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MacDonald, Gordon - The Right Way to Handle Church Conflict

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The Right Way to Handle Church Conflict
by Gordon MacDonald
Text: Acts 15:1-35
Topic: How communities should handle inevitable conflict
Big Idea: The church can disagree in a way that does not threaten its unity and integrity.
Keywords: Apostles; Behavior; Change; Church, conflict in; Community; Conflict; Cooperation; Criticism; Decisions; Emotions; Encouragement; Frustration; Honesty; Humility; Leadership; Patience; Peace; Pharisees; Problems; Reconciliation; Respect; Stubbornness; Unity; Wisdom


Introduction:
  • Many people have an idealistic view of the church.
  • The church, like any other community, will be messy.
Acts 15 depicts the messiness of the early church community.
  • Paul and Barnabas have just returned to Antioch from a successful missionary journey marked by an awakening of faith among the Gentiles.
  • Dissenters from Jerusalem sour the mood by claiming these Gentiles needed to be circumcised in order to attain salvation.
  • These dissenters were sincere men with good intentions.
  • The Antioch church asks the mother church in Jerusalem for assistance in solving the dispute.
The apostles and elders act to solve the dispute.
  • Peter stresses that God has accepted the Gentiles just as he has accepted the Jews.
  • Paul and Barnabas describe the wonders God performed through them to the Gentiles.
  • James proposes writing a letter, carried by emissaries, to the Gentiles asking them to avoid needlessly offending the Jews.
Two key lessons arise from how the church handled the conflict.
  • The church in Jerusalem made sure the essence of the gospel was not compromised.
  • The church preserved its unity.
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