WEBVTT

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 We took a brief break from our series in the book of Acts so we can go through the book of Matthew,

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 the first two chapters of the Gospel of Matthew during Advent and Christmas.

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 So we're resuming our series in the Acts today, so please turn with me to Acts chapter 21, verses 17 to 26.

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 And as you're turning there, just to refresh your memory of where we left off,

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 in the preceding section in the book of Acts, we saw Paul's missionary work in the city of Ephesus.

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 In chapter 20, verse 16, we learned that Paul was hastening to be at Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost.

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 And despite the fact that some believers in Ephesus prophesied that Paul would be imprisoned in Jerusalem,

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 and for that reason they tried to dissuade him from going there,

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 Paul nevertheless resolved to go to Jerusalem and said in chapter 21, verse 13,

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 I am ready not only to be imprisoned, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

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 And so in our passage this morning, Paul finally arrives in Jerusalem.

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 So we're in Acts 21, verses 17 to 26.

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 Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.

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 God, as we always find, we find that your word is true,

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 and that it brings us comfort as well as conviction.

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 We pray this morning that we'd be comforted by the gracious condescension of your son, Jesus,

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 in coming down in human flesh to save us, dying on the cross for us.

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 Comfort us with that grace.

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 We pray also that you would convict us by his example.

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 That we might live more sacrificially and lovingly in our relations to one another.

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 For the sake of the gospel.

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 For the glory of your name.

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 In Jesus' name we pray.

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 Amen.

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 Amen.

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 Acts 21, 17 to 26.

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 When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly.

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 On the following day, Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.

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 After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

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 And when they heard it, they glorified God.

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 And they said to him,

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 You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed.

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 They are all zealous for the law.

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 And they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses.

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 Telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs.

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 What then is to be done?

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 They will certainly hear that you have come.

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 Do therefore what we tell you.

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 We have four men who are under a vow.

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 Take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses.

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 So that they may shave their heads.

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 Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you.

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 But that you yourself also live in observance of the law.

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 But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent the letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what has been strangled and from sexual immorality.

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 Then Paul took the men.

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 And the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple.

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 Giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.

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 This is God's holy and authoritative word.

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 As the gospel advances and as the church grows and incorporates believers from various cultures and backgrounds, inevitably new tensions arise.

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 And even suspicions arise.

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 We are a church made up of people from different races and cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds and status.

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 Some of us are from the west.

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 Some of us are from the midwest.

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 Some of us are from the south.

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 Some of us are from the northeast.

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 Some of us are from different countries.

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 Some of us went to conservative Christian colleges.

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 While others of us went to liberal secular universities.

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 And still others of us didn't go to college at all.

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 We have people who voted for Biden.

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 As well as people who voted for Trump.

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 In our church.

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 We have people who support stricter COVID policies.

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 As well as people who support more laissez-faire COVID approaches.

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 These differences inevitably create tensions.

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 And sometimes suspicion.

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 And the early church was not immune to these struggles.

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 And we see an example of one very divisive and volatile issue in the early church in our passage.

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 And this passage teaches us that we must preserve the unity of the church for the advance of the gospel.

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 So we're going to first talk about the advance of the gospel in verses 17 to 20.

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 And about the unity of the church in verses 20 to 26.

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 So let's look at the advance of the gospel in verses 17 to 20.

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 After receiving a warm reception from the church in Jerusalem.

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 From the apostles and the elders there.

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 Note the word of the gospel in verse 19.

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 It says that Paul related to them one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

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 Note the wording of verse 19 carefully.

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 It says Paul related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

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 God was the actor.

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 Paul was the instrument.

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 Luke drives this point home.

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 If you've been with us through the series in the book of Acts.

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 Luke drives this point home again and again and again.

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 And we need to hear it again and again and again.

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 Because self-absorbed and prideful human beings are prone to make the mistake of making ourselves the center of the story.

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 At the end of 2021, let us remember that as a church, that all the good things that have happened.

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 People getting baptized, converted.

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 Many new members joining and old members maturing.

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 And having a wonderful church-wide retreat.

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 And new community groups being started and community group leaders being added.

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 The preaching cohort we had over the summer.

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 The appointment of deacons.

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 Yes, we had a role in all of these things.

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 But only as instruments.

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 God did all those things.

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 Paul has accomplished much by this point of his ministry, his missionary life.

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 And he may have felt the temptation to elevate himself in front of this esteemed audience.

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 After all, this is the Jerusalem church.

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 The first ever local church.

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 The very place where Jesus died and was raised from the dead.

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 The very place where the Spirit of God first fell upon his people at Pentecost.

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 The place the church led by the 12 apostles themselves.

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 In fact, earlier in Acts chapter 9 verse 26, when Paul, after his conversion, tried to join up with the brothers in the Jerusalem church, they doubted that his conversion was authentic.

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 And they were reluctant to meet with him.

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 It was only when Barnabas took him and introduced him that they finally met Paul and was willing to have fellowship with him.

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 So this would have been totally understandable for Paul to have a bit of a chip on his shoulders.

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 And this would have been the perfect opportunity for him to, you know, preen his feathers and congratulate himself a little bit.

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 Hey, look at all that I've accomplished over these years.

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 Aren't you glad that you received me into fellowship?

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 I'm an apostle just as bit as much as you.

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 Look at all my followers.

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 Look at all these people reading my books.

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 Or letters, I suppose.

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 But that's not what Paul does.

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 He says instead he carefully, one by one, recounts all that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

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 Listen up, brothers.

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 You won't believe all that God has done since last time I saw you guys.

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 In Philippi, God saved a wealthy woman named Lydia.

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 And God's not using her home as a home base for the local church that is thriving in Philippi.

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 Well, there was that little detour in the prison cell for a night.

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 Silas and I spent the night there.

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 But guess what?

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 Even that, God was doing that.

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 To save the Philippian jailer.

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 Who would have guessed?

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 As we were singing and praying in that prison cell, God brought a huge earthquake and shook open the prison cells.

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 And loosened all of our chains.

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 And the Philippian jailer who saw that came to faith in the Lord Jesus along with his entire household.

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 And then in Ephesus, because the Lord Jesus was driving out so many demons during my ministry, some Jewish exorcists thought that they would try their hand in doing the same thing.

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 And they tried to drive out demons, quote, by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.

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 Isn't that funny?

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 But of course, their attempt to manipulate God didn't work.

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 And they were beaten senseless by the demon-possessed man.

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 And all the residents of Ephesus heard about this incident.

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 And many of them confessed their occult practices and came to faith in Jesus.

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 In fact, so many of them did this that the total value of all the magical books that they burned came to about $6 million.

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 Can you believe it?

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 Let me tell you about all the people that God has healed.

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 Let me tell you about all the people that God has saved.

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 Let me tell you about all the wonderful things that God has done.

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 God, God, God.

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 Christian ministry is all about God.

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 It's not about us.

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 That's why in verse 20, after the elders of the Jerusalem church hear Paul's report,

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 it says that they glorified God.

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 They don't praise Paul for all that he has done.

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 No, they glorified God.

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 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory.

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 God had done amazing things through Paul's ministry.

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 The gospel of Jesus Christ was going forward in power among the Gentiles throughout the Roman Empire.

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 But when the gospel crosses into new territory, the church becomes more diverse.

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 And as the church becomes more diverse, new tensions and suspicions arise.

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 And that's exactly why we see in verses 20, 26, the need for the unity of the church.

