SUNDAY and MONDAY studies are posted together on Mondays
Day 327 – Reading – Acts 15 – 16.
Day 328 – Reading – Galatians 1 – 3
Read and believe in Jesus!
SUNDAY – Day 327 – Acts 15 – 16.
The trouble begins. Some Pharisee-believers were appalled that “Gentiles” were believing in the Jewish Messiah and were welcomed into the synagogue services. They still looked “unclean” to these ultra strict believers. Shouldn’t they have to “become Jews” before being accepted? Be circumcised? Eat kosher? Keep the Levitical laws?
A group of these men traveled to the source of the problem – Antioch, where these Messiah-believers were called “Christians” (Christ ones). These men began teaching the laws of Moses that they were so familiar with. Circumcision equaled Salvation.
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Paul and Barnabas disputed hotly. “Salvation is by faith, not keeping the Jewish laws. WE couldn’t keep them, why put them on the Gentile believers?”
And so Paul and Barnabas, along with these men, were sent to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders to “settle” the question. A huge debate ensued.
Peter stood up and repeated his experience with the family of the Roman Centurion, how, when they believed in the redemptive work of Jesus, the Messiah, they were given the gift of the Holy Spirit (just as the apostles were) and spoke in other tongues. The only other requirement from Jesus was baptism, and these Gentile believers had been baptized.
Paul and Barnabas also joined in with the many Gentiles in their ministry in Galatia, who had believed and received the Holy Spirit. Their hearts, too, had been cleansed by their faith. How could this Council put God to the test by adding Jewish rites to their faith?
When they finished speaking, James briefly reviewed the testimonies of Peter, Paul, and Barnabas, then he quoted God in Amos 9:11, 12, “”I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles, who are called by My Name…”
James: “Therefore, my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should WRITE TO THEM to 1.) abstain from the things polluted by idols, and 2.) from sexual immorality, and 3.) from meat that has been strangled, and blood.”
(These requirements were not to assure salvation, but to make worship between Jews and Gentiles more compatible, since they were mainly meeting in synagogues.)
This seemed good to the apostles, elders, and the whole church. They appointed two men to take the letter to Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, with Paul and Barnabas. The sent Silas, and Judas Barsabbas (one of the two qualified, but not chosen, disciples considered to replace Judas Iscariot in the twelve. See Acts 1:23)
At Antioch, they gathered the congregation together and read the letter. Everyone rejoiced because of its encouragement. Judas and Silas, also prophets, stayed and encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words.
Judas returned to Jerusalem, but it seemed good to Silas to remain there.
After a while, Paul decided that he and Barnabas should “visit the brothers in the cities where they proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they were doing.”
Barnabas was cool with that and sent for his cousin John Mark, meaning to take him along again. However, Paul strongly disagreed, fearing that Barnabas’s young cousin would disrupt the team again and fly off home at the first struggle.
Paul and Barnabas had a sharp disagreement, and they even separated. But God used it for good. Paul asked Silas to accompany him, while Barnabas took the young John Mark. Now, two teams were going out with the Good News!
Barnabas headed again to his homeland, Cyprus, to strengthen the new believers, and even the Roman Proconsul.
Paul took Silas and headed back to the cities of Galatia, going overland this time through Syria and Cilicia, instead of sailing to Perga. They met and strengthened the believers in the cities of Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia.
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Acts 16.
When Paul and Silas came to Derbe, they met a young believer named Timothy. His mother was Jewish, but his father was Greek. (This meant he was NOT circumcised.) He had a godly mom and grandma who taught him well in the Scriptures, and was well spoken of by the believers there and in Lystra and Iconium.
Paul wanted Timothy to join the team on this second missionary journey. Because Paul’s practice was to go FIRST to the Jews, he didn’t want Timothy to be a hindrance. So he circumcised the young man. NOT to make sure he was saved, but so there would be less hassle among the Jews. Paul’s outlook was to be all things to all people, so he could win some.
As Paul and Silas, and now Timothy went through the cities, they shared the letter from the Council, stating the three things of agreement, that would help Jews and Gentile believers to worship together in love.
Paul’s aim was to head north-west into Asia, but the Holy Spirit hindered him. Paul then headed for Bithynia and south to Mysia, but got the same caution word from Jesus. No, not here, now. So he led the team to Troas, a coastal city on the Aegean Sea. Where was God leading them? Were they to hop a boat and return home? Were they to go to Greece?
That night, Paul had a vision of a desperate man in Macedonia, standing there, urging Paul to “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” So, in the morning, the team caught a boat and sailed across the Aegean to Macedonia to preach the Good News to them.
In Troas, Paul also picked up Dr. Luke, who joined his mission team. (We don’t know when Luke was saved, perhaps in Troas when Paul was waiting for direction, or maybe from on of the other cities in Galatia.
The newly expanded team sailed to Samothrace, then Neapolis, and finally to Philippi, the leading city in the district and a Roman colony.
After a few days, on the Sabbath, they went outside the city to the seaside, where they “supposed” there was a place of prayer (???). There, they spoke to some godly women who had come together. One was a wealthy woman named Lydia. She was a “seller” of rare purple cloth and a worshipper of God.
As Paul preached about Jesus, she listened carefully. The Lord opened her heart, and she believed. After she and “her house” were baptized, she invited Paul and company to stay in her house. So they made their headquarters there.
