WEBVTT 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:03.700 Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're 00:00:03.700 --> 00:00:05.740 taking this journey together to read the Bible 00:00:05.740 --> 00:00:09.119 in a year. Today's reading is from the book of 00:00:09.119 --> 00:00:12.720 Acts, chapter 15, and the first chapter of the 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:16.760 epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians. Acts, chapter 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:20.539 15. And certain men came down from Judea and 00:00:20.539 --> 00:00:22.940 taught the brethren, Unless you are circumcised 00:00:22.940 --> 00:00:25.460 according to the custom of Moses, you cannot 00:00:25.460 --> 00:00:28.589 be saved. Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had 00:00:28.589 --> 00:00:31.230 no small dissension and dispute with them, they 00:00:31.230 --> 00:00:33.609 determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain 00:00:33.609 --> 00:00:36.630 others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the 00:00:36.630 --> 00:00:39.549 apostles and elders about this question. So being 00:00:39.549 --> 00:00:41.909 sent on their way by the church, they passed 00:00:41.909 --> 00:00:44.789 through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the 00:00:44.789 --> 00:00:47.429 conversion of the Gentiles, and they caused great 00:00:47.429 --> 00:00:50.109 joy to all the brethren. And when they had come 00:00:50.109 --> 00:00:52.609 to Jerusalem, They were received by the church 00:00:52.609 --> 00:00:55.450 and the apostles and the elders, and they reported 00:00:55.450 --> 00:00:58.630 all things that God had done with them. But some 00:00:58.630 --> 00:01:01.429 of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose 00:01:01.429 --> 00:01:04.329 up saying, It is necessary to circumcise them 00:01:04.329 --> 00:01:06.890 and to command them to keep the law of Moses. 00:01:07.209 --> 00:01:10.250 Now the apostles and elders came together to 00:01:10.250 --> 00:01:12.890 consider this matter. And when there had been 00:01:12.890 --> 00:01:15.709 much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them, 00:01:15.870 --> 00:01:18.099 Men and brethren, You know that a good while 00:01:18.099 --> 00:01:22.219 ago God chose among us that by my mouth the Gentiles 00:01:22.219 --> 00:01:24.299 should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:27.359 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:30.379 by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did 00:01:30.379 --> 00:01:33.379 to us, and made no distinction between us and 00:01:33.379 --> 00:01:36.760 them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, 00:01:36.980 --> 00:01:39.739 why do you test God by putting a yoke on the 00:01:39.739 --> 00:01:42.560 neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:46.140 nor we were able to bear? but we believe that 00:01:46.140 --> 00:01:48.859 through the grace of the lord jesus christ we 00:01:48.859 --> 00:01:52.480 shall be saved in the same manner as they then 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:54.760 all the multitude kept silent and listened to 00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:57.099 barnabas and paul declaring how many miracles 00:01:57.099 --> 00:02:00.060 and wonders god had worked through them among 00:02:00.060 --> 00:02:02.500 the gentiles and after they had become silent 00:02:02.500 --> 00:02:05.920 james answered saying men and brethren listen 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:09.379 to me simon has declared how god at the first 00:02:09.379 --> 00:02:12.800 visited the gentiles to take out of them a people 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:16.069 for his name And with this the words of the prophets 00:02:16.069 --> 00:02:19.490 agree, just as it is written, After this I will 00:02:19.490 --> 00:02:21.990 return, and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, 00:02:22.129 --> 00:02:25.430 which has fallen down. I will rebuild its ruins, 00:02:25.650 --> 00:02:28.770 and I will set it up, so that the rest of mankind 00:02:28.770 --> 00:02:32.229 may seek the Lord. Even all the Gentiles who 00:02:32.229 --> 00:02:35.110 are called by my name, says the Lord who does 00:02:35.110 --> 00:02:37.990 all these things. Known to God from eternity 00:02:37.990 --> 00:02:41.469 are all his works. Therefore I judge that we 00:02:41.469 --> 00:02:44.500 should not trouble those from among the Gentiles 00:02:44.500 --> 00:02:47.259 