Listening to God in his Word

Acts 15: 30-31 “So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message.”

The letter mentioned in today’s passage was an argument for why Gentiles entering the Christian faith should not be required to adhere to Jewish customs of circumcision. At this point in the history of the church, the bible as we know it today didn’t exist yet. In fact, they were literally writing it as they went along. It seems plausible that the early church understood in some way that letters like this one would become important pieces of the church’s growth and development. Maybe they even had some inkling that such letters would be read centuries into the future, as they are today.

As the early church heard God’s word in the form of these early letters and descriptions, we see that they were encouraged by them and that they gathered together to listen as a community. This is an example of how we too can grow wise from listening to God’s word. By gathering as a community to hear and be encouraged by the letters of those who walked with Jesus on earth, we can grow in wisdom.

As we look toward Sunday, think about how you hope to grow in wisdom as we gather together.