Do not trouble those who are turning to God!

[Acts 15:12-21]

Recently, there was an article in the U.S. magazine "Christian Today" that investigated the growth trends of American churches. The study selected 100 growing churches and analyzed how they experienced growth through interviews with their pastors. Growing churches were found to share several characteristics, including ample parking, a clear vision for the future, creative programs, an open attitude towards new believers, and voluntary participation and service (Internet). Among these characteristics, I am particularly interested in the open attitude towards new believers. Do we have new believers in our church? In other words, do we have individuals living a new life with Christ? While posing this question, I want to challenge each of us to invest in evangelism, starting with ourselves. However, equally important is the thought that existing members, who can welcome new believers, should be. We need to open our hearts wide and sincerely welcome new believers. The book ‘Principles and Strategies for Nurturing New Believers’ by Sung-hoon Myung states that to succeed in nurturing new believers, there must be the 4Ms:

The first M is Mind.

The entire church must consider new believers as their top customers and shift all focus to the perspective of new believers and non-believers. This worldview change, from the senior pastor to the church council and Sunday school, should treat new believers as kings and queens. Attitude is always more important than facts.

The second M is Men.

Once the mindset has changed, well-trained caregivers or helpers responsible for new believers should be available. The key to the ministry of new believers lies in how many helpers are prepared to devote their lives to new believers.

The third M is Method.

After people capable of caring for new believers are trained, a strategic methodology suitable for each church should be prepared. Rather than blindly adopting what works in other churches, principles applicable in any situation should be understood.

The last M is Management.

For the ministry of new believers to succeed, there must be an excellent ongoing management system. There should be a leader responsible for the entire ministry of new believers, and a supporting staff should be ready.

In today's passage, Acts 15:19, after reporting on the Gentile mission work, James, the brother of Jesus, expresses his opinion to the assembled crowd: "Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God." The phrase "not trouble" in this context means "not burdening with a heavy load" (Park). Through James's words urging not to burden the Gentiles turning to God with heavy loads, I want to receive the lesson that God wants to give to each of us.

First, to avoid troubling those turning to God, we need to remain silent.

Look at Acts 15:12 – “And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.” Indeed, after much debate in the Jerusalem church between Paul, Barnabas, and the Pharisaic Jewish believers regarding whether salvation comes through faith alone or through faith plus adherence to the law, especially circumcision, when Peter stood up to preach, the entire assembly fell silent (v. 12). As Barnabas and Paul recounted the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them, the assembly listened quietly (v. 12). In order not to trouble those turning to God, specifically the Gentile believers, the Jewish believers needed to remain silent. They had to refrain from insisting that salvation required not only faith in Jesus but also adherence to Moses' law, particularly circumcision. Instead, they heard in silence Peter's statement that both Jewish and Gentile believers were saved by the grace of the Lord (v. 11).

We should not burden newcomers to the church with heavy loads. In the book ‘77 Reasons People Hate Church,’ authored by Man-jae Lee, one of the reasons highlighted is the sixth: ‘It is uncomfortable that the church does not completely prohibit alcohol and tobacco.’ While not agreeing with all 77 reasons, when considering this one, we see how the church, by not remaining silent, may unintentionally impose a yoke or a heavy burden on those turning to God, like the Pharisaic Jewish believers. One specific example is the issue of alcohol and tobacco. If a church, with a Pharisaic attitude, treats alcohol and tobacco as criteria for true membership, it is misguided. Professor Sung-bin Im (Professor of Christian Ethics at the Presbyterian Theological Seminary) wrote under the title ‘Alcohol and Tobacco from a Christian Ethical Perspective’ that around the church, opinions such as the following are often heard: Do you know how much of a stumbling block an extreme and exclusive attitude toward alcohol and tobacco has been to the mission of the Korean church? Do you know how many people have given up on becoming members because of overly high moral standards? By making people who attend church with great difficulty uncomfortable about their conscience due to such a trivial cultural issue as alcohol and tobacco, is it not ultimately hindering active spiritual life?’ (Internet). A churchgoer once asked a pastor the following: ‘Pastor, my husband still cannot quit drinking and smoking even though he goes to church. He seems to think he should quit but is struggling. Moreover, there are often situations in social life where he can't help it. He feels like he is sinning just by coming to church because of this problem. What should I do?’ The pastor's response was: ‘While studying the Talmud at a school for educating rabbis, I made it a rule that students were not allowed to smoke. Wondering how students who wanted to smoke could do so, one student went to the rabbi and obtained permission. The student asked the rabbi, 'What if a person smokes while reading the holy Talmud?' The rabbi replied, 'It is not allowed to smoke while reading the holy Talmud.' Then the student asked again, 'What if a person who smokes wants to read the Talmud?' At that point, the rabbi said, 'That is fine!' I think the same applies to faith and tobacco. A person attending church does not need to intentionally smoke. This is because smoking is harmful to one's body, and all doctors advise against it. However, even if a non-believer who still smokes comes to church, it is praiseworthy. We must warmly welcome those who, despite smoking, step into the church. It is more beneficial to the soul than not coming to church while smoking. The existing believers should not condemn new believers who cannot quit smoking. Rather than making it difficult for people who smoke to attend church, we should encourage and accept them (Internet).