who are turning to God, but that we write to 00:02:47.259 --> 00:02:50.199 them to abstain from things polluted by idols, 00:02:50.379 --> 00:02:53.539 from sexual immorality, from things strangled 00:02:53.539 --> 00:02:56.479 and from blood. For Moses has had throughout 00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:59.560 many generations those who preach him in every 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:02.500 city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath. 00:03:02.860 --> 00:03:05.479 Then it pleased the apostles and elders with 00:03:05.479 --> 00:03:08.569 the whole church to send chosen men. of their 00:03:08.569 --> 00:03:11.389 own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, 00:03:11.389 --> 00:03:15.229 namely Judas, who was also named Barsabbas, and 00:03:15.229 --> 00:03:18.669 Silas, leading men among the brethren. They wrote 00:03:18.669 --> 00:03:21.830 this letter by them. The apostles, the elders, 00:03:21.969 --> 00:03:24.069 and the brethren. To the brethren who are of 00:03:24.069 --> 00:03:27.050 the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. 00:03:27.389 --> 00:03:30.360 Greetings. Since we have heard that some who 00:03:30.360 --> 00:03:32.860 went out from us have troubled you with words 00:03:32.860 --> 00:03:36.599 unsettling your souls, saying, You must be circumcised 00:03:36.599 --> 00:03:39.860 and keep the law, to whom we gave no such commandment. 00:03:39.900 --> 00:03:42.800 It seemed good to us, being assembled with one 00:03:42.800 --> 00:03:46.099 accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved 00:03:46.099 --> 00:03:49.479 Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their 00:03:49.479 --> 00:03:52.219 lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:03:52.580 --> 00:03:56.120 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will 00:03:56.120 --> 00:03:58.939 also report the same things by word of mouth. 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:01.560 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to 00:04:01.560 --> 00:04:04.620 us to lay upon you no greater burden than these 00:04:04.620 --> 00:04:07.280 necessary things, that you abstain from things 00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:10.699 offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, 00:04:10.740 --> 00:04:13.699 and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves 00:04:13.699 --> 00:04:17.819 from these, you will do well. Farewell. So when 00:04:17.819 --> 00:04:20.480 they were sent off, they came to Antioch, and 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:22.079 when they had gathered the multitude together, 00:04:22.339 --> 00:04:24.839 they delivered the letter. When they had read 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:27.879 it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. Now 00:04:27.879 --> 00:04:30.540 Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, 00:04:30.759 --> 00:04:33.319 exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:36.160 words. And after they had stayed there for a 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:38.800 time, they were sent back with greetings from 00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:41.519 the brethren to the apostles. However, it seemed 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:44.319 good to Silas to remain there. Paul and Barnabas 00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:47.019 also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching 00:04:47.019 --> 00:04:50.779 the word of the Lord with many others also. Then 00:04:50.779 --> 00:04:53.839 after some days, Paul said to Barnabas, Let us 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:57.040 now go back and visit our brethren in every city 00:04:57.040 --> 00:04:59.560 where we have preached the word of the Lord and 00:04:59.560 --> 00:05:02.459 see how they are doing. Now Barnabas was determined 00:05:02.459 --> 00:05:06.100 to take with them John called Mark. But Paul 00:05:06.100 --> 00:05:08.620 insisted that they should not take with them 00:05:08.620 --> 00:05:11.519 the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:14.839 and had not gone with them to the work. Then 00:05:14.839 --> 00:05:17.560 the contention became so sharp that they parted 00:05:17.560 --> 00:05:20.579 from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and 00:05:20.579 --> 00:05:24.009 sailed to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and departed, 00:05:24.329 --> 00:05:26.769 being commended by the brethren to the grace 00:05:26.769 --> 00:05:30.050 of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, 00:05:30.290 --> 00:05:35.250 strengthening the churches. From the epistle 00:05:35.250 --> 00:05:39.110 of St. Paul to the Galatians, chapter 1. Paul, 00:05:39.310 --> 00:05:43.290 an apostle, not from men, nor through men, but 00:05:43.290 --> 00:05:45.610 through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who 00:05:45.610 --> 00:05:48.029 raised him from the dead, and all the brethren 00:05:48.029 --> 00:05:51.029 who are with me, to the churches of Galatia. 