Standing In The Way

“Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles…” (Acts 15:19).

Sadly, there were some Jewish Christians in the early church who were creating roadblocks for Gentiles who were being saved.  These sincere but misguided believers were adding conditions to the simple gospel of salvation by faith that were getting in the way of evangelism (Acts 15:1,5).  The turmoil that resulted prompted a gathering in Jerusalem to deal with the issue.  The apostle Peter shared his experiences with a Gentile convert in Caesarea named Cornelius (Acts 15:7-11).  Barnabus and Paul gave a report of their missionary work among the Gentiles (Acts 15:12).  James, a leader in the Jerusalem church, demonstrated how the prophets of old spoke of how God always intended to include the nations in His plan (Acts 15:13-18).  All of this deliberation led to the statement of James referenced at the beginning of this article about not troubling the Gentiles who were turning to God.  The early church agreed with him (Acts 15:22). Don’t get in the way of the gospel!

All of this got me thinking about how I could be guilty of doing the same thing. Of course it is just as wrong for me today as it was for them to add or subtract from the gospel of salvation by faith.  But might there be other ways to “...trouble those who are turning to God…?”  Yes, but how?  New or potential converts could be troubled by my actions or attitudes toward others.  If I am divisive, that may foster unbelief in others (John 7:21).  If I am unloving, it may create doubts in others (John 13.35).

It’s been said that a Christian is a walking billboard for Christ.  Does the way I live my life draw others to God or does it become a troubling thing for those who are turning to Him?  Please Lord, help me never to stand in the way of someone turning to God.

God loves you!

Mike 

Saved By Grace

“But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are” (Acts 15:11).

Peter affirms something here that is taught throughout the New Testament.  Here are a few examples.  Romans 3:23-24: “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus…” Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ephesians 1:7: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace…” Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Titus 2:11: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men…” Titus 3:5-7: “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

How many ways does God have to say it?  And yet, just like those in Peter’s day, there are still some who claim that salvation comes by grace PLUS something else.  That “something else” in many minds is human faith.  The equation becomes “God’s grace PLUS human faith equals salvation. But Paul didn’t say: “For by grace PLUS faith you have been saved…”  He did say: “For by grace you have been saved THROUGH faith…”  Our faith is just the means through which we gratefully accept the gift of salvation which is 100 percent God’s doing.  We contribute NOTHING to it. Salvation is ALL a gift of God.

God loves you!

Mike

 

Giving Thanks In Everything

“A man invited a friend to go hear a preacher, saying, “I want you to hear the most thankful preacher I’ve ever heard.” The two men weathered a storm to hear him preach. On the way they thought nobody would be there; that even the preacher wouldn’t come. But when they got to the little country church, there was the preacher seated on the platform. The stranger said to his friend, “He has nobody to preach to. There’s a storm outside. It looks like we will have a flood. He won’t have anything to be thankful for tonight.” “Yes, he will. He’ll thank God for something.” When the preacher stood up, he bowed his head and prayed, “Dear Lord, it is stormy outside. It looks as if the roads will wash away before we can get out of the church tonight. It’s an awful storm. But we’re thankful that it’s not always this way.”*

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Of all the difficult commands in the Scriptures, this one may be as hard as any.  Rarely do we find it hard to be grateful in the good times, when things are going well, when the boat isn’t getting rocked.  But most of us likely struggle to be as thankful when times aren’t so good; when things aren’t going so well; when the boat is taking on water and in danger of being swamped.

            Remember this: Being thankful when life is difficult doesn’t mean we have to enjoy every circumstance we are in.  It doesn’t mean that every experience we have will bring us joy.  But it does mean we are putting our faith in the One Who won’t desert us in the midst of the pain and we trust Him to carry us through it.  When necessary, we thank God through the tears.  We humble ourselves before Him even when it doesn’t make sense to us (cf. Habakkuk 3:17-19).

God loves you!

Mike

*Curtis Hutson, Great Preaching on Thanksgiving, logos.com

Unbearable Burdens

“Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” (Acts 15.10).

