Christ Church Daily Devotion June 3 2024

In this Daily Devotion, Peter addresses the issue of whether Gentiles should follow Jewish laws and traditions in order to be Christian. He reminds the assembly that God accepted the Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did for the Jews. Peter emphasizes that salvation comes through grace, not works. Barnabas and Paul share stories of God's work among the Gentiles, and James concludes that they should not make it difficult for Gentiles to turn to God. Instead, they should only ask them to abstain from certain practices. The assembly listens and accepts this decision. The lesson is to have the courage to speak up for God and to listen to others. Welcome to Christchurch's Daily Devotion for June 3rd, 2024. Today we will be reading from Acts chapter 15, verses 7-14, also verses 19-21. 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. God, who knows the heart, showed that He accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for He purified their hearts by faith. 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? No, we believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are. 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. And when they finished, James spoke up. Brothers, he said, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for His name from the Gentiles. It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 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. For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath. The early church did not always get it right, but they certainly did in this case. The Pharisees made the case that since Jewish persons had been required to follow all of the laws and traditions established for the children of Israel, so should these Gentiles who desired to be Christian. Peter had struggled with the issue, and he would struggle with it again. But here he is brave to stand and remind his fellow Jewish Christians how God had sent him to the home of the Gentile centurion, Cornelius, to share the good news of Christ. Peter had seen the Holy Spirit come upon Cornelius in his household, reinforcing that we are saved by grace, not by works, just as we are. A lesson for us comes when we see the whole assembly grew quiet and listened as Paul and Barnabas told about how God was moving through them among the Gentiles. By this time, James, the brother of Jesus, had become the leader of the church in Jerusalem. It is amazing to see how James was led by the Spirit to decide so quickly to accept the Gentiles without making them become Jews first. And it is even more amazing to see how readily the council accepted and implemented his decision. Your personal worship options today. Almighty God, give us the courage to stand and speak for you when needed, and the humility to be quiet and listen to others. Send your Holy Spirit among us to help us make decisions and to guide us as we implement them. Amen.