jesus and come from within because of his presence. Look what is found there [emphasis mine].

He has blessed my life with the faith and love that are his and found in him. [I Timothy 1:13&14]

Verse 2:21

I don’t set the grace of God aside; for if righteousness is possible through the law, then Jesus died for no reason.

Paul wants to be sure we remember that Jesus’ death was absolutely necessary. There was no other way for us to be saved or delivered from ourselves except through the Cross. We were depraved sinners without hope—so out of it and ignorant we weren’t even aware of the problem until He called us. In God’s plan it is necessary for us to learn how bad sin really is.

Of course it is embarrassing that we are so helpless and weak. We have to get over it. Thankfully, God sent us a savior who is wonderful, kind, funny, powerful, and worthy of our trust. We must remember our lives before we were reborn from above. We would have been stuck there if He had not been willing to die for us..

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January 9, 2012
by David Bergsland
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If Apple launches their Self-Publishing Program? | Good E-Reader – ebook Reader and Tablet PC News

What does it mean for Aggregator Companies if Apple launches their Self-Publishing Program? | Good E-Reader – ebook Reader and Tablet PC News.

I would assume this must be good, right? More options for we the authors. But that remains to be seen.

How will this affect you? I’m not sure it will affect me at all—unless, of course, Apple uses this like Amazon is doing, to cut off competition.

January 9, 2012
by David Bergsland
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Learning to walk in freedom: Part 3 Galatians 2: 1-14

Chapter Two

Verses 2:1–3

Fourteen years later I went up to Jerusalem again with Barnabas and Titus. I had a revelation and went up to set before them the gospel that I preach to the heathen (privately before the seemingly influential) in order to make sure I was not in error or out of line. Titus was not forced to be circumcised even though he was a Greek. [MVP]

This is a radical jump forward in time. Paul doesn’t tell us where the 14 years are measured from. The important thing for this narrative is that the leaders of the Jerusalem church had not required Titus to become circumcised though he was an uncircumcised Gentile believer.

Circumcision?

  • What is it?
  • Why is it required?
    • An act of obedience?
    • A physical sign of commitment?
    • The shedding of blood is required to make a covenant.
    • Some feel it is to sanctify the seed passing through the sign and thereby bless the resulting children.
  • What is God doing with this requirement?

Look at: Genesis 17:10-14; Leviticus 12:3; John 7:22; Acts 7:8; Romans 4:11

Verses 2:4–6

We talked about this problem because some false believers had infiltrated our group. Like spies they came to thwart the freedom we have in Jesus the Messiah. They wanted to enslave us. But we did not give in to those troublemakers at all. We wanted the truth of the gospel to continue for you. Those seemingly important leaders didn’t change what I preach even a little bit (their importance is a matter for God to determine). [MVP]

This is radically paraphrased to give you understanding of what Paul saw happening in the church. He saw it as a secretive, evil attack on the Gospel. It seems to irk Paul that he feels compelled to check things out with people who he doesn’t seem to feel have any real authority over him. But that is just my opinion.

Verses 2:7–10

But these leaders saw that I had been given the work of telling the gospel to non-Jews, just as Peter had the work of telling the Jews. God gave Peter the apostleship for the Jews, backing it with power. But he gave me the same power and apostleship for non-Jews.

James, Peter, and John, who seemed to be the leaders, understood that God had given me this special grace, so they accepted Barnabas and me. They agreed that they would go to the Jews and that we should go to the non-Jews. The only thing they asked of us was to remember to help the poor—something I really wanted to do.

Paul wants us to be sure that we realize that the church leadership approved of his ministry and agreed with his calling. He’s being very careful.

  • Why Paul?
  • How did the church leadership come to accept Paul’s calling to the Gentiles?
  • Can you see any reasons?

Verses 2:11–14

When Peter came to Antioch, I called him out. He was wrong. Peter ate with the Gentiles until some Jews sent from James came to Antioch. When they arrived, Peter stopped eating with those who weren’t Jewish. He separated himself from the Gentile believers and held himself aloof being afraid of the circumcision group.

