Acts 15
Rebecca Lightfoot
N Acts 15;1-21 there are some “Religious” folks resorting to “churchy rules & regulations” to come up w “formulas” for having acceptance in the “Church”.They present their case to Peter&Barnabas who decide to see what their trusted brother&sisters in Christ think.Peter&Barnabas know the importance of seeking counsel(Proverbs11:14,”Where there is no guidance, a people falls,but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”).Some of the motivation behind the people from Judea was a prejudice against the new Gentile believers.You can kind of get the idea that there was an arrogance n the hearts of the folks from Judea as well as a prejudice.Arrogance & prejudice are always linked some way!In the middle of the discussion,Peter brings the conversation “back to Jesus”...,back to THE DETAIL that truly makes THE DIFFERENCE between someone being a true disciple of Christ or not(Acts15:7b,”Brothers,you know that in the early days God made a choice among you,that by mouth the Gentiles should hear the Word of the Gospel and believe.”).Peter states that hearing and then BELIEVING the Word of the Gospel is what brings a person into the family of God,and not ceremonial rules & regulations.When the brothers & sisters n Jerusalem considered the challenges brought by the men from Judea,the believers n Jerusalem went “back to The Word of God” to see what the scripture told about lives that truly follow the Lord.Their response gives a description of what lives will look like if they have truly/sincerely become believers.It is not a matter of looking for and following churchy rules & regulations,but a matter of lives being changed by seeking to have a thriving relationship w God by seeking to know what God says,and then assimilating God’s Word into their lives through The Gospel of Jesus Christ!Jesus says the same thing in John 8:31-32, “If you abide in my word,you are truly my disciples,and you will know the truth,and the truth will set you free.”We are given the opportunity to have a loving&thriving relationship w The One True God through “abiding” in His Word!The people from Judea we’re abiding in things other than the word of the Lord,& got into the weeds and away from being true disciples of Christ.We must ask ourselves,”what am I abiding in”?If I am not abiding in God’s Word,then I am turning away from the Love of God...His Great Love that desires a personal relationship w me!And I am not a true disciple of Christ,but a disciple of something or someone else!Dear Lord,help me to survey my life to reveal where I am abiding in things other than Your Word....give me a hunger for Your Word and a heart that is tender for Your Word...a life that is changed by Your Word.