Acts 15 – 16
Verses 15:8 & 9 have the Jews debating on how the Gentiles should follow the Law:
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.
I still have this question some 2000 years later, how much of the Law applies to us who came to Christ without being Jews. Most churches teach the Ten Commandments and the tithe, but beyond that we tend to dismiss the Law. It’s full of sacrifices and blood which Jesus fulfilled, and eating rules that are not valid today with refrigeration. If you dig into the Law you will notice much of our “secular” legal system is modeled after the Law. You know those court that are not allowed to display the Ten Commandments are based largely on the Hebraic Law.
Verse 15:20 confirms the common believe we should ignore the Law:
but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.
Now I do believe we are not bound by the Law, but it doesn’t hurt following it a little closer than what today’s church says. The Law is not a bunch of sins which will result in a separation between God and man, but rather a set of guides that are there to ensure we live a full life with God. The food laws are ones that a dismissed because of Peter’s earlier vision, but many contend these are the best foods for our bodies. I can say I had ham for the first time in months and what came out of my body was repulsive. I’m not saying I follow the food laws perfectly, but avoid shellfish, fish without scales and pork. Those are simple and seem to work, also we try to buy from the outsides and avoid processed foods.
I’m still over weight and have difficulty with sweets, but am working on that. Being in the south I have always found it ironic that pork BBQ is the “staple” for church dinners. But verses like this are clear that it’s not my problem, it’s not a sin and I will enjoy the fellowship and eat alongside them, just not much. Again the Law is our guide for the “full life” that Jesus promised us and not a list of sins. I often wonder if that has always been the intention of God, but the leader misinterpreted much of the Law as rules and not guides.
Verse 16:18 is an interesting story since it had Paul and Silas jailed:
And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.
First this slave girl had a spirit of “divination” which were making her masters money. Paul had her mocking him for quite some time and out of pure frustration he calls out his spirit. Well her masters got mad since their gravy train was worthless. This is like having a friend who can pick stocks with 100% accuracy or lottery number. If that “gift” was gone you would be upset, since a lifestyle revolves around this easy money. So off to jail for Paul and Silas, where God frees them but they do not leave. In the process they are able to bring the jailer to salvation.
We have to remember that the money is not the key, but rather the heart!