Judaizers

This was more than simply requiring circumcision. It appears that these Jews were keeping kosher. It is likely they required most of the Jewish lifestyle.

So Peter and the other Jewish believers who joined with him were hypocrites. Even Barnabas got caught up in what these Jewish believers did.

When I saw they were not following the truth of the gospel, I spoke to Peter in front of them all. I said, “Peter, you are a Jew, but you are not living like a Jew. You are living like a Gentile. So why do you now try to force those who are Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Paul is irate—with good reason. Peter’s behavior was really bad. Talk about a bad witness! Yet, it is very easy to get caught up in what the church organization tells us we should be doing.

You will notice, as you grow in the Lord, that most Christian organizations have strong cultural positions. In most churches, the core people all look the same. Men, women, and children commonly dress that same, use the same lingo, come from the same background, and worship the same.

Unity or conformity?

Ephesians 4:1-6 talks a lot about unity.

oneness of mind, feeling, etc., as among a number of persons;
concord, harmony, or agreement.

I, a prisoner in the Lord, encourage you to live the kind of life which proves that God has called you. Be humble and gentle in every way. Be patient with each other and lovingly accept each other. Through the peace that ties you together, do your best to maintain the unity that the Spirit gives. There is one body and one Spirit. In the same way you were called to share one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over everything, through everything, and in everything. [GW]

How is that different from conformity (defined below)?

action in accord with prevailing social standards, attitudes, practices;
compliance or acquiescence;
obedience.

There is very strong pressure to conform—even if it does not fit your personality or culture. Often, it no longer fits your current beliefs—yet the pressure is there.

In this case, Peter seems to have been intellectually convinced that Gentile believers were fine and he fellowshipped with them freely.However, when his cultural roots showed up in the group sent from Jerusalem, he could not resist slipping back into the old ways of living. We need to watch that in our lives.

What traditions matter?

  • How do you sort out meaning from taste & style?
  • What is the authority in “this is how we have always done it”?
  • Are traditions fleshly or spiritual?
  • How can an anointed leader turn tradition into a rhema for each participant?

This is also the danger of hanging with bad company, old pre-believer friends, office buddies, et al. It takes moral character to resist the pressures of the group. You need to make your behavioral actions a decision based on scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

A good guiding principle is found in Ephesians 5: 15&16

Look carefully how you walk, not as fools but wise, making the most of the time…

Our behavior is important. We can get ourselves into messes and actual serious spiritual trouble very easily by simply not paying attention.

  • How are you expected to conform in the church?
  • How do you handle this pressure?
  • Have you been in or are now in a group that pressures you to conform?
Earlier parts of this study of Galatians
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January 2, 2012
by David Bergsland
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Learning to Walk in Freedom: Part Two Galatians 1:11-24

This week we take a look at Galatians 1:11-24 and the history of Paul’s call to his ministry. The question for you is:

What is your call?

Everyone has a calling on their life. What is yours?

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Chapter 1: Verse 1:11

Because I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the Gospel I preached was not man’s gospel. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it. I received it directly from Jesus our Messiah as a revelation.

Here we see the uniqueness of Paul’s teaching. It is not the result of study. He didn’t learn it in seminary or at the feet of an amazingly wise Rabbi. It did not come from the intellectual effort or knowledge of man at all. It was inspired, breathed into him by the Holy Spirit directly from the Messiah.

Revelation

Something revealed or disclosed, a striking disclosure, as of something not before realized.

Inspiration

Define it. Hint: it comes from the Latin in spiritu or from the spirit

No wonder the epistles speak so powerfully to us. This is why we made them part of scripture. This is God speaking to us through a specific man chosen by Himself. What a wonderful thing that is. What a wise God we serve. Alleluia!

Verse 1:12–24

You know what I was like when I was a Pharisee—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it—going far beyond my fellow Jews in my zealousness for the traditions.

