The Necessary Things
28. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, to lay on you no greater burden than these necessary things:
29. That you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Farewell.
Acts 15:28-29
Know When it is Too Much
The early Church struggled to find its identity immediately following the Ascension of Christ into Heaven. While some believers attempted to maintain their identity through the practice of Judaism, others held on to the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ. It was hard for the Judaic Christians to shake their dependency on the Law of Moses even though they understood that the Law could not save them. The Law of Moses was given to expose sin and to reveal that man could only find Salvation through the free gift of God’s Son. The Judaizers argued that works of the Law were important to the faith and sought to bring the Gentiles under the Law as they were coming to Christ.
This debate over Law versus Grace continued to press upon the Church. There were disputes, debates, and dissension among believers, and it had a negative impact on the preaching of the Gospel. The disagreements were too much. Rather than the believers focusing on the essential elements of the Gospel, they were more concerned about adding Law to Grace while others were concerned about taking away the Law. It was too much of the wrong things and not enough of the right things. So, the Church leaders called for a meeting to resolve the matter of Grace versus Law. As they met in Jerusalem, Peter told of his experience of sharing the Gospel with Cornelius household. While Peter was literally giving them the Word, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. After they heard the Word, Peter gave them one necessary thing. They needed to be baptized to identify with Christ. Nothing else was needed; anything else would have been too much. Acts 15:7-11.
The Apostles, Paul and Barnabas also testified how the Grace of God had used them to minister throughout the Roman Empire. They spoke of how God confirmed the work by granting miracles and wonders among the people. Nothing else was needed; anything else would have been too much. Acts 15:12.
So, at the conclusion of the meeting, the leaders of the Church got together to write to all Gentile believers. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, to lay on you no greater burden than these necessary things … That you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Farewell. They did not tell them to hate the Law. They did not tell them abandon the principles of Christianity. They simply told them that it seemed good to the Holy Spirit that they keep the necessary things. If they wrote anything else additional, it would have been too much. Acts 15:25-26
Asking that they keep themselves from idols was not too much. Asking them to stay away from violence and shedding of blood was not too much. Asking them to abstain from food that was strangled was not too much. Certainly, telling them to abstain from fornication was not too much. They said, these are the necessary things. If you do these necessary things, you will do well. The Holy Spirit would lead them into fellowship with Christ and they would know that they were serving God in Spirit and in Truth if they followed the necessary things.
Unnecessary Things Done in Jesus Name
The problem with the modern Church is that we have added so much that it has burdened itself down with unnecessary things. The results are 1) we cannot pray effectively, 2) we are not operating efficiently, and 3) we are not witnessing the Power of God enthusiastically. It all boils down to what I call “doing too much.”
One of the unnecessary things in a lot of Churches is the issue of “pursuing financial goals” over God’s Power. The tragedy of the teaching of tithing is that many focus on this as an obligation of the believer versus a privilege to participate in Kingdom giving. If tithing is taught as a Law practice rather than a fruitful experience as directed by the Holy Spirit, it will result in disgruntled giving. It will not be a blessing to the believer because it will be based on the works of the flesh rather than the joy of the Holy Spirit. Spirit directed giving inspires us to give and honor the Lord. It is an honor to give. It is a joy to give. Offering time should be a joyous time under the direction of the Holy Spirit. The other side of pursuing financial goals is that believers seek God as a Divine Banker rather than as the Heavenly Father. This damages our relationship with God. It really boils down to doing too much.
Another practice of the Church is that of entertainment. I will not say that this is new to the Church for it has been there all along. I will say that this generation has taken it to extremes. We have people who seek to go into the “Christian Entertainment Industry.” Those words even sound wrong. I know there are times when we feel pressured to attract people, but entertaining folks into the Kingdom creates a false sense of Salvation. First, people who attend the events may be led to believe that showing up for Church is all that is needed. Second, people may be led to believe if they participate or are a part of the entertainment, that secures them a seat in Heaven. Third, it is possible to misstate entertainment activities as the actual work of the Holy Spirit and that could lead to blasphemy. We could actually be committing a sin against the Holy Spirit by exalting entertainment above the work of God. Be careful with doing too much. Are we saying that the Church does not need music, activities, and programs? By no means. We are saying that those things should not be the primary focus of the Church. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added. Matthew 6:33.
