“Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.”
Acts 16:4 (NLT)
The gospel really is this simple: we’re saved by the undeserved grace of God through the Lord Jesus. Salvation is a gift and not a loan. There are no strings attached, and there are no payments we have to make to keep what we could never earn.
And yes, the letter from the Jewish council had some warning labels for the church. But it didn’t provide commandments, rules, regulations, or rituals to add on top of salvation. It protected believers from drifting back into a way of relating to God that feels like earning, striving, and proving. God gave us a gift and now we can put it to use while looking into heaven, being grateful, and worshiping God. This is living like salvation is a gift.
That backdrop matters when Paul meets Timothy. Timothy comes from a split home (his mom is Jewish and his dad isn’t), so he had never been circumcised. Even though Paul and Timothy knew it wasn’t required, Timothy was willing to be circumcised anyway. Timothy wanted to build a bridge to the Jewish believers, remove barriers, and create common ground so people would actually listen. And if we’re honest, you can’t share the good news with somebody that doesn’t trust you or that sees a barrier to your relationship. Paul explains this approach to ministry in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.
That’s the lesson for me today: adapt to your environment. Amplify agreement, not disagreement. Follow rules you don’t even have to, if it helps you get into a room, or stay in a room, with people who need to hear the Good News. In a culture that celebrates differences, loves tribalism, and creates separation, I pray today that I would learn, and that you would learn with me, how to build common ground with others. If we’ll build bridges like Paul and Timothy, the church will be strengthened, faith will grow, and God will expand His work.