The Jerusalem Council
15:1 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.” 2 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. 3 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. 4 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. 5 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.”
6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 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. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 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? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
16 “‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will restore it,
17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’
19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers
22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. 33 And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
Paul and Barnabas Separate
36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. (ESV)
11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
This verse stood out to me the most, because it is important to have the right outlook on the gospel. There is only one way and it is by God’s grace and mercy by which we are saved. God’s grace offers us forgiveness of sins! This brought to my mind, Ephesians 2:8- “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing;it is the gift of God..” There is no good deed you can do to earn your way to heaven, it is by repentance and faith as the bible tells us. Verses, such as Ephesians 2:8 is really enouraging to me and good to know! God’s grace has so much in store, and offers a lot such as eternal life which is so important! Another verse that comes to mind is, Acts 20:32!
25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
These verses I thought were very encouraging to me! Men like Barnabas and Paul are such great examples and they did rick their lives for Jesus! It brings up the question of, “Am I willing to die for Jesus?” This life is not important. My mission is to make disciples of Christ and the only reason the Lord hasn’t come back yet is so that more people can become saved! I want to be that example who will shine the light and let others know the good news. That is the only reason I am sucking oxygen right now! I want to be bold like Paul and to always evaluate myself to make sure I am doing what is right. I pray that we will all be bold and courageous wherever we go and tell as many people about Jesus as we can!!!! Maranatha mindet!
mmmmmmm! Awesome comment Brooke!
d:- D
Great comment Brooke Brooke! :D Yes, let us not take the Gospel for granted because IT IS by grace that we have been saved. Like Bobby had said, let us constantly be asking for grace and mercy from a God who has eyes that blaze like fire! SCARY!
Wow great comment Brooke! We should all be ready to die for Christ if necessary. Your boldness is really encouraging!
Phenomenal commentary, Brookie! I have seen a growth in you that blesses me. Keep at Him. :)
mhmmm I’m feelin’ that gurlll!! It’s only by his beautiful grace!! :D
ELLO… I read
I like verse 26,”men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ”
I like this verse because it talks what Paul and Barnabas were known for. They were known for risking their lives for JESUS. This is the best thing to be known for. Instead of being known as cool or funny I believe it is much better to be known for risking your life for JESUS who has done everything for us. I need to give everything for JESUS and be prepared to lose friends and family for HIM because HE created me and gave me a spot in HEAVEN so I believe that it would be best to do what the KING of KINGs says.
CYA
Interesting how anywhere these guys go, they get opposition.. even from people that are supposedly in their own church!
But am I surprised? nooo.
God makes it pretty clear that we can’t be a Christian and not be persecuted!
So…it shouldn’t surprise us when these times come, but we should instead be trusting in God, and allowing the spirit to work in us! He will give us the strength to get through any situation.
heck yes, Proverbs 3:5-6!!
10 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? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
From the very beginning of the church people have been trying to add requirements to the gospel. There were people saying you had to repent of your sins, put your faith in Christ AND be circumcised to be saved. Paul speaks out against this. You can only be saved by grace through faith. There is NEVER an AND. As soon as you add something to the gospel it becomes a different gospel. There is nothing I can do to be saved. No good works of mine make me anymore acceptable before God. Praise the Lord for that!
Praise the Lord, indeed, Meisha! Great focal point from today’s chapter…
amen Meisha! this makes me think of Mormons…I will be praying for the Mormons I know that they will come to know Christ through the Bible’s perspective :]
Acts 15:7 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.
More explanation of the great commission: we can’t just ‘live good lives’ but we must use our mouths and speak the gospel so others can hear it and be saved from eternal punishment! Lord, please cleanse me today and send me to someone to speak Your gospel and have You save them!
I love the response from the peeps that receive the letter…they rejoiced! It was so encouraging to them to know that there were brothers and sisters standing right beside them in the faith. I know I am ALWAYS encouraged when someone sends me a text with bible verses in them, telling me that God is in control and He has a plan for everything. I love all my conversations about God that I have with my family in Christ. :) It always reminds me of what reallyyyy matters in life and where my focus should be. This actually encourages me to encourage others. ;D Today is our campus lunch, I’m praying for a good turn out! Pray along with me pleaaase because there are a lot of students at Aliso Niguel High that need the Lord! Austin Payne, I’ve been praying for you that God would speak through you and give you the words to speak the Gospel with an amen to it! ;D ya son! Maranatha!