First, we should not trouble those who are coming to the church for the first time.

To do so, we need to remain silent. In other words, we should not burden newcomers to the church with useless yokes. There is nothing else required for salvation except believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we should welcome them in the name of the Lord. The primary concern is their soul's salvation, not things like alcohol and tobacco.

Second, to avoid troubling those turning to God, we need to seek the Lord.

Look at Acts 15:17 - "that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old." James quotes the words of the prophet Amos (Amos 9:11-12) in Acts 15:14-18 to explain Peter's speech in verses 7-11. In essence, James confirms that the core message of Peter's speech, stating that both Jews and Gentiles “believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus we shall be saved, even as they” (v. 11), is correct. James's intention is to emphasize that the inclusion of Gentiles as God's people was fundamentally part of God's plan from the beginning. In other words, James suggests that God had prophesied through the prophets that from the creation, those He loves include not only Jews but also Gentiles. Therefore, James urges that, just like the Jewish believers, the Gentile believers should believe in the grace of the Lord Jesus for their salvation (v. 11). In verse 19, James explicitly expresses his opinion: "Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God." James advises the Jewish believers, especially those from the Pharisaic tradition, not to trouble those turning to God, meaning the Gentile brothers, with conditions other than believing in Jesus Christ for salvation (Park).

Those who seek the Lord are those who believe in the message of Acts 13:38-39. Therefore, those who do not trouble those turning to God are those who believe in the Lord. Look at Acts 13:38-39: "Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man (Jesus) forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses." Those who seek the Lord know that they cannot be justified by the law of Moses. They understand that they are justified only by believing in Jesus Christ, who grants forgiveness of sins. In other words, those who seek the Lord are the ones who believe in the truth that "the righteous shall live by his faith" (Hab. 2:4). Those who seek the Lord are the ones who, irrespective of being Jews or Gentiles, transcending nationality, culture, and each ethnic group's regulations, are called by the name of Jesus and believe in Him. They understand and believe in the gospel that everyone called by the name of Jesus, regardless of being Jews or Gentiles, receives salvation. Therefore, those who seek the Lord do not burden disciples with useless yokes and do not trouble them.

Third and last, there is something to be abstained from.

Look at Acts 15:20 - "but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood." While explaining or supporting Peter's words (vv. 7-11) to the Jewish believers of the Pharisaic tradition, James expressed his opinion not to trouble those turning to God among the Gentiles. After that, James did not try to unilaterally resolve the issue in a direction favorable only to the Gentile believers. Instead, he wrote a letter to them in verses 20-21, advising them to abstain from certain things, showing consideration for the position of Jewish believers. In other words, while James did not agree with the Pharisaic tradition of imposing conditions such as law observance, especially circumcision, for salvation, he did counsel the Gentile believers on how their lives, based on the Mosaic law, should be, urging them to abstain from certain things. James's admonition to the Gentile believers to abstain from certain things can be summarized into four categories (Yoo): (1) things polluted by idols, (2) sexual immorality, (3) what has been strangled, and (4) blood (v. 20). The term "things polluted by idols" refers to food consecrated to idols from the perspective of Jewish believers. Jewish believers never ate such food because, according to their faith, consuming this food would render them unclean, jeopardizing their status as God's chosen people. Furthermore, eating food consecrated to idols was even more unthinkable than consuming other impure foods. Therefore, James, considering the perspective of Jewish believers, urged Gentile believers in his letter to abstain from freely eating food consecrated to idols to maintain harmonious fellowship with Jewish believers. James's advice to abstain from sexual immorality refers not only to broad sexual crimes but also to incestuous relationships prohibited in the Old Testament. The reason is that Jewish believers condemned marriages between close relatives, whereas Gentiles did not consider it a serious issue. "What has been strangled" refers to the improper slaughtering of animals without properly draining the blood. When addressing Gentile believers, James urged them to abstain from consuming meat from animals whose blood had not been properly drained. Lastly, James advised Gentile believers not to consume blood directly. James cautioned against these four items because, from the perspective of Jewish believers, these were considered taboo. Look at verse 21: "For from ancient generations, Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues." Therefore, for Gentile believers who turned to God to have amicable fellowship with Jewish believers, James, through his letter, urged them to abstain from these four items.

To avoid troubling those returning to God, we must exercise restraint. Especially in our church, which seeks to progress as a united body with various cultural and linguistic backgrounds, it is crucial to respect and uphold our unity in the Lord by exercising mutual restraint. To achieve this, we need to be considerate and exercise restraint for one another. In 1 Corinthians 9:19-21, Paul expresses it this way: "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews, I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law, I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law, I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law." In essence, Paul adapted to various circumstances to bring salvation to as many as possible (1 Cor. 9:22). His ultimate goal was to do everything for the sake of the gospel. As seen in 1 Corinthians 9:23, "I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." We should not trouble those who are new to the church, especially those who have recently come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior through evangelism. To achieve this, we need to be still, seek the Lord, and exercise restraint.

Seeking for those returning to the Lord,

James Kim

(With the hope that our church becomes a church that sincerely welcomes new believers)