Welcome to your November issue of DEC eZine. November is one of those odd months don’t you think? Summer is well gone, schools are back and Christmas is just around the corner, which is probably why they stuck in ‘All Souls Day’ – and Halloween! I suppose in olden times (did I just write that!!), they needed something to brighten up the dark evenings before the feast of Advent. But in today’s culture we are far too busy for all this stuff. I mean really, a month off would have been nice wouldn’t it? A break from another big ‘sell’ before the biggest marketing program of the year – Christmas. A time to reflect on how much we’ve been fleeced over the summer and how much we are going to be fleeced over the Christmas period! A little rest to catch our collective breaths. But no – some silly sod decided we need to ‘celebrate’ Halloween. Although it’s a great money spinner, it is also another demanding time on parents and another financial demand on many people who really cannot afford it. Bottom line is – it’s an unwelcome, costly waste of time and money. Lest I sound like the Halloween scrooge, as a kid I loved it, even as a young parent I got into it. But now? – not so much. I suppose it could be age or wisdom! November is perhaps more importantly the remembrance of those who have passed on. Both the Feast of All Saints and the Feast of All Souls evolved in the life of the Church independently of paganism and Halloween. It was intended as a time to remember our brothers and sisters who have gone before us. However, elements of pagan practices were perhaps "baptized" by some cultures or attached themselves to the celebration of All Saints and All Souls. In the Middle-Ages, superstitious belief, probably influenced from Celtic paganism, held that the souls in purgatory appeared on All Souls Day as witches, toads, goblins, etc. to persons who committed wrongs against them during their lives on earth. For this reason, some ethnic groups also prepared food offerings to feed and to appease the spirits on this day. These practices are probably remnants of the Celtic Samhain festivities. Nevertheless, All Souls Day as well as All Saints Day are rooted in Christian belief and arose in church life through a healthy spirituality, despite some pagan trappings that may have survived and have remained attached to the celebration. So, perhaps November is not such an odd month after all. We can reflect on so much and give thanks to our Heavenly father for all His incredible goodness to us. Here is a prayer I came across you might find helpful in your reflections on those who have passed before us. That great cloud of witnesses. Lord God, Lord of Life and Death, today we remember our beloved dead, family, relatives, friends, teachers, whose lives touched ours and added to the richness of our existence. We are grateful for all that we shared in our times together, for lessons learned, for humour, fun, and work for affection and trust, for the celebration of life. Remind us, O Friend and Constant Companion, that life is indeed brief, and that today and its joys are fleeting and may never come our way again. Nudge us, O Lord of Life, and remind us that the only truly important things in life are our relationships with You, O God, with those we love and with ourselves. Show us, O Promise of the Resurrection, that balance sheet which proves that those things we think important are seldom truly of importance, and those things we may think not important are truly the important things of our short lives.
Counsel us, Eternal Beauty, that time taken in to behold a sunset, to marvel at the butterfly on a leaf, the time spent with family and friends, the awe of a new born baby, or the faces of children at play-that these times and others like them are more valuable than gold or the most precious jewels. Lord of Gifts and Lord of Memories, we rejoice and are grateful for the great treasure of memories that we possess. These people who have gone before us have intermingled with us and have caused us to be who we are today. Our love for them is beyond the touch of death and our love for them remains and awaits our final union together with You.
O Lord of Mercy and Compassion, grant eternal joy and peace to our beloved and holy dead. Amen.
