There were so many decisions to make in the early days of the church. The Jewish law was so structured, and people were trying to figure out what to bring forward and what to let go of. Think of all that the people had been through for centuries, and they were trying to preserve their culture, which was centered around God, while simultaneously renovating their worship. Remember -- the first Christians weren't trying to start a new religion, because they were convinced that the thing that everyone had been waiting for had finally happened. This was simply the next step.
In the world today, people have so many different backgrounds. People are growing up who never went to church. The church is crossing cultural and geographic borders, and we all come from different angles. May we remember to have some grace. We can never let go of the Gospel or the core truths of the faith, but when someone is looking at something through a different lens, it's important to stop and consider what is crucial and central, and what is around the periphery, and how do we engage on issues from a place of grace. Let us listen to one another, keeping Christ at the head, and letting all else follow from that.
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