Author: missionspaul

 

Keep reading and referring.

 Acts 15:15 “The words of the prophets are in agreement with this”

James is now supporting Simon Peter’s objection against circumcision as the need for the proof of salvation. How does he support it? Through Scripture.

This is a new work of God, so is there anything in the Scripture that suggests that this is indeed a work of God? That is James’ stance. He knew there was. Everyone knew the Scriptures he would quote. He doesn’t need to say who the prophets were, they knew, they had memorised the verses.

Is there anything in the prophets regarding the move of God amongst the Gentiles? Absolutely!

In the same way todays Church/Christians need to weigh up things that are attributed to God with a Bible in hand.

Over a decade ago during years of renewal in the western Church I heard a teaching from a well-known preacher which asked the question: who is higher the Bible or God? He went on to explain that not everything has to be found in the Bible because God is eternal and the Bible will pass away. It all seemed to make sense as we were caught up in a new move of the Spirit. On reflection is was a rubbish defence of what the Spirit was doing because it suggested that new moves of God would mean we would have to put our Bibles down and not pick them up. He didn’t need to use this defence and it wasn’t helpful.

For over 10 years I have written this devotional blog though in different forms simply because I want people to keep holding their Bibles and not put them down. Thank you for being one of those who are Bible readers.

The Bible is described as:

A lamp: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”. Psalm 110:105.

Milk: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation”. 1 Peter 2:2

A sword: “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17

A seed: “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.” Luke 8:11

Over the years I have learnt the following about Bible reading:

It is a discipline. There are times when I do not want to read the Bible or I may be really busy and think I have not enough time. But I have to re-adjust my life to make sure I have the time.

I read the Bible in a language that makes sense to me. I read the Bible with three translations before me. The NIV, the Message and the Amplified. It enables me to more fully understand the text.

I read it with imagination. I put myself in the place of the characters and try to understand what is taking place for them. I keep asking questions throughout the passage and let the questions be challenging ones to yourself.

I always ask myself “how does this apply to me?” Is it helping me with the truths of my faith?

Is it teaching me? Is it asking for my obedience? Is it calling for a worshipful response? If it is symbolic language, is there an obvious meaning behind the words?

Church synods will continually meet throughout the generations till the return of Christ and hopefully they will continue to refer to the Bible and never say the Bible needs updating to fit modern times.

More importantly Christians need to continue to hold their Bibles every day of their life and let it guide and guard their lives.

The first thing

Acts 15:14
“Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself.”

The first thing is not the only thing.

At first God created the heavens and the earth but there was more to come.

God asks for consecration of the firstborn, the giving of first fruits and the first tithe, the resting of the first day, but God demands our whole life, our all.

Jesus called his first disciples, they were Simon and Andrew, but there were more to come.

James is showing in what he says that though God started with the Jews He wasn’t ending there.

We need to learn that the first thing is not the only thing.

It shows there is more to come.

What is now may and will develop. The idea may be great but it is the initial concept of a whole plan. What is now may be miraculous but it is a seed for miracles to come.

Look back on your life and see where God started and now look at what has come from that beginning. Look at you now! God at first did this … but then this happened!

If God has plans to do something new even now in your life then be ready for a whole adventure to begin.

The first thing is not the only thing.

 

Friends, I am in Uganda but about to go off line for a few days I think, as I am heading into internet dodgy zone! So I have pre-loaded some devotions to carry us over the next few days. However I am not trusting this internet access and you may get some out of sync. If you get a devotional blog ahead of the day it should have been sent please accept my apology and work it out yourself !!

James the back-up friend

Acts 15:13 ‘When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me.”
James was that friend we all need when fighting our corner.
He was not James of the Twelve, he had been killed by Herod. This was another James, a leader who was well known to the church in Jerusalem. He was the half- brother of Jesus, the brother of Jude and he wrote the book of James.

We need this kind of friend.
Not the first one to speak up necessarily.
But the one who listens.
The one who waits until you have finished
The one who knows this is their time, their moment.
The one who will then support what you have said from their understanding of the situation.
A back-up friend.

 

CLIFF, AAVA AND DAVE.

Acts 15: 12 “The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.”

Last Sunday in Church I met Cliff. He used to be part of a skinhead gang, homeless, and a violent drunkard. He had all the hallmarks to back that up. His forehead has an array of tattoos which I couldn’t work out whether they carried a message or were abstract. But he had met Jesus and now carries the hallmark of Christ. He is a follower of Jesus and has become a sign to others of what God can do in a broken man. He brings people to Church and is telling others of Jesus.

