Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19980329.htm

ACTS: THE LOCAL CHURCH AS GOD'S AGENCY FOR DISCIPLING MEN
Part XXXIV: Discerning God's Will On Divisive Issues Through Reading The Spirit's Signals In His People
(Acts 15:1-35)
  1. Introduction
    1. Occasionally, Christians come to have greatly differing views on subjects that demand resolutions. Feelings may run very deep, making it hard for those not grounded in the Word to figure out who is right!
    2. In the divisive issue of Acts 15:1-35, Luke provides telltale people profiles that reveal the Spirit's will!
    3. Accordingly, we examine not only the surface events, but the deeper people profiles as follows:
  2. Discerning God's Will On Divisive Issues Through Reading The Spirit's Signals In His People.
    1. The Early Church faced a potentially explosive issue that could have wrecked Church unity, Acts 15:1-2.
      1. Some Judaizers in the Church claimed that unless they were circumcised, Gentiles couldn't be saved, 1.
      2. Thus, the inconvenience and invasion of very personal privacy involved in promoting circumcision for adults was presented as the price for saving one's soul, creating great unrest, Ac ts 15:24, 31 implied.
      3. However, upset at the faith-plus-works erroneous gospel, Paul and Barnabas strongly opposed these men, setting up a confrontation before the council of the Apostles, Acts 15:2a,b.
    2. Accordingly, the Acts 15 Jerusalem Council event officially set the record straight, determining that Paul and Barnabas had the correct Gospel, that the Gentile believers didn't need to be circumcised, 15:19-21.
    3. Now, lest one conclude that this decision by the Apostolic hierarchy was made without the Lord's approval, we note a number of signals by the Spirit in His people that showed His approval as follows:
      1. Before the Jerusalem Council, a number of telltale signals of the Spirit in His people showed the Lord was in favor of leaving the Gentiles uncircumcised and not burdening them with keeping the Law:
        1. The deeply expressed intolerance by reputable missionaries Paul and Barnabas for the call for Gentiles to be circumcised indicated the Spirit's view about adding circumcision to faith, 15:2a.
        2. When Paul and Barnabas reported on how Gentiles had been saved, the grassroots believers all responded with great joy, Acts 15:3. Since joy is a fruit of the Spirit according to Gal. 5:22, this signaled the Lord's acceptance of uncircumcised believers as expressed through His people at large.
        3. The Apostles personally received Paul and Barnabas when they arrived at Jerusalem. This signaled they approved of their Gospel before the meeting, a sign that the Spirit also approved, Acts 15:4.
        4. On the other hand, the Judaizers spread their works Gospel without proper authorization from the Apostles, Acts 15:24. Such insubordination is typical of ungodliness, cf. 2 Tim. 3:1, 2b, 5.
      2. During the Council Meeting, the Spirit provided telltale signals in His people to reveal His will:
        1. Peter stalled to share his input lest the verdict be seen as a foregone conclusion, 15:6-7a: such fairness and patience is a fruit of the Spirit, signaling that Peter was led to say what he did as of God.
        2. Peter shared that God had set up a precedent about a decade earlier in showing He justified Gentiles as uncircumcised by giving them the supernatural gift of tongues, Acts 15:7b-9 with 10:44-48.
        3. Paul and Barnabas related how God worked confirming miracles in their work with Gentiles, 15:12.
        4. James, the leader of the Council, ratified Peter's experience with what Scripture in Amos 9:11-12 had predicted long before -- that God would call uncircumcised Gentiles His people, Acts 15:13-18.
      3. After the Council, the Spirit gave telltale signals through His people, confirming His will, 15:22-26:
        1. The tone of the letter from the Council's leaders to the Gentiles was very loving, indicating that the Spirit was indicating love through these men, showing His favor of their decision, Acts 15:22-26.
        2. The credibility of Paul and Barnabas is certified by the letter, showing their track record, 15:25-26.
        3. Also, the relief with which the Gentiles received the letter's report indicates the Lord's work, 15:30f.
Lesson: In potentially explosive issues of the Church, besides depending on the "top-down" decisions of Church leaders, we can tell the Spirit's will in His work in believers at the grassroots level. Specifically, (a) intolerance or acceptance of a view expressed at a deeply personal level by reputable leaders, (b) fruits of the Spirit expressed in favor of a view, (c) signals of past precedents that reveal the proper current direction, (d) clear Scripture statements, (e) circumstantial signals o f the Lord and (f) insubordination by those of the wrong position can all signal the right and wrong positions to take!