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 The elders of the Jerusalem church put it this way to Paul in verse 20.

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 You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed.

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 They are all zealous for the law.

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 So this is what they're saying to him.

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 Brother Paul, we're delighted that so many Gentiles are coming to faith in Jesus through your ministry,

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 and we give glory to God for it.

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 But there are also thousands of Jews that are being saved here in Jerusalem and Judea.

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 And they are all zealous for the law.

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 And here lies the problem.

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 They continue in verse 21.

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 They have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses,

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 telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs.

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 It had been six years or so since Paul had last been with the Jerusalem church.

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 And in the intervening period, Paul had ministered in primarily Gentile cities.

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 And though he was opposed by the Jews in many of those places,

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 he found the Gentiles to be quite receptive to his proclamation of the gospel.

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 And since, according to the Jerusalem Council's decree in Acts 15,

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 the Gentiles were not required to become Jewish in order to become Christians,

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 but they were only required, as verse 25 says,

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 to abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood

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 and from what has been strangled and from sexual immorality,

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 Paul had not been teaching the Gentile converts to get circumcised.

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 He hadn't been teaching them to follow Jewish customs.

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 That's what they had agreed to do.

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 But then rumors began to circulate among the Jewish Christians

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 that Paul even teaches the Jewish believers who live among the Gentiles

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 to abandon the Jewish customs, the law of Moses,

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 telling them not to circumcise their children.

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 But this was a baseless rumor,

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 and we know this because of what the apostles and the elders say in verse 24.

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 They say this to Paul,

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 Thus, all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you,

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 but that you yourself also live in observance of the law.

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 Right?

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 So the elders of the Jerusalem church are not correcting Paul

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 or telling him to live differently.

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 Rather, they think that Paul already lives in observance

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 of the Jewish customs and the Mosaic law.

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 They just need to figure out a way to demonstrate this

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 to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem.

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 They believe that these are baseless rumors.

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 There's nothing to them.

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 So though Paul did teach clearly,

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 in agreement with the decree of the Jerusalem Council,

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 that circumcision is not necessary for salvation,

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 Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 7, 19,

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 that for neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision,

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 but keeping the commandments of God.

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 So Paul did teach this very clearly.

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 You don't need to be circumcised.

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 You don't need to become a Jew if you're a Gentile

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 in order to be a Christian.

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 However, there is no evidence in Scripture

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 that Paul tried actively to steer Jewish Christians

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 away from their Jewish customs.

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 Paul articulates his reasons for that in 1 Corinthians 9, 19-23.

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 I have that, I think, to project.

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 He says,

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 For though I am free from all,

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 I have made myself a servant to all,

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 that I might win more of them.

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 To the Jews, I became as a Jew in order to win Jews.

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 To those under the law, I became as one under the law,

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 though not being myself under the law,

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 that I might win those under the law.

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 To those outside the law, I became as one outside the law,

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 not being outside the law of God,

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 but under the law of Christ,

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 that I might win those outside the law.

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 To the weak, I became weak,

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 that I might win the weak.

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 I become all things to all people,

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 that by all means I might save some.

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 I do it all for the sake of the gospel,

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 that I may share it with them in its blessing.

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 When he was with Jews,

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 Paul became as a Jew in order to win Jews.

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 Even though he knew that he was no longer under the law of Moses,

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 he lived as one under the law when among the Jews,

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 in order not to raise unnecessary obstacles to their faith in Jesus.

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 We saw Paul's principle in action earlier in Acts chapter 16.

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 I don't know if you remember when Paul took Timothy to be circumcised,

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 in order, at least in part, to appease the Jews.

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 Timothy had a Jewish mother.

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 The problem, however, was that he had a Gentile father,

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 a Greek father, which rendered his ethnic and religious status ambiguous.

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 And so some Jews were deeply offended that Timothy,

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 who had at least some Jewish upbringing, was not circumcised.

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 It's not hard to imagine why they were offended,

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 what the controversy was.

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 Like, Timothy was taken to the synagogues from an early age

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 by his mother, Jewish mother Eunice.

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 He studied the Torah like a Jew.

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 He lived like a Jew, dressed like a Jew.

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 But he was not circumcised, which was anathema to Jews.

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 And so Paul took decisive action and circumcised Timothy

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 before taking him along with him on his missionary journey

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 so that Timothy wouldn't cause offense every synagogue that they visit.

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 Paul was not conceding when he did that,

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 that Timothy needed to be circumcised in order to be saved.

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 But that Timothy needed to be circumcised in order to be accepted by the Jews.

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 It was a cultural rationale rather than a salvation one.

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 He became like a Jew when among the Jews,

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 in order to win Jews to Christ.

00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:02.240
 Even though Paul consistently and vehemently objected

00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:04.779
 to Gentile believers being circumcised,

00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:10.740
 he never objected to Jewish people being circumcised.

00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:18.140
 But to Gentiles, Paul became as a Gentile in order to win Gentiles.

00:18:18.420 --> 00:18:20.799
 So in Galatians chapter 2, verses 1 to 5,

00:18:21.240 --> 00:18:23.940
 Paul recounts that when he traveled to Jerusalem with Titus,

00:18:24.299 --> 00:18:26.599
 he did not circumcise Titus.

00:18:27.579 --> 00:18:30.359
 Why the different response?

00:18:31.880 --> 00:18:33.299
 Because Titus was Greek.

00:18:33.980 --> 00:18:36.099
 He was totally Greek.

00:18:36.099 --> 00:18:41.259
 So when Judaizers took issue with this

00:18:41.259 --> 00:18:42.859
 and insisted on his circumcision,

00:18:42.959 --> 00:18:45.459
 saying that Titus must be circumcised in order to be saved,

00:18:45.899 --> 00:18:46.519
 Paul said,

00:18:46.699 --> 00:18:47.579
 we did not yield,

00:18:47.699 --> 00:18:48.379
 this is his quote,

00:18:48.659 --> 00:18:51.339
 we did not yield in submission even for a moment

00:18:51.339 --> 00:18:54.559
 so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

00:18:54.559 --> 00:18:57.579
 Because if he conceded in that moment,

00:18:57.659 --> 00:19:01.220
 it would mean that faith in Jesus Christ would not be enough.

00:19:02.119 --> 00:19:04.859
 It would mean that you would also need to be circumcised to be saved

00:19:04.859 --> 00:19:06.559
 because he was a Gentile.

00:19:06.659 --> 00:19:07.720
 Titus was a Gentile.

00:19:11.899 --> 00:19:13.440
 That would have undermined the gospel,

00:19:13.639 --> 00:19:15.220
 and Paul resisted it for that reason.

00:19:15.980 --> 00:19:18.319
 The elders of the Jerusalem church understand this,

00:19:18.339 --> 00:19:20.339
 and he's actually on the same page with Paul.

00:19:20.339 --> 00:19:22.839
 So that's why they suggest the course of action

00:19:22.839 --> 00:19:25.179
 to dispel these baseless rumors.

00:19:25.500 --> 00:19:28.299
 They say to Paul in verses 22 to 24,

00:19:29.099 --> 00:19:30.539
 what then is to be done?

00:19:30.980 --> 00:19:32.699
 They will certainly hear that you have come,

00:19:33.019 --> 00:19:35.119
 so do therefore what we tell you.

00:19:35.240 --> 00:19:36.619
 We have four men who are under a vow.

