All of Grace

SCRIPTURE:

Acts 15:1–11
 “But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

DEVO:
The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

Since the beginning the church has grown exponentially. Peter preached his sermon in Jerusalem during Pentecost around 3,000 people were saved who received the word. As the church begins to expand outside of the city, gentiles are included in the kingdom of God. Gentiles believers had unique customs, habits, and values. The gentiles coming into the faith have no understanding of Jewish sabbath, cleansing rituals, and traditions. Men come from Judea insisting that gentiles observe jewish customs in order to be saved (vs. 1). Circumcision is a physical sign of membership in the people of God. The issue is brought to the leaders of the church in Jerusalem by Paul and Barnabas to be discussed. The pharisees insist on legalism for salvation and inclusion in the people of God. Legalism is having a strict outward conformity to moral and religious practices and expectations that others have the same. The heart of the gospel is at stake and the debate ends with the apostles declaring that salvation is by grace alone. First, Peter affirms that God made a choice that gentiles would hear and receive the gospel. In other words, it is not the church who decides who is and who is out. Gentiles received the Holy Spirit who is the seal and guarantee of the inheritance of the kingdom of God, not circumcision. Second, Peter continues his affirmation of gentile inclusion in the church because they had their hearts cleansed by faith. The ceremonial washing and former sacrificial system does not have the power to cleanse a heart, faith alone. Third, Peter shows the consistency of Gods plan for the salvation of humanity and forgiveness of sin. Acts 15:11 says, “But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” The grace of God is the reason that people are saved. God made no distinction and gives the Holy Spirit, cleanses hearts by faith, and all of this is the grace of God. The church has a long history of demanding conformity in order to fit in. Imagine receiving the gospel with joy and beginning your journey with Jesus. Then people begin making demands that you earn entry into a community that God himself saved/called you into. In our culture there is a good chance that you have been to church and felt like you did not fit in. Perhaps your outward appearance wasn’t hip enough, personality wasn’t witty enough, or you were not connected with the elite in the church. Our churches today may not be demanding circumcision or jewish customs, but instead demand your able to lead worship, have a family, or no real public sin. Luckily, the church has a long history of leadership and authority. This matter was settled by the apostles long ago, we don’t find our inclusion in legalism or conformity, but the grace of God. There is a sense in which we must be grateful for the preservation of the good news of Jesus Christ. This could have been a turning point for the worse, but instead it becomes a moment to look back on and remember our faith has a long history of inclusion, diversity, and unity. Peter has a shining moment here and it is simple… don’t make it hard for people to join our community.

REFLECTION:
Describe a time when you felt unwelcome in a church setting?
Why can’t we expect people to come back to church a second time if they feel like they did not fit in?
Scale of 1-10 How important is personal relationship in bringing a friend to church?
Who made you feel the most welcome in church and brought you into community?
What area of pressure do you feel from the church to conform in?
What are 3 doctrines we do not have to agree about? (i.e. eschatology, theistic evolution, spiritual gifts?)
Why do we have to agree about salvation? (The solas)