August 2, 2021 - Acts 15:1-28

Yesterday was a great day to serve and to be a part of the church! As people drove into the parking lot and it filled to capacity, I was humbled at the work God is doing in our midst. I saw smiling faces, joyful greetings and an anticipation of hearing from the Lord through His word and His people. It was a special day to worship the Lord and to be a part of His family.

The church in Jerusalem had seen many days which the power and presence of the Holy Spirit powerfully moved and worked through the body of believers assembled there. There had been healings, miracles, answers to prayer and salvations by the thousands. People had also experienced the sadness of separation, persecution and misunderstanding between the masses of assembled believers.

In this chapter, we come back to the mother church to address an issue that was threatening the unity of the church. Persecution had spread the church throughout Judea, Samaria and now into Asia Minor and Africa. Its growth had been the result of dedicated disciples sharing their faith with individuals they met and evangelizing new converts. The center of this new movement remained in Jerusalem as the apostles had continued to reside in Jerusalem (8:1). The Gentiles became a major factor in the growth of the church and therefore the need for clarification of circumcision and keeping of the Law of Moses arose as an issue of conflict. The believing Pharisees and ardent followers demanded the compliance of all the Law while Paul, Barnabas and others instructed that salvation was by grace through faith with no additional action necessary for the Spirit to come into and dwell in the new believer’s life.

After much study and discussion, Simon Peter spoke regarding Cornelius’ conversion and Paul and Barnabas detail how God worked in Gentile conversions in order to “take out a people for His name” (v.24). James finally addresses the congregation and makes a judgment the church is to follow. The process allowed all parties to defend their positions, research and prayerfully reconsider alternatives and finally reach a collective decision.

With this decision, the church opened its arms to the entire world to become a part of the body of Christ without the chains of the Law and additional restrictions imposed upon them. Faith in the resurrected Christ and the reception of the Holy Spirit formed the basis of membership into the church.

This chapter demonstrates for us a clear format for leadership to handle controversy and difficult issues as a body. When questions and conflict arise in the church, may we learn from the lessons presented here and resolve differences using principles demonstrated in Acts 15. It is such a joy when the body of Christ is united and free from dispute. May that continue as we seek to follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.