WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:02.200 Hey, everybody, we're the Bible guys, and if you're just 2 00:00:02.240 --> 00:00:05.280 tuning in recently, just know that we are showing a 3 00:00:05.320 --> 00:00:07.120 little bit of reruns for a few months, and then 4 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:09.839 we'll be back bigger and better than ever on August 5 00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:13.519 thirty first, because behind the scenes we're taking a hiatus 6 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:14.720 to do some very important things. 7 00:00:14.759 --> 00:00:18.399 Yeah, we're building building out a new studio and we've 8 00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:21.399 got some new structure. Super excited about it. So August 9 00:00:21.480 --> 00:00:24.359 thirty first, brand new content. But in the meantime, enjoy 10 00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:25.480 some of our greatest hits. 11 00:00:25.960 --> 00:00:27.800 Well, today we're going to find out that Paul joins 12 00:00:27.839 --> 00:00:31.519 the Jedi Council. What I'm sorry, the Jerusalem Council. 13 00:00:31.719 --> 00:00:34.359 Oh, well that makes more sense. He's Chris, I'm Jeff. 14 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:48.920 We're the Bible guys. So Chris, we've been talking the 15 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:51.600 last several days out of the Book of Galatians. Yeah, 16 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:55.359 and he's really talking a lot about the laws and 17 00:00:56.240 --> 00:00:58.520 faith and all that kind of stuff, and so it 18 00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:01.000 just and now they're getting ready today we're going to talk. 19 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:04.000 The council in Jerusalem is going to argue over the 20 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:07.400 law a little bit. So there's some really weird laws 21 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:07.959 on the books. 22 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:10.439 You're talking about four Michigan and oh. 23 00:01:10.519 --> 00:01:12.879 All around the country states have some really weird loss. 24 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:16.040 So this is our segment. We're going to talk about 25 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:16.640 funny laws. 26 00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:19.439 Little yeah, weird loss, Yeah, funny loss. So did you 27 00:01:19.480 --> 00:01:21.920 know in the state of Michigan it's against the law 28 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:23.680 that cuts in front of women and children? 29 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:24.840 I did not know that. 30 00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:26.239 Actually, watch your mouth. 31 00:01:26.519 --> 00:01:28.719 And by the way, so that means if you're in 32 00:01:28.760 --> 00:01:30.799 a group of men, it's it's legal to cuss. 33 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:31.959 Oh yeah, men can handle it. 34 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:33.040 Is that what it is? 35 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:33.680 I don't know. 36 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:35.480 Well, hey, forget about equality. 37 00:01:35.560 --> 00:01:36.760 Let's but watch your mouth. 38 00:01:36.799 --> 00:01:39.120 Women should strive for cussing. 39 00:01:39.640 --> 00:01:42.280 Apparently, get out on protest. 40 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:44.439 You can cuts in front of us. 41 00:01:44.680 --> 00:01:46.560 How about none of us cuss? That might be better. 42 00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:47.120 That'd be better. 43 00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:49.599 Okay, that'd be a polite society, wouldn't it. Did you 44 00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:52.480 also know that in Michigan it's illegal, actually illegal to 45 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:53.319 be drunk on a train? 46 00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:56.799 Well, okay, yeah, a lot of people are on trains. 47 00:01:56.840 --> 00:01:57.159 I think. 48 00:01:57.879 --> 00:02:00.359 Actually there's a train that goes around for wine testing 49 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:00.920 in Michigan. 50 00:02:01.640 --> 00:02:03.120 Okay, well you better be careful. 51 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:05.159 They stop and then they do stops and the u 52 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:06.959 wine testing and you're on a train. 53 00:02:07.480 --> 00:02:09.719 But so, how drunk is drunk? Like are they saying 54 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:11.759 legally drunk? Because I mean, if you just have one drink, 55 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:13.759 you're drunker then without any drinks. 56 00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:16.080 Well, I think there is a legal thing for drunks. 57 00:02:16.439 --> 00:02:17.599 It's the number A number. 58 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:21.759 I think it's point I don't know eight. Okay, is 59 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:22.680 it point zero eight? 