Church Expectations

Acts 15:1–11 CSB

Some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved.” After Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, Paul and Barnabas and some others were appointed to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this issue. When they had been sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them: “Brothers and sisters, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.”

During the early church, the thought of creating a church was something new in the eyes of the newly found Christians. The Jewish Christians try to push the laws of Moses on the gentiles.

When Peter heard this he stood up for the faith of Christ and remind them that through grace and love we are saved and not be forcing certain traditions on the others.

In the church today it is a common thing that continue to happen. In the modern-day church, we often forget what it is go to church for. When God makes it very clear throughout scriptures how it is we are suppose to live.

The Church Is To Love

God loves us

John 3:15–16 CSB

so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Christ Loves Us

1 John 3:16 CSB

This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

We are called to love others

In the two passages we see that God shows us love in a way that we are called to love each other. to many times are we at each others throats rather than to show love.

The Church Is Not To Judge

Romans 2:1–3 CSB

Therefore, every one of you who judges is without excuse. For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things. We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is based on the truth. Do you really think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God’s judgment?

often time in the church we chose judge others in the church rather than build others up in the church in the book of Ephesians we are called to Edify every one to build them up and help them grow as Christians

The Church is called to Share

Matthew 28:19–20 CSB

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We are called to go and make disciples and get others saved. we are also called to be willing to Go

Isaiah 6:8 CSB

Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking: Who should I send? Who will go for us? I said: Here I am. Send me.

Often in the church we chose to act like the men in the book of acts and try to force our way. though the bible is called on how to act in the church.