00:19:36.759 --> 00:19:38.779
 Take these men and purify yourself along with them

00:19:38.779 --> 00:19:41.639
 and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads.

00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:43.899
 Thus all will know that there is nothing

00:19:43.899 --> 00:19:45.519
 in what they have been told about you,

00:19:45.659 --> 00:19:48.119
 but that you yourself also live in observance of the law.

00:19:48.119 --> 00:19:52.559
 The detail about shaving their heads suggests a Nazarite vow.

00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:55.839
 When Jews entered into a Nazarite vow,

00:19:55.939 --> 00:19:58.579
 as stipulated in Numbers chapter 6, verses 1 to 21,

00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:01.859
 they asked God to intervene in a certain matter,

00:20:02.039 --> 00:20:03.939
 and in order to beseech God,

00:20:04.019 --> 00:20:05.699
 they consecrated themselves to God

00:20:05.699 --> 00:20:07.639
 by abstaining from alcohol

00:20:07.639 --> 00:20:11.179
 and keeping a distance from things that would make them unclean,

00:20:11.259 --> 00:20:12.939
 including dead bodies,

00:20:13.659 --> 00:20:15.159
 and by not cutting their hair.

00:20:15.159 --> 00:20:17.419
 Those were the stipulations of a Nazarite vow.

00:20:17.420 --> 00:20:20.940
 And then at the completion of their Nazarite vow,

00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:22.060
 they would shave their heads

00:20:22.060 --> 00:20:24.060
 and make animal sacrifices in worship.

00:20:25.120 --> 00:20:28.180
 But the usual length of a Nazarite vow in those days

00:20:28.180 --> 00:20:29.220
 was 30 days.

00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:32.680
 Since verse 27 specifies

00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:35.060
 that the process would have taken seven days,

00:20:35.700 --> 00:20:38.519
 and it seems that these men needed to be purified,

00:20:38.640 --> 00:20:40.840
 which a Nazarite vow did not require,

00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:45.240
 the most plausible explanation is that these four men

00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:49.599
 had contracted ritual uncleanness during their Nazarite vow.

00:20:51.139 --> 00:20:54.799
 According to various verses in Leviticus and Numbers,

00:20:55.179 --> 00:20:59.179
 when a Jew comes into proximity of something that reeks of death,

00:20:59.679 --> 00:21:02.179
 such as a corpse or blood,

00:21:02.699 --> 00:21:05.199
 they were deemed unclean for seven days.

00:21:05.200 --> 00:21:08.500
 In fact, Numbers 6, 9 to 12,

00:21:08.660 --> 00:21:11.900
 specifically says that a man under a Nazarite vow,

00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:14.819
 if he comes into contact with the dead body,

00:21:15.420 --> 00:21:18.480
 would need to purify himself for seven days

00:21:18.480 --> 00:21:21.900
 and then shave his head on the seventh day

00:21:21.900 --> 00:21:25.660
 and on the eighth day offer sacrifices to make atonement.

00:21:26.860 --> 00:21:30.039
 So this appears to be exactly what is going on here.

00:21:30.519 --> 00:21:33.720
 These men had contracted some kind of ritual uncleanness

00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:34.940
 during their Nazarite vow,

00:21:35.259 --> 00:21:37.680
 so they needed to go to the purification ritual

00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:41.059
 and shave their heads and bring an offering at the end of it.

00:21:42.420 --> 00:21:44.500
 And so the Jerusalem elders want Paul

00:21:44.500 --> 00:21:47.200
 to take these four men under his wings,

00:21:47.480 --> 00:21:49.279
 like a teacher guiding his pupils,

00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:52.460
 and purify himself along with them

00:21:52.460 --> 00:21:53.799
 and pay their expenses.

00:21:54.339 --> 00:21:56.380
 That's showing and demonstrating to everybody

00:21:56.380 --> 00:22:00.240
 that he is not in defiance of the Mosaic law,

00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:04.700
 that he is not counseling Jews to abandon their customs.

00:22:06.980 --> 00:22:08.759
 We know that this is something that Paul

00:22:08.759 --> 00:22:10.539
 would have had no qualms about doing

00:22:10.539 --> 00:22:13.339
 because earlier in Acts 18, verse 18,

00:22:13.460 --> 00:22:15.819
 we glossed over the detail at the time,

00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:17.839
 but he said that at Centraea,

00:22:18.380 --> 00:22:20.180
 Paul had cut his hair,

00:22:21.079 --> 00:22:22.640
 for he was under a vow.

00:22:22.839 --> 00:22:24.359
 That's what it says in Acts 18, 18.

00:22:24.359 --> 00:22:27.539
 Now, that seemingly insignificant detail

00:22:27.539 --> 00:22:29.259
 appears significant here

00:22:29.259 --> 00:22:32.619
 because Paul had himself taken a Nazarite vow

00:22:32.619 --> 00:22:33.459
 in recent years.

00:22:33.899 --> 00:22:36.879
 He had walked through this very process himself

00:22:36.879 --> 00:22:37.919
 as a Jew.

00:22:38.079 --> 00:22:41.259
 So obviously, Paul does not have a problem

00:22:41.259 --> 00:22:43.119
 with following these customs

00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:45.559
 that every faithful Jew up to this point

00:22:45.559 --> 00:22:46.259
 had been following.

00:22:47.439 --> 00:22:48.619
 The problem, of course,

00:22:48.659 --> 00:22:50.159
 is that the Jewish believers in Jerusalem

00:22:50.159 --> 00:22:51.179
 are not aware of that.

00:22:51.180 --> 00:22:54.440
 They have never seen Paul go through a Nazarite vow.

00:22:54.580 --> 00:22:57.120
 They have formed their conclusions about Paul

00:22:57.120 --> 00:22:58.700
 only based on the rumors

00:22:58.700 --> 00:23:00.019
 that they had heard about him

00:23:00.019 --> 00:23:02.299
 during his ministry among the Gentiles.

00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:05.840
 So in making this request of Paul,

00:23:06.140 --> 00:23:07.640
 the apostles and the elders of Jerusalem,

00:23:07.740 --> 00:23:08.340
 it's important to note

00:23:08.340 --> 00:23:10.039
 that they're not reversing course

00:23:10.039 --> 00:23:12.200
 on the decree of the Jerusalem Council

00:23:12.200 --> 00:23:13.080
 in chapter 15.

00:23:13.840 --> 00:23:15.600
 That's why they reiterate in verse 25

00:23:15.600 --> 00:23:17.539
 that they are not asking Gentile converts

00:23:17.539 --> 00:23:18.360
 to become Jewish,

00:23:18.359 --> 00:23:20.639
 but only requiring them to abstain

00:23:20.639 --> 00:23:22.599
 from eating food sacrificed to idols

00:23:22.599 --> 00:23:24.259
 or eating food made of blood

00:23:24.259 --> 00:23:26.639
 and from animals that had been sacrificed

00:23:26.639 --> 00:23:28.299
 or that had been strangled

00:23:28.299 --> 00:23:29.979
 because that means blood is still in them

00:23:29.979 --> 00:23:32.679
 and also from sexual immorality.

00:23:33.659 --> 00:23:35.339
 Now, these particular sins

00:23:35.339 --> 00:23:38.219
 were so normal and so widespread

00:23:38.219 --> 00:23:39.479
 among the Gentiles

00:23:39.479 --> 00:23:41.839
 that the apostles had to single them out

00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:43.659
 for new Gentile converts.

