Don't Make It Difficult: Removing Obstacles for Those Turning to God

Have you ever met someone who does CrossFit or runs marathons? Do you know someone who drives a Jeep? Maybe is not an answer here. There is no question. If you don't know, you haven't met them. If you have met them, you would know! Why? Because they tell everyone! They love it and they want you to love it as well! That's exactly what disciples do – and it reveals something powerful about authentic faith.

The Question That Changed Everything

The question at hand: Who deserves to hear the Gospel? When I experience the life change that Jesus offers, when my life is filled with hope, I'm compelled to tell others. Or, I should be anyway.

Acts 15 takes us to a pivotal moment in the life of the early church. The message of Jesus was spreading quickly, and for the first time large Numbers of Gentiles (non-Jewish people) were responding. They were believing the Gospel. They were being baptized. They were joining this community of faith. And, as it is prone to happen, growth creates tension.

Very quickly, it became "us vs. them." Two camps emerged: the Jews and the Gentiles.

When Growth Creates Division

Until now, this whole Jesus thing had an undertone of Judaism. Jesus was, after all, a Jewish rabbi from a Jewish family in a Jewish country. The new followers of Jesus were still practicing Jewish traditions like circumcision, following dietary laws, and engaging in the regular rhythm of ritual and ceremony.

With more non-Jewish people stepping into the picture, an inevitable question emerged: How is this going to work? Are these outsiders welcome?

For many Jews, this wasn't even a question. For them, if Gentiles were serious about God, they should be willing to live like the Jews. To them, faith meant doing what they'd always done.

But others weren't so sure. Paul and Barnabas, for example, had seen the Holy Spirit at work among Gentiles without those requirements. They'd witnessed lives changed and communities formed through grace alone. They knew God was moving beyond cultural boundaries.

The Jerusalem Council's Revolutionary Decision

Between 48-50 AD, the leaders gathered in Jerusalem. This meeting became known as the Jerusalem Council, the first major decision-making moment in church history.

After much discussion, Peter stood and reminded everyone that God made no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Salvation, he said, had always been by grace, not by law.

Then James spoke. James was the brother of Jesus and a respected leader. James had a nickname: camel knees. He spent so much time on his knees in prayer that the skin became thick and calloused…like the knees of a camel. This mattered to him. His words carried weight. And what he said is still significant to us today.

Acts 15:19 (NLT) - "And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God."

For non-Jewish people living in a non-Jewish country, maybe this makes what James is saying clearer: "And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for [those] who are turning to God."

James doesn't say truth doesn't matter. He doesn't suggest lowering the standard or abandoning holiness. He doesn't water down the message or the expectation. James challenges the church to stop adding human-made obstacles, things God never required. He invites them to distinguish between what is essential and what is preferential.

Grace in Our Cultural Moment

We live in a culture that asks people, "Are you with us or are you against us?" and we determine whether we can be in a relationship based on their response. Disagreement is viewed as an attack, and political affiliation is a measure of how genuine your faith is.

First-century culture wasn't so different. So James made a proposal: let's hold the line of grace regardless of how we believe.

This is so incredibly important in this cultural moment. People used to come to church because they had hard questions; they are coming now because they've had a hard time. And that shapes what we do.

Everything people experience from the parking lot to the kids ministry check-in to the coffee to the songs and the sermon…all of it matters. Because everything we do is an opportunity to reflect the Gospel, to extend grace. That's the business we are in.

Putting It Into Practice

To know and love Jesus is to be committed to growing deep in a relationship with him AND to be available to share what you have received with others. 2 Corinthians 5:20a (NLT) - "So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us."

You Are an Ambassador

An ambassador doesn't develop the message or change the message, but they do represent it. The way we speak, listen, and respond shapes how people experience Jesus long before they ever believe in Him.

This begins with remembering who we are and who we are not. We are ambassadors, not gatekeepers, not Judges, and not the Holy Spirit. Representing Jesus means reflecting His character more than promoting our opinions.

Invite Everyone

Ambassadors don't hoard good news. They extend invitations. Being an inviter doesn't require a speech or a script. You don't need to have all the answers. It requires availability, courage, and a willingness to trust God with the outcome.

Inviting everyone means we refuse to pre-decide who is open to God. We trust that God is already at work in people's lives long before we ever notice. We are cognizant of God's grace that goes before us and works in the lives of people before we ever meet them.

This is my heart for our church: That we would hold two things in tension. That we would be deeply committed to our faith and radically open to people who don't yet know Jesus. That we would be a church that is both deep and wide.