Doctrinal Differences

Introduction

This morning we are beginning what I would call a three week “sub-series” in the book of Acts.

Up to this point we have seen the gathering of the believers, the Ekklesia, the Church come together against great opposition. From the the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came and rested on the 120 some people who were gathered in that upper room... the Church has been growing in number and strength. We have seen how this got the attention of the power players of their day. Their growth caused these leaders to push back against what they saw as a threat to their power and position.

First the religious leaders got involved under the mask of “heresy” and then the political leaders were invited in under the mask of “maintaining the peace”. These confrontation brought many ups and downs for the church but through it all the church met these oppositions bonded together and they continued to grew in number and strength.

Remember how in that very first Sermon Peter declared:

Acts 2:39 “39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.””

And the Lord called many to himself and the Church began to expand...

Acts 2:41 “41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”

Acts 2:47 “47 .... And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Acts 5:14 “14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,”

Acts 11:24 “24 .... And a great many people were added to the Lord.”

And then as Paul and Barnabas spread the word in Gentile world it says:

Acts 13:48 “48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”

So even up against opposition, persecution, imprisonments, beatings and even executions the Church continued to grow far and wide just as Jesus said it would.

But today from Acts 15 we find the early Church dealing with a new kind of opposition. The kind that comes not from outside their numbers but with the Church growing like it has they are now having to deal with internal disagreements.

Tension

I have to confess that this section of the book of Acts is very encouraging to me. Not because I need to hear another story of conflict in the Church, but because it shows us that the presence of conflict in a Church is not a new development. Sometimes it’s tempting to look back on the early Church with something of rose colored glasses.

Just reading about how they were growing and things were moving. God was active in such powerful ways and there was just a profound sense that being a part of this thing called “Christian” was participating in something so much bigger than ourselves so that opposition was met with this unified front…and that is not how I always feel about the Church in our day. .

Not to mention that when I look through those same rose colored lenses I can’t help but think how much better off we all would be if we had someone like these Apostles leading our Church instead of the weak vessel that stands before you.

But Acts chapter 15 drops the rosy lenses out of my faulty glasses.

These verses give us a picture that the early Christian Church was just as flawed as we are. That while they did do many things worth emulating, at the end of the day they were working with the same flawed raw material as we are:

We are all people in need of the forgiveness, mercy and grace that is found in Christ alone.

We are all people who are striving to hear and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit with varying degrees of success at varying times.

And we all need one another, the Church, to help encourage us back to the ways of the Lord.

And that is why I see this as a very timely message for the Church today. Many have argued that the Church in American is more divided right now then any time in recent history. That the 1-2-3 combo of political, pandemic and racial tensions that have ravaged our nation over the past couple of years did not hit up against a Church that was bonded together in a unified focus and mission. That as a whole the Christian Church didn’t seem to weather the storm a lot better than those from the outside our Churches.

And I don’t know how helpful it will be place the blame on the conflicts themselves for the divisions among us. I tend to think that these pressures just served to reveal the cracks that were already there. But now that they have been revealed, the questions are what are we going to learn from it and what are we going to do about it?

I believe that this ‘sub-series” on how the early Church handled conflict in the larger body of Christ will serve us well in coming to an understanding of what role God would have us play in His unstoppable movement called the Ekklesia.

So open your Bibles with me to Acts chapter 15, p 923 in the Bibles in chairs I will pray and we will get into this today’s text together.

Truth

So as I said, over the next three weeks we will handle three different conflicts that the early Church had to deal with in hopes of learning how we can respond to the conflicts that we have today in the Church in America modern Church. And to be clear, none of these are fringe issues that are happening on the outer edges of the Jesus community - they all directly involve the leadership of the Church so the ripples of these conflicts will be felt through out the whole Body of Christ.

[slide of the three with references]

These three examples of disagreements come in the form of Doctrinal, Directional and Behavioral Conflicts and we will handle one of these each week. Today we will handle the “Doctrinal” conflict as a laid out in the bulk of Acts Chapter 15. This will cover the Jerusalem Council but then next week we will handle the final section of the Chapter where Paul and Barnabas get into a “sharp disagreement” about “Direction” and then the following week we will cover a confrontation that the Apostle Paul engages in over the bad “Behavior” of Peter and other Church leaders.

The events surrounding this Doctrinal conflict make up most of Acts Chapter 15, but we will also be looking at the book of Galatians where Paul reflects back on his experience with these conflicts in a letter to the Church in Galatia .

So let’s start here with verse 1 of Chapter 15 where the issue behind the dispute is laid out for us. And just to remind us, at this point Paul and Barnabas have returned to Antioch after their first Missionary journey - which we covered last week - and now they are continuing their ministry there in that city, which is where we find ourselves as chapter 15 begins...

Doctrinal Dispute

Acts 15:1–2 ESV

1 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.

So right away we can see that the Dispute here is about what someone was “teaching”. It is about Doctrine. Doctrine that was being taught at the Ekklesia. This is an important distinction, because this was not a case when someone came in with genuine questions about something they didn’t understand.

