The Acts 15 Principle- Moving the Church Forward in the Face of Dissention

This week we read of the amazing success of the earliest missionary journey of Paul. The surprising news of God’s intention to grant salvation to non-Jewish, previously pagan people spreads like wild-fire. The fourteenth chapter of Acts ends with the declaration that “God opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” What good news for the earliest church! Yet the fifteenth chapter of Acts records that on the heels of such success comes the first contentious disagreement for the church! Now that Gentiles are joining the “fold,” will they be held to the same standards of Jewish Torah that the Jewish Christians keep? Must they be circumcised? Acts records that there was “no small debate and dissention” over this issue. It was tearing the church apart, and it needed resolution. For 2000 years the church has continued to fall into this dangerous place; bickering and disagreeing in ways that can smother the Spirit and smother the enthusiasm of those young in faith. Notice the swift action taken by the early church in Acts 15 – principles that I believe should guide us today as we face disagreements within the body of Christ.

First – the church DEALS WITH the dissention. The leaders of the church take decisive action and move to some kind of resolution.

Second – the leaders of the church do not rely upon personal opinions or popularity polls to discern the way forward. Instead they rely upon EXPERIENCE OF GOD’S ACTIVITY IN THE PAST AND THE MOVEMENT OF GOD’S SPIRIT to guide them. Then they test their opinions and their decision with SCRIPTURE.

Finally–all factions within the church ACCEPT THE SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY OF THE ELDERS AND APOSTLES. No unity is possible without this acceptance and recognition.

Read this chapter, and see what you think. These principles guide the early church from a dangerous place, and they propel the church into another round of growth and missionary outreach. I can’t help but believe that in our close relationships, in our families, and in our church, these principles remain the way forward today.