How to Follow Christ With Your Hearts and Souls Instead of Our Minds and Emotions

The Conclusion of the Council at Jerusalem:

Following Our Hearts for the Sake of Christ

(Acts chapter 15, verses 13–22)

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You are about to read a brief excerpt from my Christian nonfiction book, “The Social Gospel Teaching Series Vol. 2: the Acts of the Apostles” by Rev. Paul J. Bern © copyright 2022 by Rev. Paul J. Bern, all rights reserved

Last week as we left off at verse 12, a council had been convened at Jerusalem among the leadership of the early Church to discuss whether Jewish customs should be mandatory for non-Jewish believers, all of whom were united in their faith in Christ. Paul and Barnabas had first encountered this erroneous teaching on their first missionary journey together, and they had brought this to the attention of the apostles in Jerusalem. Peter, having heard all sides in this discussion, makes an eloquent statement against the whole idea of forcing Gentiles to undergo circumcision and to celebrate the Jewish Holy Days. He quotes extensively from the Old Testament — the only Bible in existence at that time — to make…