00:23:43.660 --> 00:23:47.100
 These requirements for Gentiles

00:23:47.100 --> 00:23:48.360
 have not changed.

00:23:48.620 --> 00:23:49.800
 That's not the issue at hand.

00:23:49.860 --> 00:23:52.120
 The issue at hand is how Jews

00:23:52.120 --> 00:23:53.360
 should behave with regard

00:23:53.360 --> 00:23:54.740
 to their ancestral customs.

00:23:55.600 --> 00:23:58.660
 And precisely because these are non-issues

00:23:58.660 --> 00:24:00.019
 when it comes to salvation,

00:24:00.779 --> 00:24:02.519
 there is no need for Jews

00:24:02.519 --> 00:24:03.880
 to abandon the customs

00:24:03.880 --> 00:24:04.700
 that they have followed

00:24:04.700 --> 00:24:06.540
 for millennia up to this point.

00:24:06.539 --> 00:24:10.379
 They are not asking Gentile Christians

00:24:10.379 --> 00:24:11.579
 to become Jewish Christians.

00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:13.879
 The elders of the Jerusalem church

00:24:13.879 --> 00:24:14.779
 are simply asking

00:24:14.779 --> 00:24:16.119
 that Jewish Christians

00:24:16.119 --> 00:24:18.619
 not be made Gentile Christians.

00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:24.519
 So Paul graciously complies in verse 26.

00:24:25.359 --> 00:24:26.379
 Then Paul took the men

00:24:26.379 --> 00:24:28.099
 and the next day he purified himself

00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:28.859
 along with them

00:24:28.859 --> 00:24:29.899
 and went into the temple

00:24:29.899 --> 00:24:31.139
 giving notice

00:24:31.139 --> 00:24:32.599
 when the days of purification

00:24:32.599 --> 00:24:33.619
 would be fulfilled

00:24:33.619 --> 00:24:35.200
 and the offering presented

00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:36.319
 for each one of them.

00:24:36.539 --> 00:24:39.960
 Think about it in Paul's shoes

00:24:39.960 --> 00:24:40.500
 for a moment.

00:24:41.420 --> 00:24:43.799
 Paul could have been stubborn

00:24:43.799 --> 00:24:46.059
 and insisted on his rights

00:24:46.059 --> 00:24:46.720
 at this moment.

00:24:48.639 --> 00:24:50.379
 Why should I go through

00:24:50.379 --> 00:24:51.559
 all this trouble

00:24:51.559 --> 00:24:53.359
 to abuse these people

00:24:53.359 --> 00:24:55.079
 who are believing baseless rumors

00:24:55.079 --> 00:24:59.519
 and are spreading this slander about me?

00:25:02.399 --> 00:25:04.079
 Who cares what they think?

00:25:04.799 --> 00:25:06.059
 I haven't done anything wrong.

00:25:07.539 --> 00:25:09.799
 And so what if some of the Jewish people

00:25:09.799 --> 00:25:11.259
 stopped circumcising their children?

00:25:11.859 --> 00:25:14.000
 The law has been fulfilled by Christ.

00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:15.940
 Circumcision is no longer necessary

00:25:15.940 --> 00:25:17.740
 to be part of the people of God anyway.

00:25:20.299 --> 00:25:21.319
 If he did that,

00:25:21.519 --> 00:25:22.579
 Paul would have been right,

00:25:23.420 --> 00:25:25.379
 but that would not have been

00:25:25.379 --> 00:25:26.119
 the way of love.

00:25:28.519 --> 00:25:30.680
 We are no longer under the law of Moses,

00:25:30.680 --> 00:25:32.759
 but we are under the law of Christ,

00:25:32.879 --> 00:25:33.920
 which is the way of love.

00:25:33.920 --> 00:25:38.160
 And for that reason,

00:25:38.220 --> 00:25:39.200
 Paul would have been wrong.

00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:43.200
 These Jewish brothers and sisters

00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:43.920
 in Jerusalem understood

00:25:44.560 --> 00:25:46.640
 that salvation was by grace alone

00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:48.640
 through faith in Christ alone,

00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:50.400
 but they also believed

00:25:50.400 --> 00:25:51.700
 that it was important for them

00:25:51.700 --> 00:25:53.620
 to maintain their Jewish heritage

00:25:53.620 --> 00:25:57.019
 and to steward the venerable traditions

00:25:57.019 --> 00:25:58.340
 that had been handed down

00:25:58.340 --> 00:25:59.360
 from their forefathers.

00:25:59.359 --> 00:26:02.899
 And it's important to note

00:26:02.899 --> 00:26:05.099
 it was not sinful for them to do so.

00:26:05.619 --> 00:26:06.859
 Paul would have never done this

00:26:06.859 --> 00:26:08.759
 if it had been sinful for him to do.

00:26:08.839 --> 00:26:10.099
 He will never follow.

00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:11.339
 He will never condone sin.

00:26:11.339 --> 00:26:13.899
 So Paul,

00:26:14.099 --> 00:26:16.059
 the great apostle to the Gentiles,

00:26:16.299 --> 00:26:17.619
 who was not afraid to rebuke

00:26:17.619 --> 00:26:19.099
 even the apostle Peter

00:26:19.099 --> 00:26:20.799
 in Galatians 2, 11 to 13,

00:26:21.299 --> 00:26:23.379
 when Peter refused to eat with the Gentiles

00:26:23.379 --> 00:26:24.859
 out of fear of the Jews

00:26:24.859 --> 00:26:25.659
 who were judging him

00:26:25.659 --> 00:26:27.419
 and insisting that Gentiles

00:26:27.419 --> 00:26:28.359
 need to be circumcised,

00:26:29.139 --> 00:26:30.059
 Paul rebuked him.

00:26:31.279 --> 00:26:33.000
 But that great apostle Paul,

00:26:33.559 --> 00:26:35.240
 that fearless apostle here,

00:26:35.720 --> 00:26:37.619
 graciously complies.

00:26:37.619 --> 00:26:41.819
 That's the way of Christian love.

00:26:44.419 --> 00:26:46.179
 As the gospel of Jesus Christ

00:26:46.179 --> 00:26:48.239
 crosses cultures and boundaries

00:26:48.239 --> 00:26:49.859
 and as the church grows larger

00:26:49.859 --> 00:26:50.739
 and more diverse,

00:26:50.879 --> 00:26:52.719
 there are always new tensions

00:26:52.719 --> 00:26:54.319
 and suspicions that arise.

00:26:55.059 --> 00:26:56.399
 But in such situations,

00:26:56.559 --> 00:26:59.199
 we must preserve the unity of the church

00:26:59.199 --> 00:27:01.199
 for the advance of the gospel.

00:27:02.639 --> 00:27:04.619
 Unity is not optional for the church.

00:27:04.779 --> 00:27:05.479
 It is commanded.

00:27:05.480 --> 00:27:07.660
 Ephesians 4, 3 says

00:27:07.660 --> 00:27:08.640
 that we should be eager

00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:10.440
 to maintain the unity of the spirit

00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:11.640
 and the bond of peace.

00:27:13.319 --> 00:27:15.839
 In John 17, verses 20 to 21,

00:27:16.039 --> 00:27:17.339
 Jesus prays for us.

00:27:17.440 --> 00:27:18.339
 He prays for all those

00:27:18.339 --> 00:27:19.140
 who will believe in him

00:27:19.140 --> 00:27:20.360
 through the proclamation of the gospel

00:27:20.360 --> 00:27:21.160
 by his apostles.

