Written by: Nick Coke - Salvation Army

Acts 15 v 9-11
To God, those people are not different from us. When they believed, he made their hearts pure. 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. But we believe that we and they too will be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus.”

Notes
The biggest clashes are always the most interesting: Lennox Lewis v Mike Tyson for the heavyweight championship of the world, Manchester United v Arsenal for the Premiership top-spot, Gareth Gates v Will Young in the race for number one and of course Halifax Pensioners v Scunthorpe Over 60s in the All England Bowls championship for the elderly. The tactics may be dirty and the pressure immense but what counts at the end of the day is who comes out on top. 

Imagine any of these ‘celebrity’ bouts and you’re half way to understanding what today’s reading is about. In the blue corner is Peter, not a wrestler, but nevertheless nicknamed ‘the rock’. In the red corner, stand a group of Jewish converts to the teaching of Jesus with a passion for rules and regulations. The importance of who wins this particular clash cannot be underestimated in the great scheme of things - the future shape of the church was to depend on it.

The ins and outs of the disagreement are more complicated than the rules of cricket but to put it simply – the men in the red corner began teaching that new converts to Christianity needed to follow a whole host of laws that the Jews followed in order to be ‘real’ believers. Peter disagreed. And it’s Peter speaking in our reading today. He claims that being ‘saved’ is not so much about following certain rules but something that only God can do for us.

This basic argument seems to have recurred in the church in one form or another throughout the ages. Time and again there have been those who have battled it out to get to the truth – Jesus saves, only he can do it and however hard we try we can’t make it happen ourselves. 

Acts 15 v 12-14
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. After they finished speaking, James said, “Brothers, listen to me. 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.

Notes 
One of my favourite quotes of recent days comes from the well-known actor and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger’s website. ‘To become a Jedi Master, Yoda would have had to work very hard and make tremendous sacrifices. He would have needed to spend hours training: levitating rocks, practicing with his light sabre… Becoming a Jedi Master is not unlike becoming a champion bodybuilder.’ 

Perhaps nobody has taken the time to point out to Arnie that Star Wars, despite the rumours, is actually fictitious and Yoda just a figment of George Lucas’ imagination. (In the unlikely case you haven’t got a clue what this quote is referring to – take yourself to the cinema and watch Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones).

However, it must be said that if entering the exclusive Jedi knight club, means all that work – maximum respect to Yoda. 

Fortunately for the rest of us ordinary non-bodybuilder types, James, brother of Jesus has some encouraging words for those today who are seeking to sign up to God’s club. God it seems is accepting anyone from any nation and background – no-one is barred. To those James was addressing this was a massive revelation – a serious challenge to the thought of the day. Surprising then that 2000 years on we still put conditions on membership. And before you start pointing the finger think for a moment about what ‘Yoda-like’ qualities you expect new converts to Christianity to have. God, unlike us, is not choosy – he’ll take the bad, the rough, the ugly, the hurt, the poor, the dirty, the dying, the lying, the thieving, the swearing and anyone else who takes him seriously. Think about it, he took you in after all.

Acts 15 v 15-18
The words of the prophets agree with this too:
‘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.
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.
And these things have been known for a long time.’ 

Notes
This year’s Winter Olympics conjured up one of the quirkiest Olympic Gold medals ever to have hung around a champion’s neck. Australian speed skater Steven Bradbury, ranked before the Olympics as number 32 in the world, came in a winner after his master plan proved to be highly successful. His tactics were simple, yet devastating – during each race instead of trying to compete with everyone else to come in first he decided to skate well behind the others and hope that by some chance they would fall over. Amazingly, by this method he won. Both in the semi finals and final all his opponents managed to knock one another over and since he was so far off the pace, he was able to skate past them to finish the race in first place. A highly dubious plan for a man with an incredibly lucky streak.

Fortunately, God’s plans as revealed by today’s reading are not quite so subject to chance. The speaker James, brother of Jesus, quotes some words from the Old Testament prophet Amos written hundreds of years before the beginning of the church. God’s master plan was always to make himself available to all people from all cultures. James quotes them here to convince those pioneering the Christian church that they are a part of God’s plan, conceived from the start of time.

God has no favourites. At times certain groups or nations have laid claim to God – that he was particularly on their side. However, what we know about God is that his plan involves anyone who’s willing to come to him. He leads the way, calling us on – the question he asks us is this: will we join him? Amos prophesied it, Jesus taught it and we’re called to respond to it.

Acts 15 v 19-21
“So I think we should not bother the non-Jewish people who are turning to God. 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. 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.”

Notes
You could be forgiven for thinking that today’s reading is a little bit bizarre. James, a Jew, suggests that a letter is written to the non-Jewish converts to Christianity outlining how the two distinct groups of people could co-exist happily in the newly founded church. What is surprising are the two key issues that he raises – not holiness and prayer or scripture and worship but rather food and sex! 

