“...it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 15:25-26).
The gathering arranged in Jerusalem to deal with the issues raised by the Gentile expansion of the church had talked it over and come to a conclusion. The two verses referenced above speak to how they proceeded to implement the decision. In many ways these procedural steps were just as important as the decision itself. Here is what I notice:
They didn’t move forward until they were unified. “...having become of one mind…” Given the nature of the problem as described earlier in Acts 15, I’m confident not everyone got the result they wanted. Those who said the Gentile converts had to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses didn’t get their way. And yet, unity prevailed. Biblical unity doesn’t mean everyone gets their way. But it does mean that we move forward together regarding the decision that is made.
They spoke highly of each other. “...with our beloved Barnabas and Paul…” When disagreements arise between fellow believers, it’s easy to fall into the trap of speaking ill of those who don’t see things our way. Those who disagree with us become “sons of the devil” or “heretics.” But here, Barnabas and Paul are still “beloved” even though they were on the other side of the issue from others.
They affirmed the work of each other. “...men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Just because someone does things differently than you do doesn’t mean they are necessarily doing it wrong. Speaking highly of the efforts of others in a group is a great way to promote unity as you move forward.
Unity is hard work! It can stretch our comfort zones, challenging our normal ways of doing things. But it is vital to being effective in our efforts to serve God.
God loves you!
Mike
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