Kelly - Acts 15

Not so surprising that the gentiles were glad to hear the "encouraging message" that they did not have to be circumcised, huh?

This chapter seems to be pretty full of the minor personality conflicts that fill church life. Believers argued about a matter of doctrine, Paul argued with Barnabas, Peter and the Jerusalem church are rightly persnickety that "some went out without our authorization and disturbed you" (v.24).

The actual matters under discussion have merit, but what is more interesting to me is the relationships behind the discussions. We see an increasingly powerful and organized church base in Jerusalem, arguments over how the church should grow and change in its expanding environment, and basic bickering over who's on good terms with who. Through all of this, which we see played out in every congregation of every denomination in Massachusetts, the faith expands and there are meaningful changes in people's lives.