Strengthened Faith

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

STRENGTHENED FAITH

Acts 16:1-5

16:1 He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. 2 The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

NIV

We are now introduced to Timothy, who was a disciple before Paul met him. However, because he was not fully Jewish, having a Greek father, he would not have been circumcised as an 8-day-old infant. However, there was a connection between Paul and Timothy, as we are told that Paul wanted to take him along on the journey. But the question is, why did Timothy need to be circumcised? This was not to mean that he would need to follow the ritual Jewish laws, or come under the law of Moses. Because Timothy would be accompanying Paul, and it was usually that Paul first went into the synagogue when coming into a city, wanting to bring the gospel message to the Jews, if his companion was uncircumcised, the Jews would not listen, as Timothy would be unclean. Because Paul associated with him, he would be considered unclean. Timothy's circumcision was rendered necessary by the circumstances in which they would be placed. We know that sometime later, Paul entrusted the affairs of the church at Ephesus to Timothy's leadership. The point of this narrative is not the act of circumcision, but that Paul continued to preach the good news and inform the Gentile believers of the decision of the apostles and elders reached regarding their responsibilities as believers. As we have considered before, most of those do nots are not meaningful in our culture, except for sexual immorality. Nevertheless, it reveals that believers should live differently from unbelievers. There are some things we are not supposed to do or have certain attitudes about. We are to rid ourselves of pride, jealousy, envy, gossip, anger, unforgiveness, and bitterness, just to name a few. However, the list of what we are to do does not get as much attention as it should, such as encouraging one another, speaking to each other in Hymns, Psalms, and making music in our hearts to God. We are also supposed to build each other up. We see Paul does all this in his relationship with Timothy, encouraging him, building him up, and speaking the good things of God with him. Their focus was on Jesus, spreading the good news to both Jews and Gentiles, so that the believers were strengthened in the faith and grew in numbers daily. Was the increase in numbers all due to Paul and Timothy, or was it more about the believers in the church sharing their faith with others, because they had been strengthened in their faith? 

Strengthening

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

STRENGTHENING

Acts 15:36-41

36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

NIV

What do we say about this sharp disagreement? Can we observe a difference of opinions without thinking there was sin within either of their hearts? Both Paul and Barnabas were devoted men of God, but how do we justify Paul's not wanting to trust John Mark because he had deserted them? Was there anger in the sharp disagreement between them? Did Paul harbor ill feelings about John Mark, or unforgiveness because of his deserting them, and not continuing with the work of the ministry? We might try to answer these questions based on our own thoughts about relationships within the community of faith. Can we have a sharp disagreement over a church issue and not get upset, angry, or have hurt feelings, even to the point of either leaving or splitting the church? Are we judging Paul and Barnabas based on our sense of right and wrong? In the Greek text, there is only one word that means excitement in a positive sense, but is used in a negative sense as irritation. Either way it is used in this text, it does not imply a sinful argument that leads to a permanent, never-speak-to-each-other-again anger. Nevertheless, the lesson we can learn is that we can have different thoughts about the ministry of the church without getting all bent out of shape. Paul and Barnabas both concluded it would be best to split up, each with their companion. This could also have been possible; the lord's hand was in this, as there was one team, now there were two teams, which were able to cover more churches in a shorter amount of time. However, is it right to think the Lord would agree with any contention or disagreement that leads to splitting up? Is it right to think that Paul never forgave John Mark, or that he just was not able to trust him again? In Paul's letter to the Colossians, he mentions John Mark, Barnabas's cousin, in a positive light. This also sheds light on why Barnabas chose John Mark to travel with him. From that letter, we also see that Paul asks the  Colossian church to welcome John Mark, as they had received instructions about him. Therefore, we know disagreements are not meant to lead to unforgiveness, with hard feelings, or permanent separation. The basic underlying truth is that the churches were strengthened. That is the key to what should motivate our intentions concerning the church: to strengthen it, build it up, and encourage one another. 

