No Further Burden

“For it has seemed right to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no further burden upon you except what is absolutely essential...” Acts 15:28

The Acts of the Apostles is a great little adventure story; it is pretty-much a sequel to the Gospel narratives (Luke’s account, in particular).

It’s worth noting that the Gospel is simplified each time it takes root in a new community. The religio-cultural framework of the sending-people is stripped down to bare essentials. Barriers to faith are removed; space is made to accommodate symbiotic pieces of the receiving-people’s culture into a localized iteration of Christianity.

Evangelism provides senders with an opportunity to reconsider the essentials of faith, from the vantage point of their intended receivers. Preferences and assumptions can be held up to the light once again; perspectives can be realigned to what the Holy Spirit is conveying.