But even before I was born, God had chosen me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Gospel about Jesus to the heathen.

When this happened, I didn’t rush out to consult with any person. Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with the apostles called before me. Instead, I went away into the Arabian desert. Later I returned to Damascus.

Three years later I went to Jerusalem to meet and know Peter, staying with him for fifteen days. The only other apostle I met then was James, Jesus’ brother. I declare before God that this short history is not a lie.

After that visit I went north through Syria and home to Cilicia. And still the believers in the churches of Judea didn’t know me personally. All they knew was that they heard, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” And they praised God because of my conversion.

Here’s a short, very revealing, marvelously interesting history lesson and biographical insight. It has wonderful insights like “before I was born, God had chosen me”. Obviously the clarity and truth of the revelation was enough for Paul. I find it interesting that after the powerful revelation and several years preaching and teaching in Damascus, Paul finally goes to headquarters to meet Peter and James. After that he goes home.

biblestudy.org timeline

Saul stays in Damascus… Jews in the city… conspire to kill him (Acts 9:20-23). After learning of the plot against his life, Paul flees the city at night…he travels to Arabia, where for three years he is personally taught by Jesus (Galatians 1:11-18). After three years in Arabia, Paul journeys back to Damascus in the Spring of the year (Galatians 1:17). He then travels to Jerusalem and stays fifteen days (Acts 9:26, Galatians 1:18-19). Barnabas… takes Paul to the apostles and personally vouches for his converted character (Acts 9:27). Paul’s preaching …infuriates some Jews …seek to kill him (Acts 9:29). the brethren learn about the threat (&) escort him to Caesarea and send him to his hometown of Tarsus (Acts 9:30).

At this point, it is not clear how much he knew about his upcoming apostleship. Barnabus was the one who went to his home in Tarsus, in the Roman province of Cilicia to bring him to Antioch, the major city of Syria at the time. You can read about this in Acts 11:22–26

The church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch. When Barnabas got there, he was very glad to see what God was doing among them by grace. He begged them to remain faithful to the Lord with all their hearts. Barnabas was a good man of great faith and filled with the Holy Spirit. Many more people turned to the Lord.

Eventually, Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. Finding Saul, he brought him to Antioch, where they met with the church there for an entire year—teaching many.

It seems that Paul didn’t know the timing of his calling until he and Barnabus were sent out on the first missionary journey that brought him to Galatia. In Acts 13:2 all it says is that the Holy Spirit told them to set Paul and Barnabus apart to do the work He had called them to. This is the actual event of apostleship—the sending out.

Apostle

The word means one who is sent: This can be for a work as large as Paul’s call to the Gentiles or as small as a Bible study. It can be for a small on-demand publisher or a hospital or a building contractor or whatever the Lord has need of. The apostle is responsible for the spiritual leadership of the work.

As is usual, Paul had to wait for the fulfillment of the prophecy Ananias received when he was sent by God to pray for Saul immediately after his conversion. We see in Acts 9:15–16 what Ananias heard:

But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is the one I have chosen to take my message to the heathen and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

So Paul had heard about the calling, but the sending happened much later. The history in Acts 9 is much more compressed than what Paul shares here to the Galatians. Here it seems as if he spent several years waiting for the fulfillment of the prophecy given to Ananias.

Waiting for your calling

It is normal and common to wait for a long time as the Lord prepares you to work out the calling on your life. Joyce Meyer talks about a couple of decades before she was ready for the explosion of ministry that occurred for her in the mid-1990s. Charisma magazines’ 35-year anniversary timeline of the church says that Joyce’s ministry exploded to a worldwide ministry in 1998, the call, 1975?.

If that was the realization of her original calling (and that seems likely) she waited over 20 years. One of my favorite stories of Watchman Nee was something he told a follower after a sermon he preached. The person was gushing over how good the sermon was and asked Watchman how long it took him to write the sermon. His response was “about twenty years”.

