Monthly Archives: November 2008

Palmer St. Podcast: Acts 15 Part 2

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Last week we looked at the decision of the Jerusalem council, which determined that the non-Jews who were now coming into the church didn’t have to become Jews in order to become Christians.  This was a very important decision and essentially ruled out all forms of legalism or works-based  merit before God.  We examined legalism and the difference between that and a biblical faith which leads to good works.

This week we will look at idolatry – one of the things the council wanted to emphasize to the Gentiles as prohibited.  They rightly assumed that non-Jews would need to learn that the God of the Bible is not to be worshiped with idols.

Audio: Acts15b.mp3

Notes: Acts15b.pdf

Palmer St. Podcast: Acts 15 Part 1

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In this chapter a conflict arises in the church.  Certain Jewish believers wanted to impose specifically Jewish rules and practices, including circumcision, on the newly converted Gentiles.  The conflict leads to a big meeting in Jerusalem among the recognized leaders in the church.  They conclude that clearly the Gentiles need not “become Jews” in order to be Christians.  Rather they come up with a short list of things that the Gentiles need to be aware of.  In conclusion, we’ll look at the whole issue of legalism in the church.   Here are the notes and audio:

Acts15a.mp3

Acts15a.pdf

Next week in Part 2, we’ll finish the chapter examining both idolatry and sexual immorality.  These are two points the early church leaders realized needed to be specifically addressed in the non-Jewish world of that time.  They are areas we need to address just as much today.