It would be one thing if they came in saying: “I don’t get how this works, Jesus was the Messiah of the Jews, so wouldn’t you have to first become Jewish before you can be called a follow of their King?” That would be an honest question. It would have been a fair question, especially so early in the Christian Church’s history. The role of the Messiah being sent for all people was not taught in synagogue school, even though there are many places in the Old Testament that we could and Jesus and others did point to in defense of this idea.

But these guys were not asking genuine questions. They were “teaching” or offering the answers and they were answers to questions that no one in Antioch was asking.

This Church in Antioch had been thriving now for many years. They began with their own “Pentecost-like” experience with the Holy Spirit and they had grown into a Jesus loving, Spirit filled, Gospel Centered Church that had just had their first missionaries come back and report on all God had done.

After all this these guys come up from Jerusalem and say… “Yeah you guys are actually not real followers of Jesus because you are not Jewish. You can’t take part in the saving work of Jesus until you first take on his Jewish heritage.”

You can see why Paul and Barnabas had such strong words with these guys! It was a “Gospel-and” approach. As if the message of the Gospel wasn’t enough, there was some sort of work that these Gentiles had to do in order to be truly set free…but they had already been set free and were walking in that freedom. Still these guys wanted them to go back to the old way of relating to God - through the law?

And they were not alone, after Paul and Barnabas arrived in Jerusalem and had fellowshiped with the Apostles and the Church they met others who would see the Church teach this very same thing. Moving down to verse 5 we read...

Acts 15:5 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.””

This many seem a little confusing as we typically see the Pharisees as from the other team - Right? They were ones who opposed the Church but here we see that Paul was not the only one formerly from the party of the Pharisees. Although it is hard call it a “party” because the truth is they were not really any fun. In fact if we turn to Paul’s description of these same events in Galatians he says:

Galatians 2:4–5 ESV

4 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— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

These guys saw the freedom that the Church in Antioch was living in and their default response was this cannot be ok! They obviously still had a lot to learn and yet they thought that they should be the teachers…given the same level just like they were in their old Church. Maybe you have met someone like this...

And that doesn’t mean that they couldn’t become teachers, it just means that they first will need to learn what the “Christian Church” is primarily about. This is what brought Paul and Barnabas to fight’n words. This is what brought them to Jerusalem. There is a lot of room to disagree on a lot of different things in the Church but we have to come out strong against anything that hinders the message of the Gospel.

So our first theme for this week is that

1. Spiritual leaders resolve conflict so that the message and mission of the Church is not hindered (Acts 15:1-5, Gal 2:4-5)

So now that we know what this Dispute is about, lets see how the Spiritual leaders handle it from here, what defense will they offer.

Acts 15:6 “6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up ...”

Can’t you just picture the scene? Many of us have lived this scene over the past couple of years. In gatherings of varied kinds we have encountered “much debate”. Someone brings up one of the hot buttons of politics, pandemic or racism and the temperature in the room just rises as people passionately respond. Depending on their personality they either “brace, bristle or bellow”. We all get passionate in one way or the other over these things.

The problem we have had, at least from what I have seen, is that we didn’t know what should happen next. We didn’t know who would be the voice of resolve… “after there had been much debate”. In this case it was Peter...

Acts 15:7–11 (ESV)

7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

We remember this story... when God lowered the blanket with unclean animals and commanded Peter to kill adn eat, saying do not call unclean what God has made clean. Then he sent Peter to Cornelius’ house and as he was still expounding on the message of the Gospel the Holy Spirit fell on these Gentiles in a similar way to how it happened at Pentecost and Antioch. Peter is testifying that He has seen God save Gentiles without them becoming Jews first. This is how he described it:

Acts 15:8-10 (ESV) 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

Do you hear this? Peter is reasoning with them by showing them the ridiculousness of their demands. Guys, the law never worked for us! How can you demand that these guys try to earn their salvation through means that never worked for us! That doesn’t work, but I will tell you what does...

11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

This idea that some form of works will have to accompany your faith in Christ to make it valid will be fought by the Church through out the New Testament…and we have the same battle today but it is a battle worth fighting. The Apostles spilled a lot of ink to tell us that adding anything to the Gospel voids it of it’s power. Peter is here testifying how both Jewish and Gentile believers received the Holy Spirit as confirmation of God’s acceptance, but they didn’t earn it by the law. Everyone is purified in their hearts by grace through faith alone. One well know verse in this vein is...

Eph 2:8-9 “8 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.”

God had clearly bestowed this gift on these Gentiles, so at these words of Peter the assembly fell silent. Paul and Barnabas then had a chance to add their testimony to Peter’s about the things that God had done on their Missionary journey where they too experienced God clearly moving among the Gentiles without them becoming Jews first.

Finally James, the half brother of Jesus speaks up. James was considered one of the premiere leaders in the Church in Jerusalem. His council would have been weighted just as strong as Peter or Paul if not stronger…but being satisfied with what has already been said, James offers something even weightier to the debate.

Acts 15:6–21 (ESV)

13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,

16 “ ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’

This is a quote from the Old Testament prophet Amos. What this emphasizes for us is that the early Church leaders were not seeking consensus like so many leaders today. They didn’t send out a survey or take a pole or see how everybody feels about things when it comes to issues of Doctrine. It was not about seeking consensus, it was about alignment. They wanted to make sure that they were aligned with God has said and what God was doing. Our second them is that ...