00:27:21.920 --> 00:27:23.400
 And this is what he prays for us.

00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:23.700
 He says,

00:27:23.779 --> 00:27:25.860
 that they may all be one,

00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:27.420
 just as you, Father,

00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:29.039
 are in me and I in you,

00:27:29.259 --> 00:27:31.180
 that they also may be in us

00:27:31.180 --> 00:27:33.839
 so that the world may believe

00:27:33.839 --> 00:27:35.539
 that you have sent me.

00:27:37.139 --> 00:27:38.000
 What does that mean?

00:27:38.079 --> 00:27:40.379
 The unity of the body of Christ

00:27:40.379 --> 00:27:41.879
 is an important aspect

00:27:41.879 --> 00:27:43.179
 of our witness to Jesus.

00:27:45.240 --> 00:27:46.879
 So that means whether or not

00:27:46.879 --> 00:27:49.019
 the world will believe in Jesus

00:27:49.019 --> 00:27:50.859
 is to some degree,

00:27:51.099 --> 00:27:51.879
 humanly speaking,

00:27:52.759 --> 00:27:56.419
 contingent upon our unity as a church.

00:27:56.420 --> 00:28:03.500
 This is why Paul complies

00:28:03.500 --> 00:28:04.160
 with the request

00:28:04.160 --> 00:28:05.360
 of the Jerusalem elders.

00:28:06.019 --> 00:28:08.680
 For the sake of the church's unity,

00:28:09.080 --> 00:28:11.480
 for the advance of the gospel,

00:28:12.900 --> 00:28:14.320
 it is important for Paul

00:28:14.320 --> 00:28:15.380
 to regain the trust

00:28:15.380 --> 00:28:16.980
 of the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.

00:28:20.360 --> 00:28:21.960
 There are, there remains,

00:28:22.060 --> 00:28:23.220
 a number of differences

00:28:23.220 --> 00:28:24.240
 and disagreements

00:28:24.240 --> 00:28:26.740
 about secondary issues

00:28:26.740 --> 00:28:27.559
 within our church.

00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:30.299
 They are not issues

00:28:30.299 --> 00:28:31.579
 that pertain to salvation.

00:28:33.720 --> 00:28:35.200
 And if we all find

00:28:35.200 --> 00:28:37.079
 our primary identity in Jesus,

00:28:37.400 --> 00:28:38.720
 then we can preserve

00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:39.819
 the unity of the church

00:28:39.819 --> 00:28:41.240
 for the advance of the gospel.

00:28:43.100 --> 00:28:44.400
 I think there are several

00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:46.259
 biblical and common sense principles

00:28:46.259 --> 00:28:47.180
 that can guide us

00:28:47.180 --> 00:28:48.759
 to promote that kind of unity.

00:28:49.259 --> 00:28:51.160
 First, I think if we find ourselves

00:28:51.160 --> 00:28:53.000
 more animated or passionate

00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:55.140
 about things of secondary importance

00:28:55.140 --> 00:28:57.140
 than the gospel of Jesus Christ,

00:28:58.080 --> 00:28:59.300
 then I think we need

00:28:59.300 --> 00:29:00.220
 to examine our hearts

00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:01.380
 to see if the affections

00:29:01.380 --> 00:29:02.840
 of our hearts are misordered

00:29:02.840 --> 00:29:05.420
 or disordered.

00:29:08.220 --> 00:29:10.100
 Where is our ultimate hope?

00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:12.400
 Is our hope in Jesus?

00:29:14.460 --> 00:29:15.820
 Or is it in politics?

00:29:18.600 --> 00:29:20.240
 Or in science and education?

00:29:21.160 --> 00:29:25.259
 Secondly, we should labor

00:29:25.259 --> 00:29:26.000
 to give each other

00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:27.100
 the benefit of the doubt

00:29:27.100 --> 00:29:28.940
 and to give each other

00:29:28.940 --> 00:29:31.060
 the best possible framework

00:29:31.060 --> 00:29:31.759
 and construction.

00:29:33.860 --> 00:29:35.480
 Assume the best of one another.

00:29:36.680 --> 00:29:37.640
 Listen to one another.

00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:40.500
 Try truly to understand

00:29:40.500 --> 00:29:41.540
 one another

00:29:41.540 --> 00:29:42.540
 instead of banding

00:29:42.540 --> 00:29:43.380
 talking points

00:29:43.380 --> 00:29:44.700
 and slogans back and forth.

00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:49.700
 Third, I think we need

00:29:49.700 --> 00:29:50.620
 to guard our speech.

00:29:51.660 --> 00:29:52.600
 We should avoid

00:29:52.600 --> 00:29:53.740
 extreme rhetoric.

00:29:54.980 --> 00:29:55.980
 Avoid slander

00:29:55.980 --> 00:29:56.640
 and name-calling

00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:57.340
 of all kind.

00:29:58.940 --> 00:29:59.660
 Can you imagine

00:29:59.660 --> 00:30:01.539
 if the Jewish believers

00:30:01.539 --> 00:30:02.900
 at this point

00:30:02.900 --> 00:30:03.880
 in the book of Acts

00:30:03.880 --> 00:30:04.580
 called Paul

00:30:04.580 --> 00:30:06.799
 an anti-Semitic?

00:30:13.220 --> 00:30:14.220
 Similarly, people

00:30:14.220 --> 00:30:16.100
 who refuse to get vaccinated

00:30:16.100 --> 00:30:17.160
 are not murderers.

00:30:17.160 --> 00:30:20.700
 And people

00:30:20.700 --> 00:30:21.779
 who mandate vaccines

00:30:21.779 --> 00:30:22.840
 for public health reasons

00:30:22.840 --> 00:30:24.440
 are not fascists.

00:30:30.320 --> 00:30:30.800
 Fourth,

00:30:31.019 --> 00:30:32.040
 instead of focusing

00:30:32.040 --> 00:30:33.080
 on how other people

00:30:33.080 --> 00:30:34.259
 can accommodate us,

00:30:34.540 --> 00:30:35.100
 we should focus

00:30:35.100 --> 00:30:35.940
 on how we

00:30:35.940 --> 00:30:37.440
 can make sacrifices

00:30:37.440 --> 00:30:38.600
 to accommodate them

00:30:38.600 --> 00:30:39.860
 as Apostle Paul did.

00:30:41.759 --> 00:30:43.019
 And when we start

00:30:43.019 --> 00:30:43.920
 to feel entitled

00:30:43.920 --> 00:30:44.740
 and disgruntled

00:30:44.740 --> 00:30:46.160
 as time to time

00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:46.599
 will happen

00:30:46.599 --> 00:30:47.400
 to all of us,

00:30:48.099 --> 00:30:48.480
 thinking,

00:30:48.680 --> 00:30:49.440
 why should I have

00:30:49.440 --> 00:30:50.059
 to give up

00:30:50.059 --> 00:30:51.160
 my freedoms

00:30:51.160 --> 00:30:52.079
 on count of them?

00:30:53.799 --> 00:30:54.359
 Think about

00:30:54.359 --> 00:30:55.420
 what Jesus did,

00:30:56.240 --> 00:30:57.859
 all that he gave up

00:30:57.859 --> 00:30:58.660
 in his incarnation

00:30:58.660 --> 00:31:00.339
 and his humiliation

00:31:00.339 --> 00:31:01.039
 in his death

00:31:01.039 --> 00:31:01.599
 on the cross

00:31:01.599 --> 00:31:02.299
 to save us.

