No Wednesday Bible Study this week (5/17). We will resume on Wednesday, May 24th.
Graduate Luncheon will be Sunday, May 21st following worship service. Please bring a Mexican dish to share.
Scripture
Acts 15:1-12 (ESV)
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.
Questions for Reflection
- When faced with a problem, do you want someone else to solve it, or do you like to figure out for yourself what you should do? Why?
- What is most challenging to you about enforcing rules?
- When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Jerusalem, how did the church receive them? (15:4)
- What did the believing Pharisees say? (15:5)
- How did the church leaders respond to the Pharisees? (15:6)
- What did Paul and Barnabas add to Peter’s testimony? (15:12)
- What was wise about using a council to deal with the thorny issue of how non-Jews could be saved?
- How was the problem of this council larger than the issue of circumcision?
- When dealing with difficult issues, what do we need to include in the decision-making process?
