Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” (Acts 15:6-11)Be very careful when identifying with various groups and practices. Like in the early days of the Church, various groups of believers can still put yokes of oppression and bondage upon believers today.
Test everything by the Spirit of God. Have a good one on one with Him. While it is true that we as CHRISTians are free, we still must honor the Lord with all we do and be sure not to cause anyone to stumble. But we DO have biblical freedoms nevertheless!
So be sure. Do not follow customs and practices that burden (Acts 15:28). However, we are not to grieve the Holy Spirit either! (Ephesians 4:30) Be sure to have some good talks with the Holy Spirit from time to time!
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