As the Apostles take the message of Jesus out to the non-Jewish world, a very important question arises: “how Jewish do these Gentile believers need to be?” In Acts 15, see that identity markers are not what make us right with God; only faith in Jesus does that. But along the way, we learn how important it is to read the Torah rightly, not simply picking and choosing what parts to keep and what parts to discard.

Discussion Questions

Have you had discussions with people around the idea that “you Christians pick-and-choose which parts of the Bible to follow”? How did you respond? How is God inviting you to grow in your knowledge of the Scriptures?
What identity markers do you love and appreciate about yourself, your family, your “tribe”? Why is it important to remember that, while those may be good and beautiful things, only faith in Jesus matters when it comes to our right standing before God?
In the sermon, seven principles were listed when it comes to rightly understanding the Christian’s relationship to the Torah. Which of these made the most sense to you? Which do you need help to understand? Discuss with your group.
When it comes to explaining our beliefs in our current secular culture, why is it not enough to simply say “the Bible says”? How can we help each other grow in our ability to explain Christian belief to nonbelievers?

Prayer Points

Pray that that, as individuals and as a church, we would be deeply shaped by the entire Word of God.
Pray that we would be effective witnesses for Jesus in a world that increasingly doesn’t understand us.