00:31:07.599 --> 00:31:08.980
 We find a great example

00:31:08.980 --> 00:31:09.920
 of this principle

00:31:09.920 --> 00:31:10.799
 in Hudson Taylor.

00:31:11.519 --> 00:31:12.039
 Hudson Taylor

00:31:12.039 --> 00:31:13.319
 was a 19th century

00:31:13.319 --> 00:31:14.419
 British Christian missionary

00:31:14.419 --> 00:31:15.000
 to China.

00:31:16.079 --> 00:31:16.879
 He's the founder

00:31:16.879 --> 00:31:17.879
 of China Inland Mission,

00:31:18.019 --> 00:31:18.819
 which is now called

00:31:18.819 --> 00:31:19.919
 OMF International.

00:31:20.819 --> 00:31:21.879
 He lived and ministered

00:31:21.879 --> 00:31:23.419
 in China for 51 years.

00:31:24.599 --> 00:31:25.559
 He was responsible

00:31:25.559 --> 00:31:26.299
 for bringing over

00:31:26.299 --> 00:31:27.439
 800 missionaries

00:31:27.439 --> 00:31:29.480
 and starting 125 schools

00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:29.980
 in China.

00:31:30.899 --> 00:31:31.899
 God used him

00:31:31.899 --> 00:31:33.139
 and those 800 missionaries

00:31:33.139 --> 00:31:34.740
 to save 18,000

00:31:34.740 --> 00:31:35.740
 Chinese people.

00:31:37.319 --> 00:31:38.419
 Hudson Taylor

00:31:38.419 --> 00:31:39.500
 was a pioneer

00:31:39.500 --> 00:31:41.400
 in many ways.

00:31:42.019 --> 00:31:43.839
 Unlike his missionary peers

00:31:43.839 --> 00:31:44.779
 who spent the bulk

00:31:44.779 --> 00:31:45.839
 of their time

00:31:45.839 --> 00:31:47.619
 with English businessmen

00:31:47.619 --> 00:31:48.759
 and diplomats

00:31:48.759 --> 00:31:49.779
 who needed their services

00:31:49.779 --> 00:31:50.779
 as translators

00:31:50.779 --> 00:31:51.980
 in major port cities,

00:31:52.680 --> 00:31:53.220
 Hudson Taylor

00:31:53.220 --> 00:31:54.140
 went inland

00:31:54.140 --> 00:31:55.559
 where other missionaries

00:31:55.559 --> 00:31:56.359
 had not gone.

00:31:57.400 --> 00:31:58.339
 And he lived

00:31:58.339 --> 00:31:59.539
 among the Chinese people

00:31:59.539 --> 00:32:00.160
 that he loved

00:32:00.160 --> 00:32:00.700
 and served.

00:32:02.299 --> 00:32:02.799
 Also,

00:32:02.940 --> 00:32:04.000
 shortly after arriving

00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:04.480
 in Shanghai

00:32:04.480 --> 00:32:05.480
 in 1854,

00:32:05.680 --> 00:32:06.640
 Hudson Taylor

00:32:06.640 --> 00:32:08.000
 decided to dress

00:32:08.000 --> 00:32:09.160
 in Chinese clothes

00:32:09.160 --> 00:32:10.599
 and grow a queue.

00:32:11.460 --> 00:32:12.140
 The traditional

00:32:12.140 --> 00:32:13.160
 Chinese pigtail

00:32:13.160 --> 00:32:14.839
 with the shaved front

00:32:14.839 --> 00:32:15.559
 that I don't think

00:32:15.559 --> 00:32:17.500
 is in use now

00:32:17.500 --> 00:32:19.119
 was back then.

00:32:20.960 --> 00:32:22.579
 Other Christian missionaries

00:32:22.579 --> 00:32:23.319
 around him

00:32:23.319 --> 00:32:24.740
 were incredulous

00:32:24.740 --> 00:32:25.720
 or critical,

00:32:26.380 --> 00:32:27.619
 thinking it unnecessary

00:32:27.619 --> 00:32:30.619
 and sometimes undignified

00:32:30.619 --> 00:32:33.099
 that Taylor would do that.

00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:35.400
 But Taylor's actions

00:32:35.400 --> 00:32:36.420
 were based on his

00:32:36.420 --> 00:32:38.000
 biblical convictions.

00:32:38.820 --> 00:32:39.480
 He was following

00:32:39.480 --> 00:32:40.019
 the example

00:32:40.019 --> 00:32:40.820
 of Apostle Paul.

00:32:40.920 --> 00:32:42.240
 He explicitly states this.

00:32:43.740 --> 00:32:44.880
 He was trying

00:32:44.880 --> 00:32:45.779
 like the Apostle Paul

00:32:45.779 --> 00:32:47.100
 to become all things

00:32:47.100 --> 00:32:48.120
 to all people

00:32:48.120 --> 00:32:49.240
 that by all means

00:32:49.240 --> 00:32:50.820
 he might save some.

00:32:54.060 --> 00:32:54.900
 In the book

00:32:54.900 --> 00:32:55.600
 Hudson Taylor

00:32:55.600 --> 00:32:56.860
 and the China Inland Mission,

00:32:57.560 --> 00:32:58.960
 The Growth of a Work of God,

00:32:59.600 --> 00:33:00.160
 it's written by

00:33:00.160 --> 00:33:01.160
 Hudson Taylor's son

00:33:01.160 --> 00:33:01.800
 and daughter-in-law

00:33:01.800 --> 00:33:03.100
 Howard and Geraldine Taylor.

00:33:03.560 --> 00:33:04.400
 There's an excerpt

00:33:04.400 --> 00:33:04.880
 from a letter

00:33:04.880 --> 00:33:05.960
 that Hudson Taylor wrote

00:33:05.960 --> 00:33:07.420
 to William Thomas Berger

00:33:07.420 --> 00:33:08.280
 who was responsible

00:33:08.280 --> 00:33:09.520
 for training new missionaries

00:33:09.520 --> 00:33:10.260
 back in England

00:33:10.260 --> 00:33:11.740
 for China Inland Mission.

00:33:12.520 --> 00:33:13.240
 In that letter,

00:33:13.340 --> 00:33:14.000
 Hudson Taylor

00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:15.640
 addresses the new missionaries

00:33:15.640 --> 00:33:16.260
 in training

00:33:16.260 --> 00:33:18.200
 and tries to persuade them

00:33:18.200 --> 00:33:18.760
 to adopt

00:33:18.760 --> 00:33:19.880
 the Chinese lifestyle

00:33:19.880 --> 00:33:21.160
 once they arrive there.

00:33:21.460 --> 00:33:22.240
 It's a lengthy quote

00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:23.340
 but it's worth quoting in full

00:33:23.340 --> 00:33:24.160
 so I'm going to read it.

00:33:24.320 --> 00:33:25.100
 It's projected for you

00:33:25.100 --> 00:33:25.560
 on the screen.

00:33:26.620 --> 00:33:27.320
 This is what he says.