2. Spiritual leaders resolve conflict by …applying God’s Word and observing God’s working (Acts 15:6-18).

With the Dispute understood and the Defense having been made, James leads the Church into their Decision.

19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

So this part may seem a little confusing at first glance. We might say, “Ok, I mean it’s great that they don’t have to follow all 613 some commands in the law of Moses, but why do we still need these four? I though we established that the law doesn’t work, so lowering the dose still doesn’t seem to be a right answer.”

It isn’t, and that is not what James is proposing. There are two relationships that James is addressing here. In regard to their vertical relationship with God, the testimony of Peter, Paul and Barnabas and the weight of God’s Word assures us that these Gentiles have “turned to God” by grace through faith. So James says they should not be “troubled” with anything else…but these four practices are given in aim of their horizontal relationships.

To many Jews maintaining their ritual purity was an important element in their remembering the history and heritage of their people. And while these practices had no power to secure salvation, there was nothing immoral about choosing to practice them, they were often quite helpful. So while these things were not works required for salvation, they were a way that Gentile believers could show love to their Jewish brethren and neighbors by abstaining from these 4 particular practices.

But I should point out that, as the old children’s song goes…”One of these things is not like the others”. While New Testament Christians are not bound by much of the Old Testament law - especially the ceremonial aspects - we are to obey all that Jesus commanded us....Mat 28, The Great Commission. And Jesus gave some clear instructions in the area of sexual immorality, even going further than the Old Testament Law to close up some loop holes that people were testing God with.

On top of this relating horizontally with Jewish Christians and neighbors, it was also helpful in how it communicated to the rest of their community. All of these practices were known to be used for pagan worship in places like Antioch so avoiding them would help set the members of their Church apart to be something different.

And this seemed good to the whole Church, even Paul and Barnabas, so they had a letter drawn up and delivered to the Church in Antioch by Church leaders from Jerusalem. And I want you to listen to how the Church responded:

Acts 15:

Acts 15:30–31 (ESV)

30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.

They rejoiced! because they knew this could have gone very differently. Remember that religious factions were a huge part of the ancient world, even the Jews had at least 4 different religious sects Pharisees, Sadducees, the Zealots and the Essenes. Religious division was the norm, but the Jesus community seemed different and they were greatly encouraged to have their understanding affirmed.

Gospel Application

I want to read for you a quote from Gene Wilkes on this passage, but as I do, let me encourage you to consider how needed this kind of experience is in our Churches today. He says:

“This event—commonly known as the Jerusalem Council—and those involved solved an issue that could have split the movement of God into many factions. The natural divisions of race, culture, geography, and religious affiliations would have marked the boundaries of the grace of God in Christ Jesus without this unified decision.” - Gene Wilkes

When churches allow conflict to divide the congregation, their ability to share the gospel with the people in the community is severely damaged. So ...

Spiritual leaders resolve conflict so that the message and mission of the Church is not hindered

That is the goal. That is the motivation. It is not just to make sure everyone is happy. That is not a worthy goal for all the work that is involved in resolving conflict. But fulfilling our mission of sharing the Gospel is.

And we are not after concensus, many a Church has gone astray seeking Concensus. We are after Alignment where

Spiritual leaders resolve this conflict by applying God’s Word and observing God’s working.

God never changes, but the Body of Christ - like every other created body - is designed to grow and mature over time. God is doing new things among His people all the time, but God’s Work is always consistent with his Word. This is how...

3. Spiritual leaders promote reconciliation between the parties in conflict (Acts 15:22–30).

The people rejoiced because the unity of the early Church was preserved even through difficult conflict. And of course, this is not the last conflict that they will face…we will be continuing this theme over the next couple of weeks.

COMMUNION

You know one of the reminders that God has given us to our need for unity in him is the practice of communion. Did you know that Paul’s teaching that we read from each month as part our communion celebration was given in response to conflict in the Church. There were divisions happening among the church in Corinth, for them it was along the lines of their economic differences.

We find this in 1 Corinthians 11 starting in verse 17 where Paul is writing to the Church in Corinth and he says...

1 Corinthians 11:17–22 ESV

17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

When they practiced the Lord’s supper it was in conjunction with a whole meal and instead of it being a meal that they all shared together, one family ate in abundance sitting across the room from a family who hardly had anything. And this is why Paul had such stern words to share towards them, saying after his careful instructions...

1 Corinthians 11:27–29 ESV

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

So we don’t want this to be us in any way. You notice it doesn’t say “Let’s all examine ourselves” as if it is something that we should do together. Not this is something that we do individually in preparation for what we will be doing together. So lets spend some time doing business with God here. Getting right with him.

If you have never come to know Christ by grace through faith then this is not something for you yet, but if you have then you are welcome to participate. We practice “Open Communion” here so you don’t have to be a partner to participate but we do need to examine ourselves, each one, so that we are approaching this sacred experience in a worthy manner.

Parents we leave it up to you to decide when your children are ready for this significant step.