One day, when they were going back to that place of prayer to preach, they came upon a slave girl who had a spirit of divination. She brought her owners much income through fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the group crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.
While this was absolutely true, she followed them for days, hindering Paul’s ministry. Finally, he turned to her and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” It did, and she was free.
But her owners were furious. There went their means of income. They seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the magistrates.
The rulers stripped Paul and Silas, gave orders to beat them with many rods, and put them into prison, their feet fastened in stocks.
Wow.
Did the missionaries pout and moan about their wounds and predicament? Nope. They sang songs of praise to God and prayed. And all their “captive” audience listened.
Suddenly, there was an earthquake. What next??? The foundations of the prison shook, and all the cell doors were opened. All chains fell off, and their stocks broke open. Whoa, a “good” earthquake. Everyone sat perfectly still. None tried to escape.
The jailor rushed into the jailhouse, carrying his dagger, ready to kill himself, for if any prisoner escaped, that would be his punishment..
“WAIT!!” cried Paul. “We are all here!”
The jailor got torches and looked around. Sure enough, while the cell doors were open, all inmates were still inside. With fear and trembling, the jailor came to Paul, and fell to his knees.
“Sir, what must tI do to be saved?”
“Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” And Paul preached the Gospel to him and to all the prisoners.
The believing jailor took Paul and Silas into his own house, bathed their wounds, and fed them. And he rejoiced with his household. And somewhere inside, these new believers were baptized.
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The next day, the magistrates thought the men had learned their lesson and sent the police to let them go. But Paul and Silas refused!!
Yes, refused to go. Paul said, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned men, who are ROMAN CITIZENS, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? NO! Let them come themselves and take us out.
When the police reported these words to the magistrates, that they were Roman Citizens, the magistrates came quickly and apologized to them. They they escorted them out, and asked them (politely) to leave the city,
So they visited Lydia one last time, and encouraged them. Then they departed for….
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MONDAY – Day 328 – Galatians
Galatians was written by Paul to the four churches he established in Southern Galatia during his and Barnabas’ first missionary journey: Antioch (Pisidian), Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.
After returning from that trip, some Judaizers (ultra orthodox believing Pharisees) came to the home church and began teaching that the “Christians” there had to become Jews before they were saved. (Circumcision. Kosher laws, etc.) Paul was furious, saying that Faith in Jesus alone for salvation is all that is needed. Doing “works of the law” did not save a person.
On Paul’s second missionary trip with Silas, he shared the official letter written by James at the Jerusalem Council, stating only 3 things that the Gentile believers were to do, and these could not save them but were asked so both peoples could worship together without offense.
But the unbelieving Jews in these towns, as well as the Judaizers from Jerusalem, put strong pressure on these new Gentile Christians to “conform” to the Jewish image. Some were caving in. We see that even Peter (!!!) did when he visited there, and Paul had to publicly reprimand him.
It’s believed that this book was written by Paul from Ephesus.
Galatians 1,
After introducing himself and giving a quickie Gospel portion, Paul tells the reason for the letter in “heated” words.
- “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel (not that there is one), but there are some there who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”
- “If we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached, LET HIM BE ACCURSED!” (Then Paul repeats that statement for emphasis.)
Then Paul gives some of his credentials, elevating his authority OVER the believing Pharisees. HE received the Gospel, not from men, but by revelation of Jesus Christ.
Paul admits that he “advanced in Judaism beyond any his age, so extremely zealous for the traditions of his fathers, that he murdered any who opposed them.”
But God, who called Paul by His grace and revealed His Son to him so he could preach to the Gentiles. For three years in the Arabian desert, Jesus was revealed to him from the Scriptures. Then he briefly saw Peter and James in Jerusalem, before going back home to Cilicia to “practice” preaching what he know.
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Galatians 2.
Three years later (14 in all) he went to Jerusalem again and was taken into full apostleship, to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles. A Greek “brother”, Titus, was with him, and they did not require him to be circumcised.
The Jerusalem Church Council okayed Paul to go to the Gentiles with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the same as Peter was entrusted with the Gospel to the Jews. James, John, and Peter gave Paul the “right hand of fellowship.”
Paul then mentions a time when Peter came to the original Antioch. He was gladly fellowshipping and eating with Gentiles. But when some Judaizers came, Peter excused himself and went to eat only with the Jewish believers. Even Barnabas, did the same, copying Peter’s example. Paul had to call them out.
- “If YOU, Peter, though a jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew…. how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews.”
- Then Paul again states the Gospel message of Faith Alone. “We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but though faith in Jesus Christ, so… we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, AND NOT BY WORKS OF THE LAW, because by works of the law NO ONE WILL BE JUSTIFIED!”
- And his personal testimony. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
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Galatians 3.
You can hear Paul’s frustrations with the Galatians leaning toward works for salvation.
- “O foolish Galatians! WHO has bewitched you? Let me ask you this question. ‘Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law… or the hearing of faith?’ FOOLISH GALATIANS! Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh (works)? Does He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, do so by works of the law… or by hearing with faith?”
- “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us… so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”
- “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith, For as many as you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. You are all ONE in Christ Jesus.”
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You can hear that Paul is just getting wound up. In the next chapters he will go into even more of the difference between their position in Christ by faith, and works. He will plead with them. They are FREE. don’t go back into the “yoke of slavery.” Walk by the Spirit, Be filled with the Sprit’s fruit, and live by the Spirit. (TOMRROW)
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Morning Meditations 