World Wide Witness: Keep Our Church Mission Centered

They could come up. We're going to read nearly all the chapter. It's quite long, but it's a very important one.

So we're going to read verses 1 to 35.

So if you just give the page numbers and so forth.

We're on page 1110 in the Church Bibles.

Acts chapter 15, page 1110.

Acts 15 · chapter mention

Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers,

unless you are circumcised according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.

This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them.

So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem

to see the apostles and elders about this question.

The Church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria,

they told how the Gentiles had been converted.

This news made all the brothers very glad.

When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church and the apostles and elders,

to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

Then some of the believers, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees,

stood up and said,

The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.

The apostles and elders met to consider this question.

After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them.

Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear

from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.

God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them,

just as he did to us.

He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.

Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples

a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?

No, we believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.

The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul

telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.

When they finished, James spoke up.

Brothers, listen to me.

Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern

by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself.

The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written.

After this, I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent.

Its ruins I will rebuild and I will restore it that the remnant of men may seek the Lord

and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things

that have been known for the ages.

It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.

Instead, we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols,

from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.

For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times

and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.

Then the apostles and elders with the whole church decided to choose some of their own men

and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.

They chose Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers.

With them they sent the following letter,

The apostles and elders, your brothers, to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.

We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you,

troubling your minds by what they said.

So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul,

men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth that we are writing.

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements.

You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals,

and from sexual immorality.

You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.

The men were sent off and went down to Antioch,

where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter.

The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message.

Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets,

said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.

After spending some time there,

they were sent off by the brothers

with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.

But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch,

where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

Well,

we come to a section in Acts that is,

I would say, and commentators all say it too,

that it's the most pivotal point in all of church history.

You might be into church history,

but this has defined the church throughout all times and ages.

It's a critical, critical issue,

this council at Jerusalem,

this meeting that took place.

So we need to pay close attention to it.

And what we look at this morning,

everything that we do on a Sunday morning

is important,

and all the messages that we look at together

are really important.

But I want to say that this

is the most critical.

Because if we get this wrong,

then everything else falls apart.

It's foundational.

So we need close attention

to God's word.

So let's pray for that this morning.

Let's pray.

Our Father God,

we come to you.

We humble ourselves before you.

Because we want to learn from you.

we want you to teach us

and to show us

how we should live

as your people

in your church.

And Father,

we pray that we would take

what we look at together

with the utmost seriousness.

and that you would pour out

the power of your Holy Spirit

upon us all.

That we may be able to apply

and work it out

and see it filter

into our own lives personally

and together as a church.

That we would make

the necessary changes

that we need to.

and that above all

we would be people

transformed

by your grace.

May what was impacting

all those years ago

have that same impact

upon us today

and upon your church.

And we pray for your help

in doing this.

For we need it.

Amen.

On Saturday mornings

one of the things I do

is to coach rugby

with a bunch of

younger kids.

And before we start

our training sessions

I always hold up the ball

in the middle of them

and I ask this question

with the ball held up high.

What's the most important

thing in rugby?

And then they all have to

try and guess what it is.

Otherwise they get

press ups to do.

And they all go one by one.

Is it passing?

No.

Is it tackling?

No.

Is it kicking?

No.

It's the ball.

The most important thing

in rugby is the ball.

If you lose the ball

you can't win.

It's critical

that we hold on to the ball.

Otherwise we might as well

go home

and do some skipping

with the girls.

Well the girls do play rugby.

It's okay.

Don't worry.

Girls do play rugby.

My daughter does.

We just don't do skipping.

You know what I mean.

But that's

what's most important.

It's the ball.

Now what's the most

important thing

in the church?

The answer of course is

it's the gospel.

If you lose the gospel

you've lost everything.

It's not the music.

It's not our particular

brand of theology.

It's not the building.

It's the gospel.

It's critical.

It's vital

that as a church

we hold on to the gospel

otherwise the church

is going to die.

