Today our Daily Bread

Acts 15: 1 - 41
1 Then some people came to Antioch from Judea and began teaching the non-Jewish believers: "You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised as Moses taught us." 2 Paul and Barnabas were against this teaching and argued with them about it. So the church decided to send Paul, Barnabas, and some others to Jerusalem where they could talk more about this with the apostles and elders. 3 The church helped them leave on the trip, and they went through the countries of Phoenicia and Samaria, telling all about how those who were not Jewish had turned to God. This made all the believers very happy. 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the apostles, the elders, and the church. Paul, Barnabas, and the others told about everything God had done with them. 5 But some of the believers who belonged to the Pharisee group came forward and said, "The non-Jewish believers must be circumcised. They must be told to obey the law of Moses."
6 The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this problem. 7 After a long debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God chose me from among you to preach the Good News to those who are not Jewish. They heard the Good News from me, and they believed. 8 God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, accepted them. He showed this to us by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. 9 To God, those people are not different from us. When they believed, he made their hearts pure. 10 So now why are you testing God by putting a heavy load around the necks of the non-Jewish believers? It is a load that neither we nor our ancestors were able to carry. 11 But we believe that we and they too will be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus." 12 Then the whole group became quiet. They listened to Paul and Barnabas tell about all the miracles and signs that God did through them among the non-Jewish people. 13 After they finished speaking, James said, "Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon has told us how God showed his love for the non-Jewish people. For the first time he is accepting from among them a people to be his own. 15 The words of the prophets agree with this too: 16 'After these things I will return. The kingdom of David is like a fallen tent. But I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up. 17 Then those people who are left alive may ask the Lord for help, and the other nations that belong to me, says the Lord, who will make it happen. 18 And these things have been known for a long time.' 19 "So I think we should not bother the non-Jewish people who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write a letter to them telling them these things: Stay away from food that has been offered to idols (which makes it unclean), any kind of sexual sin, eating animals that have been strangled, and blood. 21 They should do these things, because for a long time in every city the law of Moses has been taught. And it is still read in the synagogue every Sabbath day."
22 The apostles, the elders, and the whole church decided to send some of their men with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. They chose Judas Barsabbas and Silas, who were respected by the believers. 23 They sent the following letter with them: From the apostles and elders, your brothers. To all the non-Jewish believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings! 24 We have heard that some of our group have come to you and said things that trouble and upset you. But we did not tell them to do this. 25 We have all agreed to choose some messengers and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul -- 26 people who have given their lives to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 So we are sending Judas and Silas, who will tell you the same things. 28 It has pleased the Holy Spirit that you should not have a heavy load to carry, and we agree. You need to do only these things: 29 Stay away from any food that has been offered to idols, eating any animals that have been strangled, and blood, and any kind of sexual sin. If you stay away from these things, you will do well. Good-bye. 30 So they left Jerusalem and went to Antioch where they gathered the church and gave them the letter. 31 When they read it, they were very happy because of the encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who were also prophets, said many things to encourage the believers and make them stronger. 33 After some time Judas and Silas were sent off in peace by the believers, and they went back to those who had sent them. 34 35 But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch and, along with many others, preached the Good News and taught the people the message of the Lord.
36 After some time, Paul said to Barnabas, "We should go back to all those towns where we preached the message of the Lord. Let's visit the believers and see how they are doing." 37 Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them, 38 but he had left them at Pamphylia; he did not continue with them in the work. So Paul did not think it was a good idea to take him. 39 Paul and Barnabas had such a serious argument about this that they separated and went different ways. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left. The believers in Antioch put Paul into the Lord's care, 41 and he went through Syria and Cilicia, giving strength to the churches.
Amos 9: 11-12
"The kingdom of David is like a fallen tent, but in that day I will set it up again and mend its broken places. I will rebuild its ruins as it was before.
Then Israel will take over what is left of Edom and the other nations that belong to me," says the Lord, who will make it happen.
New Century Version © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing,
~Lena’s comments~
Wouldn’t it be cool if someone of the npn-circumcised "group" would say. You must be told to obey the Commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ, "Love God in a relational way, a personal way that leads to life and liberty away from religious bondage, and Love people the same way?" Even the very nature of their statement is against the characteristics of God. "Let’s Make them do this or that!" The fact that God our Father does not actually make us is evidence of His attribute of Love. He asks us. He is desiring relationship with us, when we respond to His loving requests, we are responding to our relationship with Him! No matter how hard the request, if our love is strong we’ll be able through the enabling of Love to Do what he’s asked, even if it were to the point of circumcision. But God really was looking for circumcision- of the spirit-man, of the heart and soul of man. To take off that which prevents us from seeing and knowing and coming into a deeper and closer RELATIONSHIP with Him. THAT is what He would ask to be CUT away! The LOAD he was speaking of was the oppressiveness of religious "do’s and don’ts". The law had shown man what he could never "do" without the power of God’s Spirit inside of him enabling him. The passage says he used words of encouragement and did all to strengthen their faith, not weaken it. We should be oh so deliberate in encouraging and strengthening the faith of others. Not faith in something, but faith in some-ONE!
The true heart of a Father is so reflected here with Paul’s desire to follow up and see how the new Christians were doing. It is not the way of God our FATHER to pray with someone and then leave them alone to themselves in their newly found faith.. God is very parental and wants us to raise His children in faith. You would check on a new baby often in our natural realm. It is sad to say that the marred family model in our culture has put an impression on these parental instincts, even when we lead someone to the lord. How we were or were not nurtured is not the point. The point is, how He nurtures and wants to teach us to be who He is in the earth. Now wouldn’t that thought change the earth alone?
Israel being a broken tent has all to do with what I was just writing. That we a people in this evil age, in this world have been marked and marred by the world and its ways. BUT the lord has called each of us out of its darkness and away from the effects of its lies upon us. He has come to heal us ( He was marred for us on the tree ), when we are at least heading towards the understanding of our healing and of His desire for us to be a healed people, torn away from our cultural captivity, He will reign in us and in the earth. We ARE the TEMPLE of GOD. He used to dwell in a tent, a tabernacle. BUT when he sent His Son, He dwelt in a man ( still a tent ) and when Jesus left earth, He said, wait for the Holy Spirit, because God wants to live in many many places in earth and go forth and be everywhere at all times in everyplace and situation through you, just as he did Jesus. That is God’s [pan for us to submit ourselves to, yield ourselves to. The indwelling of His Spirit in our "House", our "tent". We are the Temple of God, the dwelling place of God, the "Tabernacle of David". His will is to rebuild us, from whatever ruin we’ve been a participant in. He desires to repair us and use us as earthen vessels, FILL of life and light. That’s who we are!