I thought about that too, and how much encouragement really helps me. I will def be praying for the lunch!
I am definitely praying for the campus lunch today at Aliso right there with you!
I like how Paul and the other disciples wanted to check up on the churches they spoke to. This reminds me that I need to check up on the people I have talked to about faith, to make sure they aren’t unclear about anything. Just like these Gentiles were confused, we need to set the newly converted Christians straight, through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit of course. This also shows me that evangelism is NEVER done. We always something to do, and on that note, there’s always something we can change in ourselves to make us more like Christ! I would like to take this opportunity to thank God for being so patient with me and for drawing me closer like I’ve been praying about. Of course, I could draw even closer, so I still need to pray about that, but it has been easier to deal with what’s been going on!
GREAT comment, Elizabeth! The Great Commission from Jesus to us is two-part: “…make disciples…” and, “…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Follow-up is CRITICAL. You don’t just teach a kid how to swim, and then send them into the ocean, lest they drown. We have to vigilantly attend to the people God entrusts to us. And if it is not possible (there are contexts where it is not possible to carry on contact or a relationship with someone you plant seeds in or make a disciple of), then we MUST PRAY for God to bring other believers alongside these people, that they may be taught to have faith that runs deep, so that they may keep standing and be used by the Lord to make disciples for/of Him, themselves!
24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Barnabas and Paul are sent to Antioch to clear up the confusion with the Gentiles, in verse 7 it says they have risked their lives for the sake of the Lord. Yet again, we can see what good examples they are! God chooses them to go make tings clear to the people of Antioch, and he chooses them to go out and strengthen the churches. God uses people who are faithful to him and who put him far above anything else, and that is the kind of Christian everyone needs to be.
9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
The Bible makes it pretty clear that we don’t get to heaven by being a “good person.” Eph 2:8, Rom 3:23, I could go on and on. But God’s incredible and unfailing mercy is more powerful than our rebellion. If we put our faith in Christ, His blood washes our record clean of sin.
Because of this, the apostles constantly stress the equality of men under God, and how we all need God’s grace. i may struggle with that sometimes, thinking that someone doesn’t deserve to hear the gospel or that they are “unsaveable.” If I lived in Jerusalem at this time, I think Paul would have Bible thumped me big time :P.
I need to go out and preach God’s Word to ~everybody~. Strangers, friends, enemies–everyone needs God, and “all fall short of the glory of God.” But “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.” (Titus 2:11) No distinction, no discrimination. We all need it.
Maranatha!!
10 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?
Salvation is not by works! It may seem trivial to add the requirement that believers must be circumcised according to the Law of Moses, but this is a false gospel. Titus 3:5 tells us, “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy….” None of my good works add to my salvation or earn my acceptance.
When looking at many false religions today, they add works to the salvation equation. Although they believe in Christ’s death on the cross as PART of their salvation, they are not relying fully on His substitutionary death. This is not the Gospel! I am saved only by grace through faith. Just as it was impossible for the Jews to gain acceptance through the Law of Moses, it is impossible for me to gain acceptance through any work. I’m praising the Lord today for the amazing gift of salvation since I have done NOTHING to deserve it! May all the glory be given to Him!
28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
The apostles warn the new Gentile believers to abstain from things that are not necessarily sinful (except the sexual immorality). The Bible teaches us that this is just food. The gods that they were sacrificing to don’t exist. The ceremonial laws and the dietary laws have been done away with. So why do the apostles tell the Gentiles to abstain from these things? Because it could lead them into sin, and it could cause others to stumble.
This is something that I do struggle with. I know that I need to be more conscientious when I act and think about how my actions affect other people. Just as the Gentiles eating sacrificed meat may have caused Jewish believers to stumble, some of the things that I do that aren’t sinful may cause others to sin. I also need to be fleeing from things that may lead me to sin, not just sinful acts. If the Gentiles ate food sacrificed to idols, they may have been tempted to return to sacrificing to idols. I need to flee things that I have once struggled with, as well as flee from things that could lead me into that sin again.
great comment Cameron! I need to practice thinking before I act too :)
26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Here these men really only have one description. And the only description is that they have lived and risked their lives for the sake of living for Jesus Christ. When someone was to look at their lives, it was a very identifiable factor that they were continually place themselves in way of physical danger to further the good news of the gospel to all people. A description like this does not come after someone does this a couple times. To be identified with risking life for Jesus Christ comes after it has become a lifestyle.
