Posted by Searcher on 8/27/2009, 12:00 pm, in reply to "During the book of Acts"
75.104.128.54
Dear Ray,
In Acts 8 verse 1, it is explained that the believers from the synagogue in Jerusalem were being persecuted and therefore fled to outlying regions.
Acts 8:1
And Saul was consenting unto his [Stephen's] death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Any Gentile that attended the synagogue, had to be separated by a partition that separated them from the Jews. Gentiles proselytes were also expected to be circumcised and follow certain traditions and law of the religious leaders of the day. This law was not the law of Moses. It was a corrupted version (oral law) that was put together by the religious and political elite and written down by scribes.
Peter was given a vision that was repeated three times and still Peter doubted the meaning of it. (Acts 10:10-18) Peter was sent to the house of a Gentile by the Holy Ghost. Peter was astonished!
Acts 10:28, 34
And he [Peter] said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or to come unto one of another nation; but God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean...Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him. The word which God SENT to the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (He is the Lord of all)
Cornelius and his household were the first Gentiles who received gifts of the Holy Ghost. The Jews were astonished.
Acts 10:45
And they of the circumcision were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles ALSO was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Although Peter was the first apostle to preach to Gentiles, the gospel of the grace of God was given to Paul. (Acts 20:24) The gospel of the grace of God was that the Gentiles, without being circumcised or being under the law, were saved by faith alone. This caused great consternation among the Jews. The first cutting off of some of the branches is found in Acts 13:43-48:
43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
Acts council of elders met to decide which abbreviated set of ordinances the Gentiles were required to follow in Acts 15:19,20.
Acts 15:5-10
5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
The "yoke" was the burden of the many laws and traditions. It was impossible for any man to follow the whole law.
Searcher
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