{"id":1766,"date":"2019-08-21T09:24:27","date_gmt":"2019-08-21T17:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=1766"},"modified":"2019-08-21T09:26:28","modified_gmt":"2019-08-21T17:26:28","slug":"devotion-acts-151-4-hold-fast-to-the-one-truth-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=1766","title":{"rendered":"Devotion Acts 15:1-4 Hold Fast To The One Truth Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acts 15:1-4\u00a0<\/b>\u2013<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0<\/sup><\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/sup><\/b>Certain people\u00a0came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers:\u00a0\u201cUnless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses,\u00a0you cannot be saved.\u201d\u00a02\u00a0This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem\u00a0to see the apostles and elders\u00a0about this question. 3\u00a0The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia\u00a0and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted.\u00a0This news made all the believers very glad.\u00a04\u00a0When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cSo Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem\u00a0to see the apostles and elders\u00a0about this question.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0These believers, with the doctrine that defames the work of Jesus genuinely believed what they were teaching.\u00a0\u00a0They were sincere, but they were sincerely wrong.\u00a0\u00a0Again, it is by faith alone that we are saved (Romans 3:28, Galatians 2:16<\/b>).\u00a0\u00a0Only the unknowing, the cults and the heretics preach that we must be saved by faith but then be kept in the favor of God by works.\u00a0\u00a0Family, let\u2019s not let people who are sincere and charismatic, by the force of their speech, ever convince us that we are saved or kept by works.\u00a0\u00a0Let us never insult the Lord in such a way.\u00a0\u00a0Let us hold fast to the true doctrine of \u201cfaith alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

These people were convinced that they were right in their position that the gentile men must be circumcised to truly have entrance into God\u2019s family, and they would not back down.\u00a0They truly believed that they had the backing of the church leaders in Jerusalem.\u00a0\u00a0So, after discussion and arguing (\u201csharp dispute and debate\u201d) what was the best way to resolve the issue?\u00a0\u00a0It certainly was not to keep arguing and dragging the unity of the saints through the mud.\u00a0\u00a0Since the people who came claimed the weight of the Jerusalem leaders was behind them, then Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to bring this question front and center.\u00a0\u00a0In\u00a0Matthew 18:15-17<\/b>\u00a0Jesus tells us how to settle a disagreement, or a wrong.\u00a0\u00a0The next to last step is to take it to the church.\u00a0\u00a0So, off to the acknowledged leaders of the church they went.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia\u00a0and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted.\u00a0This news made all the believers very glad.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0They left Syrian Antioch and travelled down through Phoenicia and Samaria.\u00a0\u00a0They did not go by ship, which would have been much quicker.\u00a0\u00a0Instead they went by land which was about a three hundred mile journey. As they travelled they let all the believers that they encountered know how the Gentiles in Galatia and Cyprus had come to the Lord.\u00a0\u00a0It was a great encouragement to the believers that the Gospel was being spread and Jesus was being glorified.\u00a0\u00a0It is still the same to us.\u00a0\u00a0Whether it is hearing that a relative, friend, neighbor or someone on another continent has come to the Lord, we rejoice for those Brothers and Sisters and for the Lord Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0We like to hear about people coming to salvation.\u00a0\u00a0We are encouraged and uplifted every time.<\/p>\n

Some think that Paul and Barnabas came by land to spread the news of the Gentiles receiving Jesus so by doing that, they were building support for their ministry, and their position.\u00a0\u00a0Perhaps they would carry more weight in Jerusalem if people knew how God was working through them and giving them their support.\u00a0\u00a0Were they trying to build a wave a support?\u00a0\u00a0Of course, it doesn\u2019t say that, but some commentators believe it may have been an ulterior motive.<\/p>\n

\"7777777777777777777\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Certainly by the time Paul and Barnabas arrived in Jerusalem the leaders knew that they were coming and likely knew of the great work God had been doing through them. We read that Paul and Barnabas did not boast as it they had done something, instead they gave full credit to God for all the holy work done through them.\u00a0\u00a0We likewise desire not to usurp God\u2019s glory and praise, but to make sure that He, and only He, gets all the praise and glory.\u00a0\u00a0We thank God for our salvation knowing that He was the cause, the deliverer and is the sustainer of it.\u00a0\u00a0We unite with our Brothers and Sisters who lived two millennia ago in praising God for everyone who comes to Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0We are thankful that God changed our path and we are now an eternal path of communion with God because Jesus made the way.\u00a0\u00a0We strive to walk in the holiness and love of the Lord.\u00a0\u00a0Though we are daily transformed, we will only be perfected on the other side of the death of our earthly bodies.\u00a0\u00a0There we will be as He is (whole and complete) and our joy complete.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cDear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.\u00a0\u00a0But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.<\/i>\u201d (1 John 3:2)<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Of all people we have the most reason for joy! Jesus, and only He, has saved us, praise God!\u00a0\u00a0Yes, yes, praise God!<\/span><\/p>\n

Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; And what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Acts 15:1-4\u00a0\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Certain people\u00a0came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers:\u00a0\u201cUnless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses,\u00a0you cannot be saved.\u201d\u00a02\u00a0This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem\u00a0to see the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,1969,100,101,94,17,10],"class_list":["post-1766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-galatians","tag-john","tag-matthew","tag-micah","tag-psalm","tag-romans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1766"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1770,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1766\/revisions\/1770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}