Pastor Jeff Meyer - September 20, 2020

Tested, part 5: Strife

This is the biggest occasion of discord in the church so far, and it continued to reverberate through the church throughout the empire despite the resolution here. It was a huge test for the church, but I imagine it was also a big test for individuals in the church like Paul, Barnabas, and Peter. So here’s the big test amid the strife. On the one hand, they could resolve the strife by affirming their brotherhood with the rest of the Jewish in-crowd, meeting their concerns, and flexing to keep them satisfied. This would have been natural, easy, and probably the path of least resistance. Or they could stand their ground by insisting that the Gentile believers belonged in the church just as they were. In the short run this would ratchet up strife and even threaten total schism.

From Series: "Tested"

This 6-week series shows us how the early church as it begins to move out, endures constant testing. How do these disciples respond? How will the Gospel prevail? And what can we learn and apply to our current climate? What will our response be to the testing we will endure?

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