I want to live my life so that I can be characterized by evangelizing and risking my own life to tell others about the gospel and its power to save. I don’t want to seek after this that I may gain a reputation among men for my glory. I don’t want to be identified like this to Christ so that I may be praised for being godly. Instead, my whole purpose needs to bring God the glory. And in being recognized, it just shows that I am continually living out what I should be doing. I need to not let circumstance or situation or people intimidate me. Instead, I need to be bold in sharing the gospel, even when it may put myself in physical danger!
Great comment Stephen!!
Thanks Spence!:)
9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
God is so gracious to bless me with this verse today. These past couple of days I have had to re-count my testimony and reflect back on who Stacy Perkins was BEFORE Jesus Christ penetrated my heart and soul. That was a hideous experience: living that life, being that person.
It’s often a temptation to look at some fellow believing sisters and brothers in the Lord and admire how they didn’t make the messed up choices as I did…how the aftermath of their BC (“Before Christ”) lives did not lead to the reaping of such fruits of sin as the pain and suffering that maybe MY BC life led to.
What a wrong way of thinking. Easily entrapping, sure. But it’s not biblical. God is so gracious to remind us and encourage us of the truth and His promise, that, “He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.”
Thank You, Lord Jesus–with ALL THAT I AM–for cleansing my heart by the faith You’ve given me and called me to, saved me by, that You strengthen me by, and use me as Your witness by.
Definitely good to be thinking about this. It’s not who we were, it’s who we are. We all began as something else – thank God for His mercy in our lives, that no matter what choices we made in our BC lives, He has forgiven us.
8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
This verse, which is just like the ones from a few days ago, shows that we really do need to be unprejudeced when we are evangelizing to people! we can’t have the mindset that some people are so far off from God’s word and commandments that they will never be saved, so we just shouldn’t even evangelize to them. This is toootaally the wrong thing to be thinking because they are in fact the ones who need it the most!! Lord I pray that you will give me an opportunity to speak the gospel through you to some one who really needs to hear it, and that come saturday night during evangelism night we will be able to speak with many, many people who need your word in their lives!!!
Great comment Shossa!! Everyone needs to hear the Gospel and we should be sharing it with all people no matter what we might think about them!:) This post was very encouraging, thank you!
26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This verse just makes me in awe of these men that have literally laid down their life, just so others could hear the gospel. That is exactly how important evangelizing should be, to the point of death. If these men didnt think that it was important for the non Christians to hear the gospel, they wouldnt put their lives at risk. But they did, showing its absolute imporartance in our lives. We most likely wont die from evangelizing, but it still is so so so important that I am giving it my all everday all day. I pray that God would put people in my path today that I can share the gospel with.
10 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?
Poeple can not think that we get into heaven by works. How can we ever think that we will be good enough to get into heaven if we are still living in sin? That is what non Christians dont understand, and its sad to see them do good works, all for the wrong reasons. That is why its so important to make sure that any of my non Christian friends need to understand what is really going on in that area. Even today in my life it seems like I can sometimes catch myself doing something to try to get God approval, but that is not the way it should be. I am doing works to obey God, not to make Him love me more.
Great Comment Kelsey!:)
26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I don’t think I’m very risky when it comes to sharing the Gospel. If I were to be honest, I usually share the Gospel only if it seems the perfect opportunity, and I have a good length of time, then I’ll share the Gospel, but rarely do I take risks to be bold for Christ.
Paul and Barnabas, were risk-takers when it came to representing Christ. An angry mob? No problem, God will deliver me. Courage and bravery could be summed up in those two characters.
I should take more risks! And by risks, I mean like raising my hand in class and sharing that I am a Christian by standing against the lies they teach us, or possibly taking a risk by writing a paper in English or History about the Bible. Or, maybe even praying for my water polo team and actively sharing to them the gospel on a daily basis. That would be bold, and although I might not get stoned, I know that that is God’s will, and the example that He has set out for us. Suffering for His names sake.
God is good! Praying for Jasmine and the Capo lunch today!
