Acts - Week 8/Tuesday

Reading for today: Acts 15:19-35

Evidently the Antioch church was doing fine until the Judaizers came and stirred up the Jews in the congregation with the idea of requiring the Gentiles to conform to the Jewish laws and traditions. After settling the issue of not requiring conformity for salvation, it was decided to suggest compromise when it came to fellowship. The Jewish traditions would have been familiar to the Gentiles anyway since “Moses had been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” (v.21).

The Gentiles in the congregation were being asked to abstain from certain things that were particularly offensive to the Jews for the sake of harmony. In Romans chapters 14-15 Paul asked the more “mature” believers to make allowances for the “weaker” brothers. Thus, it seems that the Jews were considered the “weaker” brothers in this situation.

One sign of Christian maturity is the willingness to refrain from activities that would cause misunderstanding and cause unnecessary arguments in the body of believers. Paul admonishes the Corinthian church to “Be careful that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak… When you sin against your brother in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.” (1 Cor. 8:9, 12)

Let’s ask God to reveal any of our actions that may be causing problems in our relationships. Take the first step to resolution by asking God for a greater measure of love. He will do it!

Tomorrow I would like to consider discerning "closed and open doors" in the context of Paul's vision of the "Man of Macedonia."

Jim Mathias