Acts 15:19 Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God There was a huge debate in the early church about just how inclusive God wanted the church to be. Specifically, the debate revolved around the Gentiles. When non-Jewish people came to believe that Jesus was the Messiah and they wanted to become part of the church, what was to be done with them? Should they become Jewish first - which meant circumcision and kosher eating, etc? Should they be treated the same as Jewish Christians or as some kind of second-class Christians?
So a major meeting took place in Jerusalem to decide these questions. And this is the voice of James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem. With the Spirit's wisdom, he made a decision that changed the course of the church and opened the path to all. Great leaders who change the course of history come along and humans debate what makes a great leader. In the example of James we see one key quality - listening to God's voice.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join us for worship this weekend - Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. We'll be blessing backpacks at both services as students and teachers prepare to return to school. Bring your backpacks! Visit us at http://www.allsaintspalatine.org | 
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