Acts 15:22-41

In the book of Daniel we are told of the the faithfulness of Daniel and his companions. We are told how Daniel is given wisdom from God to interpret the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar. We see his rise to power under King Darius. He became on of three high officials over the people. The other two officials however became jealous of Daniels notoriety and influence and sought to agitate the king and stir him up against David and his God, by manipulating the king into signing and irrevocable decree against praying to anyone other the the King for the next 30 days should be cast into the loins den. They knew that David would be caught and the plan worked, well sort of, they did not anticipate that David’s God would rescue Him from the mouths of the the hungry lions.

Learning how to agree and disagree

In the same way there was this group of believing Pharisees within the group that were stirring up strife and troubling the believers. They were agitators as treebeard from the Lord of the Rings would call them destroyers and usurpers.

Establishing the faith. (22-29)

We need to decide whether it is definitional to the faith.

Every culture and every era has their battle that they must fight, to preserve and recover the gospel of Jesus Christ. For the newly formed church this battle ground was fought on the soil of circumcision and the law of Moses whether or not the gentiles should be required to observe them. For the 3rd and 4th centuries they dealt with Arianism which denied the deity of Christ, to Gnoticism, which involved mysticism and taught that the spirit was good and the flesh is evil and there for denied that Christ could have a body, to pellagianism which denies the idea of original sin and that man is corrupt because of Adam’s sin, to the Romes denial of Justification by faith alone, to the propserity gospel to the sexual revolution, identity politics and human autonomy which is the greatest threat if there could be one to the gospel today.

“Desperate times call for faithful men, and not for careful men. The careful men come later, and write the biographies of the faithful men, lauding them for their courage.” Doug Wilson

We need brave men and women who are going to boldly stand against the onslaught of attacks that seek to pervert and undermine the gospel. Every generation must pass the baton to the next, and take up the mantle, to proclaim boldly the truth of the word of God and say just as the apostles did 2000 years ago

We have allowed ourselves to become unsettled and to be troubled by these things. When you look out at the world around you and you see the evils and atrocities that are being done. I am in no way saying that we should be unkind or unloving in our approach we can certainly do better, but the way to win them is not by compromising the gospel. If a man in sinking in the quicksand you don’t jump in with both feet to try to save him, no you reach out with one hand and the other firmly grasped to something solid and firm.

We will only win them by showing them that God can and will save them from their sin and idolatry of they will repent,

In some ways we have advanced in society but in many ways we are no different. We have just become more cleaver and sophisticated in our sin. It is amazing here that these very sins that requirements that were laid upon the gentiles that were meant to remind them that they no longer worship and serve their pagan god’s are so applicable to every age but they are the sins that plague us today. Sexual immorality is rampant we call it identity or sexual autonomy, we offer up the blood of our own children in greater number than any culture ever has, they would strangle animals infront of thier gods, so that their breath could be transfered to the idol, be mutilate our children and offer them up.

The apostles and the elders and the Holy Spirit alike were in agreement in establishing the faith. Are we going to agree in our day and in our context “it seems good to us” If it was good for them if it is good to the Spirit, then it is good to me.

Galatians 5:19–21 ESV

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Encouraged in the faith. (30-35)

We can disagree and still find joy, in the gospel.

Acts 15:3–4 ESV

So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.

There is great joy in the gospel, for it is that which sets you free from your yolk of bondage.

Imagine that you go to bed one evening and you are at peace with your neighbor, all is well, but the in the middle of the night some else goes over and creates havoc by tearing up their yard doing burnouts in the grass, and when you wake up the next morning you realize that you are at war your neighbor has retaliated thinking it was you.

Now imagine to the horror of these Gentile believers who went to bed at peace, filled with the Spirit of God, having hearts cleansed by faith, only to wake up the next morning to hear that they are at war again there is something deficient an lacking in their faith.

Galatians 2:4 ESV

Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—

How depressing would it be for the one who was just released from jail his crimes only to be arrested again. But such is not the case for us, those who are acquitted shall never again be brought under the yolk of bondage.

For the believer who sins have been judged in the throne room of heaven and has been acquitted and penalty has been stayed based on the work of Christ. Walks out of the that court room a happy man, a free man, and though everyone he meets on his way down those court room steps knows his sins, and mocks him and hurls insults at him and tries to remind him of who he really is, they cannot touch him, because he has received the judges pardon.

John 8:36 ESV

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Galatians 5:1 ESV

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

It is one thing to to be at odds with your brother over some personal matter that does not have huge or significant implications in the overall scheme of things, it is another to disagree with the church and with the Holy Spirit.

Heated Exchange over Mark’s unfaithfuness. (36-41)

Acts 13:13 ESV

Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem,

Believe it or not it is possible to disagree even about our deepest convictions with out becoming bitter and declaring our opponents a heretic.

just because someone disagrees with you doesn't man you take them off your prayer list. we don't have to excommunicate them and hand them over to Satan for the destruction of thier flesh to save their soul.

Immediately we want to take sides, we see Paul’s side

Proverbs 25:19–20 (ESV)

Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble

is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.

We also see that Barnabus is called the Son of Encourgement, perhaps he saw in his cousin Mark some redeemable quality that he could encourage and develop, and evidentally he did because eventually Paul recognizes Mark’s usefulness.

2 Timothy 4:11 ESV

Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.

Charles Morgan calls this “a distinction necessary to civilization” because if we label every one we disagree with a heretic we would run out of atom bombs and people to drop them on.

If we are going to have unity within the Christian faith then we must be content with disagreement. And when we get to heaven everyone who has ever disagreed with you can see the error of their way.

Conclusion:

There certainly are hills to die an ones to not. We don’t see Paul and Barnabas dragging the Jerusalem council back together over the issue of Mark. It was a personal practical matter about how to apply biblical principles to John Mark who had deserted them, and though it was heated, though it was enough they felt the need to separate, yet it was not a hill to die on. The hill to die on is the gospel, when the gospel is at stake. When it is not we can afford to be wrong.

We do well to learn how to agree and how to disagree.