Don't Make It Difficult

"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God." Acts 15:19

This is James the half-brother of Jesus speaking at the Council of Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas have made a case against the requirement for the circumcision of new believers (and other oppressive rules). James has spoken up with his support of their request and then he makes a great statement that has meaning for us today. For example, you can come to church, but you have to cut your hair, or grow a beard, or wear no jewelry, or wear sandals and a plain robe. These kinds of rules have been the downfall of the spread of the gospel over the centuries.

For some reason, we like to make it difficult for new believers or new church members. We tend to have lots of traditions and if people don't conform to them we make them feel very uncomfortable. Some tradition is good. Traditions change. We have some traditions at Grace Harbor. Some are decades old, others less. All of them, though, are not as important as the gospel. We need to keep the simple truth of the faith and acceptance of Jesus as Savior as simple as it is. We should not add lots of rules and regulations to grace. Of course the other extreme is dangerous. We can make it so simple without any guidelines for how to mature in the faith, that new believers are then tempted unnecessarily from the world's traditions.

James uses the Word to make his case, sharing from the prophet Amos about the rebuilding of David's fallen tent, and that the Gentiles, who bear his name, could be saved. This is controversial at the time. To include Gentiles was thought to be heretical by some. In the church today, with all our denominational monikers and categorizations of different types of believers, we can miss the simple truth of the gospel of redemption. We make it hard for new believers. Every tradition can do it. Whether the evangelical or liturgical church, the charismatic or the doctrinaire. We have this insatiable need to pass on the harder parts of our church experience, forgetting the simple truth of Jesus and His Love for people. We love to point out our differences, and emphasize our often petty squabbles. We pass on not only the difficulties, but the arrogance and pettiness. Very sad.

Maybe we should more often ask that question.... "What would Jesus do?" When the letter is drafted to send to the early churches about what was really important, it is pretty simple. We would do well to keep it simpler.

In Him,
Pastor Fred

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