Dear saints,
Do you yearn with all your heart, as we do here at Walk Worthy, for God’s people to be one? Displaying loving unity amidst the diversity of His body? To receive God’s glory NOW (John 17:22-23) in fullest measure by pleasing His heart in full? Oh, what bliss! Heaven on earth!
Now an even more important question: do you believe in your heart of hearts that it’s possible in your groups? Be it done to us according to our faith?
What does God’s precious word say to us? Fortunately, much more truth than the prevailing wisdom these days in many of His assemblies. Have you heard the repeated familiar refrain that “we’ll never be in unity here”?
Rubbish.
God’s word and the history of diligent dedicated believers teaches us otherwise. Paul commands us in the book of Ephesians through the power of the Holy Spirit to keep maturing in the unity of the faith until completion:
Ephes. 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
And then Paul says to speak to each other directly (not behind each others backs) and “grow up.”
Ephes. 4:15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
Let’s look backwards then at the earlier beginning verses in this chapter.
Does Paul say it’s perfectly acceptable to blow off your brethren and just walk away because they think differently than you? To reject them without working it out week by week, say, when they vote differently? When they don’t vote at all? When they do speak in tongues, or don’t speak in tongues? When they believe in 5 point Calvinism, or are considered flaming Arminians? When they’re desperately trying to explain their doctrine of the role of women, or money, or loving your enemies, or divorce and remarriage, or not being once saved always saved, or selling your possessions and giving your money to the poor, etc., etc., etc, and etc.?
Do you say to them, or worse, just think, “It’s final! My way or the highway!?”
And then break fellowship for no Biblical reason?
Would Jesus consider you irreconcilable? Now, that’s a huge problem.
2 Tim. 3:1-5 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these.
Paul implores us to walk worthy, proving our salivation by humility and producing peace in our assembly. And…preserving unity. How rare these days. But it’s natural for the spiritual man guided by our supreme Guide, the Holy Spirit of Jesus.
Ephes. 4:1-3 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Show me a man’s diligent actions toward unity and I’ll know if he really, really, really has any true love for Jesus. Talk is cheap, no?
As a body of believers beat up over the years by dozens of so-called saints, both in the institutional and simple house church, we’ve seen multitudes of people come and go. They often change churches like they change their underwear. It’s our culture of choice. Don’t like something?
Just leave, and find something you agree with. A dangerous solution the Father proclaims.
We ourselves made many mistakes over these years trying to learn and follow the Lord’s ways. Indeed we shamefully admit we chased off people we shouldn’t have. The grace to God’s forgiveness is a marvelous thing extended to us!
So, a few years ago, as a body we spent several weeks praying, reading, debating, reflecting, arguing, repenting over Acts 15. Why? It’s a hidden gem of how our brethren in perilous times avoided the first possible church split. And, I’m persuaded, pleased the Father in a most holy way!
We drew closer as we wrestled it through. We were diligent to stay together as we sought the Lord’s mind. At times, it was not easy, and very hurtful. We were dedicated to Jesus, and in turn, to each other. This was not going to tear us apart. We were learning to be one…to be in unity.
I’m going to show you below our notes from those sessions just as we recorded them. It might take another 2 issues, but we want to listen to God and do a complete job. If you want a copy of the whole study, let me know. Let me know also if you see things we can change for the better. We want to collaborate with you, the body.
Finding the mind of the Lord – Unity Lessons from the Acts 15 gathering
Our goal as overcomers in loving Jesus is acting like Jesus by keeping (Greek word = tereo) his commandments (rules):
1 John 2:3-6 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
Then we bring glory to the Father:
John 17:4 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me
One of the main ways we receive His glory now on this earth (John 17.22, 2 Cor. 3.18, 1 Pt. 1.8, Rom. 8.30, Psalm 8.5, etc.), and then bring glory to Him, is being perfected in unity, especially when we disagree, so that the unsaved world can be led back to God:
John 17:22-23 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
It might be sequenced like this:
- glory from God now: then when…
- disagreement arises: we must be…
- finding the Lord’s mind: which will allow us to be…
- perfected in unity: which then brings…
- glory back to God: so then the…
- unsaved world sees God loves us and Jesus: to result in the…
- unsaved led back to Him: which fulfills the eternal purpose of God!
Acts 15 situation: reoccurring disagreement over Gentiles salvation (also see Acts 11.2 earlier), i.e. law or grace, how are they saved?
Observations from the narrative:
Verse 1 – Judean men come to Antioch and begin falsely teaching the brethren Gentiles you must be circumcised to be saved
V 2 – Paul (P) and Barnabas (B) have great dissension (rigorous debate) with Judean men; the brethren, and the whole church in Antioch, are involved in decision to send them to Jerusalem to apostles and elders there
Note: the same Greek word used to: 1) describe dissention here in V 2 is also used in the Gospels in Mark 15:7, Luke 23:19, Luke 23:25; 2) describe a riot in Acts 19:40, and 3) more dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, Paul and crowds in Acts 23:7, Acts 23:10, Acts 24:5
V 3 – great joy as P & B relay the Gentiles conversion; notice no mention of any complaints over the debate
V 4 – P & B welcomed and received by the church and the apostles and elders
V 6, 7 – Much debate between P & B and apostles and elders
V 12 – “All the people” indicates the whole gathering, the body, was there (see v 4) as P & B relay signs and wonders God performed among Gentiles, a proof of His pleasure in them
V 13 – James waits until after P & B had stopped speaking, assuming uninterrupted speech
V 22 – Seemed “good” (vs. direct speaking from Holy Spirit like Acts 13.2) to apostles, elders, with whole gathering to choose other men to accompany P & B back to Antioch with the letter detailing the 3 points
The Church’s Decree, Craig Keener in IVP Bible Background Commentary
15:22. When views were disputed in the later rabbinic academies, the majority view always prevailed; here a partial compromise (in favor of the Antioch church) seems to command consensus. Other Jewish groups also had “general sessions,” such as at Qumran, where the priests, elders and people would gather.
V 25 – “having become one mind” – they worked at it, some maybe putting aside their claims in favor on a broader unity
V 31 – whole Antioch congregation gathered, and greatly rejoiced because of its encouragement
Their methods were reflective of the kingdom of God:
- Wanted and went seeking the Lord’s mind, the Truth
- Humble in heart, poor in spirit, but not silent or shy and retiring
- Listened and questioned – seek to understand first, then to be understood
- Discuss, debate, “not a little” the Word says in V 2
- Willing to put aside some differences, but not put aside sin in peoples life, i.e. not OK to let the Judeans keep preaching that false message, or people trying to live it
- Prayer, council, get opinions
And…the first possible church split is avoided!
More next time as the “unity” saga continues in Part 2…
UNITY: FINDING THE LORD’S MIND TOGETHER – PART 2 [MONDAY MANNA 149]
Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.
Your friend and brother in fighting the good fight,
Marc
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Saints, we’re one day closer to Home, and Him! Love Him wholeheartedly!
You may view our Archives here: MONDAY MANNA – ARCHIVES; Complete Archives; feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion. May our Father richly bless you with His grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in order to walk worthy of His name.
Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.
