Thursday, April 2, 2020

30 New Days - Day 16

The 16th  day of a 30 day devotional Bible Study by the Rev. Tracy A. Siegman, Senior Pastor FCC, Covington, KY.  Shared with her gracious permission.

If you read the suggested passage each day, by the end of 30 days you will have read the entire New Testament.


Day 16
30-day reading plan: Acts 15 – 21

Daily Verse: Acts 15: 25
So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul.

The Gentiles receiving the Gospel brought up an identity issue in the Church. Would Gentiles have to follow Jewish laws and customs in order to be Christians? Could Jewish Christians have contact with Gentile Christians? What of the Jewish identity would carry over into the practice of Christianity?

A council in Jerusalem convened to discuss the matter. There were some who believed that Gentiles should be circumcised and adhere to the Mosaic Law, the law of Moses; while others believed this was too burdensome for Gentile believers. The letter to the Galatians was Paul's defense of his belief that Gentiles didn't need to engage in Jewish laws and rites. At the heart of the council's discussion were 2 questions: Who can be saved? And, what redemption does Christ give from the weight of the Law?

After the council had agreed that Gentiles did not need to be circumcised or be held accountable to the entirety of the Law, Paul and others could go to the Gentiles with the message that they would be welcome in the Church and continue to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With everyone on the same page, Paul and his partners broke up into teams to take the message to the people.

In The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Sonny, the hotel owner, said, “It takes teamwork to make a dream work.” With the help of the Holy Spirit, teams of Apostles’ and their mission partners boldly preached to Gentiles and Jews alike planting churches throughout the world.

Question for reflection:
In Luke 24:44, Jesus said the Law must be fulfilled. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus said He came to fulfill the Law. How did Jesus fulfill not abolish the Law?

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