A big Thank You
Wow! I have to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who moved from the 10:30 service into one of the other services. Did you see how full the 8:30 was?? And more importantly, we had SEATS AVAILABLE FOR GUESTS at 10:00! Thank you thank you!! We will track our attendance over the next several weeks, and I will let you know how this effort is going.
Canday Drive is NOW
Hey, did you know we’re collecting candy for kids downtown on Halloween? The Candy Drive bin is in the lobby right beside the welcome desk. Last year we collected THOUSANDS of pieces of candy. We’re expecting another huge group this year, so bring your candy in this coming Sunday!
Discussion Questions
How familiar did the “mix and match” model of Christianity sound to you on Sunday?
How have you seen “mix and match” in church in the past?
Why do you think we are so inclined toward this model?
This is always going to be a problem, and it started early. In fact, the earliest believers wrestled with this issue themselves. Today, we’ll do a little more Bible Study than questions on this topic, but please discuss and ask as many questions as you want!
The Apostle Paul was well-known for his pro-Christ, anti-Moses message. He spread it everywhere he went, and it usually ended with him being called a blasphemer and kicked out of town.
How oculd Paul take this stance? Of ALL people, Paul’s heart beat Jewish. His life had been devoted to the authority of Moses. Now, here he is calling everyone who would listen to step away from the law, and into Christ!
But, early on, there were Christian missionaries preaching “mix and match,” confusing everyone.
Acts 15:1 (NLT)
While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
Can you imagine how that invitation goes?
“Okay, it is now response time. If you prayed that prayer for the first time today, you can step forward, and my knife and I will formalize the agreement right here.”
Think we’d win a lot of converts that way? Women, maybe… I doubt there will be very many guys respond to that one.
At it’s heart, this isn’t an argument about circumcision. It is about the authority of Moses superceding the authority of Jesus.
What did Jesus say about that?
What does the author of Hebrews (the letter to the who?) say about that?
Hebrews 3:5–6 (NLT)
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.
So, they had a church business meeting. In Jerusalem. 300 miles away. At the time, The Church was headquartered in Jerusalem. So, this was a BIG deal.
Acts 15:2 (NLT)
Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question.
Yep, there was only one agenda item at this meeting… Whether or not Gentiles wholesaled came to Jesus should be required to come to the law of Moses as well.
Acts 15:5–6 (NLT)
But then some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.”
So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue.
After a big debate, Peter stood to address the gathering.
Acts 15:7–8 (NLT)
At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.
Can you imagine this? Peter, speaking in the Jewish Holy City, in the shadow of The Temple, has stated that God no longer lives exclusively here, and that a relationship with Him, which had always been exclusive to the Jews was now available to everyone everywhere.
So, Peter says what everyone surely had to be thinking…
Acts 15:10-11 (NLT)
“So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”
Peter took a stand that surely made any Gentile men in the room breathe a big sigh of relief.Then James, the brother of Jesus, stood to make a statement.
Acts 15:19 (NLT)
“And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.”
Isn’t that the heartbeat of Jesus? Shouldn’t it be the heartbeat of the Body of Christ?
Acts 15:20–21 (NLT)
“Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood. For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.”
Wait. Does this signal a return to the mix and match model? Does this mean that they have to obey SOME of the laws of Moses? And, why these four? What about the “big Ten?” What is going on here?You can read the text of the actual letter they sent in Acts 15:23-29. They read the letter aloud to the church in Antioch.
So, why do you think the church issued these four imparatives?
To be clear, these four imperatives were not about keeping the law of Moses… They had already settled that issue. James wasn’t attempting the convince the Gentile Christians to keep the law, but to keep the peace. The apostles knew that these were emotionally charged issues, and that the Gentiles would want to make some courteous concessions in order to not be stumbling blocks to their Jewish brothers and sisters.
What are things in our lives that are stumbling blocks to others? How do we make it difficult for people to come to Christ?
What can we do to open wider the doors to the Kingdom for unbelievers around us?
