New Wineskins
How are we making it difficult for the dechurched who are turning to God? In Acts 15 we have what could be classified as the first church business meeting, and oh is it a doozy. Jewish Christians have advocated for the weaving of Jewish customs and laws into the new Jewish faith. What’s at stake is nothing less than the future of the church. Do you have to become a Jew before you can become a Christian? Do you have to obey the whole Law before you can get to the grace on the cross?
Thankfully, the leadership at Jerusalem knew the stakes and definitively came down against this shift towards Judaism, not just because Jesus came to fulfill the Law and do something new, but because it would have kept untold Gentiles from ever even thinking of joining the faith. Here are James’ famous words on the subject:
19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Acts 15:19
James fully understood that God was working in the lives of the Gentiles (non-Jews), most of whom were far from God. God was doing the heavy lifting, he was drawing them to himself. The church’s responsibility was simply to remove as many obstacles as they could and clear the path to God.
The implications for today are staggering: have we made it difficult for those who are turning to God? If salvation is nothing more than saving faith in Jesus, have we put additional barriers and burdens on people? Have we made church for the “churched” not the “dechurched”? By the words we use, songs we sing, programs we maintain, expectations we place, the cultures we cultivate, have we created cultures in churches where only “church” people will thrive? If someone walked into your church off the street, looking like the street, would they truly be embraced with open arms?
How are we making it difficult for the dechurched who are turning to God?
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