Contents Notices........... ..........Pages 2 & 3 Birthdays................... Page 4 Something Beautiful ..... Page 5 Thirteen things............ Page 6 Marriage Matters...........Page 7 Prayer.......................Page 13
Woman & a Fork ...................... Page 8 A Gardner’s Thoughts on Harvest....Page 9 A Poem on Noah .......................Page 9 Gospel in Church History Part 3......Page 10-12 Teaching Schedule.....................Page 12 Alpha Course ...........................Page 12
Bereavement We are sad to announce the passing of Mick Power’s father, Gerald Power, who died suddenly at home on Wednesday afternoon. Removal on Saturday morning to the Church of S.S. Alphonsus & Columba, Ballybrack Village arriving at 9.45am. The funeral will follow immediately after 10am Requiem Mass to Shanganagh Cemetery, Shankill. Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, will go to the ‘Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice’. Donations box will be at the rear of the Church. ‘Thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he is our Father and the source of all mercy and comfort. For he gives us comfort in our trials so that we in turn may be able to give the same sort of strong sympathy to others in theirs. Indeed, experience shows that the more we share Christ’s suffering the more we are able to give of his encouragement. This means that if we experience trouble we can pass on to you comfort and spiritual help; for if we ourselves have been comforted we know how to encourage you to endure patiently the same sort of troubles that we have ourselves endured. We are quite confident that if you have to suffer troubles as we have done, then, like us, you will find the comfort and encouragement of God.’ 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Digging Deeper Seminar - The Church Under Fire The Lord Jesus warned the apostles, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). The book of Acts demonstrate that this tribulation was experienced soon after Pentecost, but remarkably, the one who we first meet as a persecutor of the church, soon became its most effective promoter. The apostle Paul’s life was characterised by suffering for the gospel (2 Corinthians 11:22-33), and Acts ends with him imprisoned in Rome for his faith and testimony. However, those years of confinement were times of fruitful service as he wrote to encourage and instruct fellow believers, and we now have the opportunity of benefitting from these precious prison epistles. Saturday 9 November 2013, The High School, Rathgar, Dublin 10.30am – 3.30pm Subject: Prison Epistles: Ephesians
Speaker: Mervyn Wishart: Mervyn Wishart has spent most of his working life in the construction industry. He and his wife Margaret live in Newcastle, Co. Down where Mervyn is an elder in the assembly meeting at Shimna Gospel Hall. They have three grown up children and eight grandchildren. Saved as a boy of 12, Mervyn has a particular interest in the Lords work in India which he has visited many times seeking to help in Bible teaching, working mainly in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
B u i l d i n g Bl o c k s C o n fe r en c e Building Blocks is a Co nference to sup port those working with children a nd young people in their local chur ch, community or school and to encourage others to be involved in this v ital ministry. These Conferences are organised by children’s ministry leaders from a broad spectrum of Christia n Chur che s and orga nisations throughout Ireland. Further info: www.buildingblocks. ie Keynote Speaker: John Har dwick John Hardwick is a singer, song writer, exciting interactive story teller, puppeteer, juggler and more. He is a Creative Chr ist ian Communicato r whose a im is to present the Christia n faith in a n exciting and relevant way! He’s written ten holiday club theme s/ books, puppet books, hundreds of Chr ist ian children’s songs a nd Bible Verse songs. He has produced CD’ s, DVD’s and MP3 downloads of his songs! His latest venture is the ‘Big Bible Verse Challe nge!’ Dublin venue: Contact Anne Taylor on (01) 4905543 Email: dublin@buildingblocks.ie Programme
Seminars:
Saturday 23 November 2013 All Hallows College, Drumcondra 9.30 am Registration and tea/coffee 10.00 am Welcome and Worship 10.20 am Opening Keynote address 11.20 am Seminar Session 1 12.40 pm Lunch (optional workshops) 2.00 pm Seminar Session 2 3.15 pm Closing session with John Hardwick including lots of take-away ideas! 4.00 pm End
• • • • • • • • •
Songs for Every Occasion ‘All age’ and children’s song session - John Hardwick Are You Starting Out as a New Leader? A seminar full of tips and ideas for getting started - Sally McKee Ireland is a Multi-Cultural Country A seminar to serve the needs of children from all backgrounds - Philip McKinley How to Bridge the Gap Between the Ages of 11 & 14 year olds - Geoff Harley-Mason Journey Through the Christian Year Different ways to explore Epiphany, Pentecost, Easter & more - Lynn Storey Kids Talks & Assemblies preparing & delivering - Vanessa Wyse-Jackson Games Small space & little equipment - Jono Griffin Small Group but a Wide Age Range How to prepare - Ruth Bromley How Children Learn, Making it Stick - Nicky Blair
1stVerna Langrell
3rd Sarah Kenny 4th Jason Kenny 5th Nicole Burrell
6th Ben Lewis 7th Sharon Burrell
7th Ross Campbell 10th Ruth Monds
12th Ron Taylor 13th Sarah Lewis 20th Yvonne Nixon 21st Andrew Plunkett 22nd Naomi Campbell 23 Mervyn Young 25 Phyllis Cooper 26 Paddy McCarthy 29 Rachel Nolan 29 Stephen Young
De Funnies
Something Beautiful to Look At
Black hole ‘munching’ on a star!
