WEDNESDAY August 2, 2023
Chosen Men
Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren. They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, to the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings.
Acts 15:22-23
Everyone in the Jerusalem Council agreed. There was complete unity in the church concerning the decision to ask the Gentile believers to abstain from meats offered to idols and from sexual immorality.
In Greek culture, there were all kinds of worship to false gods. In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul wrote to the church in Corinth dealing with this same issue. You see, in the market place, Christians would often unknowingly purchase meat that had previously been offered to idols. It was common for a priest from the Temple of the goddess Aphrodite to take meat offered to this idol and place it in the market to be sold.
Paul instructed Christians who purchased meat from the market place to go ahead and eat it with a clear conscience. They were often unaware if it had been offered to an idol. However, if they found out that the meat had been offered to an idol, then for the sake of a younger Christian in the Lord, they were not to eat it, because it would cause them to stumble.
There was also a lot of sensual worship in the Temples of the goddess Aphrodite. In Corinth for example, there were 1000 prostitutes who would come down into the city from the Temple to mingle with the men. Christian men were seduced by them.
Chosen men from the church went with Paul and Barnabas––Judas, known also as Barsabas, and Silas. The Church used godly wisdom and sent them to take care of the problem at hand. They would all go to Antioch and refute the teaching of salvation by works. These men went out armed with the Word of God––defending salvation by faith.
It is better to preach five words of God’s Word than five million words of man’s wisdom.
~C.H. Spurgeon~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