Last Sunday in the same church I met Aava, she is only 12 years of age. She comes from Finland and from a broken home. I had noticed her worshipping earlier. She was kneeling in worship with her head facing the floor. I thought how beautiful it was to see a young person worshipping in this way. Aava told me how she had a vision of Christ when she was younger. How Jesus came to her in her room and brought strength and peace to her life. She is a wonder.

Last Sunday in the same church I met Dave. He had been a missionary in The Gambia. He had been impacted by the stories I had told. He shared his own story of how the enemy broke his body when he had been captured in that nation and the pain he carries for his friends who died because of torture. But as he told his story I saw Jesus in him.

You see my friends, in your church there are stories of signs and wonders that continually need to be told.

Silence the congregation with the stories of the Church.

 

 

No!

Acts 15:11 “No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

No! We will not become a church that sacrifices grace for performance.

No! We will not become a church where salvation only exists in our way.

No! We will not become a church where the Lord Jesus is not seen.

No! We will not become a church that has controlling disputes.

No! We will not become a church that is full of pride.

No! We will not become a church that thinks more of itself than of others who are yet to come in.

No! We will not become a church that self-promotes and self-congratulates its own achievements.

No! We will not become a church that will not change for fear of offending the past.

No! We will not become a church that carries a sign of purity but not the heart.

No! We will not become a church that enforces our journey on to others.

No to circumcision for all.

No!

 

 

 

The yoke

Acts 15:10

Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?

A strange sight to see a harness put around the neck of a person then asking that person to pull farm equipment. A picture we do not see and if we saw it we would call it slavery. It is wrong.

Peter uses the picture for the numerous rituals, regulations and observances like circumcision that are placed on new believers which are just incapable to be carried.

The yoke of Jesus is easy and light, the yoke of man is difficult and heavy.

What the Judaisers did to the Church was repeated throughout the generations, by the Church. We created new commandments from this verse and that verse. Biblical principles became Church commandments that if kept brought you in and if lapsed kept you out.

Many have left us because the yoke was too heavy. We don’t insist on circumcision but we insist on other things. The irony is that not one person in the Church has been able to accomplish its demands.

In the bustle of all this performance we have lost or killed grace, but we have kept the yoke, but the yoke doesn’t bring life.

When will we learn?

Why do we do this?

 

Just the same

Acts 15:9 “He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.”

You are as loved as the next person in the eyes of God.

The other person may have had a better start in life, they may have been brought up differently, they may look like they are closer to God than you, they may speak like their salvation is more assured than yours but worry not. There is no distinction.

You may have a list of sins longer than most.

You may be weaker than the weakest.

But you have faith in Jesus and Jesus has purified your heart.

Your purity doesn’t come from the cutting of flesh or some other abstinence but from a cut of brokenness, of the need of a Saviour.

Your purity isn’t from performance but from His action on the cross.

Your purity isn’t from you, it is from Him.

Your purity isn’t announced by man but from Him.

Your purity is not yours, it is His.

But it is the same purity.

No distinction.

Just the same.

Actually, even better!

Grace v circumcision

Acts 15:8 “God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us”.

Peter has just started opposing the need for circumcision as a sign for salvation. He has taken the council at Jerusalem back to his testimony story of the household of Cornelius. They were all saved and filled with the Spirit before circumcision.

God knew their heart, he didn’t need an outward sign to know whether they were genuine or not, He knew. Circumcision is therefore not for God’s benefit but that of man.

The Holy Spirit is given before they are able to do any performance ritual or any duty to demonstrate to others that they belong to Him. He moves before we move. Such grace!

Man will always demand some attempt from you to prove that you are who you say you are. Resist at all costs. Do not fall into that trap of performance. Stay with grace!

 

 

The Past

 

Acts 15:7

“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.”

 

So here he stands again, the leading apostle, Peter, on his feet, making his argument.

The discussion has been that of circumcision. Now Peter begins his speech.

He will be arguing against the practice of circumcision needing to be used on Christ followers in order of proof of salvation.

How does he address this? “Brothers, you know that some time ago …”

Peter takes us back in the past, 10 years precisely when God had saved the household of Cornelius.

The lesson is that our point of reference should be the past.

Do you know what happened in the past?

Do you know the history of your life?

Do you remember that sermon or that inspired conversation? Do you remember that person?

Some people want to rubbish the past or remove it by saying it never really happened.

Some say looking back means you are not moving forward.

But the past is our teacher. It is our foundation. It contains seeds of thought that help today’s new questions.

Some time ago God …..

What did God do in your past?

Let that be the steer of your life now.

Let it form the correct decisions today.