The third practice of the Church is preaching the “Comfort Seeker Gospel.” I know that we are told to bring our burdens to the Lord and leave them there, which is certainly true. We should not think or believe that if we live for God there will never be any problems, difficulties, or even tragedies. The New Testament is filled with tragic things happening to God’s people. Even though those things happened, God’s people kept the faith and believed that God would use their suffering to win souls.
We now have a generation that can be better classified as “comfort seekers.” You hear so many say that you can pray, rebuke, or cast away every struggle. That is not the way the Gospel works. Jesus said, “If anyone will come after Me, they must first deny themselves, take up your cross and follow Me.” Mark 8:34. I am certainly not suggesting that we allow ourselves to be stepped on by the world. I am saying that if anyone suffers as a Christian, they are gaining for themselves a crown that does not fade away and is eternal in the Heavens. Suffering and struggles cause us to pray more. The trials of this life help us to listen and be receptive to the Holy Spirit’s voice. No, I am not looking to be a martyr but if it happens, then to God be the Glory. Easy Street is not the path you want to take if you are following Jesus in the Narrow Way.
What Must I Do – If I Am Saved?
The necessary things are what we must pay attention to. There are certain things that are expected of every Christian. They are what the original Church called necessary things. The Early Church Leaders were led by the Holy Spirit to send the message to the Churches. I believe that message applies to the Church today. They broke it down into four areas of life that every believer needs to watch. 1) Idols, 2) Blood or violence, 3) things strangled or offensive eating habits, and 4) fornication. The question is not about what must I do to be saved. We know that believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is how we are saved. We need now to learn what do saved people do to honor the Lord Jesus.
The Christian’s lifestyle after Salvation was the concern of the Church leaders. Here are the applications. First have nothing to do with idols. Don’t even mention them because with Christ you know the Truth and the idol is just a lie. Don’t play with horoscopes, witchcraft, palm reading, or anything that would be grieve the Holy Spirit. Honor His presence by not allowing idols in your presence. 1 John 5:21
Second, abstain from blood or violence. While ‘blood’ in the Bible often refers to sacrifices, the term also applies to bloodshed. Christians are not to be those who shed blood because vengeance belongs to God. If you have noticed, there is growing anger and hostility even among Church folk these days. People are venting their frustration with violent outbursts. That should not be the nature of the Christian. Don’t be a seeker of blood, don’t live by the “eye for an eye” teachings of revenge. Should we be passive? No, stand for what’s right but do it in a way that reflects and honors. Romans 12:19.
Third, abstain from things strangled. This command addresses the Christian’s attitude toward Jewish believers. Here the leaders were concerned that Gentile believers recognize the offensiveness of eating things strangled or with blood in it. Simply put, “if meat offends my brother, I will not eat of it.” 1 Corinthians 8:13. Many of the Gentiles believers were fellowshipping with Jews in Christ. Thus, this command would help them in building relationships together in Christ.
Fourth, abstain from fornication. The first necessary thing has to deal with our relationship with God; abstain from idols. The second necessary thing has to do with our relationship with other people; abstain from blood. The third necessary thing has to do with our relationship with Jews or those who would be offended with our faith by our eating habits; abstain from things strangled. This fourth necessary thing has to do with our relationship with our God and our self; abstain from fornication. Why should we abstain from anything that is sexually impure? Simply put, it defiles our spirit, and we sin against our own body according to 1 Corinthians 6:18.
Here is the Good News, by abstaining from these things, a believer is free to pursue and spend their time loving God more and serving Him better. Never look at the things we abstain from as keeping us from something because those unnecessary things will eventually destroy us. If, however, we use our time to seek God and His righteousness, there is so much more that God will add to our lives. It will seem good to the Holy Spirit to give you and me the riches of Heaven as we honor God in living. Those are the things that are necessary.