Acts 15 tells about a council meeting in Jerusalem where the church resolved a disagreement about circumcision. Some Jewish believers thought Gentiles needed to have the same experience as Jews. Since Jews were circumcised, they believed Gentiles should also be circumcised to become part of God’s family.
The meeting ended with the agreement that Gentiles did not need to be circumcised. They had received the Holy Spirit just as the Jews had, so they were part of God’s family without circumcision.
During Paul’s second missionary journey, he met Timothy, a young man whose mother was Jewish and whose father was a Gentile. In spite of the Jerusalem Council’s decision, Paul thought it best to have Timothy circumcised.
Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
— Acts 16:3
Scholars offer many views on why Paul had Timothy circumcised after the Jerusalem Council’s decision. They agree on one point: Paul wanted the focus to remain on the gospel, not on one side of a dispute within the church.
Some Things Are Not Worth Fighting Over
Circumcision was a major issue in the early church. It became serious enough that a meeting was held in Jerusalem to address it.
Still, as important as this issue was, it did not compare to spreading the gospel. The greatest priority was sharing God’s love through Jesus Christ with others.
I like to joke that I am the only non-attorney in four generations of my family. I am also the only family member who is not a politician. Politics has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
This election cycle is not the first time religion has been used to win votes for a political party. I remember my father preaching in churches in the 1970s while running for the Missouri State Senate. One time, a man joked with him, “Senator, I guess you’re up for election again since you’re coming to church today.”
During this season of political activity and religion in politics, Christians should remember Paul’s example with Timothy. The gospel matters more than anything else. Side issues may be important, but they should never come before the gospel.
Let’s seek wisdom from the Holy Spirit so that, in every conversation during this political season, the gospel remains our highest priority.
Led by the Spirit
As Paul and Timothy continued their missionary journey, the Holy Spirit gave them clear direction. At one point, the Spirit told them not to go to a certain place. At another time, the Spirit gave Paul a vision and showed them where to go instead.
They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. . . . During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
— Acts 16:6, 9
Paul and Timothy showed us what it looks like to walk by the Spirit.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
— Galatians 5:16
How can we make sure that we, too, walk by the Spirit? Here are some suggestions.
First, we need to recognize that the Spirit is alive and present with us. Like these missionaries, we let Him guide us in everything we do.
This is different from giving in to the desires of the flesh. The flesh is “human life lived apart from God.” When we make our own plans and then ask God to bless them, we are living in the flesh.
When we live by the Spirit, we seek His guidance. We accept His wisdom, depend on His power, and trust that He is leading us where God wants us to go.
Paul and Timothy are examples for us. When they received God’s direction through the Spirit, they obeyed Him. If we want to walk in the Spirit, we must listen to Him each day, looking for what He wants us to do and then doing it.
The key is to stay in step with the Holy Spirit day by day by remaining close to Him. If this feels difficult, remember Frank Laubach’s words: “This is the hardest thing I do, but it makes everything else in my life easier.”
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby and I discussed Acts 16:1–10 on YouTube today.
