When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters welcomed us warmly. On the next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James. All of the elders were present. After greeting them, he gave them a detailed report of what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. Those who heard this praised God. Then they said to him, “Brother, you see how many thousands of Jews have become believers, and all of them keep the Law passionately. They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to reject Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to live according to our customs. What about this? Without a doubt, they will hear that you have arrived. You must therefore do what we tell you. Four men among us have made a solemn promise. Take them with you, go through the purification ritual with them, and pay the cost of having their heads shaved. Everyone will know there is nothing to those reports about you but that you too live a life in keeping with the Law. As for the Gentile believers, we wrote a letter about what we decided, that they avoid food offered to idols, blood, the meat from strangled animals, and sexual immorality.” The following day Paul took the men with him and went through the purification ritual with them. He entered the temple and publicly announced the completion of the days of purification, when the offering would be presented for each one of them. (Acts 21:17-26, CEB)
As for the Gentile believers, we wrote a letter about what we decided, that they avoid food offered to idols, blood, meat from strangled animals, and sexual immorality.
Don’t eat things offered to idols. Stay away from blood. Make sure the animal your meat comes from was not strangled. Do not be sexually immoral.
Unless you kill all your own animals how are you sure of the way the animal died? If you actually kill an animal, how can you stay away from blood? How are you certain the food set before you was not used as a sacrifice for an idol? What does it mean to be sexually immoral?
All of these are pretty straightforward, and yet also hard to say what they are.
We get into trouble when we try to define these things for others. We need to define these for ourselves and monitor ourselves and not others by our standards.
Love like Jesus and show mercy like God.
Loving People. Loving God.
aSacredRebel 