Acts 15
Pastor Derek Floyd
As I begin to write this devotional, my spirit applauds the early church for addressing an issue that could have split it if not handled carefully. The question raised by the Judaizers (aka converted Pharisees): “Should Gentile believers be made to follow the laws of Moses in order to be saved?” The truth is that as the Judaizers formed this question, they were actually making a statement: "Since these men are different from us, they should be treated as different - or less than."
As a man of color, I am struck that there are still houses of worship in our country that would not offer me the hand of Christian fellowship because I look different or because my heritage was once defined by slaves and slave owners. All of us have beliefs, some of them quite fervent. Although we have our traditions, convictions and compelling life experiences, the ultimate question is, “What does the Word of God say?”
These early church leaders, consisting of Judaizers and Gentile Christians - along with Peter, James, Paul and Barnabas - met to hear all sides of the debate. In Acts 15, we read that they crafted a Godly solution. We are a united church today - one in Christ - because what God said was more important than someone’s place of origin. Jesus is for everyone - Jew, Gentile, bond and free. It’s been more than 2,000 years since that historic crossroad, and God’s Church must still follow the road signs today.
Pastor Derek facilitates corporate worship in collaboration with musicians in our bands, Worship Choir and vocal praise teams.
