“Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the
necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to
bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are
saved, just as they are.” Acts 15:10-11
God is incredible and the courage he gave to Paul and
Barnabas is absolutely a testimony to his greatness! Just for context, you can
go back and read Acts 14 to see it for yourself. In Lystra, Paul heals a
crippled man and the crowd thinks they are gods. However, some Jews from
Antioch and Iconium eventually turn the crowd against them and they stone Paul
to the appearance of death. They drag him outside the city walls and leave him
for dead. Not only does he get up, he returns to the city!
He leaves for Derbe and preaches the good news there, certainly not fully recovered and appearing at least black and blue in my imagination. He returns to Lystra again and the place where the persecuting Jews came from – Antioch and Iconium. I mean c’mon, this is fearless faith and it emboldens other believers! They eventually make a longer investment of time in the disciples of Antioch where believers were first called Christians (Acts 11). A debate begins over Gentile believers. Must they be circumcised and obey the law of Moses? In other words, must they first become Jewish in order to be saved by faith in Jesus? Paul and Barnabas are appointed with others to go to Jerusalem to settle the question with the apostles.
He leaves for Derbe and preaches the good news there, certainly not fully recovered and appearing at least black and blue in my imagination. He returns to Lystra again and the place where the persecuting Jews came from – Antioch and Iconium. I mean c’mon, this is fearless faith and it emboldens other believers! They eventually make a longer investment of time in the disciples of Antioch where believers were first called Christians (Acts 11). A debate begins over Gentile believers. Must they be circumcised and obey the law of Moses? In other words, must they first become Jewish in order to be saved by faith in Jesus? Paul and Barnabas are appointed with others to go to Jerusalem to settle the question with the apostles.
Here at this Council at Jerusalem we hear Peter’s clear and
passionate response, “No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus
that we are saved, just as they are.” The Council’s conclusion opens the way
for new believers to simply follow Jesus instead of creating unnecessary obstacles.
They still give wisdom and good guidance on things that will hinder their
relationship with God, but they don’t get in the way. They stay faithful to the
Great Commission to teach them what Jesus commanded but they don’t put up
hurdles for those who are coming to God (Matt. 28). And praise God for that - most
of the world that has yet to hear about Jesus is indeed Gentile.
This passage makes me wonder about the people I interact with.
Do my conversations about faith put up any unnecessary obstacles? Are there
ways I can live day to day that express both God’s grace and the rich life he
gives? New believers were encouraged and strengthened by the Council’s
response. This day we pray with grateful anticipation for the opportunities to
interact with new or potential believers asking that God will use us to
strengthen them in the grace of God and then guide them into Jesus’ life-giving
way.
Pastor David
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