00:33:27.319 --> 00:33:29.119
 I am not alone

00:33:29.119 --> 00:33:29.639
 in the opinion

00:33:29.639 --> 00:33:30.579
 that the foreign dress

00:33:30.579 --> 00:33:31.779
 and carriage of missionaries,

00:33:32.039 --> 00:33:33.079
 the foreign appearance

00:33:33.079 --> 00:33:33.659
 of chapels

00:33:33.659 --> 00:33:34.980
 and indeed the foreign air

00:33:34.980 --> 00:33:36.200
 imparted to everything

00:33:36.200 --> 00:33:37.460
 connected with their work

00:33:37.460 --> 00:33:39.299
 has seriously hindered

00:33:39.299 --> 00:33:40.480
 the rapid dissemination

00:33:40.480 --> 00:33:41.059
 of the truth

00:33:41.059 --> 00:33:41.859
 among the Chinese.

00:33:42.819 --> 00:33:43.859
 And why should

00:33:43.859 --> 00:33:45.179
 such a foreign aspect

00:33:45.179 --> 00:33:46.339
 be given to Christianity?

00:33:47.179 --> 00:33:48.079
 The word of God

00:33:48.079 --> 00:33:49.319
 does not require it

00:33:49.319 --> 00:33:50.460
 nor I conceive

00:33:50.460 --> 00:33:51.559
 could sound reason

00:33:51.559 --> 00:33:52.519
 justify it.

00:33:53.179 --> 00:33:54.179
 It is not

00:33:54.180 --> 00:33:55.960
 the denationalization

00:33:55.960 --> 00:33:57.759
 but the Christianization

00:33:57.759 --> 00:33:58.519
 of this people

00:33:58.519 --> 00:33:59.140
 that we seek.

00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:01.360
 We wish to see

00:34:01.360 --> 00:34:02.500
 Chinese Christians

00:34:02.500 --> 00:34:03.180
 raised up.

00:34:03.820 --> 00:34:04.460
 Men and women

00:34:04.460 --> 00:34:05.480
 truly Christian

00:34:05.480 --> 00:34:06.420
 but with all

00:34:06.420 --> 00:34:07.440
 truly Chinese

00:34:07.440 --> 00:34:08.619
 in every right sense

00:34:08.619 --> 00:34:09.139
 of the word.

00:34:09.880 --> 00:34:10.740
 We wish to see

00:34:10.740 --> 00:34:12.079
 churches of such believers

00:34:12.079 --> 00:34:12.840
 presided over

00:34:12.840 --> 00:34:13.539
 by pastors

00:34:13.539 --> 00:34:14.200
 and officers

00:34:14.200 --> 00:34:15.460
 of their own countrymen

00:34:15.460 --> 00:34:16.700
 worshiping God

00:34:16.700 --> 00:34:17.200
 in the land

00:34:17.200 --> 00:34:17.920
 of their fathers

00:34:17.920 --> 00:34:19.200
 in their own tongue

00:34:19.200 --> 00:34:20.360
 and in edifices

00:34:20.360 --> 00:34:20.940
 of a thoroughly

00:34:20.940 --> 00:34:21.780
 native style

00:34:21.780 --> 00:34:22.440
 of architecture.

00:34:22.440 --> 00:34:24.380
 It is enough

00:34:24.380 --> 00:34:25.059
 that the disciple

00:34:25.059 --> 00:34:26.019
 be as his master.

00:34:26.579 --> 00:34:27.760
 If we really wish

00:34:27.760 --> 00:34:28.659
 to see the Chinese

00:34:28.659 --> 00:34:30.280
 such as we have described

00:34:30.280 --> 00:34:31.900
 let us as far as possible

00:34:31.900 --> 00:34:32.700
 set before them

00:34:32.700 --> 00:34:33.720
 a true example.

00:34:34.260 --> 00:34:35.800
 Let us in everything

00:34:35.800 --> 00:34:36.639
 not sinful

00:34:36.639 --> 00:34:38.679
 become Chinese

00:34:38.679 --> 00:34:40.599
 that we may by all means

00:34:40.599 --> 00:34:41.360
 save some.

00:34:41.880 --> 00:34:43.320
 Let us adopt their dress

00:34:43.320 --> 00:34:44.780
 acquire their language

00:34:44.780 --> 00:34:45.860
 seek to conform

00:34:45.860 --> 00:34:46.940
 to their habits

00:34:46.940 --> 00:34:47.820
 and approximate

00:34:47.820 --> 00:34:49.039
 to their diet

00:34:49.039 --> 00:34:50.019
 as far as health

00:34:50.019 --> 00:34:50.720
 and constitution

00:34:50.720 --> 00:34:51.420
 will allow.

00:34:51.420 --> 00:34:52.980
 let us live

00:34:52.980 --> 00:34:53.880
 in their houses

00:34:53.880 --> 00:34:55.380
 making no unnecessary

00:34:55.380 --> 00:34:57.240
 alteration in external form

00:34:57.240 --> 00:34:58.659
 and only so far

00:34:58.659 --> 00:34:59.539
 modifying their

00:34:59.539 --> 00:35:00.480
 internal arrangements

00:35:00.480 --> 00:35:01.420
 as health

00:35:01.420 --> 00:35:01.940
 and efficiency

00:35:01.940 --> 00:35:02.420
 for work

00:35:02.420 --> 00:35:03.680
 absolutely require.

00:35:04.780 --> 00:35:05.720
 This cannot

00:35:05.720 --> 00:35:06.480
 but involve

00:35:06.480 --> 00:35:07.000
 of course

00:35:07.000 --> 00:35:08.200
 a certain measure

00:35:08.200 --> 00:35:09.280
 of inconvenience

00:35:09.280 --> 00:35:10.960
 such as the sacrifice

00:35:10.960 --> 00:35:12.000
 of some accustomed

00:35:12.000 --> 00:35:13.180
 articles of diet

00:35:13.180 --> 00:35:13.740
 etc.

00:35:13.739 --> 00:35:13.799
 etc.

00:35:15.199 --> 00:35:16.619
 But will anyone

00:35:16.619 --> 00:35:18.439
 reflecting on what

00:35:18.439 --> 00:35:19.859
 he gave up

00:35:19.859 --> 00:35:21.679
 who left heaven's throne

00:35:21.679 --> 00:35:23.139
 to be cradled in a manger

00:35:23.139 --> 00:35:25.259
 who having failed all things

00:35:25.259 --> 00:35:26.939
 and wielded omnipotence

00:35:26.939 --> 00:35:28.979
 became a feeble infant

00:35:28.979 --> 00:35:30.539
 wrapped in swaddling clothes

00:35:30.539 --> 00:35:33.179
 who from being the loved one

00:35:33.179 --> 00:35:33.819
 of the father

00:35:33.819 --> 00:35:35.019
 never misjudged

00:35:35.019 --> 00:35:36.359
 never unappreciated

00:35:36.359 --> 00:35:38.159
 and receiving the ceaseless

00:35:38.159 --> 00:35:40.159
 adoration of all the hierarchies

00:35:40.159 --> 00:35:40.599
 of heaven

00:35:40.599 --> 00:35:42.319
 became a despised

00:35:42.319 --> 00:35:43.480
 Nazarene

00:35:43.480 --> 00:35:44.420
 misunderstood

00:35:44.420 --> 00:35:46.739
 by his most faithful followers

00:35:46.739 --> 00:35:47.899
 neglected

00:35:47.899 --> 00:35:48.699
 and rejected

00:35:48.699 --> 00:35:49.299
 by men

00:35:49.299 --> 00:35:50.099
 who owed him

00:35:50.099 --> 00:35:51.339
 their very being

00:35:51.339 --> 00:35:52.659
 and whose salvation

00:35:52.659 --> 00:35:54.000
 he had come to seek

00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:55.879
 and finally mocked

