| Author | Message | ||
| Max |
Dear Adventist Friend: Who were "the believers" in the early church? Were they the faithful Jews who attended synagogue on Sabbath and heard the Old Testament read? Or were they all those who accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, including Gentiles who went to church on Sunday? The right answer may shock you. To answer this question I looked at all the occurrences of "believer" and "believers" in the New Testament (NIV). Here is what I found in the books of John (the last Gospel to be written) and Acts. I'll deal with the others in a later posting. John 4:41 NIV.Ý^^And because of his [Jesus'] words many more became believers.^^ These were Samaritans, the descendants of Israelites who had intermarried with pagans. What they became "believers" in was not the Sabbath, but Jesus Christ. Nowhere does the Bible say they started keeping the Sabbath, ever. Acts 1:15 NIV.Ý^^In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)^^ Here presumably Sabbath-keeping Jews had begun believing in Jesus. One can assume that before they believed in Jesus, these Sabbath keepers were "unbelievers." Acts 2:44 NIV.Ý^^All the believers were together and had everything in common.^^ Same observation as above. Acts 4:32 NIV.Ý^^All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.^^ Same observation as above. Acts 5:12Ý^^The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade.^^ Same observation as above. Acts 9:41 NIV.Ý^^He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive.^^ Same observation as above. Acts 10:45 NIV.Ý^^The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.^^ Here Sabbath-keeping Jewish believers were astonished that Gentiles who DID NOT keep the Sabbath received the Holy Spirit. Nor does the Bible say they EVER started keeping the Sabbath. Does this fact surprise you? Acts 11:2 NIV.Ý^^So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized^^ In this instance Sabbath-keeping believers criticized non-circumcised, non-Sabbath-keeping believers for not becoming circumcised and starting to keep the Sabbath. Acts 15:2 NIV.Ý^^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.^^ Here Sabbath-keeping believers insisted that non-Sabbath-keeping believers should be circumcised, which meant they had to start keeping the Sabbath too. Read this passage in the Contemporary English Version (CEV). The believers being talked about are NOT Sabbath-keeping Jews, but believers in Syria, in all probability they were Gentiles. ^^Some people came from Judea and started teaching the Lord's followers that they could not be saved [ignoring the fact that they ALREADY WERE saved], unless they were circumcised [and began keeping the Sabbath] as Moses had taught. This caused trouble, and Paul and Barnabas ARGUED with them about this teaching. So it was decided to send Paul and Barnabas and a few others to Jerusalem to discuss this problem with the apostles and the church leaders.^^ So they met in Jerusalem where ^^some Pharisees [Sabbath-keeping Jews] had become followers of [believers in] the Lord. They stood up and said, "Gentiles [who did not keep the Sabbath] who have faith in the Lord must be circumcised and told to obey the Law of Moses,"^^ which included Sabbath-keeping. Acts 15:5 NIV.ÝThen some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses." The ruling from the Jewish believers at this Jerusalem council? ^^"And so, my friends, I don't think we should place burdens on the Gentiles [who were not circumcised and did not keep the Sabbath] who are turning to God. We should WE should simply write and tell them not to eat anything that has been offered to idols. They should be told not to eat the meat of any animals that has been strangled or that still has blood in it. They must also not commit any sexual sins."^^ No need for them to become circumcised. No need to start keeping the Sabbath. Not even a need to stop eating honey baked ham or lobster tail. Acts 15:23 NIV.Ý^^With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings.^^ With the foregoing in mind, we can see that these Gentiles are called believers and are distinguished from Sabbath-keeping Jews who were considered UNbelievers. In fact, according to Acts 15:25-26, the messengers -- Paul and Barnabas -- were risking their lives at the hands of Sabbath-keeping Jews in order to deliver the message that the Gentile believers did NOT have to become circumcised and start keeping the Sabbath. And the message: "The Holy Spirit has shown us that we should not place ANY extra burden on you [such as circumcision and Sabbath-keeping]. But you should not eat anything offered to idols. You should not eat any meat that still has the blood in it or any meat of any animal that has been strangled. You must also not commit any terrible sexual sins. If you follow these instructions, you will do well. We send you our best wishes.