And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

 Good morning. There was much debate. To us today it is puzzling why they would have to debate about the issue – surely it was obvious. Finally Peter stood up and reminded them what happened in the early days when he was sent to Cornelius. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. One sees what one wants to. They were not interested in the Gentiles, and so they did not see that they also had the favor of God. Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? These people had been Jews all of their lives, and they were not able to live up to the law’s standards; how could they expect people who had never been Jews to follow the law? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are. After all of these years, apparently it still had not sunk in that it was through grace that we are saved. It was still years later that Paul wrote about that very topic. All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. God was showing His approval of what Paul and Barnabas were doing among the Gentiles. We will see the conclusion next time. Father help this to be a great day for Rus. Thank You that You always want the best for us.

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