Series: Action [#32]
WHEN WE DISAGREE
Acts 15:12-41
Introduction:
How many times have we heard about Church fights and Church splits? If you have been in a Church when things like that happen, you understand how terrible it is. Most of the time, the battle is over nothing that matters. So, how should we deal with disagreements within the Church?
When we disagree…
1. Seek a win-win.
A win-win is exactly what it says- Everyone wins. How do you make that happen?
Acts 15:12-19
A win-win comes from…
* Finding middle ground.
Paul and James were very different from one another; but they learned how to allow the Holy Spirit to work things out. They had opposite perspectives; but focused on what they agreed upon, not disagreed on.
Acts 15:20-21
A win-win comes from…
* Some give and take.
Paul won the battle over Gentiles being required to be circumcised and following the Law; but James was able to give some standards for the Gentile Christians to follow. Ask God for the wisdom to know the best ways to negotiate these types of things. The 200+ Christian Denominations in the US are proof that there was no give and take.
Acts 15:22-35
A win-win comes from…
* Waiting on God.
The Jerusalem Council trusted the Holy Spirit to work the necessary changes through the hearts of individuals and their congregations on God’s time schedule. I’m sure that the Christian Pharisees would have preferred to keep strict guidelines, policies, and procedures for all Christian Churches. In Jerusalem, there was much more pressure to conform to the Laws of Moses than in Antioch. In a Gentile city, people came to Christ from a different perspective and tradition.
One of the things that impresses me here is that not everyone got what they wanted; but they accepted the decision. They didn’t get mad and leave. Instead, they kept serving God. Ask God to help you wait on His timing in solving differences.
Acts 15:36-41
When we disagree…
2. Agree to disagree.
This is something that I don’t like. I hate to have to agree to disagree. Paul and Barnabas, (one of the greatest Evangelistic teams ever) could not agree on taking John Mark on their next missionary journey. Paul felt like John Mark was a traitor because he left them in the middle of their last Missionary journey. Barnabas wanted to give John Mark another chance. This created a terrible argument between these 2 friends, and it ended up with them going their separate ways.
They simply were not going to agree on this. While it was terrible that this team was broken up; God used this to have 2 really good Missionary teams. Sometimes, it just is not going to get solved. From Scripture, we find out that later on, Paul and Mark had resolved their issues.
Conclusion:
We are all going to disagree sometimes. Hopefully, it is something that can turn into a win-win; but if not, trust that God knows what He is doing and follow Him.
