Paul comes off a little prideful here, but in reality, it is very biblical. What is Paul’s heart for the Galatians? His heart is that they would come back to Jesus in faith and forget about the false teachings and the false teachers. He wants them to enter into the love and freedom that Paul, himself,  is living in. Paul shows us here what it looks like to be a missionary to the world around us. He is reminding them of how he lived when he visited them in Galatia. Paul became like them. He did not keep his distance from them or act superior to them in any way. He identified with them. Although he was a Jew, he became like the Gentiles they were. Paul famously wrote to the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22, “19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”

Paul didn’t wasn’t the first one to do this. Paul knew that his Savior did this. That Jesus lived this for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 shows us how far Jesus went so that we can be redeemed, “21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” So in order for others to know Jesus we get on their turf and in their world, so that they will know the love and compassion of Jesu through us.