In the book of Acts, they had a whole bunch of new Christians, Gentiles (not Jews) who didn’t know much about God, His ways, or what He requires from His people.  A lot of people were saying a lot of different things about the best things to say to them so they would grow.  And they had a big discussion (Acts 15:6 says, “And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.”)  This is what they came up with:

     -Acts 15:8-9 “And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” 

     -In other words, they reasoned, “Well, God has given them the Holy Spirit, just the same as He did us.  And their hearts have been purified by faith, just like ours have been.”   

    -And they further reasoned, in Acts 15:16 that God has said “After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:”

    -In other words, GOD will build His house, He will build up His people…

    -And then they said, in Acts 15:21 “For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.”

    -In other words, they will hear God’s Word when they go to church. (Remember, almost nobody had a copy during that time—everything had to be copied by hand—so God’s Word was read aloud to the people in the temple. It was the only way they had to hear it.)                                                                                                  

To sum up their line of reasoning: 

1)  They have the Holy Spirit.  He has purified their hearts, and
     will teach them all truth, for God will build them up.   And,

2) They will also hear the Word of God to teach them truth.  What
    else do they need to know?  

   They concluded, in Acts 15:20 “But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.”  In other words, we need to tell them not to pollute themselves!  And further, they said in Acts 15:29 “…from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well.”

    These were unclean practices, practices that would pollute the new Believers.   Today, we don’t have to worry about eating meat offered to idols, but this world around us is chock full of things that will defile—many of which we are so used to we don’t even thing anything about it.  Just as in those days, if you listen to the Word and let the Spirit (Who purified you) guide you, and do not pollute yourselves, you will do well… 

The Bible warns us repeatedly about pollution.  Read 1 Peter 1:14-16. What kind of lives are we to live?________________________________________________________________________

    The pollution that we are warned about, the things that will make us unclean or impure after our hearts have been purified by faith, fall into two categories:  1) Worldly pollution, and 2) Religious pollution.

Worldly Pollution  

 Read Romans 12:1-2.  How are we to keep ourselves holy and acceptable to God?______________________________________________________________________   

    Keep yourself pure and holy, without blemish or spot. This is what God has told you to do. And be not conformed to this world.  Do not be polluted by this world! but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Here two necessary things are given and contrasted.  Don’t be polluted by the world, and but let God renew your mind—it will transform you! 

Read James 1:27.  What are we to keep ourselves unspotted from?______________________________________________________________________                                                                                            

Read 1 Thes. 5:22.  What are we to abstain from? ______________________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________________

Read Philip. 4:8.  What sort of things are we to occupy our minds with?

______________________________________________________________________

    Before you decide if you are going to watch something, or read something, or listen to something, always Phil 4:8 it to make sure it will not pollute your mind!  And there’s not much in this world we are in today that passes the test!  True means not fiction, and that pretty much eliminates anything on television, radio or print!  But suppose it passes the “true” test, is it lovely?  Pure?  Of good report?  Honest?  etc…

    These are the things we are to think on.  Think means to meditate, to put together with one’s mind, to occupy oneself with.  These are the things we are occupy our minds with, rather than things that pollute or defile.   

   This entire study is based on 2 Peter 1:1-11.  Pollution (corruption) is mentioned in 2 Peter 1:4  “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.  By God’s promises, we are partakers of the divine nature, and we have escaped corruption.”  Our hearts have been purified and cleansed by God. But our desires for the things of the world can corrupt us again. This word “corruption” means moral and religious depravity.  Here once again we have the two forms of pollution!  

Read 2 Peter 1:9 and 2 Peter 2:20. It is possible to forget you were purged from your old sins and become entangled again in the pollutions of the world?_________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

    2 Peter 1: 4-11 tells us how we are to co-operate with the Holy Spirit as He gives us the power to live a life pleasing to God. 

    In our everyday lives, we can’t keep from being exposed to some things that will defile us.  And just as with pollution in the earth, a small amount of pollution can easily be cleansed.  But when we keep piling it on, and on, and on, it becomes overwhelming, and cannot be cleansed easily from our minds and lives, and quenches the Holy Spirit (suppresses, preventing the Holy Spirit from exerting His full influence), so that we cannot hear His still, small voice teaching us the truth.                                                                              

Religious Pollution 

As you co-operate with the Holy Spirit as He cleanses pollution out of your life, beware you do not fall into second type of pollution:  religious depravity.   

Read 1 Peter 2:2.  The word sincere in this passage means pure, undefiled, without anything being added to it.  What does the Bible tell us we are to feed on so that we will grow?_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Read Mark 7:7-8,  Col. 2:8, 1 Tim. 6:20-21, and Titus 1:10-11.  These are just a few of many passages that instruct us to listen to God’s Word, and warn us not to listen to the teaching and traditions of men.  

So as you try to eliminate the sources of pollution in your lives, do not think that “TBN” is a better choice!  Neither are Christian radio, books, and commentaries.  They contain doctrines of men, which the Bible repeatedly warns us about.  (Realize that these people are well-intentioned, but many are deceived themselves, and do not know they are teaching the ways of men instead of the ways of God.)  The only thing we can be sure of being pure is Scripture.  2 Tim. 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 

If you do these two things:

1)  Listen to God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, and

2)  Keep yourselves from pollution 

                    “…ye shall do well…” (Acts 15:29)

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*All emphasis  mine.
Copyright ©2005 by Mae Shurow 
Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution 
provided proper citation of authorship is included.