Christ Church Daily Devotion Oct 11 2023

In this Daily Devotion, the debate about whether Gentiles must be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses is discussed. Peter argues that God accepted the Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, and they should not be burdened with the law. Barnabas and Paul share stories of God's miracles among the Gentiles. James concludes that Gentiles should not be made to follow Jewish customs, quoting the prophets to support his argument. The message is that God's grace through Christ is enough. The personal worship option encourages us to see God's grace in the lives of people outside our comfort zone. Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for October 11th, 2023. Today we will be reading from Acts, Chapter 15, Verses 5-19. Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the Law of Moses. The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 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 to 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. 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. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this as it is written, that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord who does these things, things known from long ago. It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. As readers and hearers of these verses, we have the advantages of being over 2,000 years past this debate and being somewhat removed from their concerns. It is as if we are in the gallery and can so easily see the solution even before James speaks. God's grace through Christ is enough. For a moment, let's walk in the shoes of the believing Pharisees. They had heard that the Gentiles in Antioch were being baptized and welcomed into the fellowship without circumcision. Speaking for the church, this group said, You cannot be saved unless you are circumcised. They thought you could not be a Christian unless you first became a Jew, and if you didn't accept the law, Christ wouldn't accept you. Peter responds in verses 9-11, He, God, 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 though the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are. During biblical times, the surgery of circumcision past early infancy could be life-threatening. James' words, quoting the prophets Amos and Isaiah, are to welcome a balm of assurance of God's grace for all people. James offers clarity for what is right and possible for the new believing Gentiles to change from their old ways to the new ways of following Christ. Today's personal worship option, Can we see as easily how God's grace is at work in the lives of people beyond our comfort zone? Open our eyes, Lord. Amen.