Unity and Diversity

Introduction

After defeating the arguments against his going to Jerusalem Paul and his companions now finally arrive in the city.

Paul’s arrival creates quite a stir because of those who have been stirring up division over the differing practices of the Jerusalem church and the churches which have now been planted throughout the Gentile world.

Some have accused Paul of forsaking the Law of Moses and of doing away with the customs and traditions of Judaism.

The matter of the Law and salvation has already been decided in Acts 15 but now the Jews are upset because they believe the law still has value and should not be done away with.

We find here a disunity that threatens the advance of the gospel and Paul’s desire is to do what he can to suppress the division and work towards unity.

Paul understood the importance of unity among the churches throughout Jewish and Gentile lands for the advancement of the gospel. It would be far better for them to work in collaboration than to be in competition with one another.

Among the early churches as should still be the case today there was:

Solidarity in Praise (Vs. 17-20a)

Paul arrives in Jerusalem with the offering that he had collected from the Gentile churches for the help of the church at Jerusalem and is accompanied by a number of Gentile converts who have become his fellow-servants in ministry.

He meets first with James and all of the elders from the church at Jerusalem and begins to rehearse what God had done through and his fellow ministers among the Gentile nations.

Paul likely shared many detailed accounts of how God had worked in supernatural way among the Gentiles with thousands coming to Christ, churches being planted, and lives, homes, and communities being transformed.

Paul was certainly careful to point out that it was God who had worked and would not have claimed any credit for himself for what God had done.

The reaction from James and the elders was to glorify God for what He had done through Paul’s ministry.

This is a wonderful picture of what should always be true among followers of Christ. There was not a spirit of envy or competition between James and the elders and Paul and his companions. Each was simply glad for what God had done.

This should be true today as well. Far too often this is not the case. There are far too many today who instead of rejoicing in what God has done in another’s ministry there is a spirit of criticism and jealousy.

We ought to rejoice every time that we hear of God working and moving regardless of the church or individual that God is using.

We must recognize that it is not important who God is using or where he is moving we should glorify him for what He is doing.

Bristol Revival- some who had a critical spirit born of envy that the man God was using was not them or someone they would have selected.

We should thank God for every soul that is saved and every life that is changed remembering that we are co-laborers together with God not competitors trying to build a name for ourselves.

We must also remember that among the early churches as is still the case today there was:

Diversity in Practice (Vs. 20b-25)

James and the elders now explain a problem that has arisen in the church at Jerusalem. Many of the the believing Jews were still zealous regarding the keeping of the law and many of the traditions that the Jewish people had adhered to for generations.

These believers were not insisting that it was necessary to keep the law for salvation as this matter had already been decisively handled, but they were still insistent that even after their salvation it was important to strive to adhere to Moses law.

It had been reported of Paul that he was instructing Jewish believers to forsake the law of Moses and to cease circumcision and other valued customs. This was certainly not true for Paul had done no such thing and had actually done quite the opposite even having Timothy, a Gentile, circumcised so that he would be more effective in reaching lost Jews.

We must recognize that the practice of the church at Jerusalem varied drastically from the churches in the Gentile nations. This is significant because it supports the autonomy and independence of the local church.

There were some basic practices such as baptism and the Lord’s supper which would have been common to all the churches but the Gentiles saw no reason to keep Jewish law while Jewish believers still felt it was important and still valued the customs and traditions that had been handed down to them.

Neither of these ideologies were necessarily wrong. It is not to be expected that every Bible-believing church will be uniform in the practice of their faith.

So long as these differing practices do not violate the scriptures there is not reason that they should be condemned. Paul certainly did not feel that it was necessary to keep the law but he also still had a great respect for the law and those who sought to adhere to it.

We must recognize that every church will be distinct in some practical matters and it is not our duty to judge another church according to our own standards and convictions so long as they are not violating the plain teachings of scripture.

The joy of the autonomy of the local church is that we are not beholden to some hierarchy that decides for us but we have the liberty to decide what is best practice for our church according to God’s leadership and the guidelines given to us in scripture.

Even though Paul may not have agreed with their convictions he willingly made himself subject to them so as to promote unity rather than stir up contention and division over matters of conscience.

There are many examples where Paul did exactly this and instructed others to do the same to promote unity. I Corinthians 8:1-9- meat offered to idols, Acts 15:20-21

It is always right to avoid unnecessary offense so long as it can be done without violating the scriptures. Paul was willing to lay aside his personal preferences to preserve unity between the Gentile and Jewish Christians.

Unity of Purpose (Vs. 26)

Why was Paul willing to go along with the plan James and the church elders put forward? It was because his primary concern was the furtherance of the gospel and not his own agenda or personal preferences.

We see Paul explain his reasoning in I Corinthians 9:19-23- all thing to all men for the sake of the gospel.

Paul was willing to set aside his own preferences and opinions if it would bring unity and promote collaboration between the churches.

We must draw clear lines where the scriptures draw them and we cannot collaborate with those who reject the authority of the Word of God but it is unfortunate when churches who agree doctrinally cannot collaborate and cooperate because of inconsequential personal preferences.

Paul understood that the best scenario for the furtherance of the gospel was that the Jewish and the Gentile churches would collaborate together to reach the world.

We must also be willing to collaborate with other Bible-believing churches for the furtherance of the gospel recognizing that we are not in competition with other churches but there is a unity of purpose to reach the lost.

The Jewish church continued to hold a high regard for the law because the unbelieving Jews they were trying to reach still revered Moses and the law. The Gentile churches were not concerned with the law because the unbelieving Gentiles they were trying to reach had no regard for the law.

We must never forget that our primary mission is to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ and we must be willing to identify with those we are trying to reach not at the expense of compromising biblical principles but so much as the Word of God allows we must not be afraid to lay aside our preferences for the furtherance of the gospel.

We must not allow Satan to sidetrack us with petty quarrels over what amounts to personal preferences in practice. We must instead be determined to cooperate and collaborate with those who are doctrinally sound and who are striving to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Notice that Paul did not demand that the Jewish church behave as the Gentile church or vice versa. He allowed for the differing practice knowing each would be more effective as a result.

Conclusion

Ultimately we will find that the strategy employed in an attempt to endear Paul to the Jews was not successful but we can surely see the wisdom in Paul’s decision to do all that he could to promote unity and to suppress strife.

We must remember that God does not demand uniformity but rather unity as we strive together to reach the world with the gospel.

Let us praise God when we hear of the success of another work, let us understand that diversity is to be expected, and let us do all that we can to promote unity among churches of like faith so that we can collaborate and cooperate for the sake of the gospel!