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JEWISH CUSTOMS VERSUS GOD'S GRACE
THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
CHAPTER 15
It’s a great day for some Daily Bread! Welcome back to our New Testament
study of the book of Acts. Well, Paul just completed his first journey with
Barnabas and Mark, and returned to Antioch. Hungry for a Daily Bread Crumb?
Paul’s first journey was from the years 46-48 A.D. Jesus was crucified and
resurrected in 33 A.D., so that means that this was 13 years after Christ.
Paul was preaching
before his first journey, as we learned, when he received his sight back,
after Jesus blinded him for three days, he was with the disciples in
Damascus for several days, and then immediately he preached in the
synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. In your own desire to spread the
good news, be patient and remember that a lifetime isn’t long enough to
learn all there is to know, so don’t be waiting to learn it all before you
share it with others. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit certainly has the
power to teach you in an instant if He so wills, but the best advice I can
give you, is to savor each moment that you’re learning more and more about
your Father and His kingdom. And ... Tell all those that you encounter.
Another
interesting thing to note, is that Luke shares with us, two chapters, about
this journey that took two years. You’ve gotta know that more happened in
those two years than the few short stories that Luke tells, but he certainly
couldn’t have written about each and every incident that happened. Now I’m
positive that God keeps accurate records of the people who you introduce to
Him, but just for your own testimony, or maybe even for others some day, you
may want to keep a journal of your own walk with Christ. It may help another
disciple in their spiritual growth as well.
Okay then, on with
our study. Now there were certain JEWISH men who came down from Judæa,
who taught the brethren that unless you’re circumcised you can’t be saved
(This was a JEWISH custom done on the 8th day after the male child's birth)
Paul and Barnabas were not teaching and preaching to the Jewish people but
rather the gentiles (Non-Jewish people) and they had a big dispute with them
about this, so they decided that Paul and Barnabas and certain others should
go to Jerusalem and ask the apostles and elders about this matter. When they
came to Jerusalem, they were greeted by the church, the apostles and the
elders, and they told them about all the things that God had done through
them to the GENTILES.
Daily Bread Stick
time ... So what we have here is the Paul and Barnabas which are CHOSEN
Shepherds of the Gentile people not agreeing with the Jewish custom and law
of Circumcision being placed on their Gentile sheep.
Then some people from a
group of Pharisees who were believers in Jesus, said that it was
necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
The apostles and elders discussed the matter and after a lot of debating,
Peter stood up and said, Men and brethren, you
know that a long time ago God decided that the Gentiles should hear the word
of the Gospel, and believe. And God, who knows the hearts, showed them,
giving them the Holy Ghost, just like He did to us, and put no difference
between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
(Peter must have been remembering his vision.)
Now why do you test God, wanting to put a burden on the neck of the
disciples, that neither our fathers, nor we, were able to bear? But we
believe that through the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we’ll be saved,
just like them.
Everyone remained silent
and listened to Barnabas and Paul, telling about the miracles and wonders
God had done among the Gentiles by them. When they finished, James spoke up,
saying, Men and brethren, listen to me. God visited
the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And the messages of
the prophets agree with this, as it is written,
After this I will return, and will build again the
tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the
ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might
seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is
called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. (Amos 9:11-12)
God knows what He has done since the beginning of time,
so my advice is that we don’t burden the Gentiles that
have turned to God, but that we write to them, that they abstain from
pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and
from blood, because since the olden days, Moses
law is preached in the synagogues of every city, every Sabbath day.
- The apostles and the elders with the whole church agreed to send men
of their choosing to Antioch with Paul and Barnabus, namely Judas, known
as Barsabas and Silas, who were chief men (leaders) among them. They
wrote a letter that said;
The apostles and elders and brethren send greetings to
the brethren that are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia.
We’ve heard that some people have troubled you, misleading your hearts
saying that you must be circumcised and keep the law: to whom we gave
no such commandment. In a united spirit, we send chosen men to you
with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we sent Judas and Silas, who
will also tell you the same things by mouth.
It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to
require no more burden than these necessary things, that you abstain
from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things
strangled, and from fornication: from which if you keep yourselves,
you’ll do well. Fare ye well.
Let us
UNDERSTAND this ... The apostles LEARNED that the Jewish customs and some of
the JEWISH laws were NOT to be placed upon the Gentiles. As well they should not be and that
is why it is said that the Holy Spirit directed this
... It seemed good to the
Holy Ghost,
and to us, to require no more burden than these necessary things,
that you abstain from meats offered to idols,
and from blood, and from things
strangled, and from fornication: from which if you keep yourselves,
you’ll do well. So many Christian
leaders today prefer to teach LAW when our Father is obviously teaching us
His GRACE. If these
Religious teachers are correct ... The sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross is
made of no effect.
In short if you are not Jewish ... YOU are a GENTILE. You are not BOUND to
JEWISH customs. You are bound under the NEW COVENANT (New Testament) not the
old as our Father said He has broken the Old Covenant (Zechariah
11:10-13) The Old Covenant ended when Jesus died for our sins. The NEW
COVENANT then began. So many fail to see this TRUTH and prefer to teach LAW
instead of God's LOVE and GRACE. Read this ...
GRACE
HERE IS THE TRUTH ...
I
do not frustrate the Grace of God
For if righteousness comes
by the LAW ... Then Christ is dead in vain.
Galatians 2:21
For
by Grace are ye saved
through faith
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph. 2:8-9
Now, back to our study
... They left Jerusalem and went to Antioch, and when they gathered the
people together, they read the epistle (letter). When the people heard it,
they rejoiced in relief. Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves,
advised the people with many words, and strengthened them. After they spent
some time there, they were let go in peace from the brethren, to go back to
the apostles, but Silas wanted to stay there still.
Paul and Barnabas
stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many
others also. Some days later, Paul said to Barnabas, Let’s go and revisit
the people in every city where we’ve preached the word of the Lord and see
how they’re doing. Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them again, but Paul
didn’t think it was a good idea because Mark left them on their first trip
in Pamphylia, and didn’t finish the work. In fact, the contention between
Paul and Barnabas was so strong over the Mark ordeal that they left
separately from one another. Barnabas took Mark, and sailed to Cyprus, and
Paul chose Silas being recommended by the brethren to the Grace of God, and
went through Syria and Cilicia, checking in on the churches he had
started in each place.
One year has passed since
Paul’s first journey now, as he and Silas embark on a new one. We’ll find
out more about it, in our next Daily Bread, so come on back and join in for
more of the Acts of the Apostles.
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