Quest 37 - Unity

Have you ever done something and thought to yourself - “Boy that was a bad decision.” Unfortunately, I have had many moments like that. 

For example: I remember one time in 4th grade seeing something in my Dad’s burn pile that looked cool so I reached in and grabbed it. Now you may be thinking, wouldn’t that just burn your hand? 

The answer is yes. Why 4th grade Clay did not grasp the concept of fire is hot, I couldn’t tell you, but that was me back then. 

Did I learn my lesson and have I ever reached into a fire to grab something out of curiosity since? Well, I am not going to answer that question… The point here is there are a lot of times when we make a bad decision even though we know from experience that it isn’t the right thing to do. 

This was a huge issue in the history of the early Church. As we read in our Quest reading this week there were a lot of cultural issues that had to be walked through and decided what the solution was going to be. One of the largest talking points was Circumcision. 

You may be asking why was this a big deal? Well - for the Jewish people, it was one of the ways that they showed they belonged to God’s people and a reminder of the covenant between God and his people. So naturally the Jewish people wanted the gentiles who responded to Jesus to go ahead and get circumcised as a sign of belonging. On the other hand, you have a group of people who have lived their entire lives without being circumcised and for valid reasons aren’t desiring to have that happen to them at this point. 

All of this leads to a disunifying moment in the early church. It becomes a point of contention, an argument, something that could hurt the Church on a deep level. Look what it says at the start of Acts.

Acts 15:1-2, “While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question.”

Now what I enjoy about this is they handled an issue in the right way. In our lives there are going to be times where we have disagreements with our fellow believers. We are all human, it’s going to happen, but our focus should be to fix those relationships so that we can continue to spread the Gospel. 

Let’s quickly look at a few things they did to problem solve with each other. 

1. They met together and talked. 

Acts 15:6-7a, “So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue. 7 At the meeting, after a long discussion,”

If you have a problem with something that someone did or you think there is an issue that needs to be resolved. The very best thing to do is just go and talk with them. Is that easy? No way, but it makes coming to a resolution easier. 

2. Go to scripture

Acts 15:15, “And this conversion of Gentiles is exactly what the prophets predicted. As it is written:”

Here is a little secret for you… If you have a question and need an answer, open your Bible. It’s right there for you. It’s God trying to speak to you. Inside of that book, there will be the solution to the conflict. 

3. Do what God says. 

Acts 15:28, “28 “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements:”

They come to an answer that God through God’s word and conversation that they should not have the Gentiles be forced to be circumcised. When you are dealing with conflict and are struggling with someone. Sometimes the answer might not be what you originally were fighting for. If that’s the case, you still need to do what God wants you to do because it’s the right thing to do. 

So boom. That’s how you handle conflict. How does that relate to doing something dumb and learning a lesson? 

Historically - that was a real thing that needed to be worked through. That was extremely important and would help set the table for unifying conversions for the rest of time. 

The lesson that needed to be learned is that conflict, disagreements, and questions needed to be worked through because disunity will kill what you are trying to accomplish. 

This was a lesson that all of those Early Church leaders should have grasped. Yet, just a few verses later we see disunity break a relationship apart. 

Acts 15:36-39, “36 After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.”37 Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark.38 But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work. 39 Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus.”

That scripture pains me. I hate seeing this tight knit relationship ripped to shreds. We don’t have a lot of context on what steps were taken to resolve their issues, but what I do know is that a relationship was hurt. 

It’s fascinating to read about on this side though because you have two guys who were fighting for the rights of the Gentiles and working through an issue with other leaders - resulting in a unifying decision. Yet just a short time later - they aren’t able to do the same with each other. 

There is something to learn there. Sometimes you have to step back, take your emotions out of it, and realize what you are doing. If they would have done that, they may have been able to come to a solution like they did with the other church leaders. 

Don’t be like me or them. Learn from the past and let that help you in the present. 

The only fire we should be reaching back into is Hell to snatch them from the fire like Jude 23 says.