He went on to write that he didn’t think it was possible for a man or woman to become mature enough to be trusted with a calling without spending a long time under the Lord’s tutelage. This all goes back to what I have written about the need for elders instead of the plague of youngers we have ministering in many of our churches.

God may indeed call you today—but take years to prepare you to minister and walk in the area of your calling in ministry. Success in doing what God desires for you will not come if you run ahead of God’s time and schedule. It is possible to achieve popularity without producing the fruit of the spirit in your life or in the lives of those you are ministering to.

It actually seems like God was in a bit of a hurry (for Him) to get Paul out and working. But He still spent the time necessary preparing Paul for the work. As I mentioned, that time seems to be somewhere between four and seven years from the time he was knocked off his horse until the elders at Antioch sent him and Barnabus out.

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December 28, 2011
by David Bergsland
2 Comments

Learning to Walk in Freedom: Part 1 Galatians 1:1-10

This is the first part of a verse by verse study of Galatians from Learning to Walk in Freedom
I will be posting a new part every Monday morning by Noon. All unreferenced scripture quotes are from my own paraphrase, “Modern Viking Paraphrase” [MVP]

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Letter of Paul to the Galatians: Chapter One

Verse 1:1–5

Paul, an apostle (not from men nor by man, but sent by Jesus the Messiah and God the Father, who raised him from the dead) and all the brothers and sisters with me, to the churches in Galatia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus our Messiah, who offered himself for our sins to deliver us from these evil times, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. [MVP]

Here we have a quick and brief statement of who Paul is. This is coupled with a standard religious greeting among the believers.

I used the word siblings instead of brethren or brothers, because the term in the Greek, according to the footnote in the NIV means: “The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers” in the NIV) refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to men or to both men and women who are siblings (brothers and sisters) in God’s family, the church.”

We must be very careful to recognize the strong male slant provided by most of the translations. It isn’t there in the original Greek—but is common in the translations we use. We need to pray for wisdom and check to be sure.

Evil times?

The word used here is poneros: full of labours, annoyances, hardships; bringing toils, annoyances, perils; of a time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness; causing pain and trouble; in an ethical sense: evil wicked, bad.  The word aion is also used, which has come to us as eon.

Aren’t all times before Jesus returns evil? Does the phrase evil times apply to today?

  • Corrupt government
  • Rampant immorality
  • Attacks on marriage
  • Christians ridiculed
  • Immoral leadership
  • Corporate greed

Verse 1:6

God, by his grace through his Messiah, called you to become His people. So I am appalled that you are turning away so quickly and believing something different than the gospel. [MVP]

Short intro, strong punch! Paul’s greeting seems almost terse. He has no time for chit-chat. Paul is really upset and lets them have it right up front. This is a major problem as far as Paul is concerned. He sees heresy and is determined to stop it before it spreads and becomes a real problem.

Verse 1:7

There really is no other gospel, you’re just dealing people who are deliberately twisting the truth [MVP]

Again, Paul just lays it out there. As far as he is concerned, the Galatians are being attacked by preachers and teachers who are evilly twisting the truth to promote their personal perversion of the Good News.

Today, we still must be very careful of this. This is the reason I am so adamant that you need to be praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and searching the scriptures for yourself so that you are not deceived while studying.

This is why you must read the entire New Testament (and the Old Testament) like a novel or any good book [without studying it] so that your mind and spirit are immersed in the inspired words of scripture. Then you start studying. If you are familiar with the Bible, false prophets and teachers will not be able to pull the wool over your eyes and fool you into false beliefs.

Is bad teaching evil?

How much of it is ignorance? How much is a conscious perversion of the truth?

Remember James 3:1

Brothers and sisters: not many of you should become teachers, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.

But we must always be on guard. Paul says this to us over and over again—as do Peter, James, and John. Be wary of any preacher who does not tell you to check out the scriptures for yourselves. Look at the doctrinal trouble some denominations have gotten into by strongly discouraging reading and studying of the Bible by the laity. That and the belief in infallible human leaders will get you into serious trouble very quickly.

