He fought valiantly against circumcision for Gentiles , arguing for their inclusion and acceptance without becoming Jewish and using the Torah unlawfully . ( Acts 15 ) He also circumcised Timothy for the sake of the Jewish people to confirm his Jewish identity . ( Acts 16:1-3 ) He even went out of his way to perform a significant act of worship in the Temple to prove to others that he himself was Torah observant . ( Acts 21:17-26 )
This man was also radical in his message of unity and inclusion between Jews and Gentiles , even rebuking Peter . ( Gal . 2:11-14 ) – yet called us to remain in our calling . He was filled with the Holy Spirit , speaking in tongues more than anybody ( 1 Cor . 14 : 15-18 ), while visiting synagogues as was his custom . His approach of being in the messy middle is where I believe God ’ s heart for our movement lies .
My Experience I have a messy Messianic history – I was raised nominally Presbyterian , found out about my Jewish heritage at 15 , and was radically saved and joined a Messianic congregation at 20 . My path of formulating a healthy Messianic identity has been a journey over the last decade .
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