January 18, 2011

Acts 15
The Great Controversy - How they handled conflict

"While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers:

'Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.'

Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. . . .so the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue." Acts 15:1-6(NLT)

If you want to find the perfect church, don't look for it in the Bible.

Pastor's Reflections:

If you want to find the perfect church don't look in the Bible.

Acts 15 records perhaps the most contentious meeting in the early church. Paul and Barnabas had returned from their first missionary journey with news that God accepts outsiders/gentiles, no strings attached, and without needing to follow Jewish ritual. Other Jewish Christians had no plans to water down their faith for anyone. And the new gentile Christians felt that to require the demands of the Jewish law would be to doubt what God had already done in them by Grace through faith, that no Jewish ritual has the power to save.

This was not minor dispute. None of them could have been more adamant about their position. Paul had just written down his view (letter to the Galatians, the churches in Turkey he had visited) that absolutely nothing more is needed than faith to get into the Kingdom of God. TheJewish legalists were also right.. . . faith without works is dead. James (Jesus' brother and the about to be leader of the Jerusalem church) was certain that God wants unity. What to do?

They met, talked, prayerd, sought the Lord, consulted scripture, and as you will see later in the chapter they emerged from a contentious disagreement as One. They stuck together. Who knows what would have happened to Christianity had they not persevered until they had achieved unanimity, not consensus, but unanimity. (vs 25 & 28).

Do you have any relationships which have been broken because of unresolved contention? Have you done all you can to resolve what divides you? If all parties are Christians, it seems to me that doing so is required of each involved. What might be your next move?