Friday, May 29, 2026

Opening Scripture

But now, this is what the LORD says, he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name… for I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior… you are mine… everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed… I am the LORD, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King. Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43 (selected)

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for another day of life! I’m grateful for Your loving faithfulness, Your thoughtful provision, and Your comforting presence. Help my hope and security to be in You today, not in my abilities, possessions, or the opinions of others. I ask Your Spirit to guide me in the way I should go. Help me to be thankful for small things and open to new things. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Acts 15:1-21

Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.

The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” The apostles and elders met to consider this question.

After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.

When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: “‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’—things known from long ago.

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

Reflection  

A lot has happened since yesterday’s reading. James, the brother of John, was executed by King Herod. Peter was miraculously escorted out of prison by an angel. And the church at Antioch commissioned Barnabas and Saul to go on a mission trip (one of the “firsts” by that congregation, setting an example we still practice today).

When Barnabas and Paul returned to Antioch after that first missionary journey, “they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.”

And just when we thought the whole “circumcision” thing had been resolved, it resurfaces. The Judaizers can’t turn loose of it, even though God had clearly shown that salvation is available to everyone. Some people would rather hang on to what’s familiar than embrace what God is doing. It can be hard to let go of something you’ve always believed to accept a new revelation by the Spirit.

The Judaizer legalists were in danger of causing a division in the church and leading people astray, so once again, Barnabas and Paul were called on to help settle the issue. On their trip to Jerusalem, they made sure to let the believers along the way know that Gentiles were becoming Christians.

Upon their arrival in Jerusalem, a sacred assembly was convened to discuss the matter. The legalists spoke up first and admitted that “circumcision” was a code word for an entire way of life built around strictly keeping the law of Moses. They seemed to think salvation was still only for the Jews, or Christianity was something added to the Law, rather than the fulfillment of the Law.

The assembly realized this was a defining moment in the movement. There was much “discussion” (zētēseōs), which means investigation, inquiry, and debate. Peter, who had been at the heart of the dispute from the beginning, wisely let the opposition present their case first and allowed the interaction to continue for a while before he spoke up. While respectful of others, in Peter’s mind the matter had been settled by God long ago.

After that, Barnabas and Paul shared their experiences both in Antioch and on their first missionary journey. Imagine listening to Paul, Barnabas, and Peter describe what God had been doing in and around them over the past several years! As one might expect, it was captivating and convincing.

James – the half-brother of Jesus and author of the letter that bears his name – was apparently the recognized leader in the Jerusalem church at that time. On behalf of the assembly, he declared the verdict. James affirmed that Peter (“Simon” for the predominantly Jewish setting) was the first to cross this line with Cornelius, and beyond the experiences of Barnabas and Paul, he quotes the prophet Amos to support his decision.

James echoes Peter’s earlier sentiment: “Why would we make it needlessly difficult for people to come to faith?” Peter twisted the knife with, “We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” He flipped the narrative by saying, “Imagine! We Jews get to be saved the same way Gentiles are!”

James wisely suggested documenting the decision in writing to help resolve any further disagreement on the matter. The main points were part concession, part compromise, intended to “keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Both Jews coming out of legalism and Gentiles coming out of paganism, who had a weaker faith, were provided for here.

These guidelines were designed to promote purity in life and unity in fellowship among the new humanity known as the Church. The word “abstain” (apechó) in this context means to avoid, be distant, or keep away from.

• Abstain from things polluted by idols.
• Abstain from sexual immorality.
• Abstain from that which is strangled.
• Abstain from blood.

By avoiding pagan temples, fornication, and consuming blood, practices that were all prevalent in Antioch and elsewhere, Gentile Christians would maintain a high moral standard and keep from offending their Jewish brothers and sisters.

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

Isn’t it interesting how persecution and hardship facilitated the spread of the gospel? Rather than becoming discouraged or renouncing the faith because of suffering, those early believers took the good news with them as they spread out across the Roman Empire.

No one could have imagined God’s great plan of redemption through faith in Jesus or anticipated how it would disperse like wildfire around the world. As we’ve seen repeatedly in these daily readings, God is continually shocking even His own people with what He’s doing.

And that’s exactly what God said! “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

So, it goes without saying that we should never try to stand in God’s way, even when we don’t understand what He’s doing.

Early in the movement, the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders in Jerusalem, and more and more people came to faith in Jesus. The Jewish religious leaders were jealous, so they arrested and tried to intimidate the apostles, wanting to put them to death. A Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up among the ruling council and made this wise declaration.

“Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God” (Acts 5:38-39).

How do you react when you see God doing a new thing in your life?

How do you react when you see God doing a new thing in someone else’s life?

God is always more interested in where we’re going than where we’ve been.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!