Unstoppable ChurchSample

Acts 15:1-35 NKJV– A Beautiful Example of Christian Unity in Doctrine and in Conduct

What a Biblically Healthy Church and a Biblically Healthy Relationship have in Common!

What do a Biblically healthy relationship and a Biblically healthy church have in common? They have a clear understanding of and are in alignment with the essential Biblical foundational doctrines of Christianity, and they make sure their fellowship is Spirit-controlled as evidenced by unity, humility, and selflessness! This is true of any group of believers – small group, friend-group, personal relationship, or family. And not only has God told us in His Word that this is the clear goal for our churches and relationships, He has also provided clear instructions on how to accomplish this and has even provided positive examples in Scripture on how it was established among other believers. Acts chapter 15 serves as a positive, vivid example of how these characteristics were established in a local church and cultivated among the larger community of believers.

Upon returning to Antioch after a year and a half of travel (Acts 14:26-28), Paul and Barnabas were eager to share of the positive reception the Gospel had among the Gentiles (Acts 14:27b). And while this was welcomed news to all believers (Acts 15:3b), the local church and many believers outside of Antioch finally came to grips with something that had never happened before – there was an influx of Gentile believers entering the church (Acts 10) as opposed to experiencing mass conversions of Jews. And while the believers were used to Gentiles getting saved, it had never occurred at this level. Although they knew that to be saved required faith alone in the deity of Jesus Christ (Jesus is God), His atoning death (only Jesus’ death was an acceptable sacrifice to pay for one’s sinfulness), and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, there was a question of if Gentiles still had to adopt Jewish practices that served as a sign of the Lord’s covenant with the nation of Israel (i.e., circumcision) in order to be saved (Acts 15:1). They needed clarity on this essential foundation of the Chris- tian faith. So, the church of Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to engage the most influential apostles and key leaders of Christianity (Acts 15:1- 5) to prayerfully rehearse all of the relevant Scriptures, all relevant prophecies (Acts 15:15-18), and the messages from the Lord (Acts 15:7-12a, 14) in order for all to affirm what was required for a person to be saved.

This counsel of Apostles and Christian leaders (Acts 15:6), which is commonly referred to as the “Jerusalem Counsel” today, rehearsed Scriptures, shared testimonies of the Word of the Lord they had received, and relayed the experiences of Gentiles accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. After much debate, Peter spoke (Acts 15:7-12a), then Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:12b), then James (Acts 15:13-19). The conclusion was that one must confess their sin and put their faith in Jesus Christ, believing in the deity of Jesus Christ, His atoning death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead in order to be saved (Acts 4:12). It was also determined that no one should teach that anyone – Jew or Gentile – needed to perform any physical acts or be required to obey the Mosaic Law in order to solidify their salvation as this would place an unnecessary burden upon a person (Acts 15:19). They all were pleased (Acts 15:22), agreed, and wrote the decision down in letters and sent them in the hands of some Apostles and Christian leaders to deliver this affirmation of the Gospel back to Antioch as well as Syria, Cilicia, and the surrounding areas (Acts 15:22-35).

The Gospel of how a person can have their sins forgiven and experience salvation and peace with God, their Creator, now and for eternity in heaven, was reaffirmed in a passionate yet unifying way that brought great joy among believers and great glory to God! The believers relied on the Holy Spirit to guide them in interpreting the Scriptures and to control their interactions with each other in this important discussion. From here, the Apostles and Christian leaders focused on reinforcing this correct understanding (see Galatians and Romans) and to contend for the Gospel message at all costs (II Timothy 2:1-16, 4:1-5).

Acts chapter 15 is popular for how believers were spiritually healthy by having a clear understanding of and being in alignment with the essential Biblical foundational doctrines of Christianity. But an extremely significant and often overlooked emphasis made in Acts chapter 15 was how they also made sure their fellowship was Spirit-controlled, as evidenced by unity, humility, and selflessness! To get their doctrine accurate without honoring the Lord in showing Spirit-controlled love for each other in the process would not have honored the Lord (see Revelation 2:1-5) nor brought about the joyous celebration that occurred on that day.

Their spirit-controlled fellowship, evidenced by unity, humility, and selflessness, was on display when they all agreed to ask the Gentile believers to do three things that seemed to totally contradict their original decision. They did not require Gentiles to obey the Mosaic Law, but after confirming that salvation was by faith alone through grace alone, they did ask all Gentile believers “to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath” (Acts 15:19-21 NKJV).

What?! Did they just go back to their initial decision? Is this political flip-flopping for the purpose of appeasing everyone? And how is it that all the Christian leaders “came to a complete agreement” about this (Acts 15:25 NKJV)? And how is it that when the Gentile believers received this news, they “were glad for its encouraging message” (Acts 15:31 NKJV)? The reason is that these three requests had nothing to do with salvation but everything to do with maintaining the fellowship of believers in a spirit of unity, humility, and selflessness.

In Acts 15, the believers who had the most difficult time with being told no Gentile believer had to be circumcised were strict, legalistic, former-Pharisee believers (Acts 15:5) who, for the longest time, only believed that Gentiles were spiritually depraved people who acted opposite of everything taught by legalistic, orthodox Jewish teachers. So, in their minds, they worried that this influx of Gentle believers who had never been called before to be disciplined in their spiritual walks would negatively influence all other believers to have a great disregard for spiritual discipline. In essence, they needed time to see that these new believers who accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ in faith and who came out of their sinful lifestyles would truly live according to God’s truth when there is no physical law to hold them accountable (John 1:17; Romans 2:29; Colossians 2:11; Philippians 3:3).

Therefore, to support their fellow Jewish believers in the spirit of unity, humility, and selflessness and not to be a stumbling block to them as they are sincerely attempting to mature in their faith, the Gentile believers were asked to publicly acknowledge that, yes, they would “abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality” (Acts 15:20b NKJV). And the Gentile believers agreed, knowing that as unbelievers, they had the reputation of engaging in this conduct without any regard to their testimonies. They also agreed that they would not come close to eating “food polluted by idols” (Acts 15:20a NKJV) sold by those who were from the false religions that they themselves might have once been a part of. And they agreed that they would forego something that was completely acceptable to do, “[to eat] from the meat of strangled animals and from blood” (Acts 15:20 NKJV), knowing their Jewish brothers lived a lifetime of avoiding eating this type of meat.

These brand-new Gentile believers were asked to do what many mature believers today have a very difficult time doing, that is, to make temporary concessions so that spiritually weaker believers can have some time to “be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16 NKJV) so that they can overcome some of the strong feelings and passions they adhered to in their former lives. But at the same time, agreeing to these requests also provided a safeguard for these new Gentile believers so they would not return to their formerly sinful lives since they were living as “new creations” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV) in the same cities where they lived out their formerly sinful lives. Thus, in conceding to help their weaker believers grow stronger, they too matured in their spiritual lives in the process!

Ponder & Pray Today…

Reflect upon where you would be if the Lord had not saved you from your former way of life. Ponder how wonderful the love of God was that He forgave you from all unrighteousness and brought you into the family of God. Also, consider selecting a praise & worship song to play today when you drive in your car that focuses your heart and mind on how good God is to offer His unparalleled grace and mercy to you (singing out loud is optional!).

Pray to God and thank Him for making the Gospel so clear and simple to understand. Thank Him for saving you. Then pray for some people you know who have not accepted Jesus as their Savior. Pray they will hear the clear message of the Gospel from you or someone else. And, if they have already heard the clear message of the Gospel, ask the Lord to make today the day they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.