And that's the issue

for every single church

and it's at the heart

of the issue here

in chapter 15.

Look at chapter 15

verse 1.

Some men

came down

from Judea

that is they were

coming down

from the church

in Jerusalem

down to the church

in Antioch

and were teaching

the brothers

and the sisters

listen guys

listen to this

unless you are

circumcised

according to the customs

taught by Moses

you can't be saved.

You all think

you're Christians

well actually

you're not.

And the message

that you're telling

to everybody else

this message of grace

well that ain't going

to save anybody else either.

You've got it wrong.

Verse 2

This brought Paul

and Barnabas

into sharp dispute

and debate

with them.

Literally

a conflict

a fight

started within the church.

We're always saying

we shouldn't fight

in the church.

Sometimes

it's important

to fight.

There was a conflict

and there was a big issue

at stake.

But let's be clear

this is not a disagreement

over spiritual gifts

or worship styles.

This was of critical importance

because the outcome

of this debate

has the potential

to distort

the gospel

which will in turn

disrupt

the mission

which will in turn

destroy

the church.

If you lose

the gospel

you've lost

everything

we might as well

go home.

And it's such a defining issue

look at the rest

of verse 2

that Paul and Barnabas

were appointed

along with some of the

other believers

to go up to the church

in Jerusalem

to see the apostles

and the elders

about this question.

Verse 4

When they came to Jerusalem

they were welcomed

by the church

and the apostles

and the elders

to whom they reported

everything

that God had been doing

through them.

That's through

the Gentiles

where they had been reaching.

So as we travel

with Paul and Barnabas

and we want to go

with them

as they go up

from Antioch

to confront

the Jerusalem church

we're going to look

at three things.

Challenges to a

gospel centred church

maintaining a

gospel centred church

and living

as a gospel centred church.

These are three things

that I think come

from the passage.

First

the challenges

to a gospel centred church.

Surprisingly

the challenge

to the church

comes from

inside

the church

not from outside.

Often

the greatest issues

come from inside

not from outside

as was the case here.

Verse 5

Some of the believers

who belonged

to the party

of the Pharisees

stood up

and said

the Gentiles

Gentiles

must be circumcised

and required

to obey

the law of Moses.

A Gentile

was anybody

who wasn't a Jew.

So if you're not a Jew

or of Jewish extraction

you're a Gentile.

It's everybody else

who isn't a Jew.

And they were imposing

things upon them.

clearly these people

they're told

in verse 5

they were believers

they had heard

the gospel

they had become

followers of Jesus Christ

but now they were

beginning to add

to the gospel.

We might call them

the Jesus plus gang.

Their basic message

was

Jesus is not enough.

Jesus gets you

started

but you need

someone else

or something else

to get you

over the line.

for them

and the Jewish

tradition

was that

circumcision

was the outward

sign

that you were

part of God's

community.

It was a mark

of identity.

But they've now

turned this

outward sign

into

actual salvation.

So if you have

the sign

well then you

are saved.

the equivalent

for us today

might be

baptism.

It's an outward

sign that you're

part of God's

family.

It's a mark

of identity.

But we could

easily turn that

sign

into

salvation.

But that would

be gospel plus

that's

the Jesus plus

gang message

where we're saying

grace is not

sufficient

we need

something more.

But I think

we've kind of

looked at those

issues before

haven't we?

So what are

some of the

challenges

to the gospel

that we face

in this church

today?

Well you might

come up with

your own and I'd

be very interested

to hear what

they are but

here's one that

I think of.

It goes something

like this.

We believe

that the gospel

saves us

but once we're

in

we've got to

keep ourselves

in.

So Jesus

gets us

in

but then

it's up to

us to

keep ourselves

in.

I want to

quote to you

from a book

written by

a guy called

Tullian

Chavidian

and I'm

quoting it

not just

because it's

a helpful

quote but

I'm recommending

it to you

as a great

book to read

on the gospel.

It's called

Jesus plus

nothing

equals

everything.