^^ Acts 15:28-29 CEV. Observations to be made: 1. These "believers" were not keeping the Sabbath. 2. The Council in Jerusalem met to consider whether or not they should start (as well as become circumcised). 3. The Council decided they didn't have to. 4. What the Council decided they DID have to do was to keep the law of Noah (Genesis 8:20-9:17), which they summarized: No meat with blood still in it, etc. This was because the Sabbath-keeping Jewish believers in Jerusalem, the leaders of the early church, decided that the Law of Noah applied to "all flesh" (all humans), whereas the Law of Moses only applied to Jewish race. Acts 16:1 NIV.Ý^^He [Paul] came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek.^^ Notice that because racial "Jewishness" was passed on through the mother rather than the father, Timothy's Greek father did NOT make Timothy a Greek, but his Jewish mother DID make him a Jew. Consequently, Timothy DID have to become circumcised and start keeping the Sabbath. But if the case had been the other way around, he wouldn't have had to. Notice this passage in the CEV: Acts 16:1-3 CEV: Paul and Silas went back to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a follower named Timothy. His mother was also a follower. She was Jewish, and his father was Greek. The Lord's followers in Lystra and Iconium [believers who weren't circumcised and didn't keep the Sabbath] said good things about Timothy, and Paul wanted him to go with them. But PAUL FIRST HAD HIM CIRCUMCISED, BECAUSE ALL THE JEWISH PEOPLE AROUND THERE [unbelieving Jews who were circumcised and who kept the Sabbath] KNEW THAT TIMOTHY'S FATHER WAS GREEK." Acts 16:15 NIV.Ý^^When she [Lydia] and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.^^ Lydia was a Jew of the dispersion (diaspora) and therefore she probably kept the Sabbath. She lived in Macedonia, which was a Roman colony north of Greece. She was called "a worshiper of the Lord God" (Acts 16:14 CEV). YET SHE WAS STILL CONSIDERED AN UNBELIEVER! Notice Acts 16:12-15 CEV on this point: ^^We [Paul and his friends] spent several days in Philippi. Then on the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to a place by the river, where we thought there would be a Jewish meeting place for prayer. We sat down and talked with the women who came. One of them was Lydia, who was from the city of Thyatira and sold expensive purple cloth. She was a worshiper of the Lord God, and he made her willing to accept what Paul was saying. Then after she and her family were baptized, she kept in begging us, ìIf you think I really do have faith in the Lord, come stay in my home.î Finally, we accepted her invitation.^^ Conclusions to be drawn: 1. Lydia was a Jew living in Macedonia, north of Greece. 2. Therefore she was called "a worshiper of the Lord God.î 3. Yet she was still considered an unbeliever, since she had not yet accepted Jesus Christ and been baptized. 4. After she became a believer and was baptized, she did not stop being a Jew. And so she probably continued to keep the Sabbath. 5. Her experience is in contrast to most of the believers who -- as per the Jerusalem councilís decision, did not have to become circumcised and start keeping the Sabbath. Acts 21:25 NIV.Ý^^As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality."^^ Observation: No circumcision, no Sabbath-keeping, no refraining from ìuncleanî meats, no tithing. Dear Adventist Friend: You donít have to do these things to be in heaven! All you have to do is to be saved is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! Max of the Cross | ||
| Maryann |
Hi Max, To add to the above post. Actually, I'm not adding to it, I'm putting the shadow under the Redwood;-)) In Acts 8, there is a story that is in the same woodlot as your Redwood. This giant persecution took place in Jerusalem of which our beloved Paul, then Saul, seemed to be spearheading. Christians ran for their lives with a barrage of stones pelting them from behind. Many fell, including Stephen, or were jailed. Acts 8:1-3 Who was doing this persecuting? The Pharisaical Judaizer's. What is interesting is that they were actively teaching in the synagogue what they perceived as the truth. The other thing that is interesting is that they were still teaching the same old thing in the same old synagogues instead of carrying out the great commission of Jesus. They, the chosen of God, did NOT know Jesus! After Philip escaped Jerusalem, he went to Samaria teaching and preaching the good news of Christ. He even, through the power given him, did some fantastic miracles. The miracles were so awesome that Simon the Sorcerer took notice of the new guy in town outdoing anything he could do and this probably worried him. Many people saw the signs, heard the gospel, accepted Jesus, were baptized and received the Holy Spirit. Even Simon believed and was baptized. Acts 8:4-17 Now somehow in the exchange from sinner to believer this