Knowing God's will. Acts 15.

In writing these posts, there's a temptation to write about the main point(s) of the passage each day. I've tried to avoid that somewhat, for two reasons. First, I think it's important that each one of us wrestle with the text and discover the main point for ourselves and I don't want to prejudice your reading. Second, you have a chance to express your own thoughts and ideas, either as comments here, or in class on Sunday morning if you're attending, and this leaves room for you to express those thoughts.

I should add a third reason to that list, which is that God has a way of speaking to each one of us individually, and the message for you may be contained in a detail within the big picture. In Rembrandt's painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son, the painting captures the moment the prodigal is greeted by his father. That's the big picture. But what might capture your attention as you viewed this painting is the posture of the son as he leans into his father, maybe even something as small as the arch of his neck and head.

I've been looking for these small details most days, too, both in my reading, and in the subject of my posts. Today, I was struck by the manner in which the church reached its decision about the requirements for the Gentile members. First, the testimony of Peter describes how communication with God, and circumstances -- a vision and arrival of the delegation -- led him to share the gospel with the Gentiles at Cornelius' household. The Spirit then confirmed their reception of the gospel, by duplicating the experience of the disciples at Pentecost for these Gentiles. His advice is that the Gentiles should be accepted without additional burdens. Then, the confirmation from the experience of Paul and Barnabas is received -- again, the Holy Spirit confirming that God was at work in the church at Antioch as evidenced by "signs and wonders". Finally, James lays these claims alongside the Scriptures, making sure that the claims measure up to the written Word of God.

In seeking God's will the church recognized God was speaking to them, because the communications with God (Peter's vision), circumstances, advice from Godly people, and in God's written Word, were all in agreement. As a result, they were able to go forward, welcoming the Gentiles fully into the church, without placing the burden of the whole law on them.