60 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:24.319 I don't know. I'm not even gonna worry about it. 61 00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:26.159 I'm going to stay at point zero zero zero. 62 00:02:26.280 --> 00:02:28.479 Yeah, I think it's point zero eight. You have to blow. 63 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:32.120 Okay, So did you know that in Virginia no hunting 64 00:02:32.199 --> 00:02:38.479 on Sundays unless you're hunting raccoons. You know, literally, it 65 00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:43.039 says it's illegal to here's the cart. Wow, It's illegal 66 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:46.360 to quote hunt or kill any wild bird or wild animal, 67 00:02:46.439 --> 00:02:50.719 including any news species. However, it is permissible to kill raccoons. 68 00:02:50.919 --> 00:02:54.280 Okay, how about this one. In Louisiana, there is no 69 00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:58.360 surprise pizza deliveries. You can be fine five hundred dollars 70 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:01.639 for sending a pizza order to someone's house without his 71 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:02.560 or her knowledge. 72 00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:03.319 Have you ever done that? 73 00:03:04.360 --> 00:03:04.599 No? 74 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:06.879 No, we did that in college, did you. Yeah? Yeah, 75 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:08.759 we just have pizzas delivered to people. 76 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:11.719 So they made a law. So all the pizza companies 77 00:03:11.719 --> 00:03:13.680 got together and was like this nonsense. 78 00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:17.199 That's right, Senator, we need to talk about something serious. 79 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:22.000 And then in Oklahoma, did you know eavesdropping is illegal? 80 00:03:22.919 --> 00:03:25.919 That's eavesdropping. According to state law, it says, quote, every 81 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:29.639 person guilty of secretly loitering about any building with intent 82 00:03:29.719 --> 00:03:33.000 to overhear discourse therein, and to repeat or publish the 83 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:36.360 same to vex, annoy or injure others is guilty of 84 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:40.719 a misdemeanor. Wow, vex annoy or injure others. 85 00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:43.000 That is carefully worded. 86 00:03:43.159 --> 00:03:43.560 That's right. 87 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:47.000 And no eavesdropping. So so you see somebody eavesdropping and 88 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:49.280 you're like, you're like, hey, you can't do that, and 89 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:51.400 they're like, mind your own business, and you're like, it's 90 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:52.039 the law. 91 00:03:52.199 --> 00:03:55.840 They literally outlawed the town gossips, right, that's what they did. 92 00:03:55.879 --> 00:03:57.479 They outlawed them. It's a misdemeanor. 93 00:03:57.800 --> 00:03:58.240 Wow. 94 00:03:58.360 --> 00:03:59.960 I think that's a good law that should stay in play. 95 00:04:00.039 --> 00:04:02.840 Well, Oklahoma is known for that, you know, those gossips. 96 00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:05.280 All those gossips in Oklahoma. Yeah, I'm so glad we're 97 00:04:05.319 --> 00:04:07.599 not from Oklahoma. You know, I got a job offer. 98 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:10.039 We're sorry, We're sorry, Oklahoma listeners. 99 00:04:10.479 --> 00:04:13.039 I actually actually get a job offer in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 100 00:04:13.159 --> 00:04:14.800 and out of all the job offers I've ever been 101 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:18.000 offered in my entire life, it was by far the 102 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:20.639 most compelling. Really, it was unbelievable. 103 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:22.199 And I can't even believe I said, other than the 104 00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:23.720 one to heritage. 105 00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:32.600 Well, I actually yeah. So so in terms of salary 106 00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:36.839 and position and responsibility numbers and everything. 107 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:38.720 Else, that's pretty pretty compelling. 108 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:39.480 Don't compare. 109 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:42.279 So the I think it's a good law. I think 110 00:04:42.279 --> 00:04:46.000 we should outlaw eavesdropping here in Michigan. That's great. If 111 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:47.319 I have a run for governor, that's going to be 112 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:49.000 a pillar of my campaign. 113 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:50.839 Yeah, I'm sure that people are going to support that. 114 00:04:50.839 --> 00:04:53.519 That's right. I don't want any any eavesdropping for the 115 00:04:53.519 --> 00:04:59.879 purpose of vexing or annoying others. So that's good vexing. Okay. So, 116 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.519 So anyways, the whole thing comes out of the idea 117 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:05.040 that you know, Paul has been talking about trying to 118 00:05:05.079 --> 00:05:08.759 differentiate between the value of law, the laws of God, 119 00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:11.839 and the way of salvation and being made right with 120 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:14.279 God is through faith, not through the law. So the 121 00:05:14.360 --> 00:05:18.240 law has benefits, but the law can't save you and 122 00:05:18.279 --> 00:05:21.560 get you to heaven. So now particularly he's talking about 123 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:22.199 the Jewish law. 124 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:25.000 So now we're jumping back to X fifteen. 