I’ll be praying foi your campus lunch!! :)
It’s actually not mine—I go to SC, but thankyou anyways! I want to see people repent at Capo just as much too! Thanks Sarah!
aw thank you so much Spence! It’s actually tomorrow :)
Some great wisdom from Mr. Camp! This is so true.. I am rarely ever taking risks for God. It’s easy to do things when they are convenient, but we need to step out of our comfort zone – majorly!
36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”
I love ACTS! :]
I liked this verse because Paul was not a man who preached and left. He followed up and made sure the people he spoke to were still standing. I need to do that. When evangelizing I need to remember the people I spoke to and continue to pray for them. And hopefully they will come to church and encouragement to them can spread. As Christians we need to go back and check on one another and encourage each other on to grow in God. :]
Great point Payton! This is a great way to be a Barnabas!
10 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? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
The Pharasaic wing of the Jerusalem church was trying to get the new Christians to first become Jewish before they could be a legitimate part of their new church. They demanded that the new Christian converts be circumcised and live by all the Mosaic law. I like how Peter stood up to these false teachers and went right back to the true gospel–we are saved by grave, through faith! Peter was bold in defending the correct way to become a Christian because he knew it was the gospel of the Lord Jesus. We can be confident in the gospel because it was given to the apostles directly from Jesus and not made up by man. I pray that I will be as bold as Peter when defending misconceptions about the gospel or straight out lies about it. The best defense of the gospel is a good offense…I must have several verses memorized that state clearly the salvation equation….Repentance + Faith = Salvation + Good Works!
Like many of you, I am really enjoying reading through the book of Acts! One of the questions that people have when they read this book is what about all of the miracles that are done and do Christians do things like this today?
At Compass Bible Church, we don’t think that these “sign gifts of the Holy Spirit” are happening today. Just like we don’t think that there are apostles today or that the Bible is still being written. We think that some of these works have ceased.
In this chapter I think that we can really see why God used the apostles in the early church to do miracles. God has done something exciting and new by taking the gospel to the Gentiles. Now the apostles are trying to figure out how to think about this. Two times they reference the miracles that God was doing through them:
8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,
12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.
To the apostles, these signs and wonders showed that it was truly of God for the gospel to go out to the Gentiles and for them to be saved. Whereas today, we don’t need miracles to know that God wants all people to be saved because we have that written so many places for us in the New Testament (Matthew 28:19-20, 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9, etc.)
What is amazing is that these miracles were not the final authority on the matter. Even though Peter and then Paul and Barnabas refer to miracles they have done among the Gentiles, it is James who brings the matter to a conclusion on the basis not of what they have seen, but of Old Testament prophecy. Even though they were seeing miracles, they still thought the Word of God had a greater authority.
We should be so thankful for the Bible that we can read it and it tells us everything we need to know to live for God today (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:3)! It is great reading it with you guys every day here on SOTD! Let’s keep it up and encourage our True North friends to get on here!
great comment Pastor Bobby! :) I had a question: are you saying that miracles don’t happen today? or just that miracles done by other people (like the apostles) have ceased to occur today?
Hey Alyssa, Great question! I still think that God is doing “miracles” but he is doing them within his sovereign control of the universe. He is not breaking the laws of the universe he made through specific men like the apostles. Hope that helps!
11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
Amen!!! I was saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus. That is the only way to Heaven. Not by our good deeds but by Jesus Christ. He is the only way we can have a relationship with God. I was reading the first chapter of Practical Theology for Women the author was explaining that Jesus is our middle man. In the old testament there was only the high priest who could talk to God. But Jesus came and died on the cross so we could have a relationship with him personally.He is the only reason we can have a relationship with God.
MARANATHA
Mmmmm i got to say i love this chapter.
11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
I like this verse alot, because its really saying how we should have the right view about the gospel. What Brooke said it kinda reminds me of Ephesians 2:8, its not are own doing, but the gift if God.
26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thats an awsome thing to do, giving up your life for the Lord!! whats so AWSOME about that is, thats a scary thing to do. But we believe/have faith, and no the truth that we are going to heaven, if u follow and believe in Jesus Christ as God.Rependence&faith.
MARANATHA.=)
Check facebook, if you can attend my event. thanks!
