September 27 | Acts 15 | Controversy & the Law of Love
Have you ever encountered a situation where long-standing traditions clashed with the aim of welcoming new people into the faith? How are we to handle church controversy with the grace and truth?
Read Acts 15:1-21. What controversy was the Jerusalem Council resolving? How did the testimony of key leaders (Peter, Paul & Barnabas, James) combine to bring the council to unity?
Read Romans 13:9-10. In the sermon, we saw how many Old Testament commands are re-instituted in the New Testament as applications of the law of love. How does viewing God's commands through the "law of love" change how you approach obedience and Christian ethics?
Read Acts 15:36-41. Paul and Barnabas experienced a sharp disagreement over mission companions, yet God used both of their teams. Can you share a time when a painful or sharp disagreement led to unexpected fruit? How we can disagree without being toxic?
Acts 15 recounts two different disagreements. The core gospel issue at the beginning of Acts 15 required church-wide unity. The personal disagreement between Paul and Barnabas regarding mission travel companions was a matter of preference. How can we discern which issues in our church or personal lives demand our complete unity versus those where we can peacefully differ? Can you think of contemporary examples of each? Spend time praying for the unity and purity of the church, both locally and globally.