Jesus plus

nothing

equals

everything.

And this is

what he says

talking about

our salvation.

Most believers

realise we

can never

earn our

salvation.

We've come

to accept that

no one can

work their

way into

God's kingdom.

We know

that and

most of us

who read the

Bible believe

that to be

true and I

take it that's

exactly how we're

thinking this

morning.

But when it

comes to our

sanctification

that means to

become like

Jesus

suddenly we

become legalists

in the matter

of maturing in

Christ likeness

and in

continuing to

please God

and find favour

with God

and acceptance

with God

we suppose

it's all about

what we have

to accomplish

and adhere

to all the

rules and

standards and

values that we

need to follow.

we get the

Christian life

all backwards.

It subtly

becomes all

about us

and what we

have to do

which leads

to slavery

instead of

being all

about Jesus

and what

he's done

which leads

to liberty

or freedom.

You see

theologically

we say

yes it's

all about

Jesus

but practically

we live

as if

it's all

about me.

Jesus'

performance

well that

gets me

into the

club

but it's

my performance

that keeps

me in there.

But it's

not about

us.

It's never

about us.

The reality

is the only

thing that we

bring to the

table as far

as our salvation

goes is

our failures

and our mess

ups.

That's all we

bring to the

equation.

the true

gospel

the pure

gospel

is not

about how

good I

am today

or how

much better

I am

next week

than last

week.

It's all

about Jesus.

And there's

a quote

here.

It's all

about Jesus

who has

taken the

judgment

that I

deserve

today

and tomorrow

for my

sin

so that I

am forever

treated and

treasured

today and

tomorrow

as God's

son.

that's

what it's

all about.

You see

it's not

just a

Jerusalem

problem

with these

guys coming

along with

their Jesus

plus issue.

It's actually

a carigoline

problem.

And why

would I be

so rude

to suggest

that?

Well as

one writer

put it

because it's

the default

setting of

every human

heart.

We've all

got a

parasaic

heart.

All of

us.

And we

need to

be careful

that we

don't slip

down that

path.

And there's

two ways

and this

is by

application

there are

two ways

that we

can tell

if we

are adding

to the

gospel

if we've

become a

part of

the Jesus

plus gang.

The first

is this

it's

legalism.

We know

we're adding

to the

gospel

when we've

got a

little

checklist

about

things we

can do

and we

can't

do.

And it

becomes the

standard by

which we

judge our

acceptance with

God.

So we

take out

the list

I check

it off

and I

make sure

well I've

ticked this

I've

ticked this

I've

ticked this

I'm

okay.

But if

I don't

meet these

standards

if I

find a

box is

not

ticked

then I'm

out of

favour with

God and

I have

to kind

of work

myself back

into it

again.

But not

only do we

do that

to ourselves

we also

begin to

apply

these same

checklists

to everybody

else around

us.

So when

people don't

meet my

standard we

begin to

question

are they

really a

Christian?

I mean if

they were

really a

Christian they

wouldn't have

done that

and they

certainly

wouldn't have

said that.

Which leads

to the

second

which is

superiority.

Once

people don't

match up to

our checklists

we become

critical and

judgmental.

We begin to

look down on

people and we

begin to pick

out all their

faults and their

failures while

at the same

time we give

ourselves a

little pat on

the back and

I think well

aren't I glad

that I'm like

them because if

I was in

their shoes I

never would

have done

that.

We become

experts in

seeing the

speck in

somebody else's

eye but we

can't see the

tree or perhaps

the forest growing

out of our own

eye.

So let me ask

us all have

we brought a

checklist with

us this

morning.

Do we

mentally kind

of look

around and

kind of tick

off and

think I'm

doing this

they're not

doing that.

Do we bring

our checklist

with us through

the week?

Well if we

have a

checklist if you

have a

checklist take

it out right

now and

mentally rip

it up burn

it stamp on

it tread it

tread on it

and get rid

of it and

grab a hold

of the gospel

with two

hands.

