Acts 15 Living and BREATHing HIM, all of Him

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

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Acts 15:1-41
The Council at Jerusalem
1While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the Christians F78 : "Unless you keep the ancient Jewish custom of circumcision taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." 2Paul and Barnabas, disagreeing with them, argued forcefully and at length. Finally, Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question. 3The church sent the delegates to Jerusalem, and they stopped along the way in Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers. F79 They told them—much to everyone's joy—that the Gentiles, too, were being converted.
4When they arrived in Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported on what God had been doing through their ministry. 5But then some of the men who had been Pharisees before their conversion stood up and declared that all Gentile converts must be circumcised and be required to follow the law of Moses.
6So the apostles and church elders got together to decide this question. 7At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: "Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. 8God, who knows people's hearts, confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he gave him to us. 9He made no distinction between us and them, for he also cleansed their hearts through faith. 10Why are you now questioning God's way by burdening the Gentile believers F80 with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? 11We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the special favor of the Lord Jesus."
12There was no further discussion, and everyone listened as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.
13When they had finished, James stood and said, "Brothers, listen to me. 14Peter F81 has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. 15And this conversion of Gentiles agrees with what the prophets predicted. For instance, it is written:
16 'Afterward I will return, and I will restore the fallen kingdom of David. From the ruins I will rebuild it, and I will restore it,
17 so that the rest of humanity might find the Lord, including the Gentiles— all those I have called to be mine. This is what the Lord says,
18 he who made these things known long ago.' F82
19And so my judgment is that we should stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God, 20except that we should write to them and tell them to abstain from eating meat sacrificed to idols, from sexual immorality, and from consuming blood or eating the meat of strangled animals. 21For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations."
The Letter for Gentile Believers
22Then the apostles and elders and the whole church in Jerusalem chose delegates, and they sent them to Antioch of Syria with Paul and Barnabas to report on this decision. The men chosen were two of the church leaders F83 —Judas (also called Barsabbas) and Silas. 23This is the letter they took along with them:
"This letter is from the apostles and elders, your brothers in Jerusalem. It is written to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Greetings!
24"We understand that some men from here have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but they had no such instructions from us. 25So it seemed good to us, having unanimously agreed on our decision, to send you these official representatives, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27So we are sending Judas and Silas to tell you what we have decided concerning your question.
28"For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these requirements: 29You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or eating the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well. Farewell."
30The four messengers went at once to Antioch, where they called a general meeting of the Christians and delivered the letter. 31And there was great joy throughout the church that day as they read this encouraging message.
32Then Judas and Silas, both being prophets, spoke extensively to the Christians, encouraging and strengthening their faith. 33They stayed for a while, and then Judas and Silas were sent back to Jerusalem, with the blessings of the Christians, to those who had sent them. F84 35Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch to assist many others who were teaching and preaching the word of the Lord there.
Paul and Barnabas Separate
36After some time Paul said to Barnabas, "Let's return to each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are getting along." 37Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark. 38But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not shared in their work. 39Their disagreement over this was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus. 40Paul chose Silas, and the believers sent them off, entrusting them to the Lord's grace. 41So they traveled throughout Syria and Cilicia to strengthen the churches there.
FOOTNOTES:F78: Greek brothers; also in 15:32, 33. F79: Greek brothers; also in 15:23, 36, 40. F80: Greek disciples. F81: Greek Simon. F82: Amos 9:11-12; Isa 45:21. F83: Greek were leaders among the brothers. F84: Some manuscripts add verse 34, But Silas decided to stay there.


Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living Translation


~Lena’s Journalin’ ~
Receiving the Holy Spirit is the seal of approval, the proof, the stamp of The Father God upon people’s of the earth who have received His Son Jesus and have been “Born Again”.
No you do not have to receive Him, as you don’t have to believe in or receive Jesus, in fact many say they believe in God (the Father or possibly they are referring to the Creator). He is Father, Son & Spirit. Our faith is not complete without all 3 parts of the whole Godhead.
Jesus said, if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen My Father, the Spirit can also say, if you’ve seen Me, you have no doubt seen the Son. The Son had to leave the earth that the Spirit would come.
What a tragedy for Christians to deny the Spirit’s infilling of a life for Divine infusion and change.
How else can a human be in the image and likeness of God? Why would we need to be born again if we could just know of God and believe Jesus came? We cannot know God intimately without the Spirit. We can know of Him, but we do not, will not know Him but by His very own characteristic spirit. God is spirit, and those who choose to intimately worship Him, must do so in spirit and truth. To deny His power and presence is to refuse Him. He is a gentleman, and when refused, He’ll leave, and He won’t return uninvited. He’ll let us think we can live for God without Him, but we are not really living.
The Jews thought they could live religiously without the spirit, without the Son. They tried, but it was a conglomeration of legalism. With the spirit, with the Son, the full capacity of love and of heart, is revealed, for we see all that God is. We see all of Him for who He is. He isn’t an idea to us, He is life and truth. The very air (spirit) we breathe.
It’s time to believe, receive and walk, leap, run, out your living breathing faith.


Daily Meditation/Recital/Question
Isaiah 58:12 (New Living Translation)
12 Your children will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as the people who rebuild their walls and cities.