Tropical Opulence!
THIRTEEN THINGS YOUR BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU: 1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your garden last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. I love those flowers. That tells me you have taste ... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those outdoor toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.
5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbour to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewellery. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.
9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)
10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table and the medicine cabinet.
11. Here's a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.
12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a €35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television.
Submitted by Dudley Ward Marriage Matters – Love is Kind ‘Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.’ – Ephesians 4:32
Kindness is love in action. If patience is how love reacts in order to minimize a negative circumstance, kindness is how love acts to maximize a positive circumstance. Patience avoids a problem; kindness creates a blessing. One is preventative, the other proactive. These two sides of life are the cornerstones on which many of the other attributes we will discuss are built. Love makes you kind. And kindness makes you likeable. When you’re kind, people want to be around you. They see you as being good to them and good for them. The Bible keys in on the importance of kindness: “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favour and good repute in the sight of God and man” (Proverbs 3:3-4). Kind people simply find favour wherever they go. Even at home. But “kindness” can feel a little generic when you try defining it, much less living it. So let’s break kindness down into four basic core ingredients: Gentleness. When you’re operating from kindness, you’re careful how you treat your spouse, never being unnecessarily harsh. You’re sensitive. Tender. Even if you need to say hard things, you’ll bend over backwards to make the rebuke or challenge as easy to hear as possible. You speak the truth in love. Helpfulness. Being kind means you meet the needs of the moment. If it’s housework, you get busy. A listening ear? You give it. Kindness graces a wife with the ability to serve her husband without worrying about her rights. Kindness makes a husband curious to discover what his wife needs, then motivates him to be one who steps up and ensures those needs are met – even if his are put on hold. Willingness. Kindness inspires you to be agreeable. Instead of being obstinate, reluctant, or stubborn, you cooperate, you stay flexible. Rather than complaining and making excuses, you look for reasons to compromise and accommodate. A kind husband ends thousands of potential arguments by his willingness to listen first rather than demand his way. Initiative. Kindness thinks ahead, then takes the first step. It doesn’t sit around waiting to be prompted or coerced before getting off the couch. The kind husband or wife will be the one who greets first, smiles first, serves first, and forgives first. They don’t require the other to get his or her act together before showing love. When acting from kindness, you see the need, then make the first move. First. Jesus creatively described the kindness of love in His parable of the Good Samaritan, found it the Bible – Luke, chapter 10. A Jewish man attacked by robbers is lift for dead on a remote road. Two religious leaders, respected among their people, walk by without choosing to stop. Too busy. Too important. Too fond of clean hands. But a common man of another race – the hated Samaritans, whose dislike for the Jews was both bitter and mutual – sees this stranger in need and is moved with compassion. Crossing all cultural boundaries and risking ridicule, he stops to help the man. Bandaging his wounds and putting him on his own donkey, he carries him to safety and pays for all his medical expenses out of his own pocket. Where years of racism had caused strife and division, one act of kindness brought the enemies together. Helpfully, Willingly. Taking the initiative, this man demonstrated true kindness in every way. Wasn’t kindness one of the key things that drew you and your spouse together in the first place? When you married, weren’t you expecting to enjoy his or her kindness for the rest of your life? Didn’t your mate feel the same way about you? Even though the years can take the edge off that desire, your enjoyment in marriage is still linked to the daily level of kindness expressed. The Bible describes a woman whose husband and children bless and praise her. Among her noble attributes are these: “She opens her mouth in wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue” (Proverbs 31:26). How about you? How would your husband or wife describe you on the kindness meter? How harsh are you? How gentle and helpful? Do you wait to be asked, or do you take the initiative to help? Don’t wait for your spouse to be kind first. It is difficult to demonstrate love when you feel little to no motivation. But love in its truest sense is not based on feelings. Rather, love determines to show thoughtful actions even when there seems to be no reward. You will never learn to love until you learn to demonstrate kindness. Action: Do At least one unexpected gesture for your spouse as an act of kindness today. [An excerpt from The Love Dare by Stephen and Alex Kendrick ISBN 978-0-8054-4865-8]
Submitted by Cliff Kirker
Woman and a Fork There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting contacted tacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. her things 'in order,' she con be She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to b e buried in. wass in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to Everything wa her. 'There's one more thing,' she said excitedly.. that?',, came the Pastor's reply. 'What's that?' 'This is very important,' the young woman continued. 'I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.' The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say. That surprises you, doesn't it?' the young woman asked. 'Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request,' said the Pastor. The young woman explained. 'My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favourite part chocolate deep--dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety cho colate cake or deep substance!' fork?'' Then I want So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork? fork......the you to tell them: 'Keep your fork the best is yet to come.' good--bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something something better was coming. casket At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's cask et and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand.. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, 'What's with the fork?' And over and over he smiled. hand During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation hhe e had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking aabout bout it either. He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.
