0. Beginning of the dispute (Acts 15:1-2)

Acts 15: 1 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.

1. What Paul persisted: No circumcision for the Gentiles (1-5)

1 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

    a. He did not give in even for a moment 

    b. Difference between Paul and “false brothers (believers)”

    c. It’s all enough to believe Jesus. There is nothing else you need. 

2. What Paul did not persist: the Jews’ circumcision (6-10)

6 As for those who were held in high esteem―whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism―they added nothing to my message. 7 On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised. 8 For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. 9 James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. 10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

    a. Paul compromised? 

    b. Everything else is nothing, except for Jesus’ love to be transferred (1Corinthians 9:19-23)

1 Corinthians 9: 19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

3. Unconditional Love: A challenge to all sorts of “wall”

Summary

Only thing that we need to do in order to live our life with Jesus is to trust in Him. Studying the Bible and taking a part in church ministries are helpful, but they are meaningless if we have no trust in Jesus in doing them. Also, only thing that we need to do in order to introduce Jesus to others is that we love them in the way that Jesus loves us. For that purpose, we have to discard all our “persistence” in us that we ourselves don’t even notice that it’s there. What we have to keep persistently is only Jesus’ love.

For Discussion

1) How can we distinguish what is important from what is not?
2) How can we notice “walls” in ourselves?