I remember when I was in the process of applying to be a doctoral candidate at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I never thought that I would pursue a doctoral degree, but the Lord opened up several doors, and it seemed like an opportunity that was too good to pass up.
However, I needed to be accepted. I took a placement test, submitted a research paper, gave references and transcripts, and more. I remember the great anticipation of waiting to hear the news. What would come of my application?
Well, today’s passage begins with the Church in Antioch waiting to hear back from the leaders in the Church in Jerusalem. There was great anticipation about whether the Gentile Christians would be accepted into the fellowship of the other Christians or if they would ask them to fulfill extra requirements in order to be followers of Jesus.
Would the Jerusalem Christians choose to cooperate with the other Christians or not? Today’s sermon is entitled “The Careful Consideration of Cooperation.”
Let’s pray together, and then let’s dig into this passage.
(prayer)
Ok, let’s look at the passage together. Let’s look at Acts 15:22-35:
22 Then the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, decided to select men who were among them and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading men among the brothers. 23 They wrote:
“From the apostles and the elders, your brothers,
To the brothers and sisters among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24 Since we have heard that some without our authorization went out from us and troubled you with their words and unsettled your hearts, 25 we have unanimously decided to select men and send them to you along with our dearly loved Barnabas and Paul, 26 who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who will personally report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision—and ours—not to place further burdens on you beyond these requirements: 29 that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. You will do well if you keep yourselves from these things.
Farewell.”
30 So they were sent off and went down to Antioch, and after gathering the assembly, they delivered the letter. 31 When they read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 Both Judas and Silas, who were also prophets themselves, encouraged the brothers and sisters and strengthened them with a long message. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent back in peace by the brothers and sisters to those who had sent them. 35 But Paul and Barnabas, along with many others, remained in Antioch, teaching and proclaiming the word of the Lord.
We learn in this passage that the believers in Jerusalem wanted to cooperate with the Gentile believers, and they were considerate of them.
So, let’s see four ways that they were considerate.
First, we see . . .
I. Considerate care.
Listen to how the Jerusalem Christians speak to their brothers and sisters in Christ:
We see in verse 24 that they were concerned for them. They said that they heard someone had “troubled you with their words and unsettled your hearts.”
Also, notice in verse 23 how they refer to their relationship. They said, “From the apostles and the elders, your brothers, To the brothers and sisters among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.”
It was obvious that the disciples in Jerusalem cared about them, and it was obvious that the disciples in Antioch received it as a caring response. Verse 31 says, “When they read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.”
You see, Church: One of the marks of a Christian is that we care for one another.
That care for one another is not limited to just the Christians whom you know and love. It’s not even limited to just those who are a part of your church family. Rather, it includes all of our brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world.
At that time, Jewish people were taught to view Gentiles as outsiders and offensive. Yet, here we see the Jewish Christians referring to the Gentile Christians as their “brothers and sisters.”
Further, most of those Christians in Jerusalem likely never saw the Christians in Antioch. They sent Paul and Barnabas back and forth, but most of them didn’t travel back and forth. Yet, they cared about them.
Brothers and sisters, we are to care for our brothers and sisters. The bond we have in Jesus Christ is stronger than any ethnic bond, any national bond, and political bond, any cultural bond, and any other type of bond.
Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
The Church in Jerusalem showed their cooperation with considerate care, and so should we.
Next, we see . . .
II. Considerate correction.
Let me ask you a question, Church: If something is done that is wrong, and we have the power to correct it, should we do so? You better believe it!
What was said by the Christian Pharisees (in last week’s passage) was not correct.
The Gentile Christians should not be required to follow the ceremonial Jewish customs in order to be saved or in order to be in Christian fellowship with Jewish Christians.
Here’s how this letter described those who were wrongly requiring the Gentile Christians to follow extra rules: (verse 24) “ . . . we have heard that some without our authorization went out from us and troubled you . . .”
They wanted to set the record straight; these men were not authorized by the leaders in the Jerusalem Church to demand these extra regulations for the new non-Jewish disciples.
What they did was troubling and out of line. So, the leaders in Jerusalem wisely corrected the issue.
Let me just tell you, as a leader in a church, it is frustrating when you have to correct an issue.
