The context of Acts 15:1 is men were teaching that to receive salvation you must first keep the law and be circumsized. Maybe that's what it's talking about in verse 5 maybe not. What these believing Pharisees said sounds alot like what the men from Judea said though. They went to Jerusalem to discuss this matter about works based salvation.
The yoke that they nor their fathers could bear was the yoke of keeping the law perfectly FOR THEIR SALVATION. This context has not changed.
You stated that
The 4 things stipulated. Three of them are in the law of Moses. Abstaining from things strangled isn't in the Law.
You then go on to say that
do Gentiles need to be circumsized and keep the Law of Moses? The answer, as demonstrated, is clearly NO.
You just contradicted yourself because you say that 75% of what they were told to do is from law of Moses.
Now let me show you from scripture how indeed all 4 are found in the Torah. You raise your own animals and I'm assuming like Kevin you slaughter them yourself. Now when you slaughter them I'm assuming like Kevin you slit the animals throat, right? You don't strangle the animal to kill it do you?
So then to slit the animals throat to kill it instead of strangling it is to fulfill these verses.
‘And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’ Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.’ “Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust; for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.’
Leviticus 17:10-14
Now let's examine verse 13 more closely
“Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, HE SHALL POUR OUT ITS BLOOD AND COVER IT with dust;
Leviticus 17:13
Now when you slit an animals throat it's life blood is poured out on the ground thus fulfilling the previously mentioned verses and these verses as well
But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
Genesis 9:4
Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it on the earth like water. Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life; you may not eat the life with the meat. You shall not eat it; you shall pour it on the earth like water.
Deuteronomy 12:16, 23-24
If you strangle the animal does it's blood get poured out like water? No it doesn't. So to eat an animal that has been strangled is to eat something with the blood in it which is then breaking commands found in the Torah. So you see all 4 things stated are indeed in the Torah and all 4 things are commands by the apostles to new converts to FOLLOW THE TORAH.
You yourself said 3 of the 4 things were found in the law so again you admit they we're commanding them to follow the law of Moses.
Did they command them to try to follow all of Torah right away? No. How could they? Did they expect them to learn all of the commands found in the Torah in one days time or one weeks time even? No they didn't. Why? Because verse 21
For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
Acts 15:21
When you yourself was saved did God immediately reveal to you everything you need to do in your life? To use one of your own examples, did he immediately tell you to get out of debt and you immediately did so or was it a learning process for you?
Did God immediately reveal to you that the main stream church was not the way to go or was it a learning process for you?
It was a learning process for you, just like it was for the new converts which is why it was stated
For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
Acts 15:21
They would learn as they went just as you had to learn as you went.
RE: Contending for the Faith: part 1 of ?