11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
I’m thinking of the cross when I’m thinking of grace in this verse, that’s what grace is symbolizing. Thinking about the examples of grace is a lot more concepts than just the image of the cross. Often times, I don’t think of grace in other ways. Even though, the cross is the biggest act of grace God provided me, God also has shown me and the whole world grace in other ways. I also think, that I’m thinking of the flood, I’m sure God probably thinks we are just as evil as back then. Through God’s grace, God said that He would never flood the planet again. God blessesing really show His grace in my life. God’s grace by letting those who do not believe in Him, time to allow to repent. God’s grace, when I can sin that He doesn’t end my life. God’s grace, that I can live in a country like America.
Hey everyone! I just posted our sermon from this weekend here: http://bit.ly/cuKKeD
If you missed it, you should listen and think about who Jesus is today! If you heard it at True North leave a comment and let us know what you learned!
Great sermon Pastor Bobby! I’ve been confronted, and I know that I need to keep that flame up, by the grace of God, because there is no way to be a Christian, other than on fire! Thanks!
11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
This is a good verse because it shows that it is through Gods grace that we are saved, not anything that we do. Also, it is not only through good works that we are saved.
11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.
When I first read this verse, I also thought the same thing Brooke and Anita did. The only way we can be truly saved is by the grace of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! There is not another single way we can be saved. Because of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross and his resurrection we are able to follow him all of our lives! Not only that, but our sins can be wiped clean! No one can earn their way to Heaven by being a “good” person in their life or being “nice” or even by just going to church. In order to be saved we have to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!
mmmm :)
nice post on SOTD!
26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This verse encouraged me. Paul and Barnabas were so bold and were willing to risk their lives for Christ. I want to be more fearless when it comes to situation like these.
26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
whenever I hear of people who gave there life for Jesus Christ it reall yinspires me to do more then i am right now, because some poeople have given so much and risked there lives and i am living a nice and easy life, when i could be serving and sharing the gosple
Acts 15:11 “But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
The ONLY way anyone can ever obtain salvations is by the gift of God’s grace and through faith alone in Jesus Christ! No one can obtain salvation by their own doing. This verse reminded me of Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” God’s grace is His favor upon those who have sinned against Him and transgressed His law. God’s grace, which is a gift, not only offers salvation, it secures salvation! It has saved us from God’s wrath at the final judgement. Salvation is not by works, as Peter tried to explain in this chapter. If it were, first off, no one would ever obtain salvation because everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and second of all, then those who were saved would get the glory for their salvation! Peter is explaining in this chapter that Israel was unable to fulfill the law perfectly and that salvation could not be obtained through the law. So the only way of salvation (for both Jews and Gentiles) is God’s grace through Jesus Christ!!:)
What it’s all about right there – I’m constantly reminding myself the my salvation is not earned through obedience, but given as grace so that I CAN be obedient.
11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
This verse totally stuck out to me because its something I just learned in the past couple months. When I was a really “young” christian I didnt know a lot, but I had heard in one of Pastor Bobbys sermons that God chose us, not us choosing Him. I always thanked God for choosing me but never understood why…I just assumed that He knew I would be a good servant so thats why He chose me. However, I found out that this is not the case. God choses us by Grace. It made me think about what other people would say if I was to tell them they are chosen by grace. So I asked Beth Lauder one night and she said something along the lines of…because God choses us, we seek Him, but If we dont seek Him, He didnt choose us. So theres no such thing as people saying, “Well God didnt choose me so theres nothing I can do.” It totally made sense and made me appreciate God so much more for choosing me out of grace!!! :)
31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.
This reminds me of how we should be constantly encouraging our brothers and sisters in Christ! I enjoy writing notes to my friends to encourage them and ask about spiritual improvement in their lives as well as asking about prayer requests. It’s important though to also stay encouraged through reading God’s Word, so that you can have a good, clean source of encouragement. I want to turn to certain Bible verses to give me strength when I have times of weakness in my life and need God to lift me back up. I need to make sure that I am also lifting others up and not letting anyone feel put down.
Your passion for God encourages me Alyssa! Keep burning for Christ!
