And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.
The transition from a Jewish focus to a Gentile one was slow, deliberate, and, I think, calculated by the Holy Ghost. In Chapter 15, the dissension caused by the Judaizers was addressed. We know that the counsel in Acts 15 did not stop the Judaizers, but it did separate them. I note that they are called “certain men who taught the brethren.” They were not called brethren. In Chapter 16, Paul takes with him Timothy, a young man who is half Jew and half Gentile. Everyone knew his father was a Greek, so Timothy could be a testimony to them. But Paul had him circumcised so Timothy would not be a hindrance to witnessing to the Jews. The Bible says, “And so were the churches established in the faith.”
I think I see three things that helped to establish the churches:
The sensible ministry of Paul.
I don’t think Paul was a compromiser. He was more than willing to take stands, but he also knew when to take those stands.
His visits to the churches.
There is encouragement through personal connection.
The decrees and ordinances of the apostles.
This takes us back to Chapter 15. Sound doctrine, accepted by those in the faith, solidifies churches. We cannot ignore and abide with those who teach otherwise.
#EstablishingChurches #TransitionToGentileFocus #PaulineMinistry #SoundDoctrine #ChurchSolidarity
Establishing Faith: Paul's Strategic Ministry
To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.
For this and, more than 6300 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.
If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.
For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.
My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org
Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/
Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more
Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give.
No comments:
Post a Comment