The Holiness of the Church

This week we will be exploring the nature, purpose, and result of the letter from the Jerusalem council to the believers in Antioch (Acts 15:22-35).  There is a reason for our studying this letter and it’s results more closely because though this letter seems simple and obvious on the surface its implications affect the church today, thousands of years after it was read in Antioch.

The holiness of the church was a major concern for the early church.  As more Gentiles became disciples of Christ, more baggage was brought into the church.  Many of these new believers came from a background of paganism and idol worship.  This background can have a major effect on not only the individual believer but also the church as a whole. 

What does it mean to be holy?  Why is holiness so vital within the church?  What type of idolatry are we participating in that affects not only our own growth into holiness but the church’s growth as a whole?  What is holding us back from growing into holiness?

May we prayerfully be prepared for the Spirit of God to speak to us this week, revealing to us our own hearts, and giving us the courage and encouragement to strive for holiness.

Growing in Maturity

As we grow older in age most of us tend to grow in maturity.  What used to be humorous to us at ten years old seems silly and immature at thirty years old.  This is the natural course of life.  The older we get the more mature we become.  But do we view our spirituality in the same light? 

The idea of growing in spiritual maturity is not a new concept.  In fact, it may seem obvious to some of us that growing in spiritual maturity should be the natural course of our faith in Christ. But in the same way that we must work to become more mature in character as we grow older in age, spiritual maturity does not come naturally or easily.  Hebrews 5:12-14 speaks to this:

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (ESV)

In this passage the writer of Hebrews is exhorting the spiritual maturity of his readers.  He desires that they grow in spiritual maturity but realizes that they lag far behind the curve.  They should be mature in their walks with Christ, but something has kept them as spiritual infants who need milk and not solid food.

In this week’s passage Paul and Barnabas are on the last leg of their first missionary journey where they revisit the cities where they have preached the Good News.  While in these cities they work to guide these new believers into spiritual maturity.  What did they do?  My encouragement to us all is to read Acts 14:21-28 before worshipping together this week and be prayerfully prepared for what God has in store for us.