Simon fella, (that appears to be a Samaritan), lost sight of the true meaning of the gospel and seemed to want to buy with money the ability to demonstrate all these wondrous miracles that totally smoked his old sorcery tricks. Well, Peter, as only Peter can do, gave Simon such a tongue lashing that he asked Peter to pray that none of the tongue lashing come to pass. Acts 8:18-25 In thinking about this thing with Simon, maybe there are some today that are afraid to accept the Spirit that produces "fruits of the Spirit" because they are terrified of their motives and don't want to be cursed like Simon??? The bad new is that all "our" motives are grossly gross! The good news is that all of our motives, when filtered through the Spirit, are as perfect as the Spirit we allow to run our lives. Now to get closer to the point of the shadow under the Redwood. I got sidetracked with the first part of Acts 8. This Ethiopian eunuch of important position, that was obviously a Gentile and possibly even considered a heathen, for some reason wanted to worship in Jerusalem. No doubt he sat in a synagogue and listened to a long sermon on you shall's and you shall not's. On his way home he parked his chariot and was trying to understand the sermon by reading Isaiah. Philip had obeyed the angel that God sent and found himself in this Eunuch's path. Still following the Spirit, Philip jogged up to the Eunuch and asked him if he understood what he was reading. Responding like an honest person coming from a legalistic sermon, he said, not a chance unless someone explains it to me! Philip hopped in the chariot and led him to Jesus and overcome with joy, asked to be baptized at the first waterhole they came to. God caused Philip to suddenly do a disappearing act and travel to Caesarea preaching the gospel to all the towns on the way. Acts 8:26-40 Philip was kind of like a pioneer in that he was one of the first guys to "go out" preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. What interested me in the unraveling of this story was that it was not the circumcised, non-ham eating, sabbath keeping Jews that were primarily getting the good news of Jesus!! These Jews rejected Jesus! It was the Gentiles, Samaritan's, Caesarian's etc. that were excited by the gospel! Whole heathen towns, it seems, were converted to Christianity! Not once in these earliest of the missionary trips of Philip proclaiming the gospel was there mention of him sharpening his knife for a few mass cicumcisions, a cook book of special meats or a command to keep the sabbath!? Hmmmmmmmmm, the title of this thread: "Dear Adventist Friend: Think "the believers" in the early church were keeping the Sabbath? Think again." Really seems appropriate. Really, just sit and think a minute. Think of all the towns that were converted to Christianity in just little old Philip's ministry with NO mention if circumcision, clean meats or the sabbath. It really seems to me that the vast majority of "our" early founding Christian father's were the un-circumcised, ham and lobster eating, non-sabbath keeping heathen Gentiles. So much for the theory of the Roman conspiracy of 325AD! Upward and onward.....Maryann | ||
| Max |
Maryann, I think your observation is right on target (like Allenette's). ‰dventist friends, Widen your vision, as Maryann has suggested. See all of these earliest Christ followers evangelizing ham-eating, non-tithe-paying, Sabbath-breaking, wine-drinking, jewelry-wearing Gentiles and telling them: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." Period. * No need whatsoever to substitute pseudoflesh for the real thing. * No need to start keeping the Sabbath. * No need to pay tithe. * No need to drop the jewelry on the riverbank before being baptized. The same message was also going to the ham-shunning, tithe-paying, Sabbath-keeping Pharisaical Jews. And THEY were being called "unbelievers." When some (probably not many) Pharisees believed, their status changed from "unbelievers" to "believers." Continuing to shun ham, pay tithe and keep the Sabbath, they demanded the ham-eating, non-tithe-paying, Sabbath-breaking, wine-drinking, jewelry-wearing Gentiles join the Jewish church or Judaizing church or -- to be blunt -- the Seventh-day Adventist church. Paul was having none of that! Baptism "by water and spirit" -- not circumcision -- was the way an unbeliever signified his belief and entrance into the church. Nor should the believing Gentiles be required to start shunning ham, keeping the Sabbath, paying tithe, etc. Paul appealed to church headquarters in Jerusalem under the leadership of James. And James -- to God's everlasting credit -- ruled that the only "law" the new Gentiles had to obey was the Law of Noah, the "all flesh" law, not the Law of Moses! But the Pharisaical, Judaizing believers have never given up. They're still at it today. They're called Seventh-day Adventists. Max of the Cross |