Encourage and Strengthen

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

ENCOURAGE AND STRENGTHEN

Acts 15:30-35

30 The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.   35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

NIV

We are dealing with a message contained in this letter, sent by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, as well as the personal messages of Silas and Judas, called Barsabas. What we need to focus on is, first, the response to the message, and second, the work of Silas and Barsabas. Of course, the written letter was encouraging in the sense that these new Gentile believers did not have to undergo the painful experience of circumcision. It is one thing, according to Jewish law, to circumcise an eight-day-old boy, but for an adult male, it is a very painful thing that debilitates a man for several days. So, not having to experience that would be very encouraging. However, we also note that Silas and Judas were prophets and said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. Encouraging and strengthening others should be one of the main traits of all believers. We are told many times in various Epistles to encourage and build one another up. Judas and Silas were encouragers, seeking to build up those brothers according to their needs. Those times were different from what we have available to us now. These brothers in Antioch did not have all four gospels, nor any of the epistles of Paul, Peter, or John. Most likely, they did not even have copies of the torah, or any of the Psalms, and the words of the prophets. All they had were messages from men who came to Antioch, some with words that would burden the new believers; but when the apostles and elders sent this letter and Silas and Judas, they brought words of truth that encouraged and strengthened the new believers. That is the kind of words that should come out of our mouths, even if other believers have the whole Bible available to them, and should be encouraged and strengthened by reading and exploring the truths within it. Although we have the fullness of the scriptures, it seems we can still go through times when our hearts are heavy, because we are going through some difficult experience. We might even become a bit discouraged or disappointed because it seems our prayers are not being answered, or we are not seeing an improvement in our situation. That is why we all should be ready, willing, and able to encourage and strengthen each other. 

Seems Good to Him

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

SEEMS GOOD TO HIM

Acts 15:22-29

22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. 23 With them they sent the following letter:

The apostles and elders, your brothers,

To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:

Greetings.

24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.

NIV

It is good to maintain the format of this letter as it is in the scriptures, and some truths certainly apply for that period of time, which we may not need to apply, except for sexual immorality. However, we want to focus on one statement in this letter. The authors of this letter made it known that it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to them not to burden the believers there with the law of Moses and the oral traditions of Judaism, mainly, circumcision. We could also note that some disturbed the new believers' minds with false teaching. That has not changed over time, because there are still false teachers among us today, not troubling but deceiving people's minds. But it is this truth about what seemed right with the Holy Spirit that bears truth into our lives. There was discussion among the apostles and elders regarding this situation and how to resolve it, but it was the leading of the Spirit that brought about the agreement with all the brothers. We would do well to do what seems right with the Holy Spirit, so that whatever we do is in the will of the Father. The Spirit does lead us into all truth; however, we have to be listening to be led. It can be easy to do so many things in our own desire to be religious, or do what we think are good works, or good works we think are right to do. But what seems right to the Holy Spirit would be the best thing for us to do. He has given us many gifts throughout the scriptures, and the Spirit also leads us in the direction of our lives, in our decisions, plans, and all our life choices. Before we do anything, especially concerning the church, but also our personal lives, we should consult with the Holy Spirit, so we know what seems good to Him. 

Abstaining and Doing

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

ABSTAINING AND DOING

Acts 15:12-21

12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

16 "'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things'  18 that have been known for ages.  

19 "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."

NIV

The first thing we need to focus on is that God is always the one who performs the miraculous signs and wonders, though he usually does so through one of his faithful followers. That does not mean that working through someone is always the case, as God can simply perform any miracle at any time, in any way he chooses. Yet the story is again about the Gentiles receiving and accepting the word of God as well as being filled with the Holy Spirit. The apostles, the spiritual leaders of this new church, based on salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, needed to come to an agreement regarding whether the Gentiles needed to be concerned about the law of Moses and all the oral traditions of Judaism, or should they be instructed as to living a life that would please the Lord. It is clear that James made the right judgment, and they decided that three basic life changes should occur among the Gentile believers. Because we are Gentiles, although we have far more instructions, we know that we would never have anything to do with sacrificing food to idols; we get ours at the store, and the blood has already been drained. We certainly   do not know about any of our meat ever coming from strangled animals, but we cannot imagine any processing plants or slaughterhouses doing that. We would also think most believers are not involved in sexual immorality, although we can never be certain that is an absolute overall truth. Nevertheless, we still have other areas we need to address through prayer and obedience, which should lead us to abstain from jealousy, envy, pride, anger, self-centeredness, gossip, and unforgiveness. Instead, we should be building each other up, encouraging one another, and loving one another. Let us remember that God has chosen to reveal Himself to all people. We have accepted his truth and should try to live lives that please him, allowing the Spirit to lead and empower us to follow Jesus. They wrote a letter to the Gentiles with instructions, and we have many letters now, with many instructions we should follow. Because we cannot be as perfect as we should be, we need to rely on the Spirit to do the work within us, just as we rely on Jesus for our salvation. Yes, there are areas in our lives we need to abstain from, but there are areas we just need to be doing. 

