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Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
The leadership is dealing with a contentious difficult situation, which has arisen in the Church of Jesus Christ, and Peter arises with the right word at the right moment. Now that is part of mature leadership. Peter explains - Acts 15:7,8 - I remember when I was thrown into a Gentile situation, and the risen and living Lord Jesus Christ blessed these Gentile people with the Holy Spirit. In this present situation, let's NOT add unnecessary yokes and laws. Peter speaks from his own experience. Learn from the experiences you have experienced, and be prepared to share them and use them, perhaps a few years later on.
Verse 12. The whole gathering became silent. You can almost feel the atmosphere as argumentative voices ceased. Paul and Barnabas then spoke about the miracles and signs and wonders. O let's not be narrower than our big God.
Then James the brother of our Saviour JESUS, rises to support Peter's experience quoting Scripture in proper context, where Amos describes how God would accept the Gentiles, and in verse 19, James announces the decision. When you reach this point you don't need to take a vote. The gathering was sensitive to the mind of God, and the mind of the Church was submitted to the mind of God.
The decision was LIBERTY and LOVE - WITH RESPONSIBILITY. We must not trouble these Gentile disciples with the old ways, but we will write and advise them to keep away from certain things, for the sake of the weaker brother, and also to set a moral example in an immoral society.
Verse 20. We impose no yoke. We have total liberty in Christ, but loves says - "If a thing I am going to do might separate me from another Christian then my love must limit my liberty." Christians who truly love each other with the love of Jesus have to learn to adapt. Now it is not always easy. We are free to do things - but we are also free not to do certain things. If anything separates you from another Christian, we have to examine our heart, and we have to be free to limit our freedom for the sake of the unity of the fellowship.
What a lovely and wise decision. The principle was so correct, and they are going to adapt it and apply it to a specific situation, and they decide to send a letter. Yet another secret is about to be revealed from The Word of God.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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