125 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:27.199 We're jumping back to X fifteen because remember the Book 126 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:29.319 of Glatians was written there at like forty eight a d. 127 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:33.439 By forty nine AD, all of the big leaders of 128 00:05:33.480 --> 00:05:37.319 the church are are being kind of bombarded with the 129 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:40.399 same idea because throughout all of Christianity, Christianity spread first 130 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:43.319 through the Jewish community and then to the Gentile community, 131 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:46.040 and the Jewish community is quite shocked that there's no 132 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:48.759 requirement that they have to become Jewish first. And so 133 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:52.319 the finally here there's this big council. I think you 134 00:05:52.360 --> 00:05:54.959 said somewhere it's the first big conference. Yeah. 135 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:58.600 Yeah, it's a big church conference, I guess, But it's 136 00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:01.000 really it's more of a council. It's referred to as 137 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:04.639 the Jerusalem Council. And they come from anywhere from it's 138 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:07.600 all over Jerusalem and Antioch, and those church leaders have 139 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:11.800 come together to form this council to talk about these things. 140 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:16.439 And after the dispute, my notes say, a dispute among 141 00:06:16.439 --> 00:06:19.519 the Jewish believers got Paul Barnabas and the leaders of 142 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:23.120 Jerusalem and Antioch together to discuss the situation with the 143 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:26.519 leaders there, and after the Jerusalem Council made this decision, 144 00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:29.800 Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch with the news. 145 00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:33.560 Yeah, well, so this could have this idea of whether 146 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:36.800 or not Gentiles have to follow Jewish laws in order 147 00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:42.759 to be Christians could have had devastating consequences if they 148 00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:44.079 didn't handle this correctly. 149 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:47.480 Yeah, because we're all anybody who is a Gentile is 150 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:49.879 a non Jewish person, right, right, So gentiles refers to 151 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:52.680 everyone who's not Jewish, just in case we have listeners 152 00:06:52.680 --> 00:06:53.759 that don't understand. 153 00:06:53.399 --> 00:06:56.439 That, right. Yeah, we're explaining that for my brother's sake, 154 00:06:56.519 --> 00:06:58.639 because he doesn't understand most of what we say. I 155 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:01.120 think from now on and anytime we have to explain 156 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:02.759 somethinge to say, Mark, this is what it means. 157 00:07:02.759 --> 00:07:06.439 Okay, that way, shots fired, bang bang. 158 00:07:07.680 --> 00:07:14.399 He doesn't listen. So, but the idea here being that 159 00:07:15.160 --> 00:07:18.160 I love this passage because it kind of gives us 160 00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:21.160 a model. What do you do when there's a crisis, 161 00:07:21.279 --> 00:07:24.839 or there's a struggle, or there's a disagreement with regard 162 00:07:24.839 --> 00:07:27.040 to theology in the Church. And this is one of 163 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:31.160 the things the benefit of bringing the qualified leaders in 164 00:07:31.800 --> 00:07:33.959 multiple people to talk about it. It's not just one 165 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:37.720 dictator saying, thus saith the Lord. It's a plurality of 166 00:07:37.800 --> 00:07:41.160 leadership coming together to work through, talk it out, wrestle. 167 00:07:41.399 --> 00:07:44.360 And there are people on two different sides, multiple sides 168 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:46.959 of this argument, and they're sorting it out. And I 169 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:49.199 think that there's a lot to be said, especially in 170 00:07:49.199 --> 00:07:53.079 our current culture, about taking the time to be civil, 171 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:56.160 to be ladies and gentlemen, and to have a civil 172 00:07:56.199 --> 00:07:59.439 discourse about things that you're disagreeing about, particularly trying to 173 00:07:59.560 --> 00:08:01.519 find what is the Holy Spirit telling us to do, 174 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:03.879 rooting it in scripture. So with all that being said, 175 00:08:04.120 --> 00:08:06.240 let's read these first twenty one verses and it'll tell 176 00:08:06.279 --> 00:08:07.839 the story for us better than you and I can. 177 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:11.000 Says So. While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syrias, 178 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:13.480 some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers. 179 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:16.279 Unless you are circumcised, as required by the law of Moses, 180 00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:19.560 you cannot be saved. Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, 181 00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:23.319 arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and 182 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:26.879 Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk 183 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:29.759 to the apostles and elders about this question. The church 184 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:32.039 sent the delegates to Jerusalem, and they stopped along the 185 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:35.440 way in Phoenicians Sumeriati visit the believers, and they told them, 186 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:38.799 much to everyone's joy, that the gentiles too were being converted. 187 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:42.039 When they arrived in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were welcomed 188 00:08:42.039 --> 00:08:44.679 by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They 189 00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:47.279 reported everything God had done through them. But then some 190 00:08:47.320 --> 00:08:49.120 of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisee, 191 00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:52.399 stood up and insisted the gentile converts must be circumcised 192 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:54.919 and required to follow the law of Moses. So the 193 00:08:54.919 --> 00:08:58.320 apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue. At 194 00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:01.320 the meeting. After a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed 195 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:05.080 them as follows, brothers, you all know that God chose 196 00:09:05.159 --> 00:09:08.039 me from among you some time ago to preach to 197 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:10.279 the gentiles so that they could hear the good news 198 00:09:10.279 --> 00:09:13.759 and believe. God knows people's hearts. And he confirmed that 199 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:16.679 He accepts gentiles by giving them the Holy spirit, just 200 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:19.200 as he did to us. He made no distinction between 201 00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:21.639 us and them, for He cleansed their hearts through faith. 202 00:09:22.120 --> 00:09:24.600 So why are you now challenging God by burdening the 203 00:09:24.639 --> 00:09:28.080 Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our 204 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:31.279 ancestors were able to bear. We believe that we are 205 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:34.519 all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of 206 00:09:34.559 --> 00:09:37.679 the Lord Jesus. Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul 207 00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:40.480 told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done 208 00:09:40.519 --> 00:09:43.879 through them among the Gentiles. When they had finished, James 209 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:47.000 stood and said, brothers, listen to me. Peter has told 210 00:09:47.080 --> 00:09:50.080 you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to 211 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:53.559 take from them a people for himself. And this conversion 212 00:09:53.559 --> 00:09:56.159 of Gentiles is exactly what the prophets predicted, as it 213 00:09:56.200 --> 00:09:58.440 is written, after what I will return and restore the 214 00:09:58.440 --> 00:10:01.519 fallen house of David, will rebuild its ruins and restore it, 215 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:03.559 so that the rest of humanity might seek the Lord, 216 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:06.879 including the Gentiles, all those I have called to be mine. 217 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:10.000 The Lord has spoken, he who made these things known 218 00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:13.600 so long ago, And so my judgment is that we 219 00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:15.960 should not make it difficult for the gentiles who are 220 00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:18.600 turning to God. Instead, we should write and tell them 221 00:10:18.600 --> 00:10:21.919 to abstain from eating food offered idols, from sexual immorality, 222 00:10:22.120 --> 00:10:24.720 from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood. 223 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:27.440 For these laws of Moses have been preaching Jewish synagogues 224 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:30.919 in every city on Sabbath, every Sabbath for many generations. 225 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:32.000 An he kind of ends there. 226 00:10:32.360 --> 00:10:35.879 Yeah, so there it is. There's the beginning of the 227 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:39.440 council they've set down, And I love how it very 228 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:42.639 specifically says that a member of the sect of the 229 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:46.759 Pharisees stood up and insisted because so. 230 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:48.039 This was a Christian pharisee. 