And just remember...to keep your fork! Thanks to Sally McKee for submitting this article
November 3rd is our annual Gift Day. We greatly appreciate the giving of our members – but the Government is willing to give us a lot more. If you are thinking of putting CASH or a BANK DRAFT in the Gift Day offering, please consider using one of our gift envelopes. You don’t need to use one if you plan on putting a CHEQUE in the box. In recent years our Gift Day income has been around €50000+ If we can claim a full tax refund on that it will give the church an extra €22500 rebate from the Government.
A Gardener’s thoughts on Harvest By Myrtle Ferguson After returning from a walk on one of the recent mild Autumn days, I sat on a bench in my garden enjoying the sunshine. Our garden is surrounded by trees. I was amused by several magpies chasing each other from a rowan tree which was laden with berries, enough to feed a whole flock of magpies! Then I noticed a branch moving on a sorbus tree a short distance away and realised that there were two fat wood pigeons just sitting quietly side by side having a berry feast! There must be a lesson there on an individual and world level☺. Birds are mentioned in several places in the Bible in connection with Gods provision: In the Old Testament we have the dove returning to Noah in the ark with a green bud (Genesis 8) In the New Testament we are reminded that God feeds the birds and how much more He cares about us. (Luke 12) As an old Harvest Thanksgiving hymn says:
All good gifts around us are sent from Heaven above Then Thank the Lord, O Thank the Lord, for all His love.
Noah's Carpenters Perished Many hundred years ago, They ventured to remark, That Noah had some carpenters To help him build the Ark. But sad to say on that last day, When Noah entered in, Those carpenters were left outside And perished in their sin. How sad to think they may have helped To build the Ark so great! Yet still they heeded not God's Word, And awful was their fate.
Today the same sad state exists Among the sons of men; They help to build the so-called church, Who are not born again. They stay behind for sacrament, They work, they sing, they pray; Yet never have accepted Christ, The Life, the Truth, the Way. Another Judgment Day will come, As sure as came the flood, And only those will be secure. Who shelter 'neath Christ's blood. From “Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations” by Paul Lee Tan
Submitted by Cliff Kirker
This is the third part of a Series of articles discussing the growth and development of the gospel throughout church history.