I can’t tell you the number of times something was miscommunicated or someone did something without authorization and the leaders of the church have to correct it.
As frustrating as it is, it is necessary. Correction is necessary at times in order to have cooperation. Correction is necessary at times in order to get along with other people. Correction is necessary at times in order to be a healthy church.
The leaders in Jerusalem were considerate by offering necessary correction, and we should be as well.
Third, we see . . .
III. Considerate clarity.
Part of the correction that took place was to offer clarity. When something is not correct, you need to clarify what the correct thing is.
So, the leaders in Jerusalem sought to be clear in a few different ways:
First, they wrote this message.
Notice in verse 23 that the letter was from the apostles and the elders. You had the foundational leaders of the church (the apostles) and the newer leaders of the church (the elders). They came together in unison to send this message of clarity.
Second, notice in verses 25-27 that they sent Judas and Silas with Paul and Barnabas.
This step was not taken because Paul and Barnabas were not trustworthy. On the contrary, this step was taken to go above and beyond to make sure everyone was clear about what the truth was.
Paul and Barnabas represented the Church in Antioch, and Judas and Silas represented the Church in Jerusalem. They all came together at the Antiochian Church to verify the decision of the Jerusalem Church and to show their unity together.
Third, notice that they stated that they believed the Holy Spirit was guiding this process.
In verse 28, they say, “For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision—and ours—not to place further burdens on you . . . ”
They were clear that they believed that the Holy Spirit of God led them to this decision. They were confident and clear.
Fourth and finally, notice that they offered clarity about the concern itself.
Look at verse 29. They said the Gentile Christians should “ . . . abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” Then they added, “You will do well if you keep yourselves from these things.”
As I said last week, the Jewish Christians wanted to be clear: They didn’t expect the Gentile Christians to live a Jewish life, but they did expect them to live a holy life.
The leaders of the Church in Jerusalem were clear about how they could clarify misunderstandings and clear about how they could cooperate together.
We should have that same spirit when it comes to cooperating with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
To that end, let’s go to our final point:
IV. Considerate cooperation.
Notice the cooperation that resulted from the careful consideration shown by the Church in Jerusalem:
In verse 30, we see the assembly of the Church of Antioch gathered. They were eager to hear from the Church in Jerusalem.
In verse 31, we see that the Christians in Antioch rejoiced at reading the cooperative letter from Jerusalem.
In verse 32, we see that the messengers who were sent from Jerusalem also stayed for a bit and taught in Antioch.
In verse 33, we see that the Church in Antioch sent Silas and Judas back in peace.
In verse 35, we see that Paul and Barnabas continued to stay in Antioch and encourage the believers.
By the way, when it comes to cooperation, we must remember that Paul and Barnabas were originally sent from Jerusalem to Antioch quite some time ago. So, the Church in Jerusalem had been cooperating with the Church in Antioch for quite a while.
Then, in this passage, we see these multiple examples of their continued considerate cooperation.
That brings us nicely to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: Followers of Jesus should be a cooperative people.
Listen, church: Life does not revolve around us as individuals, and life does not revolve around our church.
Our lives should revolve around the One True Living God and the glory of His name.
We should want to lift high the name of Jesus and we should want to cooperate with those who also lift high the name of Jesus.
That is why I often remind us that we are not in competition with other churches in Bartow. We are in cooperation with other churches in Bartow to reach the roughly 20,000 people of our city.
That is why we cooperate through the Southern Baptist Convention, so we can lock arms with over 45,000 churches to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That is why we seek to plant churches and strengthen churches all over the world.
It’s not about us; it’s about others and about the mission of God.
Let us remind ourselves of that reality with our first weekly challenge.
Weekly Challenge #1 – Memorize Philippians 2:4.
Philippians 2:4 says, “Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.”
What we saw from the Church in Jerusalem was this type of spirit. It wasn’t about the Jewish people; it was about spreading the name of Jesus and encouraging other Christians.
Do we have that same attitude? Taking Philippians 2:4 to heart will help us develop that attitude.
Weekly Challenge #2 – Commit to cooperation.
Are you committed to helping other followers of Jesus, both inside our church and outside of our church?
Are you committed to helping our church maintain our cooperation with other churches in our city and around the world?
Will you commit to cooperation and help our church stay committed to cooperation?
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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