231 00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:50.519 Yes, I mean that was just about say that. I 232 00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:52.679 was about saying there's a lot going on there, because 233 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:57.039 a pharisee was a person who was an expert in 234 00:10:57.080 --> 00:10:59.320 the Old Testament. They were short of the religious leaders 235 00:10:59.320 --> 00:11:01.720 when Jesus came to walk the earth. And quite honestly, 236 00:11:02.840 --> 00:11:06.720 it's not even close the number of times that Jesus 237 00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:10.039 rebuked somebody, it was most likely a religious leader or 238 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:14.159 a pharisee. And it's not because they were necessarily bad people, 239 00:11:14.279 --> 00:11:16.519 though a lot of them were a lot of them 240 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:20.799 just were misguided and misled, and they believed with their 241 00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:21.639 whole heart they were. 242 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:27.320 Doing Righties typically would have been more evil inside. Their 243 00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:30.559 exterior would have been very clean living, yeah, right, they 244 00:11:30.559 --> 00:11:33.159 would have been. They would have appeared to be upstanding 245 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:36.399 moral citizens in the community, but they were very judgmental 246 00:11:36.480 --> 00:11:39.200 and angry and hateful inside. 247 00:11:39.240 --> 00:11:41.639 So in other words, they didn't necessarily cuss out loud. 248 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:44.120 But were they ever? Were they spit the grass dies? 249 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:50.039 Yeah, exactly, exactly. So here we are roughly twenty years 250 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:53.840 in from the resurrection, right, and at this point now 251 00:11:55.039 --> 00:12:00.799 Christianity has spread through all of Israel, gone up through 252 00:12:00.919 --> 00:12:03.279 leben At what is now modern day Lebanon, and Syria. 253 00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:05.480 It's pushed over a little bit into what would be 254 00:12:05.480 --> 00:12:09.399 modern day Iraq. It's pushed into modern day Turkey at 255 00:12:09.399 --> 00:12:12.159 this point, over into Crete, the island of Crete. It's 256 00:12:12.200 --> 00:12:15.600 really starting to spread. It spread originally through the synagogues, 257 00:12:15.639 --> 00:12:18.919 through the Jewish synagogues. The majority of the original Christians 258 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:23.039 in this first twenty years were Jewish. But then it 259 00:12:23.080 --> 00:12:26.360 was a surprise that God was making this gospel available 260 00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:30.039 to everybody. And they're saying, the Pharisees, go Ah, they 261 00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:33.240 need to be convert to Judaism first, and then they 262 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:38.000 can be Christians because Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. And 263 00:12:38.200 --> 00:12:41.360 Peter was like, wait a minute, We've already dealt with this. 264 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:43.639 We dealt with this the last time we gathered together 265 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:45.799 to talked about it. Remember back to Cornelius. We talked 266 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:48.000 about the Holy Spirit because Peter kind of got in 267 00:12:48.039 --> 00:12:53.399 trouble for baptizing Cornelius, remember, in his household, And he says, so, 268 00:12:53.440 --> 00:12:55.879 we've already dealt with this, and you guys all agreed 269 00:12:55.919 --> 00:12:58.799 that they also receive the Holy Spirit. That's the confirmation 270 00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:03.080 that the Gospel is available to the Gentiles. And then 271 00:13:03.159 --> 00:13:05.840 Paul and Barnabas talk about the miracles God did among them, 272 00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:10.720 and that seemed to be fairly sufficient. But then James 273 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:14.000 steps up and he goes, let's go one step further. 274 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:17.919 This is an actual fulfillment a scripture. And he so 275 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:22.080 he doesn't just take Paul's or Peter's testimony. He doesn't 276 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:24.879 just take Paul and Barnabas's testimony. He compares it with 277 00:13:24.919 --> 00:13:27.879 what the scriptures actually say, and the scriptures in the 278 00:13:27.919 --> 00:13:31.399 book of what book was this that he was quoting from. 279 00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:32.080 The book of Amos. 280 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:33.080 Was it Amos? 281 00:13:33.159 --> 00:13:33.480 It was? 282 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:36.799 He's quoting from Amos and it literally says, so that 283 00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:39.320 the gentiles can also bear my. 284 00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:41.519 Name Chapter nine, Verses eleven and twelve. 