In Jeremiah 24 the Lord shows to
Jeremiah that it is His will to restore the good but destroy the bad with the
analogy of two baskets of figs. God wants to take his people on an adventure,
but he will always take us on a journey to build us into a closer relationship
with him. Are we ready for this journey? He is showing his people that he wants
their heart and that they will only return to their land when they have God in
their heart. Good figs will be protected by their owner.
In Acts we’ve got to the stage now
where the apostles and elders meet to sort out some issues that have developed,
sort out the good from the bad teaching. Peter is bold and stands up for the
Gospel, followed by the other apostles and backed up by some Old Testament
scripture from Amos 9:11-12, which also helps to understand that God will
restore the good in Jeremiah 24.
Jesus wants all to come to him with
open arms. There are no hoops to jump through before we can be saved, such as
the circumcision customs, which are not relevant in helping to build up faith
on their own. In Acts 15:20 the four stipulations that are laid down are only
to help the Gentiles turn fully to God and place their trust in him.
(member of student team)