The Fourth Wall - Day 12

Acts 15-Jerusalem council

22 Then the apostles and elders together with the whole church in Jerusalem chose delegates, and they sent them to Antioch of Syria with Paul and Barnabas to report on this decision. The men chosen were two of the church leaders—Judas (also called Barsabbas) and Silas. 23 This is the letter they took with them:
“This letter is from the apostles and elders, your brothers in Jerusalem. It is written to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Greetings!
24 “We understand that some men from here have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but we did not send them! 25 So we decided, having come to complete agreement, to send you official representatives, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We are sending Judas and Silas to confirm what we have decided concerning your question.
So, we see that Peter wants to make sure that he makes it right and sends the decision results to Paul and Barnabas in Antioch. He does this so that there will be no confusion. While they still require some regulations, they are relatively simple to keep. They really have to do with dietary and some morality clauses that the early church wanted them to keep.

We see Peter realizing there is more to this world than simply the rules and regulations required of the Jewish tradition and that God was probably doing a new thing that needed to be considered. For Peter to realize this was for Peter to recognize that since was God was doing something new, the old needed to be reconsidered and recalibrated. The reality that he had lived for so long was changing, and he was trying very hard to keep up with the change.

It is easy for us to fall into the reality of everything we have ever known. When God decides to do a new thing, which is pretty often, I believe, it means that we have to live into the future; we have to live into the changes that God is making rather than leaning back to the past and just allowing ourselves to become comfortable in what was.

You see, there is a new reality that is always being created by God to continue the work that God is doing in the world, and therefore, we have to be aware of the future that is being built. We don’t forget the past, but we need to live in the future with God rather than in the past with our memories and accomplishments.

1. What is the future that God is creating that we can’t quite see but that we can feel beginning to take shape? 
2. How can we build our lives toward that future? 
3. What is the greatest thing God has ever done in your life? Do you think he has more in store?