Acts 15:1 NKJV

And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Acts 15:1 NKJV

Paul was preaching the Gospel of Christ. But certain men were preaching the old covenant and insisted to carry out the rituals. This is an important reminder to all of us. We should not go back to doing rituals and observing customs from the old covenant. Jesus did not establish the new covenant so that we will observe the old covenant and its rituals. If we go by observing the rituals, we will need to observe all of them and live to justify our flesh by the law. We are called to live in the spirit so that our justification is based on the finished work of Christ. We are not sanctified by the circumcision of the flesh but by the word of God and by His Spirit. We must be careful not to move into the law that edifies the work of the flesh. Instead, we should grow stronger to live in the spirit and be edified in Christ. This new life in Christ is of the spirit and not the flesh. We are born again as a spirit being. Therefore, we need to observe all that Jesus taught us about living in Him. A new foundation Jesus laid for us is because the old is just a shadow of what is to come. Now Jesus has come and established the new. Therefore, we must do away with the old. In Hebrews 9 verse 8, it clearly states that until and unless we do away with the old, we cannot walk, see and experience the new that Jesus established for us. Let us be alert of the devices of the enemy that tries to bring us back into bondage. Let us be strong and alert in the spirit, living in Him, moving in Him and have our entire being in Him. Blessings Ambrose Francis