God’s co:mission requires that we never compromise the message of the gospel...

This week we are looking at a story in which a man named Paul becomes involved in a disagreement about the message of the gospel that was so significant that it almost destroyed this new community called the church. Yesterday, we discovered that as far as Peter and the other closest followers of Jesus were concerned, God clearly made no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Both Jew and Gentile were to be rescued from selfishness and rebellion the same way. And that way was by placing one’s confident trust in God’s transformational intervention and activity through Jesus life, death, and resurrection.

However, there was still another person’s opinion yet to be heard on this issue; an opinion that carried great weight. Luke introduces us to this person and his opinion beginning in verse 13:

After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Brethren, listen to me. "Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. "With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 'AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,' SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO. "Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. "For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath."

After listening to Paul and Barnabas, the Jewish followers of Jesus, and Peter, Luke tells us that a man named James spoke. James was the half brother of Jesus who was the Senior Pastor at the church in Jerusalem. James was the man who wrote the letter of James that is recorded for us in the New Testament of our Bibles today. James was one of the most respected leaders in the church, so when James spoke, people listened.

After gathering their attention, James explains that the story that Peter shared was not to be viewed as being abnormal and as going against God. Instead, James explains that Peter’s experience and story makes perfect sense in light of God’s plan that is recorded for us in the Bible. And to reinforce this reality, James quotes from a section of a letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the book of Amos.

In Amos 9:11-12, the prophet Amos predicted and proclaimed that God, at the end of his story here on earth would restore the Jewish people to a position of prominence in the world. And at that point, both Jews and Gentiles would be able to experience the relationship with God that they were created for. James point is that God’s plan all along was rescue Jews and Gentiles, and that rescue was not based on circumcision and what one did for God. Instead that rescue was based on whom God called and rescued through Jesus. James is revealing the reality that the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel was a universal message and that God’s kingdom mission was a universal mission.

God was not abandoning His divine plan by bringing Gentiles to Himself; instead, He was fulfilling His plan. And because of the reality, James recommended that Jewish followers of Jesus not trouble Gentiles followers of Jesus by failing to accurately communicate the message of the gospel. Instead, James suggests that a letter be written to the members of the church at Antioch to explain what had happened and to provide clear instructions when it came to what was required when it came to following Jesus and His message and teachings. James states that Gentile followers of Jesus should abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.

Now two questions arise at this point. The first question is “what is he talking about here?” By things contaminated by idols, James is referring to sacrificial meat that was offered as an act of worship in the temples of the false gods of the gentiles. Part of this meat would be burned on the altar as the deity’s portion, part was eaten at a solemn meal at the temple, and part was sold in the local meat market for home use. Fornication refers to any unlawful sexual intercourse, which is any sexual activity outside of a covenant marriage relationship; whether it is sex before marriage, sex in addition to marriage, which we call adultery, homosexual sexual activity and any other sexual activity that occurs outside of marriage. By what is strangled by blood, James is referring to animals that were killed and eaten without having the blood drained from them. All of these behaviors were in direct violation of the Law.

Now a second question that arises here is why did James pick out these three specific issues to address among Gentiles who had become followers of Jesus? Of all the commands recorded in the Law, why would James focus on these three? I believe that James focused on these three issues for two specific reasons. First, these three issues all revolved around a singular issue, and that issue is idolatry, which is worshipping something other than god as God. Second, these three issues were all an integral part of idolatrous worship that had been previously practiced by these Gentiles who had now become followers of Jesus.

You see, whether in to Old Testament or in the New Testament, we discover that the God of the Bible was to be worshipped in a manner that was distinctively different than any other religious system. And, as a result, followers of God were to live their lives in a way that was distinctively different. James made these recommendations to unpack the reality that the core message of the gospel results in a lifestyle of worship that is radically different when it comes to how we view our relationship with God and our relationships with others.

For those who were concerned that the Gentiles would not learn about the history of the Jewish people and the Law, James explains that they could go to the synagogues and listen to the Law. After hearing James recommendation, a spirit of unity and agreement entered into their conversations. God’s transformational intervention and activity, backed by the truth of His word, brought all involved in this controversial dispute into agreement. Luke tells us that James, along with the leaders of the church in Jerusalem and the Apostles, then shared their recommendation to the entire church for their affirmation. Luke then records what happened next:

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas-- Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, and they sent this letter by them, "The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings. "Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. "Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell."

And it is in this story that we see revealed for us another timeless principle that is necessary to embrace if we are to fully engage in the co:mission that we have been given by partnering with God in order to advance His mission as we live our day to day lives in a way that reveals and reflects Christ. And that timeless principle is that God’s co:mission requires that we never compromise the message of the gospel.

There are within Christianity some aspects of the faith which are open-handed and debatable. There are some aspects of Christianity that are debatable issues that are not clearly expressed in the message and the teachings of the Bible. Other aspects of Christianity, however, are close-handed issues and are not open for debate. There are some aspects of Christianity that are clearly expressed in the message and the teachings of the Bible, thus there is no need for debate.

Where we get into trouble as followers of Jesus is when we attempt to take closed handed issue and make them open handed, while at the same time taking open handed issues and making them closed handed. And the timeless reality is that the message of the gospel is a closed handed issue, it is not open for debate. When we compromise the message of the gospel, by either removing the more offensive parts of the message in order to make it easier to hear, or by adding to it in a way that results in a faith plus works message, we not only compromise the message of the gospel, we also compromise the co:mission we have been given.

We compromise the co:mission we have been given by either providing a false sense of security that comes from embracing less than the truth, or by providing a false barrier that results in a failure to embrace more than the truth. However, when we clearly communicate the message of the gospel, the result is that God’s kingdom mission is advanced and God’s reputation is enhanced. We see this reality reveal itself as Luke concludes this story:

So when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message. After they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brethren in peace to those who had sent them out. But it seemed good to Silas to remain there. But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching with many others also, the word of the Lord.

As a result of the godly leadership of James, the elders of the church at Jerusalem, and the Apostles, a controversy and debate that could have destroyed this new community called the church was avoided. And it was God’s transformational intervention and activity in the lives of these early followers of Jesus that resulted in us having clarity when it comes to the message of the gospel. Because, as we have seen, God’s co:mission requires that we never compromise the message of the gospel.

The message that God responded to the selfishness and rebellion of all humanity by sending His Son Jesus, who entered into humanity and allowed Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life. The message that it is not what we do for God that makes us right with God, but it is in placing our confident trust in what God has done for us through Jesus. The message that we can receive forgiveness of our selfishness and sin and experience the relationship with God that we were created for by placing our confident trust in what God has done for us through Jesus by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.