All denominations have problems resulting from the organization itself. In the years I have been a believer, I have been a member of several denominations. I find that the original inspiration and leadership normally had a clear vision of the truth. It is just the modern interpretations that get so far off base.

Politically correct?

How are we supposed to deal with organizational error? Are whistle blowers Godly? How does Revelation 22:11 fit into this discussion?

The problem with the denominations is simple and most eloquently covered in a great book, Love Not the World, by Watchman Nee. He was convinced (as am I) that as soon as the original anointed leadership is gone, the church becomes an institution. An institution is an organization that is self-perpetuating. It has lost its physical connection to the original anointed vision. It is possible for an institution to have good leadership on down the road of its life, but those times tend to be rare. Look at the time of the Kings in the Old Testament. There were a few good kings, but none of them had the vision of David or Solomon.

But it is even more serious than that. How many Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons really believe they are using accurate scriptures and are completely swept up in the delusions of those denominations—while remaining convinced that they are Christians?

Verse 1:8–9

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. [NKJV]

I used the New King James here for a little historical oomph. There are a couple items of interest. First of all, Paul is absolutely convinced of the inspiration and anointing that attended the original presentation of the Gospel to the Galatians by Barnabus and himself. We do not know why he feels so strongly about this, but it is probably tied to the results of those original presentations, the persecutions that followed, an inner witness in his spirit from the Holy Spirit, and other confirmations.

However, it is absolutely clear that Paul believes he accurately and fully shared what the Lord was doing in those congregations of believers. His apostleship required this clarity of vision. God made him responsible for the doctrinal direction of the entire church—up to this day.

God knew what He was doing by calling Paul. God knew what was coming in the next couple of millennia. He is not surprised at where we are today. And it is all based on what He gave Paul to share nearly 2000 years ago. This is not paranoid egotism on Paul’s part—but conscientious stewardship of a valuable and important vision.

Please notice the humility: Paul does not see himself as impervious to error. He does not discount the possibility that he could fall into error. Note how he says that even if he should come back to them and preach something different than what he taught them in the beginning, that he must be ignored. What he taught originally was true and accurate. They can rely on that. We continue to rely on the accuracy and truth of his revelation today.

Verse 1:10

Obviously, I’m not trying to convince or please humans, but God. If pleasing or being acceptable to people were my goal, I would not be Jesus’ slave.

This is the biggest danger of the modern American megachurch—this necessity of being relevant, hip, and attractive to the heathen. Churches are expected to preach Jesus and him crucified. Believers and preachers are supposed to call the world to repentance and deliverance from sin. Our goal is to please God—nothing else matters.

Marketing Christianity?

  • Is this possible?
  • Is this what God wants from us?
  • Does our modern marketing build the Kingdom or the church?
  • Can we safely promote the entertainment value of events?
  • Can we eliminate the mention of sin and repentance?

No one is saved except by the Holy Spirit. No one’s life changes except by the power of the Spirit. I have listened to immensely well-put-together and direct expositions of the Gospel, what Jesus did, and who He is. When all was said, it did not appear to have any affect at all. Paul explains how this works in I Corinthians 2:1–5

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. [NASB]

Paul clearly understands the foolishness of expecting effective ministry by pleasing the audience. He knows that what is necessary is the direct, anointed speaking of the truth as given by God without awareness or concern for the consequences. It is the anointing that matters!

What’s a good sermon?

How would you define a good sermon?

We do not want our listeners and readers to respond with “good sermon!” It really doesn’t matter if they are impressed. We want to be able to see changed lives that continue to grow and mature. That only comes as a result of the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

_____________________

Please add your questions and comments. The next part will be released on the day after the New Year 1/2/12

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December 28, 2011
by David Bergsland
3 Comments

Learning to Walk in Freedom: Galatians Intro

Galatia as a Roman province in 117 AD.

Image via Wikipedia

My plan is to serialize my Bible studies for my blog readers. Here is the Introduction to my verse by verse study of Galatians.

