King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Sunday, November 24, 2024
Chapters: Acts Chapters 15-16
Message: Accepted by God
Hello My Friend,
I remember when I first understood what salvation was all about, I immediately got baptized and dedicated my life to Christ and it was like a whirlwind hit me as I wanted to follow the example of Christ. Since He followed Jewish customs I tried to adapt to them so that I could be accepted by God. Well, I have come a long way since then and praise God have learned a lot, and how it is actually personal preference to what the Holy Spirit guides you to do that is acceptable to God, [Romans 14:1-3 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. 2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. 3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.]
With that said, it is not uncommon for those who receive Christ as their Saviour to start mimicking the works written within the Law of Moses, not out of obligation or requirement, but out of pure respect for God. Then we read something like this, [Romans 14:11-12 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.] and the question comes up as to what is acceptable and what would happen if we did do something that is not acceptable to Him.
As we continue in the reading of Acts, Paul and Barnabas are still in Antioch, but the church is in a disarray over the Gentiles receiving Christ as their Saviour. Thanks to some Jews who went down there to cause some trouble, some believed that the only way they can be saved is to be circumcised after they receive Christ while others believed that salvation is solely by the grace of God through their faith in the Gospel of Christ. So, Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to ask the Apostles what the truth is.
[Acts 15:1-3 And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. 2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. 3 And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.]
[declaring the conversion of the Gentiles:] It is not uncommon for Christians in their travels to visit with other like minded churches, and let me tell you, you can spot those who divert from the true Gospel in a heartbeat. If getting circumcised after one receives Christ as their Saviour is required for salvation then what was the point of Him giving His life on the cross? The same goes for water baptism or any other acts written in the Law. And what about women, are none saved unless they are literally mutilated? The truth is this, no one has ever been justified by their works, only Christ justifies, [Romans 5:8-9 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.]
Well, Paul and Barnabas arrived in Jerusalem and needless to say, caused quite a stir as a group of Pharisees who believed in the Gospel, insisted that all the Gentiles who got saved not only get circumcised, but follow the Law of Moses as well.
[Acts 15:5-9 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. 6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. 7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. 8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; 9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.]
[put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.] Jew or Gentile, we are all the same, sinners who need the Saviour. We are saved by grace though our faith in Christ and nothing more. Should we be following the works written in the Law then in order to be accepted by God? We are already accepted by Him through our faith in His Son. Again, it is a personal preference as the Holy Spirit guides us to what is accepted beyond that, but it has nothing to do with our salvation. While some things written within the Law are well within reason to oblige by, others do not pertain to us because they are not necessary anymore.
[Romans 2:14-16 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) 16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.]
We also need to keep in mind that there needs to be a middle ground, we cannot be so strict in our attempts to be accepted that we make up our own law, which is not accepted. Peter, goes on to point out that it is pointless to enforce laws that even the Jews do not enforce upon themselves, [Acts 15:10-12 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. 12 Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.]
[why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples,] Jesus said it this way, [Matthew 23:22-23 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.]
In other words, if one is going to practice the Law, it does no good to perform all these works if you are not saved. The scribes and Pharisees were enemies to the Gospel of Christ, it is bad enough that they kept themselves from receiving Christ, it was worse is to keep Him from others with false hope of what is accepted by God. This is what Peter tries to explain to them, then James, the half brother of Jesus, chimes in and tells them to just leave the new converts be with one exception.
[Acts 15:18-22 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. 19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: 20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. 21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. 22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:]
[we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols,] James, had a prominent position in the Jerusalem church because he was the Lord’s half brother and a man of remarkable holiness. His concern was to let the new converts live their lives and not be troubled with Jewish rites, which did not apply to them anyway. However, they ought to abstain from all appearances of evil, as we ought to be doing today, [1 Thessalonians 5:18-23 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 19 Quench not the Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings. 21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.]
God’s thoughts and ways are definitely not our own and while sometimes we can get it right the majority of the time we need His Word to guide us. God, gave His Word to His people, not the skeptics, and certainly not the reprobates, which is why so many religions do not have a Bible that they use for their authority, rather some book they claim is based off the principals of the Bible. Well, both the apostles and elders accepted the advice that James gave and had a letter sent to the believers in Antioch and even sent some witnesses with it.
[Acts 15:25-29 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.]
[lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;] Think about it, the reason we came to Christ in the first place is because our burdens were so heavy that He was the only option for some relief. While Jesus never promised that would we never be burdened through our faith in Him, He did promise that He will give us rest from them, [Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.]