285 00:13:41.639 --> 00:13:45.200 Yeah, isn't that great? And so yes, testimony is important, 286 00:13:45.320 --> 00:13:48.759 personal experience is important, Holy Spirit experience is important. But 287 00:13:49.480 --> 00:13:52.399 none of those things will ever that the biblical things 288 00:13:52.399 --> 00:13:55.279 will never cross scripture. And so he was able to 289 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:57.039 confirm it through scripture that God had already promised the 290 00:13:57.080 --> 00:13:58.279 gentiles will be followers. 291 00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:00.320 Yeah, let me, let me, let me uh, sort of 292 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:03.519 applied this to today. So let's let's let's give this 293 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:06.039 pharisee who stands up and says these comments, let's give 294 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:07.879 him totally the benefit of the death. Sure, right, sure, 295 00:14:08.200 --> 00:14:10.240 trying to do the right thing, because after all, he's 296 00:14:10.279 --> 00:14:12.480 now a Christian. Right, So these aren't like the evil 297 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:15.159 pharisees that are, you know, spitting in the grass dying. 298 00:14:15.159 --> 00:14:18.200 This is a guy probably who has sort of accepted 299 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:21.399 that Jesus is the answer to the scriptures, that he 300 00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:24.159 knows right. And so I could totally see where a 301 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:26.679 pharisee would say, well, oh no, I'm not going to 302 00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:28.879 bend on the on this rule right, you know, the 303 00:14:28.919 --> 00:14:31.519 whole circumcision, because that's always been a requirement. And I've 304 00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:33.480 given my whole life to this, you know, and so 305 00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:35.919 therefore it's still our God, it's still our religion, right, 306 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:38.159 you know. Any An, he's sort of like not bending 307 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:41.559 on something and instead of like trying to compare it 308 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:44.519 to you know, the the evidence of God, the Word 309 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:48.200 of God, the visions that Peter had, every everything else 310 00:14:48.200 --> 00:14:51.159 that God has declared as clean. Instead of doing all 311 00:14:51.159 --> 00:14:55.559 of that, this guy sort of hangs on to something 312 00:14:55.799 --> 00:14:58.360 that he's not willing to let go. And so you know, 313 00:14:58.399 --> 00:15:02.200 what it reminds me of is do you ever get 314 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:04.759 somebody who's mad at something in the church, Like somebody 315 00:15:04.799 --> 00:15:07.879 just gets mad every day? Yes, And what they do 316 00:15:07.960 --> 00:15:10.960 is so think about this. Okay, So you know, we 317 00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:12.919 we work really hard to put on services, you know, 318 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:14.879 and by the way, not just us. Church is all 319 00:15:14.919 --> 00:15:18.399 over right, and and somebody will get upset about something, 320 00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:21.480 and I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I'm not. 321 00:15:21.639 --> 00:15:23.879 I'm not mad at people for getting mad at things, 322 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:26.960 you know, for questioning things. We should always be willing 323 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:27.879 to be questioned always. 324 00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:30.840 The Brians, the Book of Act celebrated the fact that 325 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:33.840 the Brians went home and checked out what Peter was. 326 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:36.960 So check it out. 327 00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:39.200 Let me go on record and say anybody, anytime somebody 328 00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:42.399 comes to me and says, hey, I can't believe you 329 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:45.159 don't do communion every week, and I'm upset about it 330 00:15:45.200 --> 00:15:49.080 because because because you know, I'm just really upset, and 331 00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:51.840 I'll say, well, let's look at that together, right, Because 332 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:54.440 the Bible actually doesn't give a requirement on how often, 333 00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:58.440 although the tradition of some religions and faiths say that 334 00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:00.840 they do it every week, some do it once a month, 335 00:16:00.919 --> 00:16:03.120 some do it like once a year, right, but it 336 00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:06.440 doesn't matter how often you do it. As often as 337 00:16:06.440 --> 00:16:08.559 you do it, do it rememberance of me. So but 338 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:10.519 it could be worse than that. I could be like 339 00:16:10.559 --> 00:16:12.480 I was offended by this lyric of a song or 340 00:16:12.519 --> 00:16:16.080 whatever it is. But whatever it is, I love the 341 00:16:16.159 --> 00:16:20.080 fact that clearly we know reading this story that this 342 00:16:20.120 --> 00:16:23.639 Pharisee is in the wrong right. And yet instead of 343 00:16:24.279 --> 00:16:26.399 shaming or anything like that, what they did was they 344 00:16:26.440 --> 