The Law or Grace

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

THE LAW OR GRACE

Acts 15:5-11

5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses." 6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 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? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."

NIV

We find it interesting that there were believers who still ascribed to the Pharisees' party. Without going into extreme depth of all their religious beliefs, the Pharisees adhered to the Torah as well as oral traditions. They did believe in the resurrection and an afterlife, and they practiced ritual purity and dietary laws. It is difficult to see how someone who became a follower of Jesus, a believer, could still ascribe to the Pharisaical ideas of Jewish life. Yet, they were the ones who insisted the Gentiles should be circumcised and obey the law of Moses, in essence, become a Jew. How can a believer feel that others should follow the law when they cannot follow it perfectly? Peter, one who is filled with the Spirit, made it clear that God does not show favoritism and considers all men, Jews and Gentiles, equal. God makes no distinction between all his creation, as he pours out his Spirit on all people. Of course, the Gentiles chose to accept the word of God, turn from their idols to the One True God, accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is by grace and grace alone that they were saved, and that applies to our lives as well. Once we have been freed from the yoke of bondage, we should not put another yoke or burden of slavery on ourselves by trying to live under some kind of law, rules, or regulations we think make us holy or righteous. We should take upon the yoke of Jesus and learn from him, for he is gentle and humble of heart. Let us live within the grace of God, loving and learning from Jesus. There is nothing that we can do that would make us more holy or more righteous than the grace of God has already done. Because by faith we are saved and not by work lest any of us can boast. Why do some still want the works to define their lives? Why do some want to boast about how holy or righteous they are? Are we not all sinners who are saved by grace? Sure, we want to live to please the Lord. Sure, we want to do the right things and abstain from evil. But some have almost gone the way of the Pharisees, believing in a set of laws we must abide by to be a "Good Christian." Let us not burden ourselves with the yoke of the law, but let us live as followers of Jesus. It is either the law or grace, not both. 

The Circumcised Heart

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

THE CIRCUMCISED HEART

Acts 15:1-4

15:1 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

NIV

There is going to be much discussion among the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this matter of Gentiles needing to be circumcised, that is, to become a Jew to be saved. We know the outcome of that debate, with Peter making the strongest case that the Gentiles need not be burdened with circumcision, since the Holy Spirit was poured out on them just as on the believers in Jerusalem. We do not have any restrictions or requirements for becoming a follower of Jesus, or, as some say, being saved. But then we start making up rules on how we think believers should live, with restrictions on certain things. One of the main objections among many believers is smoking and drinking wine or other adult beverages. However, the word tells us not to be drunk on wine, but to be filled with the Spirit. So then we should see the evidence of those who abstain from wine, that they are full of the Spirit. However, the main discussion is about the circumcision of the heart, rather than any outward sign needed to become a believer. We will see that the only admonishment was not to eat food that was sacrificed to idols, or strangled meat, or meat with the blood, or sexual immorality. Circumcision was taken off the table, not to burden believers with that act of the flesh. We would be good to take this truth to heart. It is not so much about what we should not eat or drink, but whether we have allowed the Lord to circumcise our hearts. Of course, we are supposed to rid ourselves of certain things, but they are all heart issues, like pride, envy, jealousy,  slander, which means gossip, bitterness, anger, deceit, and hypocrisy. It would be better for us to consider the condition of our hearts than what we should not eat or drink. If we are filled with the Spirit, he will lead us into all truth. Let us not worry about the restrictions, but let us open our hearts, having them filled with the Spirit, then we will live with circumcised hearts.