17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
As a Gentile, I tend to dig this verse (and verse 9). I am thankful (I could be more) to God for being included as one of His chosen people, and receiving all the blessings that come with being apart His team. And as a sinner I also tend to dig this verse…11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” God’s grace is such a beautiful thing! I do not deserve His love and blessings yet He lavishes them on me and gives me the Holy Spirit. He forgives me of sin and picks me back up after I crash and burn, not because I am entitled, but because GOD IS GOOD. Praise God for His eternal and everlasting Love!
Exodus 6:7 “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” -We get to have the same God through Christ’s sacrafice, awesome!
God was good to save us gentiles! Praise the Lord!
4 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.
I really like this verse because it made me think about how when Paul and Barnabas arrive at the church in Jerusalem, it says they were welcomed and declared all that God had done. I remember Pastor Bobby preaching about loving each other (and how Jesus commands us to love one another) and how many times we will ask people about their day or how they are doing but really don’t care. I know I catch myself doing this sometimes where you just ask to be polite but then forget later. When Paul and Barnabas arrived and declared all that God did, we should be like this: asking people from the heart how they are really doing or (like in the verse) what is God doing in their lives. I hope and pray that God will just fill me with love toward everybody and that I would be asking people about themselves not to just be polite, but because I (should) actually care about them.
Good comment, T Moore!
good chapter
what was your favorite verse??
26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This verse stuck out to me as it did to others. I know I need to be more “risky” in sharing the Gospel. I don’t take risks witht that. I tend to wait for what seems the good time to share it. That isn’t right. I can share the Gospel at almost anytime and I shouldn’t wait for what seems to me a good opportunity. An opportunity that seems “bad” to me, could very well be a great opportunity. I can’t let my fear and what I think hold me back from sharing the Gospel to anyone I am in contact with.
Great post Haley!! I aslo have been letting fear get the best of me, but Ill be working on it. I’ll be praying for you to be strong.
37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.
I always think it’s interesting how God can use even a disagreement between people to spread the gospel in 2 different directions.
It’s also interesting that Barnabas and Paul split up over an argument about whether or not to take Mark (the man who the Holy Spirit later used to write the book of Mark). Paul was the one who didn’t want John Mark to go with them, but later, in one of Paul’s letters, he asks for Mark by name and says that Mark is useful to him. God can use anyone and can draw anyone closer to Himself! Even someone whom the apostle Paul absolutely did NOT want to bring with him on a missionary journey. God changes lives and I’m so thankful to serve a God who has changed my life and continues to do so.
27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:
This is a great verse. We need to make sure that we do not focus on the rules, and in turn begin to get the misconception that we are saved through works. Rules are necessary because otherwise we would not know what to do, but in the end it is CHRIST who saved us, not what we do. That being said, true Christians do what GOD said because they have a desire to. You don’t earn your salvation, but once you have it you want to do what GOD says.
10 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? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
alot of people say that religion is the way to heavan. it is not be religious works and traditions at all, tradition has nothing to do with it. it is soley by the grace of God. i know many people who are trapped by tradition, i need to pray for them that they will see that it is by grace! if anyone reads this please pray with me.
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!.
I will pray with you Jake!
36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”
PAyton had a great comment on this! One of the most important things about newbs coming to campus lunch and church is to talk to them after and folow up. Many times they will leave and forget abut the sermon and everyone there, but if one person goes up and talks to them it can make a huge difference. The biggest challenge I have is not talking to my friends during this time. I need to remember that the reward for what i should do is eternal, whereas the reward for what i want to do is temporal.
Great point Daniel! Especially as the Seniors leave, we really need everyone else at True North to step up and set the tone!
32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words.
This verse stuck out to me as part of what Christians should be doing for one another on a daily basis – encouraging! There’s nothing better than even just a simple text from a godly friend, encouraging you to stand strong and represent Christ. A little words of encouragement can go a long way, as long as they’re sincere. I know it’s definitely easy to go lax on it; but as brothers and sisters, we ought to constantly be building each other up, strengthening our fortifications against sin and honing our resolve to live for Christ.
During our rough times in life, Christ should be our number one refuge… but our Christian friends should be there for us too, and are a necessary asset to any Christian walk. As it says in Ecclesiastes 4:10, “For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” The more solid Christian friends we surround ourselves with, the more encouragement we’ll have to keep standing.
Vs. 8-9
God doesn’t make a disticntion between who can or can’t enter the kingdom of heaven other than the fact in believing the gospel. It doesn’t matter what race. Someone is or what education or background they have, as long as they choose to obey God’s commands.
