Paul converted some gentile and people from Jerusalem claiming to be with the church, in Jerusalem said they had to obey Moses. There was a meeting and this was the end result of the meeting, instructions on the minimum requirements of Christianity:
Act 15:28-29 KJV For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; (29) That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
This instruction was inspired and given to the newly converted gentiles. This was all they had to do after being baptized into Christ (Gal 3:27).
a. No idolatry: no eating anything offered to an idol (stay faithful to Jesus)
b. No drinking blood, or things strangled
c. No fornication and adultery is a type of fornication (stay faithful to your spouse)
Do you want pure religion?
Jas 1:26-27 KJV If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. (27) Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Purest form of religion to take care of or to visit in times of affliction widows. Orphans and widows have none to help them except God upon who they call on for provision. So when you help one of these, then you have helped God feed and take of one that has Him as their only hope. To visit means to supply their needs in times of affliction. If one helped orphans and widows, then stayed faithful to Jesus or kept himself unspotted, then this man would be called pure religion.
Do you want to be instructed as if you were about to be persecuted or were questioning your faith?
Rom 12:1-3 KJV I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (3) For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
The Roman Christians were told to present their bodies as a living sacrifice. They were about to be persecuted and some even burned at the stake, when the persecution began. This being their reasonable service: To stay faithful during a trial of death or any other trial, stay faithful to Jesus. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by renewing your mind. Do not think I am dying but think I will be in heaven! Change the way you think. Prove what is good acceptable and perfect will of God. Will this send me to heaven? Or to Hell? You have test things and try things in order to prove it true or false. There is only one way to beat the devil, not wanting what the world offers you, Jesus has got to be your only source.
Father, we pray Jesus would be our only desire and source, please meet our souls deepest needs and heal our souls that we may be forgiven and whole, in Jesus of Nazareth’s name amen.
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