BC - Day 322

Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers:  "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.  Acts 15:1,2


Footnote:  The question of whether the Gentile believers should obey the Law of Moses to be saved was an important one.  The controversy intensified largely due to the success of the new Gentile churches.  The conservatives in the Jerusalem church were led by converted Pharisees who preferred a legalistic religion to one based on faith alone.  If the conservatives had won, the Gentiles would have been required to be circumcised and converted to Judaism.  This would have seriously confined Christianity to simply being another sect within Judaism.  There is something of a "Pharisee" in each one of us.  We may unwittingly mistake upholding tradition, structure, and legal requirements for obeying God.  Make sure the gospel brings freedom and life to those you are trying to reach.


He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek.  Acts 16:1


Footnote:  Timothy is the first second-generation Christian mentioned in the New Testament.  His mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois (2 Timothy 1:5), had become believers and had faithfully influenced him for the Lord.  Although Timothy's father apparently was not a Christian, the faithfulness of Timothy's mother and grandmother prevailed.  Never underestimate the far-reaching consequences of raising one small child to love the Lord.


He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"


They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved -- you and your household."  Acts 16:30,31


Footnote:  Paul and Silas's reputation in Philippi was well known.  When the jailer realized his own true condition and need, he risked everything to find the answer.  The Christian Good News of salvation is simply expressed:  Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (see Romans 10:9, 1 Corinthians 12:3; Ephesians 2:8,9; Philippians 2:11).  When we recognize Jesus as Lord and trust in him with our entire life, salvation is assured to us.  If you have never trusted in Jesus to save you, do so quickly.  Your life can be filled with joy, just as the jailer's was.


JUST KEEP READING........

All notes in italics taken from Life Application Study Bible, New International Version.