The Gospel in Church History (Part 3) by Nathan Busenitz When we talk about “the gospel in church history,” it is necessary to start at the beginning of church history—in those initial decades recorded for us in the book of Acts. Significantly, the essence of the gospel was the central issue at the first major council in church history. The Jerusalem Council met around AD 49 or 50, nearly twenty years after the church was established on the Day of Pentecost, and 275 years before the next major church council—the Council of Nicaea (which convened in 325). The Jerusalem Council, which is recorded in Acts 15, assembled to answer one primary question: “What is the essence of the gospel?” But to fully understand what was at stake, we need to begin with Paul’s first missionary journey, found in Acts 13–14. The Proclamation of the True Gospel (Acts 13–14) In the first few years of church history, immediately following the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), the church was composed entirely of Jewish Christians. It wasn’t until the conversion of the Samaritans (in Acts 8) and Cornelius (in Acts 10) that non-Jews began to be incorporated into the body of Christ. After highlighting Cornelius’s conversion, Luke detailed the spread of the gospel into Gentile lands (in Acts 11:19– 24), culminating in the formation of a predominantly Gentile church in Syrian Antioch. The inclusion of Gentiles into the church represented a major paradigm shift for Jewish Christians. For the previous 1500 years of Israel’s history, since the time of Moses, God had been specifically working through the nation of Israel. But now, in the church, Gentiles were being saved without having to first become Jewish proselytes. Of course, God had prepared the apostles for this by saving Cornelius while Peter was present. So when the apostles heard about Gentile converts in Antioch, the third largest city in the Roman empire at the time, they rejoiced and sent Barnabas to pastor the believers there. After about a year of ministry, Barnabas realized that he could use some help. So, according to Acts 11:25, he went to Tarsus, found Paul, and brought him back to Antioch. Together, then, Paul and Barnabas co-pastored the church in Antioch. Around the year AD 47, Paul and Barnabas embarked on an evangelistic mission to several Gentile cities in Southern Galatia (part of modern-day Turkey). This would be their first missionary journey. They travelled first to Cyprus, then to Perga, and then to Psidian Antioch. It was here, in Psidian Antioch, that they entered the synagogue and Paul preached a mighty gospel message to the Jews who were there. The content of that sermon is recorded in Acts 13:16–41, and it centered on the fact that Jesus is the Messiah whom God raised from the dead so that sinners might be saved through Him. In his emphasis on the gospel of grace, Paul made a critical statement in verses 38–39— one that must have shocked his Jewish audience. Paul said this: Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. In contrast to the legalism of first-century Judaism, Paul asserted that faith in Christ can do what keeping the Law of Moses could never do. Forgiveness from sin (and true spiritual freedom) comes only through the work of Christ, and not through keeping the Mosaic Law. In Acts 14, we learn that the missionaries traveled from there to several other cities. In every place, they were advancing the gospel of grace—proclaiming to both Jews and Gentiles that salvation comes by grace through faith in Christ alone. In Acts 14:27, they finally returned to their sending church. Luke describes their homecoming with these words: “When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they spent a long time with the disciples.” Their first missionary journey was over, and by all estimates, it has been a great success. Though it lasted many months, and though Paul and Barnabas were severely persecuted and nearly killed, new churches had been planted in Asia Minor. The gospel had been proclaimed to the Gentiles. And the believers responded with great joy and thanksgiving to God.
But controversy was about to erupt… The Perversion of the True Gospel (Acts 15:1–5) Acts 14 ends with the church in Syrian Antioch rejoicing over the success of the first missionary journey. By contrast, Acts 15 opens with these words: Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.” (Acts 15:1–5) In Acts 13:38–39, Paul had told the Jews of Psidian Antioch that faith in Christ does what the Law of Moses could not do: it brings salvation from sin. But now, a group of former Pharisees was insisting that faith in Christ was not enough. In addition to faith, they argued that both circumcision (Acts 15:2) and keeping the Mosaic Law (Acts 15:5) were necessary for salvation. This was no small matter. The heart of the gospel was at stake: Is salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone? Or is salvation based on one’s observance of the Law of Moses? Paul and Barnabas had just been on an extensive missionary journey. And now these former Pharisees, who later became known as the Judaizers, were claiming that the gospel of grace—the gospel Paul and Barnabas had been preaching—was incomplete and illegitimate unless it included legalistic works. It’s no wonder that, as Luke explains, great dissension and debate arose among them. And so Paul and Barnabas travelled to Jerusalem to settle the matter once and for all. The Preservation of the True Gospel (Acts 15:6–11) When he arrived in Jerusalem, Paul first met with several apostolic leaders privately—explaining to them the gospel message that he had been preaching (Gal. 2:2). Those leaders (including Peter, John, and James, the half-brother of Jesus) agreed that Paul’s gospel of grace was, indeed, the true gospel (Gal. 2:8–9). But the controversy still needed to be publically addressed at the Jerusalem Council. Acts 15:6–11 describes what happened at the council. According to verse 6, “The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.” After “much debate” (v. 7), the apostle Peter stood up in defense of the true gospel. Here is what he said: “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.” (Acts 15:7b–11) With succinctness and clarity, Peter affirmed several key aspects of the true gospel.
