Post by Zac Loh on Sept 14, 2009 8:49:35 GMT -5
Contending For The Message
Acts 15:1-33
And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question. (Acts 15:1-33)
“Is it worth the fight?” There is a cry in my heart.
“How do I balance between preserving unity and contending for a greater purity of the truth?”
I, among many others, heard the call to stand for a biblical Christianity …not a status quo biblical Christianity, but an ever-increasing progressive level of purity of the truth.
I don’t think that every dimension, every aspect, every level of the truth has been totally revealed to the church. The day when everything is released and the church is walking in the totality of the truth, is the day to lift up our heads to the coming King! The day of the Rapture!
Jesus is coming for a completely mature, beautifully adorned with the truth from head-to-toe, bride!
I am certainly not for the all-inclusive Progressive Christianity termed by the world, which says that it’s okay to keep being a gay, and that God accepts gay lifestyle.
I am not for that kind of Progressive Christianity. What I am passionate about, is that the universal church of Jesus Christ should keep growing and progressing in the revelation of the truth that is purely biblical in every way.
Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with certain men who added Old Testament practices to the message of the gospel of faith and grace. It was heated to a boiling point. They had to settle it in the highest spiritual arena on earth, the Jerusalem Church, where the centre of Christianity was located.
And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. (Acts 15:4-7)
When they arrived in Jerusalem, at this time and place, the contention was not sparked by Paul and Barnabas, but by the traditionalists. And I am glad that the matter was brought up again …knowing the final outcome of it!
The Jerusalem church leaders:
1. were open to discuss the dispute, and were willing to spend time going about it; and
2. allowed the discussion to continue to a length of time, until, I believe, most were satisfied expressing themselves; and
3. received the divine wisdom of God, and therefore, entered into greater clarity and understanding.
The Jerusalem church, as true leaders of God, led the church-at-large into a greater spiritual maturity.
Tell me, shouldn’t the leadership of the church today adopt the same approach as Peter, the apostles and elders of the Jerusalem church had?
So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. And after they had stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles. (Acts 15:30-33; underline mine)
Do you see the final outcome of this approach to the truth? “…they rejoiced over its encouragement” “…greetings from the brethren to the apostles”.
It was a happy positive moment!
Was the purity of the truth of the message worth fighting for? The answer is simple enough: we are enjoying the letters of Paul expounding the message of the gospel of faith and grace. Paul wasn’t squashed! THANK GOD!
Nearly one and the half century after Paul, another man bravely and sacrificially led many thousands contending for this same message. His name was Martin Luther.
that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:14-16)
Truth is a precious cargo, and it is carefully packaged, and there is a label stick to this package: `Handle with love’.
Truth is correlative with love. Love rejoices in the truth. “Though I understand all mysteries and all knowledge, but have not love, I am nothing,” Paul remarked.
Without love, we should all disqualify ourselves from fighting for the truth, because we will do more real harm than real good. Are we driven to air our views, or are we passionate about setting others free? Are we content to partially liberate, or do we contend to fully liberate?
We shall know the truth, and the truth shall make us free. We contend for the truth BECAUSE the knowledge of the truth will make others free from the evil of deception. AND the level of freedom is directly corresponding to the level of purity of the truth. FOR the potency of the truth is dependent on the purity!
Acts 15:1-33
And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question. (Acts 15:1-33)
“Is it worth the fight?” There is a cry in my heart.
“How do I balance between preserving unity and contending for a greater purity of the truth?”
I, among many others, heard the call to stand for a biblical Christianity …not a status quo biblical Christianity, but an ever-increasing progressive level of purity of the truth.
I don’t think that every dimension, every aspect, every level of the truth has been totally revealed to the church. The day when everything is released and the church is walking in the totality of the truth, is the day to lift up our heads to the coming King! The day of the Rapture!
Jesus is coming for a completely mature, beautifully adorned with the truth from head-to-toe, bride!
I am certainly not for the all-inclusive Progressive Christianity termed by the world, which says that it’s okay to keep being a gay, and that God accepts gay lifestyle.
I am not for that kind of Progressive Christianity. What I am passionate about, is that the universal church of Jesus Christ should keep growing and progressing in the revelation of the truth that is purely biblical in every way.
Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with certain men who added Old Testament practices to the message of the gospel of faith and grace. It was heated to a boiling point. They had to settle it in the highest spiritual arena on earth, the Jerusalem Church, where the centre of Christianity was located.
And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. (Acts 15:4-7)
When they arrived in Jerusalem, at this time and place, the contention was not sparked by Paul and Barnabas, but by the traditionalists. And I am glad that the matter was brought up again …knowing the final outcome of it!
The Jerusalem church leaders:
1. were open to discuss the dispute, and were willing to spend time going about it; and
2. allowed the discussion to continue to a length of time, until, I believe, most were satisfied expressing themselves; and
3. received the divine wisdom of God, and therefore, entered into greater clarity and understanding.
The Jerusalem church, as true leaders of God, led the church-at-large into a greater spiritual maturity.
Tell me, shouldn’t the leadership of the church today adopt the same approach as Peter, the apostles and elders of the Jerusalem church had?
So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. And after they had stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles. (Acts 15:30-33; underline mine)
Do you see the final outcome of this approach to the truth? “…they rejoiced over its encouragement” “…greetings from the brethren to the apostles”.
It was a happy positive moment!
Was the purity of the truth of the message worth fighting for? The answer is simple enough: we are enjoying the letters of Paul expounding the message of the gospel of faith and grace. Paul wasn’t squashed! THANK GOD!
Nearly one and the half century after Paul, another man bravely and sacrificially led many thousands contending for this same message. His name was Martin Luther.
that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:14-16)
Truth is a precious cargo, and it is carefully packaged, and there is a label stick to this package: `Handle with love’.
Truth is correlative with love. Love rejoices in the truth. “Though I understand all mysteries and all knowledge, but have not love, I am nothing,” Paul remarked.
Without love, we should all disqualify ourselves from fighting for the truth, because we will do more real harm than real good. Are we driven to air our views, or are we passionate about setting others free? Are we content to partially liberate, or do we contend to fully liberate?
We shall know the truth, and the truth shall make us free. We contend for the truth BECAUSE the knowledge of the truth will make others free from the evil of deception. AND the level of freedom is directly corresponding to the level of purity of the truth. FOR the potency of the truth is dependent on the purity!