Praise the Lord for His work at campus lunches this year. Help me pray for my two friends that might be interested in coming to compass!!
I am praying your friends will join us at True North Allen!
I pray that your friends find a church family, even if it is not at Compass. It’s not WHERE we worship, but THAT we worship.
11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
I sure believe it!! I thank God so much for his grace and mercy and love, that he would send his son to die for our sins, so that we may be with the Lord for ever!! Praise God for beating death!!
11 “But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
I loveeedd this verse. Such a clear and simple verse that gets to the reason why we are Christians. Noone wants to suffer for eternity, but we couldn’t do anyting to lessen the suffereing we deserved….until now.Now, anything is truly possible. All because of God’s loving sacrice for us, we were lucky enough to have Jesus come to the Earth and die on a cross, and then rise from the dead three days later. God clearly cares about us, but he needs something in return!! This also reminds me of Ephesions 8-9, and how utterly useless our works are to our salvation!!! We are merely servants of God now, only because of what Jesus did. Praise the lord for his sacrifice to save us!!
____________________________________________________
Last Trabuco Campus Lunch of the Year tomorrow! Please pray!!!
I’ll be praying for you =)
Finish Strong Brother Austin! I will be praying!
10 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?
11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
Wow what an incredible passage!
These verses stuck out to me because,well, it’s what I as a Christian try to tell others! Yes thats right, the Gospel! The baseline of the most critical part to telling people about how to be saved properly =D! It’s so true that the only way to get to Heaven is through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ! He says it so clearly in the Bible that we need to do this, not just do good things out of common sense. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we need to brush those things off. I’m just saying that you won’t get into heaven for doing that. Which is why I’m so glad my trust can be in God! It’s a great feeling knowing that He has your back. It’s a great privilege to have a book with all the answers you’ll ever need in it, and I intend to use it. I hope you do to!
Final Verdict: Thank God for your faith and grace.
I am praying for you brother Colin that you will never stop standing. Keep giving God the Glory! I am so encouraged by your passion for Christ.
26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
To be labeled as someone who would risk their life for Christ would be pretty awesome!! Paul and the apostles were not afraid of their own lives being taken because they were speaking about God!! That is true faith!!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
This is a great verse and reminds me of Bobby’s previous sermon. We are saved through the grace of Jesus Christ! With Gods grace, we have everything we need to live a life full of godliness! I loved what Bobby said in that sermon…Grace is not an excuse to sin; it is the strength not to! That is so awesome and its so true! Gods grace gives us the strength to do just about anything! With his grace we can be bold, we can resist the devil, we can be godly, etc. So thank you God for your grace and for saving me through your grace! Thank you(:
11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
i apologize ahead for horrendous spelling
I picked out this verse because it reminds us of how we are saved through Grace, but throughout the chapter the Pharissees claim that you have to be circumsized to be saved (about the works you do). Also, because the pharisees were religious leaders, people were led astray and thought that their teachings were true, and so there was great debate. This interested me because I can still see disagreement in Christians about alot of things.
Reading this chapter, I got a sense that I was reading Galatians again. Talking about the true gospel. Like Meisha said, I think it must be stated again, the gospel is repentance and faith there is nothing more. We cannot save ourselves by living according to the law. The law clearly shows us that truth.
Many times I feel though that people rely too heavily on grace. I mean this in the sense that they act like grace is a get out of punishment card. Yes, grace and grace alone saves us. Sometimes people, clearly I’m speaking introspectively, believe that they are free from sin because they have grace. All though it may seem that once we obtain grace we are no longer bound by our sin, that is not the case for we are still bounded by our flesh. I want so much to have the perfect will and desire and ability to always pick righteousness. I hate my flesh.
5 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.”
Ok while we may not have literal Pharisees in Compass Bible Church…it is very easy to have a pharisee additude. Often as Christians we can get caught up in the legality of our faith and have certain expectations for other Christians..expecially new ones, just as the Pharisees had for the Gentile believers. Howerever, legality is not what is important! We must encourage others to seek God and obey His commandments not just read a chapter of the Bible everyday…while reading the Bible is by no means bad, infact we should be reading it daily it is not what saves someone…I don’t want to be called legalistic.