00:05:51.420 --> 00:05:53.819 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and 00:05:53.819 --> 00:05:57.339 our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our 00:05:57.339 --> 00:06:00.319 sins that he might deliver us from this present 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:03.720 evil age according to the will of our God and 00:06:03.720 --> 00:06:06.839 Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. 00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:10.319 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:13.060 him who called you in the grace of Christ to 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:16.060 a different gospel, which is not another. But 00:06:16.060 --> 00:06:18.660 there are some who trouble you and want to pervert 00:06:18.660 --> 00:06:22.129 the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel 00:06:22.129 --> 00:06:25.410 from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than 00:06:25.410 --> 00:06:28.629 what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 00:06:28.910 --> 00:06:32.470 As we have said before, so now I say again, if 00:06:32.470 --> 00:06:35.050 anyone preaches any other gospel to you than 00:06:35.050 --> 00:06:37.629 what you have received, let him be accursed. 00:06:38.029 --> 00:06:41.689 For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek 00:06:41.689 --> 00:06:44.829 to please men? For if I still pleased men, I 00:06:44.829 --> 00:06:48.170 would not be a bondservant of Christ. But I make 00:06:48.170 --> 00:06:50.399 known to you, brethren, that the gospel which 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:53.540 was preached by me is not according to man. For 00:06:53.540 --> 00:06:56.420 I neither received it from man, nor was I taught 00:06:56.420 --> 00:06:59.639 it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:03.180 Christ. For you have heard of my former conduct 00:07:03.180 --> 00:07:06.319 in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:09.779 beyond measure and tried to destroy it. And I 00:07:09.779 --> 00:07:13.420 advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries, 00:07:13.439 --> 00:07:16.600 in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous 00:07:16.600 --> 00:07:19.670 for the traditions of my fathers. But when it 00:07:19.670 --> 00:07:22.569 pleased God, who separated me from my mother's 00:07:22.569 --> 00:07:25.329 womb and called me through His grace to reveal 00:07:25.329 --> 00:07:28.329 His Son in me, that I might preach Him among 00:07:28.329 --> 00:07:31.230 the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with 00:07:31.230 --> 00:07:34.009 flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem 00:07:34.009 --> 00:07:36.910 to those who were apostles before me, but I went 00:07:36.910 --> 00:07:40.610 to Arabia and returned again to Damascus. Then 00:07:40.610 --> 00:07:43.370 after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see 00:07:43.370 --> 00:07:45.870 Peter and remained with him fifteen days. But 00:07:45.870 --> 00:07:48.310 I saw none of the other apostles except James, 00:07:48.509 --> 00:07:50.850 the Lord's brother. Now concerning the things 00:07:50.850 --> 00:07:53.569 which I write to you, indeed, before God I do 00:07:53.569 --> 00:07:57.269 not lie. Afterward I went into the regions of 00:07:57.269 --> 00:08:00.490 Syria and Cilicia, and I was unknown by face 00:08:00.490 --> 00:08:03.029 to the churches of Judea which were in Christ, 00:08:03.269 --> 00:08:06.550 but they were hearing only. He who formerly persecuted 00:08:06.550 --> 00:08:09.930 us now preaches the faith which he once tried 00:08:09.930 --> 00:08:18.750 to destroy, and he glorified God in me. I hope 00:08:18.750 --> 00:08:20.610 you enjoyed today's reading as much as I did, 00:08:20.769 --> 00:08:22.689 and I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow 00:08:22.689 --> 00:08:25.209 to continue on our journey. God bless you and 00:08:25.209 --> 00:08:25.889 have a great day.