252 –
Acts 15: How to Manage
Conflict
While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria,
some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are
circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Paul
and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church
decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local
believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question. The church sent the delegates to Jerusalem,
and they stopped along the way in Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers.
They told them—much to everyone’s joy—that the Gentiles, too, were being
converted. When they arrived in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were
welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported
everything God had done through them. But then some of the believers who belonged to
the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile converts must be
circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.” So the apostles
and elders met together to resolve this issue. ACTS 15:1-6 NLT
How to
overcome conflict:
Expect it
When we
arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with
battles on the outside and fear on the inside. 2 CORINTHIANS 7:5 NLT
Deal with it
Paul
and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church
decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local
believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question. ACTS 15:2 NLT
Control your anger
Tempers flared, and they
ended up going their separate ways: ACTS
15:39 MESSAGE
Human anger does not produce the
righteousness God desires. JAMES 1:20 NLT
And
“don’t sin by letting anger control
you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. EPHESIANS 4:26-27 NLT
Listen to the other side
Everyone
listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and
wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. ACTS 15:12 NLT
Invite wise council
When
they had finished, James stood and said, “Brothers, listen to me…” ACTS 15:13 NLT
Look to the Bible for help
And this conversion of Gentiles is exactly
what the prophets predicted. As it is written: ‘Afterward I will
return and restore the fallen house of David.
I will rebuild its ruins and restore it, so that the rest of humanity might seek the
LORD, including the Gentiles— all those I have called to be mine. The LORD has
spoken— ACTS 15:15-17 NLT
AMOS
9:8-12
Compromise for
the greater good
And so my judgment is that we should not make it
difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead, we should write and tell them to
abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating
the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood. For these laws of Moses have been preached in
Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations. ACTS 15:19-21 NLT