During nearly 50 years of ministry, I have been called to pastor churches that had experienced major conflict prior to my appointment as pastor. I was asked to lead these congregations through the process of healing. I’ve learned a lot.
If you’ve been around church for a while, you’ve probably seen conflict emerge, often with the potential to divide the congregation. The issues may be cloaked with spiritual terminology but rarely is the conflict about theology. The real issues may be racial, personality or cultural preferences. The debate may concern pastoral leadership, music styles or approaches to evangelism. The potential for conflict is almost unlimited.
When discord abounds, I’ve noticed that people on both sides of the debate can pull out Bible verses to support their point of view. It sounds so spiritual. But remember, the believer who likes a different style of music, is not the enemy, he’s your brother. We are not to attack each other; we’re to join forces to reach more people for Jesus.
The unity of the church is of such importance, that when it is threatened, the issue must be dealt with. Acts 15 describes one of the first major theological disputes in the church. The issue itself is important to understand, however, learning how the church handled the dispute is equally important for us today.
1. UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE
When conflicts are not clearly understood, it is impossible to resolve them. What people are arguing about may only be a symptom of the real issue. Peacemakers get to the underlying issue.
The congregation in Antioch was unsettled by the visit of Jewish Christians from Jerusalem who taught that a Gentile had to become a Jew in order to become a Christian. This was the first theological debate of the Christian church and it was critical to settle it correctly and harmoniously.
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. (Acts 15:1-2).
We don’t know whether they were motivated by theological, cultural or racial reasons. Since many conversions were taking place among the Gentiles, perhaps they could have felt threatened as they saw the Christian Jews becoming a minority. They didn’t want to lose either their heritage or their position of influence.
However well-meaning these Judaizers were, they caused a serious disturbance. It unsettled the people and conflict erupted.
The teaching of these Judaizers was dangerous and needed to be dealt with. It was heresy and was being presented in a plausible and attractive manner. The issue threatened the unity of the church, as well as the purity of its doctrine. These teachers were saying that unless you become a Jew, you are a second-class Christian, if a Christian at all. These teachers were attacking the whole principle of salvation by faith and faith alone.
The key lesson to learn from this story is the process that was followed by the church in dealing with conflict. Many issues that are divisive in the church today are not dealt with in the biblical pattern that was established here. As a result the names of churches are being dragged through the mud.
2. LEARN THE PROCESS OF DEALING WITH CONFLICT
… 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. (Acts 15:2-4).
Address the critical issue. The church in Antioch did not allow this issue to fester and disturb the believers. They quickly confronted this divisive issue. They appointed Paul and Barnabas to go to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem to address the matter. They also sent some other believers to represent the church. Both sides were represented.
Allow for courteous discussion. A meeting of the key leaders was called, at which everyone was allowed to speak. Both sides were given opportunity to express their positions. Rarely can people be persuaded to adjust their thinking if they are not allowed to speak. Issues need to be aired. People need to be allowed to talk. I’ve noticed two groups of people in church business meetings: those who have something to say and those who just have to say something. It’s part of the process.
The Judaizers were allowed to speak first. The leaders knew they were so entrenched in their thinking and so emotional about the issue, that they would not listen to anyone else until they expressed themselves. They were allowed to go first. Peter, Barnabas and Paul followed.
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. (Acts 15:12).
Those in the meeting were courteous to each other. There was no shouting match.
Discuss only the relevant issues. They stuck to the central issue: do Gentiles need to be circumcised? They did not get involved in character assassination. There was no name-calling. They did not discuss other questions. They stuck to the issue: do Gentiles need to become Jews first in order to become believers? They did not talk about people; they discussed issues.
Rely on the Holy Spirit. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us … (Acts 15:28). This provides an interesting insight into decision-making in the church. Godly leadership uses common sense combined with the direction of the Spirit. There was a consensus among the leaders that the decision was pleasing to the Spirit. They had peace about the decision.
This is often the way leadership is provided in the church. Timothy and Titus gave the qualifications for those directing the church. Leaders are to be full of wisdom and full of the Spirit.
Allow the chairman to bring the matter to a decision. When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me…” (Acts 15:13).
James gave the decision. There was no vote on this theological issue. You don’t vote on truth or the will of God; you obey it and follow it. God had revealed his plan for the conversion of Gentiles to Peter and Paul. They knew what God wanted. They had not gone to this meeting in any way questioning their teaching and practice. Paul and Barnabas wanted to bring peace to the church in Antioch. They wanted the endorsement of the leadership on their ministries as a means of silencing those who taught differently. They wanted to settle the theological issue of salvation by grace through faith, once for all. They got what they wanted.
James said the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised and become Jews in order to become Christians. It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. (Acts 15:19).
James issued four directives to these new converts. Perhaps it was a concession to the Judaizers so they would not go away from the meeting empty-handed. They were to abstain from the pollution of idols, from fornication, from meat that is strangled and from eating blood.
James saw the conversion of the Gentiles as part of the fulfillment of God’s purposes and a fulfillment of divine prophecy. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. (Acts 15:14).
Settle the issue and experience unity. So we all agreed… (Acts 15:25). What an amazing conclusion! Everyone accepted James’ decision. Everyone was in agreement about what needed to be done as a result of the decision.
How tragic it is when people who “don’t get their way” refuse to agree to a decision, and continue to foster turmoil within the church body!
Write a statement detailing the decision. Instead we should write to them… (Acts 15:20). James not only gave his decision verbally, he put the decision in writing. He did not want someone later misquoting him or twisting his words. He recognized that some people think orally while others need a document to mull over visually.
Implement a plan of action. The letter was written outlining the decision and sent with Paul and Barnabas to the believers in Antioch. As a protection for Paul and Barnabas, Silas and Judas were chosen to accompany them. Silas and Judas could verify to the people in Antioch that what Paul and Barnabas reported was truly the decision of the council in Jerusalem.
3. CELEBRATE THE OUTCOME
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. (Acts 15:30-32).
The purpose of the discussion was to bring the church back to what was really important and to reestablish harmony within the church. The Judaizers had been focused on what the new Gentile believers did not have to do – circumcision and obeying all the law of Moses. The decision of the Jerusalem Council was intended to help people refocus their attention back on Christ and his great love.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love… You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:6, 13-14).
This was not the end of the Judaizers, but it did settle the issue for the church leaders. Some people who do not get their way today do not go away quietly. Paul faced continual opposition from the Judaizers. Today, conflict continues. The idols and legalism have changed, but the fact remains; there are those within the church who stir up trouble and refuse to be submissive to leadership.
Prior to becoming the seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson was a general in the Tennessee militia. During the War of 1812, his troops became discouraged and morale was low. They began to argue, bicker and fight among themselves. At a time when tensions among the troops were particularly strong, General Jackson told his troops, “Gentlemen! Let’s remember, the enemy is over there!”
Those words should be shouted in some churches today. We’ve forgotten who the enemy is. Churches are caught up with in-fighting rather than pulling together in our common cause. The Lord’s commission that applies to each of us is, “Go and make disciples.” If churches would simply focus on this and only this, reaching lost people for Jesus, there wouldn’t be time or need or energy to lobby and legislate and debate with others in the church. We wouldn’t have the inclination to argue about the color of the carpet, who has keys to the kitchen or the volume of the music.
We are supposed to be making the world jealous for what we’ve discovered in Jesus. Instead, the world sees our disharmony and they are not impressed. Rather, they are repelled.
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