00:35:55.879 --> 00:35:56.839
 spit upon

00:35:56.839 --> 00:35:57.500
 crucified

00:35:57.500 --> 00:35:58.539
 and slain

00:35:58.539 --> 00:35:59.319
 with thieves

00:35:59.319 --> 00:36:00.059
 and outlaws

00:36:00.059 --> 00:36:02.340
 will any follower

00:36:02.340 --> 00:36:03.079
 of Christ

00:36:03.079 --> 00:36:04.159
 reflecting on

00:36:04.159 --> 00:36:05.079
 these things

00:36:05.079 --> 00:36:06.500
 hesitate

00:36:06.500 --> 00:36:08.579
 to make the trifling

00:36:08.579 --> 00:36:09.400
 sacrifice

00:36:09.400 --> 00:36:10.500
 indicated above

00:36:10.500 --> 00:36:20.219
 we just celebrated

00:36:20.219 --> 00:36:20.659
 Christmas

00:36:20.659 --> 00:36:23.539
 and remembered

00:36:23.539 --> 00:36:24.239
 how Jesus

00:36:24.239 --> 00:36:25.279
 humbled himself

00:36:25.279 --> 00:36:26.360
 and was born

00:36:26.360 --> 00:36:26.799
 in the form

00:36:26.799 --> 00:36:27.400
 of a servant

00:36:27.400 --> 00:36:28.000
 as a baby

00:36:28.000 --> 00:36:28.559
 in a manger

00:36:28.559 --> 00:36:30.880
 if the God

00:36:30.880 --> 00:36:31.940
 of all creation

00:36:31.940 --> 00:36:32.599
 took on

00:36:32.599 --> 00:36:33.279
 our lowly

00:36:33.279 --> 00:36:34.639
 human garb

00:36:34.639 --> 00:36:37.900
 in order to save us

00:36:37.900 --> 00:36:40.820
 can we not

00:36:40.820 --> 00:36:41.320
 accommodate

00:36:41.320 --> 00:36:42.679
 our fellow human beings

00:36:42.679 --> 00:36:43.299
 for the sake

00:36:43.299 --> 00:36:43.840
 of the gospel

00:36:43.840 --> 00:36:49.179
 so that's our exhortation

00:36:49.179 --> 00:36:49.980
 at the end of the year

00:36:49.980 --> 00:36:50.779
 I think it's fitting

00:36:50.779 --> 00:36:53.119
 let us labor

00:36:53.119 --> 00:36:53.920
 to preserve

00:36:53.920 --> 00:36:55.259
 the unity of the church

00:36:55.259 --> 00:36:56.299
 for the advance

00:36:56.299 --> 00:36:56.820
 of the gospel

00:36:56.820 --> 00:37:00.000
 let me pray

00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:08.080
 heavenly father

00:37:08.080 --> 00:37:10.260
 grant us

00:37:10.260 --> 00:37:10.800
 the humility

00:37:10.800 --> 00:37:11.539
 of Jesus

00:37:11.539 --> 00:37:13.539
 for that

00:37:13.539 --> 00:37:14.559
 is the solution

00:37:14.559 --> 00:37:17.500
 for the divisions

00:37:17.500 --> 00:37:19.820
 for the hostilities

00:37:19.820 --> 00:37:24.420
 for the bitterness

00:37:24.420 --> 00:37:25.159
 and resentment

00:37:25.159 --> 00:37:28.780
 grant us

00:37:28.780 --> 00:37:29.360
 the humility

00:37:29.360 --> 00:37:30.240
 of Christ

00:37:30.240 --> 00:37:35.840
 help us

00:37:35.840 --> 00:37:36.220
 to remember

00:37:36.220 --> 00:37:36.840
 that it's not

00:37:36.840 --> 00:37:37.680
 about us

00:37:37.680 --> 00:37:39.240
 but about you

00:37:39.240 --> 00:37:44.800
 help us

00:37:44.800 --> 00:37:45.280
 to love

00:37:45.280 --> 00:37:45.800
 one another

00:37:45.800 --> 00:37:46.519
 and bear

00:37:46.519 --> 00:37:47.260
 with one another

00:37:47.260 --> 00:37:59.020
 Lord we know

00:37:59.020 --> 00:37:59.580
 that it's not

00:37:59.580 --> 00:38:00.140
 a marvel

00:38:00.140 --> 00:38:02.300
 to create

00:38:02.300 --> 00:38:03.000
 a society

00:38:03.000 --> 00:38:03.740
 where everyone

00:38:03.740 --> 00:38:04.200
 agrees

00:38:04.200 --> 00:38:09.000
 with enough

00:38:09.000 --> 00:38:09.680
 persecution

00:38:09.680 --> 00:38:12.320
 and oppression

00:38:12.320 --> 00:38:14.480
 that is attainable

00:38:14.480 --> 00:38:21.579
 but Lord

00:38:21.579 --> 00:38:22.420
 it is a marvel

00:38:22.420 --> 00:38:26.019
 when people

00:38:26.019 --> 00:38:26.579
 who disagree

00:38:26.579 --> 00:38:27.599
 on a whole host

00:38:27.599 --> 00:38:28.159
 of issues

00:38:28.159 --> 00:38:31.820
 can live in peace

00:38:31.820 --> 00:38:33.219
 in unity

00:38:33.219 --> 00:38:36.619
 and center

00:38:36.619 --> 00:38:37.159
 themselves

00:38:37.159 --> 00:38:38.059
 around something

00:38:38.059 --> 00:38:38.840
 that is higher

00:38:38.840 --> 00:38:40.740
 and more important

00:38:40.739 --> 00:38:44.139
 and that Lord

00:38:44.139 --> 00:38:44.599
 we believe

00:38:44.599 --> 00:38:45.339
 can only happen

00:38:45.339 --> 00:38:46.659
 in your family

00:38:46.659 --> 00:38:54.979
 so we pray

00:38:54.979 --> 00:38:55.179
 Lord

00:38:55.179 --> 00:38:55.699
 that that would

00:38:55.699 --> 00:38:56.439
 be our witness

00:38:56.439 --> 00:38:57.659
 that the unity

00:38:57.659 --> 00:38:58.559
 of our church

00:38:58.559 --> 00:39:00.159
 not necessarily

00:39:00.159 --> 00:39:01.019
 the uniformity

00:39:01.019 --> 00:39:01.819
 but the unity

00:39:01.819 --> 00:39:02.879
 of our church

00:39:02.879 --> 00:39:04.739
 in the spirit

00:39:04.739 --> 00:39:06.139
 with the bond

00:39:06.139 --> 00:39:06.659
 of peace

00:39:06.659 --> 00:39:07.819
 would be a witness

00:39:07.819 --> 00:39:08.699
 to the watching world

00:39:08.699 --> 00:39:09.759
 so that they might believe

00:39:09.760 --> 00:39:10.660
 that you indeed

00:39:10.660 --> 00:39:11.520
 sent Jesus

00:39:11.520 --> 00:39:13.200
 to save us

00:39:13.200 --> 00:39:18.160
 help us with that now

00:39:18.160 --> 00:39:20.740
 in Jesus name

00:39:20.740 --> 00:39:21.160
 we pray

00:39:21.160 --> 00:39:22.220
 amen