Really? Keeping your gentiles in a natural state is really an offense to God? Why did he make them that way if he wanted you to change them? Okay… enough about genitalia. You think they would mention that when they were warning us about the Holy Ghost.
Paul and Barnabas had a big dispute with them about that. They decide that Barney and Paulie and certain others should go visit the apostles in Jerusalem and the elders and ask them what they think about circumcision. They passed through Phenice and Samaria talking about the conversion of Gentiles and bringing great joy to the brethren.
When they finally came to Jerusalem, they went to the church of the apostles and elders and talked about thethings God had done with them. Up rose a certain sect of Pharisees who believed you had to be circumcised to keep the law of Moses. The apostles and elders considered this. After they argued a while, Peter rose up and saying “Men and brethren, you how a long time ago God made the choice that the Gentiles would listen to me and believe. God knows hearts and watches and gives them Holy Ghost like he did us, and didn’t give them any difference from us, purifying their hearts by faith.
So why tempt your God to put a yoke around the necks of the disciples, a yoke that neither we or our fathers could bear? But we believe that through the grace of Lord Jesus Christ we will be saved, just like them.
Ah yes isn’t that the crux of things, why ask a tough question we can’t answer? Why would you even expect a real answer? Just believe and you will be saved like us.
The multitude kept quiet and listened to Barney and Paulie talking about the miracles and wonders God had worked among the Gentiles through them. After they had held their piece, James started talking saying “Hey everybody, listen to me! Simeon has talked about how God first visited the Gentiles to find people for his name. It’s written that the prophets agree with this. After this I will return and rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen down. I will build it in the ruins and set it up so the remaining men who seek the Lord, and all of the gentiles who call my name saying the Lord does all of these things. God knows all of his works from the beginning of the world. I say we shouldn’t trouble the Gentiles that are turned to God. But we should tell thane to abstain from idols, fornication, things that are strangled, and blood. They preach what Moses said in every city, in every synagogue every Sabbath.”
Ah yes, this is how we convert people, by telling them they don’t really have to obey all of the old laws.
That please the Apostles and elders, and the whole church. They sent some men, Judas Barsabas, and Silas with Paul and Barney back to Antioch. They wrote letters, greeting the Gentiles Brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. The letters said things like this “As much as we’ve heard that some of us have troubled you with our words, threatening your soul saying you have to be circumcised to keep the law, but we gave no such commandment. We all think the it’s good that we’ve sent these chosen men with our beloved Barney and Paulie, men who have risked their lives in JC’s name! We have send you Judas and Silas who will tell you this things. The Holy Ghost likes it when we don’t have a great burden with these things, like abstaining from meats offered to idols, and form blood, things that are strangled, from fornication. If you stay away from those things you’ll do well. Fare thee well!”
When they were dismissed, they came to Antioch, when they gathered a crowd together, the delivered the letter, and everyone rejoiced for the consolation. Judas and Silas were prophets too, and they urged the brethren and confirmed them. After they stayed a while, they left the brethren to go see the apostles except for Silas who was happier staying there.
Paulie and Barney continued to Antioch teaching and preaching the of the Lord with many others. One day Paulie said to Barney “Let’s for again and visit our brethren in every city that we’ve preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing?”
Barney decided to take John Mark with them. But Paulie didn’t like that idea, so he left them in Pamphylia and didn’t with them. They actually had a big fight about this, so Barney to Mark and sailed to Cyprus. Paul chose Silas and the brethren recommended them by the grace of God to go through Syria and Cilicia confirming the churches. So they did.
Wow so they never really tell us what Paul and Barney’s fight was about? Probably about circumcision.
I'm sorry, I know it's a pretty popular thing to do, but I just can't get behind genital mutilation. That's just really screwed up. Don't get me wrong, I think for people my age the percentage of circumcised men is something ridiculous like 80% in America, but it's still just gross. If my kid is a boy there's just no way I'm doing that. (Luckily for him, it's not nearly as popular now as it used to be and it's particualarly unpopular on the West Coast).
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