The food issue seems pretty distanced from our twenty-first century worldview, or so I thought, until I read an interesting story about the World Cup. Apparently South Korea’s National Dog Meat Restaurants Association was hoping to end world prejudice against eating dog meat by giving free food to World Cup fans. ‘Dog tasting booths’ served spicy dog stew, dog burgers and ‘dog meat tonic juice.’ Now how does that sound for your next take-away?

The fact was that eating meals together was an extremely important element of early Christian worship and fellowship and the Jews were extremely fussy about keeping their food laws. James makes the point that if Jews and non-Jews were to share food together then they must respect the food laws of the different cultures. The lesson we need to learn is to respect one another and be willing to sacrifice our own wants in order to allow everyone to exist together in the church.

Sexual sin on the other hand, doesn’t seem far from our own experiences and temptations and it seems that it is the one sin that we humans never lose an appetite for. Whether we like it or not, however, those who indulge in sexual immorality will find it hard to maintain a living relationship with God. Sorry to have to say it but too many of us discover this too late.

Acts 15 v 22-23
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. 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!

Notes 
There's nothing like a good crisis to focus the mind. Take for example the story, reported by the Melbourne Age newspaper, about the German commuter who was unable to 'spend a penny' on a train. He won £185 compensation from Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) for what a court called his 'torture'. 'The plaintiff had to torture himself with his urgent need for two hours' the court heard. Those of you who have found yourself in a similar position will no doubt be able to sympathize with him and the concentration of mind that is required in avoiding any accidents.

The church in today's reading had undergone a bit of crisis and as a result they had to focus their attention on a serious matter - certain parts of the church had been teaching one thing and others another and it all came to a head in a big church meeting. The potential danger of the situation in seeing the destruction of the church, helped enormously in encouraging the whole church to agree with one another and take action. Unity was achieved.

Whilst it's easy to come to unity in crisis situations, think for example how the US came together after the September 11th terrorist attacks, the challenge to us is how we achieve unity in the 'normal' times. I suspect it has something to do with giving more than we take, respecting the views of others and occasionally being willing to sacrifice our own needs for the sake of others. 

Acts 15 v 24-27
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. We have all agreed to choose some messengers and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— people who have given their lives to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. So we are sending Judas and Silas, who will tell you the same things. 

Notes
Janet Downes thinks she has found the secret for a happy marriage: she's marrying herself on her fortieth birthday. The American woman from Nebraska says the wedding ceremony celebrates that she is ‘happy with herself,’ and plans to exchange vows with herself in the mirror. The ceremony will include a wedding gown, flowers, a traditional cake, and a choir. Bizarre but apparently true!

Whilst Miss (soon to be Mrs) Downer is 'happy with herself' the fact remains that none of us can live our lives devoid of any contact with other people. 'No man is an island' as the saying goes. In our dealings with one another we soon discover that making peace is always more difficult than starting a war. Think for example how hard it was to for you to bite your tongue and not retort with some impressively sarcastic reply last time someone had a go at you.

Congratulations, however, must be extended to the early pioneers of the Christian church in today's reading. Instead of making war they sought to bring peace. To those who were hurt and given trouble they sent four ambassadors to bring about reconciliation. Note particularly the criteria of the men chosen for the task - they 'had given their lives to serve Lord Jesus Christ'. To be peacemakers, to have humility, to be merciful, to be pure - anyone who claims to follow Christ knows that these things are part of the deal, so let's get on and live it.

Acts 15 v 28-29
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: 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.

Notes
Have you ever kissed anyone the day after they've eaten a meal loaded with garlic? Interesting question to ask you may be thinking, but those who have will understand the significance - few things are less appealing in life. Perhaps it comes in second only to holding hands with someone you know has neglected to wash them after going to the toilet. You may be wondering where this particular thought is heading but like today's Bible reading, it is all about purity.

Whilst certain outward signs (i.e. the overpowering stench of garlic breath) are a give-away to inner impurities, most of the time what is going on in our inner life is not evident to anyone else. Red lights don't come on above our head every time we have a dirty thought or plot revenge on someone. A big pointy finger doesn't emerge from the clouds and show to the world who it was who lied to a friend to get out of something they didn't want to do or who swore wildly about someone under their breath. That of course is the good news. However, there is bad news - our sins are plainly evident to God. 

Achieving purity in our lives is a lifetime's work. Every time we seem to overcome the power of one sin's hold on our lives another one creeps in unnoticed. Take the good advice from our brothers and sisters in the early church. Whilst the type of food we eat might not be too much of any issue the principle remains the same - if we take in the wrong kind of stuff we'll find it difficult to be clean before God. Be careful in what you indulge in - keep yourself pure. Your relationship with God will depend on it


word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes