Acts 15:1-21

The bad news is there's a dispute in the church. The good news is that some Pharisees got saved. Throughout most of the New Testament that seemed impossible! The bad news is the church was unsure how to relate to the Old Testament law. The good news is that Gentiles got saved. The bad news does always come with good news. . . and the other way around.

Three different Greek words are used for dispute, debate, and faction. It must be like rain in Oregon. You need a lot of words for it because it happens a lot.

How does the church make decision here about a difficult question?

1. They heard from those with the concern.
2. They heard from the apostle with the longest tenure in working with the problem (Peter).
3. They heard from the most active apostle with the problem (Paul).
4. They asked what the scriptures said (James).
5. They rendered a principled opinion.

The guiding principle: Don't add additional obstacles for people to overcome in order to turn to God.