The apostle Peter stood firm against those at the Jerusalem council who wanted to require Gentile converts to keep the Law of Moses.  To him, it was a foolish and unreasonable demand.  The Law was a heavy burden that even the Jews had been unable to carry. Is there any reason to think that the Gentiles would be any more successful in the endeavor? Of course not!

The desire to oppress others runs deep in our spiritual DNA. Religion is an especially fertile area for oppression because we think we can use God to back us up.  Suddenly, it's not just “You need to do things my way” but “God tells you to do things my way.”  That can be a powerful threat.  Many of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day used this tactic to their advantage. The Lord confronted them for many abusive practices but one in particular stands out in this discussion: “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers” (Luke 11:46).

The religion of Christ should never be a heavy burden.  We have the words of the Savior Himself to affirm that.  “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

If your religion has become a burdensome and oppressive thing, it is not the religion of Christ.

God loves you!

Mike

No Distinction

“...and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:9).

At the heart of the struggle in Acts 15 was the Jew-Gentile divide in the early church. As the gospel spread into the far reaches of the Roman empire, the Jewish converts found it increasingly difficult to accept Gentiles into fellowship on equal terms.  After all, they had spent centuries keeping their distance from the nations so it was difficult for many to think differently under the new covenant of Christ.

The response of some Jewish Christians was to say: “Gentile converts must put their faith in Christ AND keep the law of Moses (Acts 15:5). That would be one way to get rid of distinctions but it would be the wrong way. “Become like us and there will be no difference between us!” This way of removing distinctions really ends up perpetuating them. 

The council in Jerusalem was firmly against requiring Gentile converts to keep the law of Moses as a condition of salvation.  In his part of the discussion, Peter highlights how God handles the “distinction” thing.  God cleanses the hearts of all who turn to Him in faith.  That makes God an “equal opportunity” Father, if you will.  He welcomes all to His family on the same terms and we don’t get to change the terms.

Perhaps Paul was thinking back to the Jerusalem council when he wrote these words to the believers in Rome: “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 3:21-24).

Thank you Lord for accepting ALL sinners on the same terms -- faith. We are humbled to stand at the foot of the cross on equal ground.

 

God loves you!

Mike 

The World's Dirtiest Man

Just when you think you have heard it all…  Here was a headline from this past week: WASH TRAGEDY ‘World’s dirtiest man’ dies aged 94 just months after finally taking his first shower in more than 60 YEARS. “Amou Haji was dubbed the ‘World’s Dirtiest Man’ for his bathroom-dodging ways. Apart from an aversion to soap and water, the Iranian was otherwise healthy, despite only eating uncooked porcupine roadkill and drinking dirty water from puddles out of a rusty oil can. He also had a fondness for smoking animal dung out of an old pipe as well as four cigarettes at once. Earlier this year neighbors persuaded him to have a shower after telling him not washing made it difficult to make friends or find a girlfriend…Amou also attracted the interest of scientists interested in studying what type of lifeforms might have taken up home on his body.

But they were surprised to find he hadn’t suffered from any bacteria or parasites apart from trichinosis, a bacteria that comes from eating raw meat and causes a common infection. Tests for HIV and hepatitis all came up negative as well.”*

            The pictures of Mr. Haji accompanying the article bore testimony to the title “World’s Dirtiest Man.”  As repulsive as the pictures were, it got me to wondering what a Holy God sees when He views us prior to forgiveness.  How repulsive we must have been mired in the dirt of our sin!  But God offers cleansing for even the dirtiest sinner.  David, who keenly felt the grime of his own transgressions (Psalm 51:3-5), appealed to the God Who could wash him and make him “whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7; cf. Isaiah 1:18).  Jesus gave himself so that His bride, the church, could be cleansed and made perfect before Him, without any spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:25-27).

            Thank you, Lord, for washing away the filth of my sin.  Thank you for making my spiritual robes white in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:13-14).

 

God loves you!

Mike

*https://www.the-sun.com/news/6523865/worlds-dirtiest-man-amou-haji-dies-shower/