Legalism and

superiority are

a lethal

combination and

together they

distort the

gospel they

disrupt God's

mission and

they destroy

the church.

that's the

big issue

that was

going on

that's why

it was such

a defining

issue and

that's why

Paul was so

anxious to

get to

Jerusalem and

to sort it

all out.

So those are

challenges that

perhaps we face

to the gospel.

What about

then maintaining

a gospel

centre church?

Well if the

gospel is to

be central in

the church

then grace

is to be

central to

the gospel.

In other

words if we're

going to

maintain a

gospel centre

church we

need to

understand that

God includes

us by grace

and he saves

us by grace.

It's all about

grace.

That's what we've

been singing

about and

thinking about

this morning.

So first we're

included by grace.

Verse 6

The apostles

and the elders

met to

consider this

question.

The question

that we saw

in verse 50

in verse 5

that the Gentiles

must be

circumcised to

be included

or to be

accepted to

be saved.

Verse 7

After much

discussion Peter

who was one of

the leaders in

the church got

up and he

addressed them

Brothers and

sisters you

know that

some time ago

God made a

choice among

you that the

Gentiles might

hear from my

lips the

message of

the gospel

and believe.

And what

Peter here is

doing is he's

reminding us of

his earlier

visit to a

guy called

Cornelius.

You might

remember him.

Go back to

chapter 10.

Keep your

finger in

chapter 15

and go back

to chapter 10

and we'll just

refresh ourselves

about this guy

Cornelius.

He's a Gentile.

He's not a

Jew so he'd

be kind of

considered an

outsider.

Somebody who

wouldn't be

included.

But nonetheless

this Gentile

this outsider

he receives a

vision from

God and this

is what

happened in

the vision.

Verse 5

of chapter 10

The angel

says to him

in the vision

Now send

men to

Joppa

to bring

back a

man named

Simon who

is called

Peter.

He is

staying with

Simon the

tanner whose

house is by

the sea.

So that's

his message.

Meanwhile

Peter also

has a vision

from God

which is all

about accepting

people as

God accepts

people.

Verse 19

While Peter

was still

thinking about

the vision

the spirit

said to him

Simon three

men are

looking for

you.

So get

up go

downstairs do

not hesitate

to go with

them for I

have sent

them.

So now

Cornelius has

the message

Peter has

the message

now they

have to

meet each

other.

Verse 33

Cornelius

speaks to

Peter he

says so I

sent for you

immediately and

it was good

of you to

come.

Now we

are all

here in

the presence

of God

to listen

to everything

the Lord

has commanded

you to tell

us.

Then Peter

began to

speak.

I now

realise how

true it

is that

God does

not show

favouritism.

God doesn't

suffer with

what Phil

Hogan does

obviously.

I do not

show favouritism

but accepts

people from

every nation

who fear

him and do

what is

right.

You know

the message

God sent to

the people

of Israel

telling the

good news

of peace

through Jesus

Christ who

is Lord

of all.

Verse 44

While Peter

was still

speaking these

words the

Holy Spirit

came on

all who

heard the

message.

Now go

back to

chapter 15.

You see

Peter is

using,

he's recounting

this meeting

he had with

Cornelius to

prove to the

rest of them

that God

does include

people,

not on the

basis of

their race

or religion

or on their

culture or

their colour,

what class

they come

from,

whether they're

travellers or

whether they're

settled people.

He includes

people because

of his

grace.

There is no

favouritism.

Chapter 15

verse 8

God who knows

the heart

shows that he

accepted them

by giving

the Holy

Spirit to

them just

as he

did to

us.

You see

who are

we to be

people who

exclude

others whom

God has

included?

The question

we should be

asking is not

do they speak

the same

language or

do they come

from the same

theological pool

as we do

or do they

practice the

same traditions

as we do?

No, if God

has given them

the Holy

Spirit then

who are we

to exclude

other people?

Which is

exactly the

same point as

James the

other leader

in the church

was making

in verse 15.