• • • • •
In verse 7, he confirmed the fact that it was right for Gentiles to hear the gospel and believe. In verse 8, he acknowledged that the Gentiles had received the Holy Spirit just as Jewish believers had on the Day of Pentecost. In verse 9, he emphasized that God had cleansed their hearts through faith. In verse 10, he explained that the Mosaic Law was a burden that was not necessary for salvation. And in verse 11, he reiterated the truth that all Christians (both Jew and Gentile) are saved by grace.
Peter’s words provided an authoritative articulation and defense of the gospel Paul had been preaching—namely that salvation is by grace through faith, and not as a result of works. James, the brother of our Lord, and the rest of the Jerusalem Council agreed with Peter—noting that Gentile Christians did not need to be circumcised or keep the Mosaic Law in order to be saved. In verses 20–21, they did ask Gentile believers to be sensitive to certain things for the sake of Jewish believers who have stricter consciences. (Those requests fit with Paul’s instruction about weaker brothers in Romans 14–15 and in 1 Corinthians 8–9.)
But the summary judgment of the Jerusalem Council agreed completely with Peter’s testimony in verses 7–11. The burden of the Mosaic Law should not be required of new converts, because salvation is not by works. Rather, it is by grace through faith. Here then, at the first church council, the gospel of grace was clearly affirmed; and the legalism of the Judaizers was roundly condemned. After this, according to verse 30, Paul and Barnabas went back to Antioch and stayed there for awhile. Even though the Judaizers had been defeated, they still continued to wreak havoc in the church. At some point, their influence began to infiltrate the churches of Southern Galatia that Paul and Barnabas had planted on their first missionary journey. In the very cities where Paul had nearly been killed, the churches he planted were starting to be confused by legalistic false teachers who claimed that the gospel of grace was insufficient. Paul responded by writing a letter to the believers in those churches. That epistle, known as the book of Galatians, began with a stern warning against adding works to the gospel. To do so would be to embrace “a different gospel” (Gal. 1:6), which in reality is no gospel at all. Only the true gospel can save. Any other version must be discarded and denounced. Thus, the true gospel of grace was both proclaimed and preserved in the earliest decades of church history—such that Paul could later tell the Ephesians, “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8–9). But what about the centuries after the apostolic age ended? In Part 4 of this series we will look beyond New Testament history at the centuries that followed. Did the church fathers maintain a commitment to the gospel of grace? Or did they, like the Judaizers, fall into the error of making the offer of salvation contingent upon good works? (To Be Continued)
Teaching Schedule for November Date
Speaker
Topic – E100
3rd
Dougie McCormack
‘Paul to Churches’
10th
Joe Donnelly
‘Paul to Leaders’
17th
Darren Mooney
‘Apostles Teaching’
24th
Paul Coulter
‘The Revelation’
The Alpha Course is starting on Monday the 13th January 2014 in DEC at 7.30pm and will run for 9 Mondays If you would like to help in any way please contact Mick Mooney 085728782 Email: alpha@dec.ie If you can cook a meal for one of the nights there is a list on the desk in the foyer with the dates. Please start praying now for those you are going to invite. Ideas for advertising are welcome!
Please Pray for:
Mick Power and his family following the sudden death of his father, Gerald. On behalf of the church, we send our deepest sympathy to the Power family.
Dave Johnston and his family following the recent passing of his Father.
Peris Quin’s sister Hazel, who has undergone serious surgery and is recovering well.
Healing for Sharon Geddes who is still in constant pain with a back problem.
Our elders – Cliff, Dougie, Mick, Ross and Darren, as they seek The Lord’s guidance and peace in all their planning, decisions and pastoral work.
For this Sunday’s Gift Day, that we would see God’s abundance and blessing.
The Prayer Walk continues on Monday evenings. Meeting in the church at 8.00pm
‘And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.’ Ephesians 6:18