Devotionary

In Acts 15:22-41, we are going to see that conflicts and disunity were a constant problem in the early church. The increasingly diverse makeup of the growing church was creating natural tensions and disagreements. Debates were becoming increasingly more common, even among the leadership. But through it all, there was a strong desire on the part of the apostles to maintain a spirit of unity in the midst of all the diversity.

Paul and Barnabas had simply walked in unity and rhythm with God, obediently and submissively doing His will His way. And the results spoke for themselves. Peoples’ lives had been radically changed. The Spirit had come and the light of the gospel had begun to permeate the darkness in which the Gentiles nations were trapped.

With the coming of the Holy Spirit, the message of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone had begun to spread, with the result being the conversion of more and more Gentiles. And this is where the conflict arose. Some of the more hard-core Jewish Christians were of the strong opinion that the conversions of the Gentiles were incomplete or invalid unless they converted to Judaism first. But Paul would have nothing to do with it and he would do everything in his power to stand against it.

For Paul and Barnabas, the real issue was that they had been trusted with the task of bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to the Gentile world. And they knew that God had opened up a door of faith to these people, because they had watched as countless numbers of them were streaming through the narrow gate and walking the path that led to righteousness. The way of Christ.

The people of Lystra worshiped Paul and Barnabas as gods, But Paul didn’t take their adoration well. He flatly refused it and took the opportunity to contrast the one true God with the false gods of the Greeks.

Paul knew that anyone who came to faith, did so, not because of his powers of persuasion or their own intelligence, but because God had called them. Salvation was and is the work of God, from beginning to end. Paul knew it, because he had witnessed it. Paul was convinced of it, because he had experienced it.

Had they chosen to accept the free gift of eternal life offered to them by God, they would have been made right with Him, deemed worthy not because of anything they had done, but because of what Jesus had done for them.

Paul’s whole objective was to get to Jesus. He is not only the consummation of Israelite history, but of the entire world. He is the focus of all human history. But these Jews, hung up on their heritage and religious rituals, ran the risk of missing the very one God had promised to Abraham: The seed who would bless all the nations of the world.

In this section of verses, we are going to see God continue to redirect the efforts of the church, driving them further and further away from the central hub of Judaism, the city of Jerusalem, and into the world dominated by Gentiles.

In this passage, we are going to see God’s divine hand at work, freeing Paul and, ultimately, punishing Herod. One was doing the work of God, while the other was attempting to stop it. And only one would find success because the Lord was on his side.

In these verses, we will see Him thwart the plans of King Herod and restore to His church, not only their leader, but their confidence in their God. He was far from done. And the same could be said for Peter.

We will see that God’s choice of Saul had been anything but a fluke. He was well equipped and had been powerfully prepared by God during the nine years since his conversion. God’s plan had been perfect and His timing, spot on.

He had done the unthinkable. He had poured out His Spirit upon Gentiles and not even ones who had become adherents of the Jewish faith. These had not been proselytes to Judaism, but full-fledged, uncircumcised Gentile pagans. But Peter knew better than to oppose what God had approved.

God was doing things His way. He wasn’t taking input or seeking permission. He wasn’t operating according to their will, but in keeping with His divine, totally flawless, and completely just and sovereign will. And they were amazed, but also appalled.

A right standing with God is not based on human effort or any form of earned merit. God had extended His grace to Peter and the rest of the apostles. Now He was going to extend it to Cornelius and his household.