He goes

straight back

to scripture

to remind us.

He says look

verse 15

the words of

the prophets

are in

agreement with

this as it

is written

after this

this is from

Amos

after this I

will return

and rebuild

David's fallen

tent his

dynasty his

family its

ruins I

will rebuild

and I

will restore

it that the

remnant of

men may

seek the

Lord and

all the

Gentiles all

those outside

of the Jews

who bear

my name.

God's plan

was to be

inclusive in

his salvation

to include

all the

nations.

He shows

no favoritism.

He accepts

all people

from all

nations.

He does

not show

favoritism.

But we're

not only

included by

grace

second we

are saved

by grace.

Verse 9

He made

no distinction

between us

and them

for he

purified their

hearts

by faith.

You see

God doesn't

have one way

of saving

a Jew

and then

another way

of saving

a Gentile

or saving

you one way

and saving

me another

way.

The gospel

is not

get yourself

clean and

then come

to Christ.

It's come

to Christ

look at the

end of verse

9 and by

faith he

will purify

you he will

clean you.

We come to

Christ with

our mess with

our failures and

he cleans

us.

that's how

God saves

us and

it's exactly

the same

for all

of us.

Verse 10

So then

why do you

try to

test God

by putting

on the

necks of

the disciples

a yoke

that neither

we nor

our fathers

have been

able to

bear?

He's getting

annoyed.

Why are you

insisting on

adding to

the gospel?

Why are you

running around

the place

on a Sunday

morning and

throughout the

week with

your little

checklist

making sure

that everybody

meets your

standards?

Why don't

you just

look at

your own

life?

You can't

even meet

your own

standards so

why are you

trying to

get everybody

else to

keep it?

Verse 11

No

we believe

it is

through the

grace of

our Lord

Jesus that

we are

saved just

as they

are.

The only

contribution

that we all

make to

our salvation

and to

our sanctification

is our

sin.

God in

his abundant

grace takes

our sin

on himself.

He accepts

us and

he purifies

us.

Grace is

not about

what we

do.

It's all

about what

God has

already done

for us

in Christ.

Again it's

what James

is saying

in verse

19.

His

concluding

comments

it is my

judgment

therefore that

we should

not make

it difficult

for the

Gentiles who

are turning

to God.

Stop

putting

hurdles

in the

way.

God

does not

ask us to

have all

our theology

all sorted

before we

come to

Christ.

He doesn't

demand that

we're free

of our

sinful habits

when he

purifies us.

He doesn't

insist that

our lives

are immediately

all sorted

after he

accepts us.

All of

those things

are important

but it

takes time

and he

will be

patient

with his

grace.

So we

shouldn't

put those

demands

and insisting

on other

people.

You see

if we

take grace

out of the

gospel,

if we

remove grace

from the

gospel,

it leads

to a

church that

becomes

critical,

judgmental,

and

superior.

And that's

why Peter

and James

and the

leaders were

adamant that

the rest of

the people

who had

gone offline

understood

what grace

was really

all about.

so those

are

challenges

to the

gospel,

how we

maintain

the

gospel.

Third,

living as a

gospel-centered

church.

You see,

when we have

understood the

gospel,

when we've

experienced

grace in

our lives,

then it

radically

changes the

life of

the church.

Verse 19,

James is

speaking,

his summing

up of the

whole meeting.

It's my

judgment,

therefore,

that we

should not

make it

difficult for

the Gentiles

who are

turning to

God.

Instead,

we should

write to

them,

telling them

to abstain

from food

polluted by

idols,

from sexual

immorality,

from the

meat of

strangled

animals,

and from

blood.

Whoa,

where's

that come

from?

I mean,

it seems

strange to

us,

and it

almost seems

as if

James is

contradicting

everything that

has already

been said.

It's like

he's going

back to

the rules

again.

No,

he's not

turning his

back on

grace at

all.

James is

concerned that

the whole

church stays

united by

living out

the gospel

of grace

within the

community of

the church.

