Leaders Discern a Way Forward

God's Urgent Call
Called to Be Strong

Jephthah Answers the Call

Acts 15:6-21 The Message

6-9 The apostles and leaders called a special meeting to consider the matter. The arguments went on and on, back and forth, getting more and more heated. Then Peter took the floor: “Friends, you well know that from early on God made it quite plain that he wanted the pagans to hear the Message of this good news and embrace it—and not in any secondhand or roundabout way, but firsthand, straight from my mouth. And God, who can’t be fooled by any pretense on our part but always knows a person’s thoughts, gave them the Holy Spirit exactly as he gave him to us. He treated the outsiders exactly as he treated us, beginning at the very center of who they were and working from that center outward, cleaning up their lives as they trusted and believed him.
10-11 “So why are you now trying to out-god God, loading these new believers down with rules that crushed our ancestors and crushed us, too? Don’t we believe that we are saved because the Master Jesus amazingly and out of sheer generosity moved to save us just as he did those from beyond our nation? So what are we arguing about?”
12-13 There was dead silence. No one said a word. With the room quiet, Barnabas and Paul reported matter-of-factly on the miracles and wonders God had done among the other nations through their ministry. The silence deepened; you could hear a pin drop.
13-18 James broke the silence. “Friends, listen. Simeon has told us the story of how God at the very outset made sure that racial outsiders were included. This is in perfect agreement with the words of the prophets:
After this, I’m coming back;
    I’ll rebuild David’s ruined house;
I’ll put all the pieces together again;
    I’ll make it look like new
So outsiders who seek will find,
    so they’ll have a place to come to,
All the pagan peoples
    included in what I’m doing.
“God said it and now he’s doing it. It’s no afterthought; he’s always known he would do this.
19-21 “So here is my decision: We’re not going to unnecessarily burden non-Jewish people who turn to the Master. We’ll write them a letter and tell them, ‘Be careful not to get involved in activities connected with idols, to guard the morality of sex and marriage, to not serve food offensive to Jewish Christians—blood, for instance.’ This is basic wisdom from Moses, preached and honored for centuries now in city after city as we have met and kept the Sabbath.”

For Reflection

"God's War" is one to counter the effects of idolatry.  False gods of power, wealth, self-determination, or anything that denies the sovereignty of God and leads one away from obedience to God's precepts has its source in idolatry.  Believers can be seduced by idolatry and become convinced wrongly that their action is righteous and justified by God.

We must be careful to see ourselves as God sees us, in the context of a loving relationship.  If we dare assign a worldly event to the hand of God, we should do so with great care and examine the action in the context of inclusion into God's household.  Measure with the standards of compassion, love, forgiveness and distributive justice.  Look for the love in all things.

Pray

Pray that you will find the love of God and God's love for humankind in all matters.  Pray for the inclusion of all peoples into the household of God.  Pray long and often so that you will be able to discern the righteous path.