00:16:29.879 gathered together and said, okay, let's talk about this, and 345 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:33.879 that's really measured against scripture, and eventually what we're about 346 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:36.840 to see, is this Pharisee's going to concede not because 347 00:16:37.639 --> 00:16:40.039 he's a bad or a good person, but probably because 348 00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:43.279 he sort of is willing to change his mind and say, 349 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:46.879 you know what, I think I should be open and 350 00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:49.120 not so strong willed. It's like, why are you hanging 351 00:16:49.159 --> 00:16:51.879 on to this position? And so he eventually let's go 352 00:16:51.960 --> 00:16:55.159 of this position, and he's open to the fact that 353 00:16:55.240 --> 00:16:57.240 this is what God says about it, this is how 354 00:16:57.240 --> 00:17:00.360 God feels about it anyway. All that to say, I 355 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:03.480 just think that's completely relevant because I'm assuming most of 356 00:17:03.519 --> 00:17:07.279 our people who are listening are church people in some way, 357 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:11.200 probably probably the vast majority, right, and so they relate 358 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:13.319 to what I'm saying. They relate to the fact that, 359 00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:15.200 like we all have disagreements. 360 00:17:15.240 --> 00:17:17.359 Yeah. So if you look at it, there's three things 361 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:22.480 happening here. There's Peter testifying about the Holy Spirit. The 362 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:26.119 Holy Spirit confirmed this. Yes, Paul and Barnabas are testifying 363 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:30.480 about changed lives. The evidence is their lives are changed. 364 00:17:30.519 --> 00:17:32.839 Yeah. Yeah, the Jewish converts r happening. 365 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:34.599 And then James steps up and goes and by the 366 00:17:34.599 --> 00:17:37.720 way Scripture says it, So these three things together, those 367 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:40.599 three things confirm it. You know, when I was growing up, 368 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:43.720 the version of Christianity that I was in had a 369 00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:46.319 lot of extra rules, and you know, people get kicked 370 00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:49.079 out of the church for disobeying specific rules that weren't 371 00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:53.519 biblical necessarily but were social. For instance, like drums and 372 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:55.599 music and Christian music. You were allowed to have drums and. 373 00:17:55.720 --> 00:18:00.359 Christian music, right, and because it was about was full 374 00:18:00.359 --> 00:18:00.839 of drums. 375 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:03.400 That's right, that's right, it's it's it's evil, right, it's 376 00:18:03.400 --> 00:18:06.400 wicked or whatever. And but I would sit in class 377 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:08.559 even even the Bible, one of the Bible colleges I 378 00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:12.079 went to, had very strict rules against drums, and but 379 00:18:12.119 --> 00:18:14.319 I would sit and I would ask, well, doesn't the 380 00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:18.480 Bible talk about tambourines and rhythm instruments all the time? 381 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:20.920 By the way, that's that's the nature of footloose, it 382 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:22.000 says David Danced. 383 00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:23.240 Remember that, Yeah, yeah, remember that? 384 00:18:23.319 --> 00:18:24.480 Yeah yeah. 385 00:18:24.519 --> 00:18:27.079 So they had all these reasons why but then it 386 00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:29.680 turned into well it's a voodoo thing, right, that there's 387 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:32.720 But I'll tell you I've sat in the churches in 388 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:37.000 Tanzania and in Kenya and in Rwanda and the Uganda, 389 00:18:37.079 --> 00:18:42.880 and and there there are no other instruments people support. 390 00:18:42.880 --> 00:18:43.119 They're not. 391 00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:44.799 They're not. They're not sitting there their trumpets and their 392 00:18:44.839 --> 00:18:47.519 pipe organs. There's no pipe organ in the little hut 393 00:18:47.720 --> 00:18:51.079 made out of dung with with you know, a thatched roof. 394 00:18:51.079 --> 00:18:52.960 There's no pipe organ there to be able to play 395 00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:56.720 your Western European classical music for Sunday morning. Right, we're 396 00:18:56.759 --> 00:19:00.000 gonna sing praise God from whom all blessings flow. Right, 397 00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:02.039 There's no Martin Luther songs to be able to be 398 00:19:02.079 --> 00:19:04.880 sung there. So instead people are just thumping on the 399 00:19:05.960 --> 00:19:07.480 their seats and stuff. But I can tell you this, 400 00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:12.000 the worship i've seen there is more passionate than some 401 00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:13.720