Verse 21,

he says,

for Moses

has been

preached in

every city

from the

earliest times

and is

read in

the synagogues

on every

Sabbath.

It's like

he's saying

this,

let me

kind of

try and

paraphrase

it.

He's

saying,

look,

as you

guys go

and preach

the gospel,

as you

go from

town to

town,

you're

going to

meet people

who are

steeped in

tradition.

You're

going to

meet people

who've had

Moses preach

to them

Sunday

after Sunday,

year after

year,

tradition,

tradition,

tradition.

So don't

be surprised

that when you

bring the

gospel to

them,

this message

of grace

and freedom,

that they

don't leave

everything behind

straight away.

It's going

to take

time for

grace to

filter into

every area

of their

life.

You

didn't

get it

right,

so don't

be expecting

everybody

else to

get it

right

straight

away.

But you

know what,

there's

something we

should do,

he says.

Make sure

we don't

go offending

anyone by

the freedom

we have

from God's

grace.

And that's

why he

says to

them in

verse 20,

we should

write a

letter to

them telling

them to

abstain from

food polluted

by idols,

from sexual

immorality,

from the

meat of

strangled

animals,

and from

blood.

Now again,

let me give

you some

background to

all of

this.

As a

Gentile,

if you

wanted to

buy your

Sunday

lunch,

you wanted

a nice

roast on

Sunday,

the best

place if

you were a

Gentile in

the first

century was

to go down

to the

local market,

which was

usually located

outside the

pagan temple,

a bit like

going to the

farmer's

market out

side Mahan

Point,

the big

temple,

farmer's

market,

where you

did your

shopping.

Not that

they're pagan

or anything,

just so you

get the idea,

picture it.

And you

get there a

lovely piece

of meat for

your meal,

a lovely

roast dinner.

The meat

that you

got there

was the

food used

in idol

worship,

the leftovers.

But not

only that,

most of the

idol worship

also involved

some kind of

sex ritual

as well.

That's the

phrase here

from sexual

immorality.

And one

temple we

know from

Ephesians,

that there

were a

thousand

prostitutes

involved in

pagan worship.

So when you

went to go

down to the

local market

to buy your

lunch down

there,

well you

needed to

have dark

glasses on,

you needed

blindfolds on,

you didn't

want to see

what was going

on down in

the marketplace.

It wasn't a

good place to

be to buy

your lunch.

So it's

not hard for

us to see

how it would

be a problem

for a Christian

Jew who

was used to

these very,

very strict

clean laws

about who

you're with

and what

you ate

and what

went on,

to be on

your guard.

As one

commentator put

it, it's not

so much about

the menu

here,

it's the

venue that's

the problem

that was

causing the

big issue.

So James

is not

going back

to rules,

he's encouraging

the church

to remain

united by

practising the

gospel of

grace and

saying to

them,

look guys,

don't go

down to

the marketplace

because if

you do that

you're going

to help

other people

come to

faith in

Christ.

You won't

be putting

any barriers

in the way.

Well I

don't think

we have to

go down to

the marketplace

or if we

went down

to Dunn's

we're not

going to

be worried

about food

polluted to

idols or

prostitutes

hanging around

or blood.

So what

does it mean

for us?

Well I

think these

two things

in practice

or in

application

for us.

The first

is this,

to give

grace to

others.

We all

have our

own preferences

don't we

about how

church should

be?

When we

meet,

where we

meet,

what we

do when

we come

together

and how

we should

do it.

And you

know what,

it ain't

going to

come to

a surprise

to anybody

here that

some things

that you

particularly

like,

the person

sitting beside

you might

dislike.

Is that a

surprise?

I hope it's

not.

In fact they

might find that

the things that

you do

very disruptive,

distracting,

or even

unspiritual.

So instead

of insisting

on having

things my

way,

we give

grace to

others.

To maintain

unity and

partnership in

the gospel,

we hold

loosely in

our hands

practices

and preferences