Today's Passage - Acts 21:15-26

You don't want to miss this.

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Acts 21:15-26 After this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem... Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law... Paul was willing to lay down himself for God. He fought for the Gentiles the freedom they have in Christ, eliminated the requirement of the past that Gentiles must be circumcised according to the Jewish tradition. This time when he returned to Jerusalem, he was in the midst of the Jews who thought that they can no longer be circumcised and be Jews if they were to believe in Jesus. Paul saw that the truth he believed in had become the roadblock to the Jews believing in Christ. Paul clearly understood that the Jews needed the salvation of Jesus, but he also respected their culture. As such, he was willing to lay down his rights and join in the purification rites in the temple. From this passage, we see that there are several principles in living a Christian life: Firstly, in Christ, we enjoy true freedom. On the cross, Jesus destroyed any power that the enemy has on us. He also exempted us from the bondage of the law. Secondly, is the principle of self-denial. Although we have freedom in Christ on one hand, we are told for the sake of not stumbling our weaker brother, and for the sake of Christ, we need to be willing to lay down our rights. Thirdly, we must be led by the Holy Spirit, and not by what other people say. The Holy Spirit lives inside of us, and he knows first hand the situation we are in, and can best lead us through our circumstances. These three principles are very important. We need to have the principle of freedom, principle of self-denial, as well as principle of being led by the Holy Spirit, so that we may enjoy true freedom in Christ in our daily lives. Pray with Pastor Tong Lord, we thank you for revealing to us through Paul, that Christians enjoy the ultimate freedom in Christ. As such, we can lay down everything in Christ, and enjoy everything in Him. Pray that the Holy Spirit will give us spiritual wisdom, that we may learn in our daily lives, to give you all the glory and honor. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen! River of Life Christian Church | office@rolcc.net | ROLCC Website

River of Life Christian Church | 1177 Laurelwood Rd., Santa Clara, CA 95054 Unsubscribe devotional-english@rolccapp.com Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by edevotion@rolcc.net powered by Try email marketing for free today!