The beloved physician Luke shared when Paul, Barnabas and their companions came to Jerusalem, “a certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed” were “saying” about the Gentile believers “That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” After much discussion the church, in Jerusalem decided 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. And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, You must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment. It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth”, and in chapter fifteen and verse twenty-eight of the book of Acts Luke shared how the letters said, “it seemed good … to lay upon you no greater burden” where we read:
For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us,
to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
The verse begins, “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, ...” Luke began with the words, “for it seemed good” which means “because, since and on account that the following was judged, supposed and determined as pleasing and correct” “to the Holy Ghost” or “to the sacred, pure, morally blameless and ceremonially and religiously consecrated third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, who is coequal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son ”, “and to us” which means “and to us, the believers in the church in Jerusalem”. Luke shared how the letters to the church in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia included the idea that the “Holy Spirit” and the church in Jerusalem thought it was a good thing to do the following.
The verse goes on to say, “... to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;” Luke continued with the words, “to lay upon you” or “to put, place or set upon you, the church in Antioch” “no greater burden” which means “not any superior, more excellent and further heaviness, weight or trouble” “than these necessary things” or “other than the following needful impositions or directives”. Luke shared how the letters to the church in Antioch included not laying upon the Gentile believers any further “heaviness and trouble” than that which is set forth in the next verse.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we learn how the letters to the church in Antioch was meant to “lift” the “burdens” put upon them by the men who said they need to be “circumcised” and to “keep the law of Moses” to be saved. God's “Holy Spirit” led the church in Jerusalem in this matter, and those who yield themselves to His direction will find He is resolved to lead every person into a personal relationship with His Son Jesus. Anyone who yields to Jesus will have their sins forgiven and be granted everlasting life with God, and those who are wise will look closely into the ideas from the church in Jerusalem to discover how they are to live when they receive Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”.
Next time Luke shares how the letter says, “that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
No comments:
Post a Comment