You see, maintaining good works that are necessary that are in the Law is not about keeping our salvation, it is about giving thanks to God for all that He has done for us, and for Jesus sacrificing His own life to take that great burden from us. It is also a good idea sometimes to separate ourselves from those who might cause some friction, even Christians. John Mark, if you recall, joined Paul and Barnabas in the beginning, but stayed behind [Acts 12], well, Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them while Paul did not.
[Acts 15:36-40 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do. 37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. 38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. 39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; 40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.]
[And the contention was so sharp between them,] There was such strife among Paul and Barnabas about this that they separated. You see, Paul did not think that Mark was the right choice at that time because he had departed from them without their knowledge, or without their consent. It may or may not have been the wrong decision, but it was a decision that may have severed a good friendship. I will tell you this, it does not matter how strong our faith or how faithful we are to God, we are all just sinners saved by grace and subject to like passions. Sometimes it may be best to agree to disagree and move on, [Ephesians 4:11-13 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:]
This is why Jesus died for us, from creation we have never been able to follow one command, let alone over six hundred of them. However, if we want to see Christ work in our lives, and reap the benefits those come by our maintaining the good works written in the Law that would pertain to us. Paul, now with Silas, came to Derbe and Lystra, where they met a young man named Timothy.
[Acts 16:1-4 Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: 2 Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek. 4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.]
[a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus,] Now, we are starting to see some familiar names coming up and how they were converted and began their ministry. Even though it was not a requirement to get circumcised, many still followed the custom. In fact, many religions still today circumcise their boys or males that have been converted. Now, the difference is in how the Holy Spirit dwelt with the believer, while we who accept Christ today receive Him into our soul as soon as we say in our heart we believe, back then He only entered into the believer as God had directed Him to do so. This is confirmed with Paul and Barnabas as they were even forbidden to go to some places and preach the Gospel.
[Acts 16:6-9,11-12 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, 7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. 8 And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. 11 Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis; 12 And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.]
[but the Spirit suffered them not.] We often wonder why we are led to lead some to Christ while others we are not, well, this is why. God, already knows who will accept that His Son is the only way to Him, if people are going to trust their religion over the Gospel, then God will not save them unless they repent, [Luke 13:2-3 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.]
You will notice some familiar towns mentioned as we read through these chapters and some of them were quite infested with false gods and religions that you would not believe and Philippi was one of them. Now, as they were traveling through Philippi they met this woman who was able to tell the future, and making some people very rich in doing so.
[Acts 16:14-17 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. 15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us. 16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.]
[These men are the servants of the most high God,] This is like the evil spirits that had been possessing the man in the graveyard, they knew who Jesus was and they know who His people are as well. This woman did not stop yelling this out, Paul, became greatly annoyed, touched her, yelled at the evil spirit to come out of her and it did. Of course, the people making money off of her did not like that and had them put into jail.
[Acts 16:18-23 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. 19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, 20 And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, 21 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. 22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. 23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:]
[do exceedingly trouble our city, And teach customs, which are not lawful for us] Do you see by this, how corrupt the world is, and why God does not give us these abilities? They will exploit them, and use them for their own gain. But let me tell you, God uses every opportunity to reach the unsaved who do believe in Him with the Gospel. Paul and Silas got arrested that day simply because these men were losing money as the girl was no longer useful to them, but God uses this opportunity to reach the prison guard, and his family with the Gospel. Now, here they were, dragged down to the deepest part of the prison and chained. Were they worried? No. In fact, they began praying and signing praises to God.
[Acts 16:25-28 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.]
[drew out his sword, and would have killed himself,] This man could not even imagine the thought of what was going to happen to him if all the prisoners had escaped, but thankfully he did not have to lose his life at all. The keeper of the prison knew right there that these men were servants of God and had to be telling the truth and wanted to know how he could be saved.
[Acts 16:30-34 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. 34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.]
[rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.] The keeper of the prison did not need sickness or death to be convinced that Jesus is true, it was that his prisoners remained after an earthquake that opened the prison doors. God, will reach all who believe in Him in the way that is best suited for them. Not only did he get saved, but everyone in his house did as well. You see, this is what is acceptable to God, not everything we do in our flesh is going to be pleasing to Him, but our efforts sincere are, [Ephesians 1:4-6 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Acts 15:10-11 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. Acts 16:30-31 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your grace, it is sufficient enough to save me from hell and from every trial I face. While I know I cannot work my way to salvation, I can show You my love and thanks by living my life as a faithful witness of Your Son living in me. Lord, Lead me, and guide me in Your will, and help me to serve You in all You call me to with contentment, reverence, and respect for You. Let me not do anything or get around anyone that would cause a division, and let me be a fruitful witness that will lead others to Your Son. I love You Lord, and ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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