Growing Pains

Growing pains, you’re all well acquainted with them!…

The Church, as it grows, begins to experience some growing pains. There are lots of people, people from all different walks of life and backgrounds and cultures. People are sinful. People are messy! So, a situation comes up that the church of Jesus needs to address and speak on, and that’s what chapter 15 is about.

You ever had a disagreement about something that happened in your church?… This chapter gives us a model of how to handle issues in local churches and in the Church.

Christians must be firm on Gospel issues and live graciously with each other on other issues.

pray

Do not give up faith alone

1-18

We are saved by faith. There is nothing we add to it to secure our salvation.

1-5; There are some Jewish people who have believed in Jesus, but they think to be saved people still need to obey the law of Moses…

This is understandable…

So they’re going to Jerusalem to talk it over.

6-18; Peter, then Barnabas and Paul, then James all made their case, explaining why obeying the law of Moses was not needed for people to be saved, only faith…

I have a friend who works at the University of Alabama. He gets all the school breaks and he’s paid for them! Anyway, he told us in our group text about a kid who came with his family up to Tuscaloosa to move in and start school in August. Had the Uhaul loaded up with his stuff, mom and dad are geared up for it. But they got to campus and went to move in and they didn’t have him on the dorm list. As they investigated further, they didn’t have him on any housing list. He’s getting upset, his parents are getting frustrated. The guy is telling them that they’ve messed him over because they have lost his info. He’s making an issue of it. So much so that they eventually get sat down with one of the deans to figure it out and the dean tells them all that not only is he not on the housing list, but he isn’t even listed as a student. It was at this point the this dude broke. He looked at his parents and confessed that he had made it all up. He never even finished filling out his application. What was his plan?!

I don’t know where he slept that night, but it wasn’t on the campus of the University of Alabama. Because even though he had done all this stuff; packed up his clothes and stuff for his dorm, gotten his parents to make the long drive to Tuscaloosa, showed up at a dorm to move in, he didn’t have the only thing that he really needed. An acceptance letter.

Someone can be circumcised, they can be baptized, they can try to obey the law and do good things. But none of that will save you. The thing you have to have is faith in Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. If you are trying to be good enough to be saved and get to Heaven, you can stop. You won’t make it. All you can do is trust that Jesus was perfect for you and that He paid the penalty for all you did wrong.

If you have never done that before…

If you are a Christian, God has told us to share this good news with others. We must be clear that it is faith alone. We can never give this up. Salvation hangs on it.

When there is an issue like this, that makes something a false Gospel, you have to stand your ground boldly in the name of the Lord. If you aren’t sure if it is, you need to find out!

But salvation doesn’t hang on everything, and on the stuff it doesn’t hang on…

Be gracious on the other stuff

19-21

Be willing to live in a way that considers others, even when it’s something that is a preference and not a command.

What’s the best Thanksgiving food? Which ones should we get rid of?

I don’t want to see deviled eggs at Thanksgiving dinner. They stink.

You can have these preferences and you can feel strongly about them, but you need to remember they are just preferences and other people are allowed to have different ones. That’s ok. But also, if someone thinks your deviled eggs stink, you ought to let go of your freedom to eat them around that person in kindness and consideration to that person!

Most people believe this is the point James is making here. Not about Thanksgiving food, but…

Philippians 2:3–4 ESV

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

It’s also possible that James is saying that Gentile Christians need to live differently than the world around them so people will see something different.

Either way, what James is telling them, and us, is to be willing to give up freedoms for the good of others. To have good fellowship and point people to Jesus. This is what we talked about in 1 Corinthians last spring…

Examples…

Bible translation

church clothes

music (church and otherwise)

So the church has met, they’ve debated, and together they have made a decision. They have done this all in a spirit of love and gentleness, not pride and arrogance! Now they get the word out.

Communicate clearly

22-35

It’s important for churches to clearly and plainly communicate things like this so their people know, so everyone can know!

Judas and Silas accompany the letter. They want to make sure everyone knows that Barnabas and Paul didn’t just take Jame’s phone and send a text from it! They send word, they encourage, and they going on being the church and fulfilling the mission Jesus gave us in light of what has been decided.

One day, I hope and pray, you will all be leaders in your churches. When that happens, be clear and transparent with your church! And know that no matter what, there will always be people who disagree with you, and that’s ok!

Have room for disagreements

36-41

Paul and Barnabas have a disagreement that they can’t come to terms with. It’s unfortunate. So they so you go do your thing for the Kingdom of God and I’m going to go do mine. Be blessed.

They don’t hate each other, they don’t talk bad about each other, they still love each other and want them to succeed in Kingdom work. They are honest with each other. And it’s all good.

We are called to be peaceable when possible, not argumentative.

Romans 14:19 ESV

So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

A temporary separation was the thing that did it here. And they reconnect and reconcile later on!

When you have a disagreement with a brother or sister, don’t dig in a be argumentative when it isn’t necessary. Agree to disagree, be peaceable, have unity on what matters, for the good of the church and the glory of Christ.

Christians, be firm on Gospel issues and gracious to one another on the things that aren’t!

If you are not a Christian, believe in Jesus and call on his name to be saved! Only by faith in Him can you be saved.