If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
The context of this verse is essentially that its talking about various idols and other sins of this world that we get caught up in. This part of this verse is such a simple sentence, yet is so important. It is so easy to get caught up in “cool” things or “fun” activities. Although some of these things may not be directly related to sin, if they ever cause me to stumble or to divert my time away from God, I need to cut them out of my life completely. False idols are one of the worst thing we can have, and often just start as little things that we think are “cool.” I need to make sure I cut off all these things before they can escalate into idols.
So much in this chapter that just pops up to me. My first big one that I had trouble with when I was talking to some of the cathlics at are school was being saved by grace. It clearly states it that through grace we can be save. On the other hand they tried to tell me no it is through good works. Well good works is good but it really doesn’t save you it just one of the things that we should already know and do. It was really tough situation. Plus I really like how in verse 9 it talked about looking at the heart. I remeber this from winter revival this year. God doesn’t care what you pit on the outside. It’s what is in the inside that counts. God is the only one that really knows where your heart is at. None of us know where some of our Christian friends at true north are. I remember Pastor Bobby saying that some us just put on the whole new face and show for us and try to play it off. Sure it may work, but God knows where you truely stand. Just to end the chapter was great. Proclaiming the gospel just hit home. Today it really showed at our campus lunch at aliso. My best friend is excited to start going to true north and the beach day this weekend. It is so awesome what god can do at our schools. Hope everybodys campus lunch went Great and that next year is even better. Praise the lord who paid my death and rise his life up from the dead
That’s awesome you are going to bring a friend this weekend Marissa! I will pray for you!
32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words.
This verse was a great reminder today that words have the power to encourage and strengthen. Not only does the Word of God encourage ad strengthen me, but I am called to be encouraging other believers in the faith. I could not help but think of Eph. 4:29 and how I want to be purposeful with my words, that God might use them to encourage my brothers and sisters in the Lord.
10 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? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
Salvation is not about what we can do, even in trying to keep up the old covenant laws and customs, we will never be more spiritual. I’m so grateful that salvation is by grace alone through faith in Jesus because that is the context for the response of living obediently for him!
19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.
I like James’s reasoning here. Rather than trouble the new Gentile Christians with restrictions and legalism, he instead outlines things like abstaining from idols and sexual immorality so that their faith will be strengthened. It is very easy to let the Christian life become legalistic; I think to myself I need to do this and do that and so forth until it becomes quite dogmatic and possibly meticulous. But I shouldn’t be viewing it as a bunch of tasks that need to be done but rather a life pursuit of my LORD Jesus Christ. I pray that I would not be thinking o what must I do next to check off in my Christian life but instead just constantly be looking to grow closer to my LORD and look to do things that will lead to true spiritual encouragement of others.
16 “‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will restore it,
17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’
So many of the prophecies have been fullfilled, and with a group that is rebuilding all of the parts necessary to rebuild a temple should they be given the chance, It seems like the end times are coming rapidly. knowing that God could come back at any moment deffinitely makes me want to be doing something that is honoring Him.
that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
Here the Gentiles young in the faith so to speak are being encouraged to abstain from sin. Does this sound familiar? Reminds me of a paticular sermon series titled “Don’t stop standing”. We must always fight the temptation to sin and remember that we need to Keep standing on the firm foundation of God’s word as we battle the forces of evil in the epic struggle to make disciples before Jesus Christ call us home for good. I pray that God will give me the boldness to live life soley for him on this earth.
Acts 15
8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
Peter was led by the Spirit to settle the debate regarding circumcision. It is by faith in Jesus Christ that you have been saved. The Gentiles had already received the Holy Spirit from God without being circumcised. The Pharisees were boasting in circumcision because of their jealousy towards the Gentiles. They tried citing the Law to discount the salvation of the Gentiles. Circumcision is an external act or work not leading to an internal reality of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
“11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
Wow, seriously, Acts can’t stop getting better. I really enjoyed this chapter. Verse 11 stood out to me because in my mind, it is a reminder that we can only be saved by the grace of God, and every single person in this world can only be saved that way. We cannot do good works and go to heaven. Just as we cannot just be saved by God’s grace and never do good works in His name. This verse reminded me of a sermon a while back that Pastor Bobby gave about a Christian’s duties and whatnot…I like these verses. :)