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The Galatians

Galatia is not a town, but a region of Asia Minor just north of Cyprus. What follows is info from Easton‘s Bible dictionary plus UNRV, a site on the Roman empire:

Galatia has been called the “Gallia” of the East…

Gallia, as the Romans called it, was the region of France, Belgium, and the areas of the west bank of the Rhine river in Holland and Germany.

The people in Galatia were a mixture of Gauls and Greeks, and were a result of a great Celtic migration which invaded Macedonia about B.C. 280. They were invited by a king as mercenaries to cross over into Asia Minor to assist in local wars.

These people ultimately settled here, strengthened by fresh groups of people of the same clan from Europe. They overran the central area of what we now know as Turkey. They were great warriors, and hired themselves out as mercenary soldiers, sometimes fighting on both sides in the great battles of the times. They were at length brought under the power of Rome in B.C. 189, and Galatia became a Roman province B.C. 25.

An edited quote from UNRV: The culture was basically Greek, The Galatians remained loyal to the empire throughout its history. Contributing to this loyalty, the Celts were inundated with Hellenistic culture… Celtic culture continued to flourish as well. The people were still known to speak a Celtic tongue… as late as the 5th century AD.

Paul arrived there on his first missionary journey. We read about it in Acts 13:

Paul, (Barnabas) and those with him left Cyprus, north to Perga where John Mark left them to return to Jerusalem. They continued their trip from Perga and went to Antioch, a city in Pisidia. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets were read, the leaders of the synagogue sent a message to Paul and Barnabas: “Brothers, if you have any message that will encourage the people, please speak.”

Paul then preached a sermon much like the one given by Stephen in Acts 7, giving the history of the Jews, finishing up with Jesus. Unlike the reaction to Stephen’s sermon (which got him stoned), Paul’s speech received a different reaction. The Jews were impressed.

Jews first?

Why did Paul always try to go to the Jews first? How does this principle apply to us today? How does this apply to the church today? Church first?

Resuming in Acts 13:42:

While Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, many of the Jews and Jewish converts asked them to tell more about these things on the next Sabbath…

Continuing in verse 44:

On the next Sabbath day, almost everyone in the city came to hear the word of the Lord. Seeing the crowd, the Jewish people became very jealous, contradicted Paul and slandered him. But Paul and Barnabas spoke very boldly, saying, “We must give you the first chance to hear the gospel. But you refuse to listen therefore judging yourselves unworthy of having eternal life! So we will now go to the heathen (non-Jews).

Here Paul strongly affirms what his apostolic call was—to minister to the Gentiles.

Continuing in verse 48:

When the Gentiles heard Paul say this, they were happy and glorified the message of the Lord. And all the people who were chosen to have life forever believed the message.

So the message of the Lord was spread through the whole area. But the Jewish people stirred up some of the devout women of high standing and the leaders of the city, stirring up persecution of Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of the area.

So, Paul’s ministry in Galatia started with a major conversion event and ended with his first major persecution. He continued on through lower Galatia with the rabble-rousing Jews following and causing trouble. The Lord worked powerfully throughout this time, with miracles, and graciously saving many.

These Pisidian Jews continued to cause trouble and finished off Paul’s trip through Galatia in Lystra, by stoning him to death and dragging him outside the city. However, Paul got back up (it doesn’t say whether God raised him from the dead or simply that Paul really wasn’t dead).

Persecution or prosecution?

What if you are not being persecuted but you are simply obnoxious?

Regardless, It didn’t slow Paul down at all. He went back into town, ministered to the believers there and then headed back through the cities where he had been persecuted so severely: Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch. They finally went back to preach in Perga, on the shore of the Mediterranean. From there they sailed back to Antioch in Syria to the believers who had sent them out on the trip

So, when Paul writes back with his severe concerns about legalistic Judaizers (who were trying to bring Gentile believers back under the law) he is writing the people God used to bless the beginnings of his apostolic ministry. To say he was concerned is probably an understatement.

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