Remember Jesus

Acts 21:20b-21 Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.”
 
AS we asked in the previous lesson, were the Jews who confessed Christ holding onto the law, even though they confessed Jesus? In many ways they were. A Jew, who came to faith in Jesus did not immediately stop the traditions and sacred habits of their religion. For example, we witness in Acts 3:1 Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer – at three in the afternoon. They knew they could pray to Jesus anytime, anywhere. They knew the very intimate relationship they had with the Holy Spirit. Yet this did not cause them to reject the Jews’ prayer routine.
   In fact, their understanding of God’s power revealed through prayer likely caused them to appreciate and fulfill this traditional schedule with a passionate desire for Jesus. He had taught them to pray. Now they had real power and meaning in their prayers.
   Do you think they prayed praise to God from the Scriptures such as  Psalms 100:5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. They were joyfully living God’s faithfulness fulfilled in their generation!
   In a like manner, we have read Paul had desired to celebrate the Passover and then Pentecost in Jerusalem. Why? He’s a Christian, who fervently knew the power of the Passover Lamb, who takes away the sins of the world. Saved in Jesus, this “Pharisee, son of a Pharisees” (Acts 23:6) didn’t need to lawfully fulfill God’s old covenant commands. But the Spirit had written the law on Paul’s heart. The Passover, Pentecost and the third appoint Feast of the Tabernacles, pointed to Jesus’ saving work to open heaven to one’s unlawful heart. There was no need to stop celebrating these Feasts if the new Christians understood these are illustrations of Jesus incarnation, crucifixion and redemption.
   Btu wasn’t it true Paul was telling them not to circumcise their children? In fact, he had not. His objection to circumcision was regarding the Gentiles. They did not need to be circumcised to enter Jesus’ covenant of grace.  
           Good traditions in the church today have been set to remind us that in God’s grace, Jesus has fulfilled the law. Yes, with various traditions you can celebrate Christmas, Easter, Epiphany, Pentecost and other moments in the gospel’s history.  And when you do, always remember you are worshiping Jesus, your Savior, whom God has granted to you: Ephesians 2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.