Baggage

INTRO

Background

Acts 13 - 14 - Paul and Barnabas are called out by the Holy Spirit to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.

They begin at Cyprus, Barnabas home region, then travel to Perga in Pamphylia, where John Mark left them to return to Jerusalem. They then make their way to Antioch Pisidia where they lay out the Gospel for the Jews and God-fearers then share with the rest of the Gentiles. They are run out of town and head to Iconium they to Lystra, where Paul was stoned and left for dead. Through the power of the Holy Spirit Paul survived and went to Derbe. After have great success with the Gospel in these places, he and Barnabas revisited each city, preaching the Gospel, teaching faithfulness to Jesus, and establishing local church leaders. When they came to Perga, rather than returning to Cyprus, they then returned to their home and sending church in Antioch of Syria.

Upon returning home they shared about all that God had done and was doing in the places they visited. There was great rejoicing but they had to face a difficult situation upon their return. Some pre-Christ influences were causing some problems among the believers.

None of us are experts in following Jesus when first come to faith in Christ. None of us were saved in a vacuum. We all carry with us ways of living passed down to us by our families, cultural influences that have shaped our thinking as we’ve grown, ideologies about God and what following Him looks like from a variety of influences, and that just the tip of the iceberg.

When we come to faith in Jesus, He begins a work in our lives that redeems, recycles, or revolutionizes our lives. This is what spiritual growth is all about! This is what every Christians must face if we are going to be faithful followers of Jesus.

Acts 15:1–6 ESV

1 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.

1) We All Carry Baggage into Our Faith. (v.1-6)

From the Text...

We typically think that Pharisees are hypocrites who reject Jesus always, but that’s part of our baggage.

Some Pharisees came to faith in Jesus! (Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, etc.)

When they came to faith, they brought their own baggage with them. Part of this was the idea that when a Gentile came to faith in Jesus, they were expected to follow the same standard of becoming a Jew and a person of the covenant just as they had always done.

This belief however seemed to contradict the reality of God’s work thus far and needed to be sorted out.

…to our Context

You and I all carry our own preconceived notions into our relationship with God.

One of the greatest dangers we face is all too often we internalize what people have said about faith in God rather than seeking what God says about faith in Him.

On one end of the matter some think that Church should always be a certain way, that Christians should fit a cookie cutter mold, and that anyone who doesn’t see things the way I do, must not be truly saved, or at least their probably not as spiritually mature as we are.

On the other end of the matter some think that Christianity is just exclusively personal. How one worships and acknowledges God and how they let God into their life is their business and no one else’s. It doesn’t matter what a person’s faith looks like as long as they have a faith and they’re a decent human being. As for the Church, as long as they did their time and raised their kids in church they should be good and their kids should be good.

And then there are a plethora of views in between.

As people of faith, we should have enough self awareness to know that we still have lots to learn and lots of ideas about faith that we need to sort out.

We all carry baggage and we need to face that baggage and deal with it.

Vs. 6 tells us that they gathered together to consider the matter.

One of the best things we can do to help grow in our understanding of what it means to follow Jesus is to take significant time and consider the matters of our own preconceived notions about faith and faithfulness to Jesus.

Ultimately it’s not about what I think or what I consider to be right or wrong…WHEN JESUS IS LORD HE GETS THE FINAL WORD AND HIS FINAL WORD IS ALWAYS THE CORRECT WORD!

2) Let God’s Word, His Spirit, and His People Lead You to Truth (v.7-21)

Acts 15:7–21 ESV

7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” 12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 “ ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’ 19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

From the Text...

When they considered the matter… they looked at the Spirit of God at work.

…they looked at Word of God.

…they listened to faithful and mature People of God.

The conclusion was not that they Gentiles must express signs of the old covenant, but that they could continue in the principles of all covenants as they live out a new life that is dedicated to God alone and has no ties to worthless and selfish idolatry.

...To our Context

You and I need to seek God to show us what He says our lives are to be like.

We need to look to the Word of God as the Ultimate authority of our lives.

We need to inquire of and learn from Spiritually mature and faithful people of God who have and are walking in obedience to Jesus.

We need to examine and learn from the Spirit of God at work in their lives in a way that is true and genuine and not manufactured.

All of these things will be in alignment and compliment each other.

It is through this process that the Spirit of God works to redeem, recycle, or revolutionize our lives in Him.

Redeem - Take what is good and give it new meaning that glorifies Him.

Recycle - Take what is harmful and rework it all together to eliminate that which is harm but leave in us anything that is useful and glorifying to Him.

Revolutionize - Examine where there are spiritually deficient voids in our lives and transform those voids by building His passions and purposes into us.

3) Once You Learn the Truth, Share the Truth (v.22-32)

Acts 15:22–32 ESV

22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” 30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words.

From the Text...

Once the matter was resolved among the leadership and clear direction had been given, it was time to get the word out and clear up confusion.

They continued in their encouragement to leave idolatrous practices and to walk in the grace of God as they live in faith and faithfulness to God.

...To our Context

We are called to be a part of helping to shape the faith of each other.

Not by telling others what we think, but drawing our brothers and sisters attention to the Word and encouraging them from what we know as we have lived out the Word and the Spirit as worked in our lives.

REFLECTION AND RESPONSE

WHEN YOU CONSIDER YOUR BELIEFS ABOUT FOLLOWING JESUS, DO THEY COME FROM GOD’S WORD OR JUST WHAT YOU’VE BEEN TOLD BY OTHERS?

IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU REGULARLY LET GOD’S WORD, HIS SPIRIT, AND HIS PEOPLE SHAPE YOUR LIFE AND LEAD YOU IN TRUE FAITHFULNESS TO HIM?

WHAT PART DO YOU PLAY IN SHARING THE TRUTH ABOUT FAITHFULLY FOLLOWING GOD WITH OTHERS? WHO DO YOU NEED TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO SEEK GOD’S WORD AND HELP THEM TO FACE THEIR OWN SPIRITUAL BAGGAGE?