Tuesday, October 9, 2012

One

   I feel like there are some things that I have to get off of my chest. First of all. 

Acts 15 Verses 22-29


22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. 23 With them they sent the following letter:

The apostles and elders, your brothers,

To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:

Greetings.

24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.

     Ok, now to preface this. Most of us are considered Gentiles, if we are not Jewish, then this would apply to us if we choose to follow it. Now in that there was a great discussion within the church as in what to do with these new believers, since they were not raised in Jewish customs, would the laws of Jewish custom now apply to them? How would these people dress, look, act, and so on and so forth? 
     In that, they put together the ultimate biblical think-tank. They took the question far and wide, travelling dusty roads and byways to make sure everyone had some input into this great accord. There was much discussion, "Would they need to be circumsized?", Would they have to abide by all the laws of Moses?", and I'm sure there was plenty of debate. In the end, they all came together and sat down and wrote out the rules that Gentiles should adhere to to be 'Good Christians'.
      The rules? Are there pages and pages? Are there bylaws and stipulations? Addendums? Ratifications? Are there side articles?
      There are four. It would fit on a post it note, and there are no bylaws, stipulations, addendums, ratifications, or any of the such.
      
Those four rules are:
1. Don't eat food off of idols
2. Don't drink blood (actual blood)
3. Don't eat meat from a strangled animal
4. Abstain from sexual immorality

     Those the only for rules that have ever been installed by the greatest thinkers of the bible, some were men who had walked alongside of Christ himself. In that, they knew the man, they knew His heart. They had traveled far and wide to ask all that they could in "what does it take to be a 'Good Chirstian'", and that is exactly what they came up with. 
      So yeah, those are the four rules, and anything else, is quite simply not a rule. Are there other guidelines to 'following'? Of course, but in choosing to follow Christ's teachings there is an insatiable will to continue in finding the other things. Of course, as long as you "love they God with all they heart, mind, body and soul" and "love thy neighbor as thyself", you will just find yourself striving for a better you. But when it gets down to it, 'four rules' no more, no less, and in that... yeah. Do with it what you will. I love each and every one of you, and God does too. LLLAKYFOTPA XD



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