Acts 15:22-35

                                                         Acts 15:22-35

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching 

Division and conflict are tools that Satan constantly tries to use to distract and destroy the followers of Christ.  The previous post showed how the leadership of the church dealt with this in a masterful way as they defused what could have been an explosive situation.  They continued to show great wisdom in the way they made their decision known.  It was important for them to make sure there was no doubt about what was decided and how the unity of the body of Christ was to be restored.  The physical distance between Jerusalem and Antioch made this a priority and their strategy for accomplishing it is instructive.

 

RESPONSIBLE REPRESENTATION: The elders in Jerusalem understand the importance of making sure that all parties understand the decision that was made so there is now doubt or confusion.  Since the decision clearly favored Paul and Barnabas, it would be a little suspect if they came back from the council communicating the message.  There might be a seed of doubt in the minds of the hearers as to how sincere they were truly being.  Sending representative from Jerusalem that would be responsible for making the communication was wise and helped to protect Paul and Barnabas.  The letter could raise questions in the minds of the people so having representatives there to answer and assure was very wise.

 

CLEAR COMMUNICATION: One of the biggest reasons for conflict in any relationship is difficulty in communication.  One of the biggest hindrances to resolving conflict is a lack of clear communication.  The elders in Jerusalem wanted to make sure this important conflict was resolved without doubt or question, so they used both written and verbal communication.  Both are important and have their advantages and disadvantages.  The fact that they opted for both demonstrates how vital this decision was.  There is no more important subject than the Gospel.  The fact that salvation is by grace and not through works or keeping the Law was so fundamental to the faith that clear communication was of utmost importance.  We must dedicate our lives to defending the faith and hone our skills at communicating the faith.

 

ECOURAGING EDIFICATION: The greatest testament to the wisdom of the elders and their implementation of conflict resolution was the rejoicing and encouragement that concludes the narrative.  This could have had a devastating impact on the church God was using to reach the world with the Gospel.  It does not appear that those who were insisting on circumcision when away from the church in anger.  They had been heard, considered, and shown great respect.  It is a beautiful thing when the church can respond do doctrinal difference in this way.  There are many things we can learn from this example.  

 

APPLICATION: When faced with conflict, strive to over communicate.  Write agreed upon decisions down, but also make sure to communicate and respond to questions verbally.  Be sure the message of the Gospel is not compromised and work hard to communicate the Gospel effectively.  Rejoice and encourage one another when conflict is resolved.  Don’t hold grudges or gloat, love one another.