How We Stay United

For The Good Of The ChurchBrock Graham
Written By Olivia Zurawski

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Acts 15:1-35 | This week we study a church meeting. Sounds riveting right? Except this is probably the most important meeting in the history of the church.  

There were two types of Christians in the early church, those Christians that came from a Jewish background and those that came from a Gentile background. These were groups of people from very different walks of life. As more and more Gentiles became Christians, a big topic of conversation was how they fit into the family of God. Could they become Christians without becoming Jews? Could they truly be saved without taking part in circumcision and adhering to the Law?

These types of questions led to a really important meeting called the Jerusalem Council, in which the church walks out with a clear plan, a unified body, and no distinction between Jew and Gentile.

What were the convictions and commitments that were made between Jew and Gentile? And how can we continue these convictions and commitments to forever stay unified as a church?

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More from this series:

Sermons
Rejoicing in Suffering
For The Good Of The Church, DJ Blatherwick
Rejoicing in Suffering
For The Good Of The Church, DJ Blatherwick

Acts 16:16-40 | "But why? Why mom? Why dad? Why? Why? Why?" Have you ever experienced this question asked over and over and over again? While this can start as endearing, it can eventually become tiring. However, with God’s Word, we should constantly be asking the question “why”. It can lead us to know more about our awesome God. It can help us understand more about how He has created us and the world around us. This Sunday, we’re going to study an amazing story together in the book of Acts and ask a big "why" question. We’re going to wrestle with why we suffer for following Jesus, and how that suffering should actually cause us to rejoice!

For The Good Of The Church, DJ Blatherwick
How to Live a Missional Life
For The Good Of The Church, Joe Cotroneo
How to Live a Missional Life
For The Good Of The Church, Joe Cotroneo

Acts 16:6-15 | Have you ever been traveling on the road and suddenly find yourself staring at a construction sign that reads “Road Closed Ahead”? This seems to happen a lot for those of us living in Greenwood, IN. It’s in moments like this, that we can truly learn a lot about ourselves. Do you ignore the sign and keep on driving hoping to not get caught? Do you turn around and head back in the direction you came from and lose precious time? Or does your creative ingenuity kick in and you try to figure out the quickest route around the construction? Either way, we can learn much about our hearts when something or someone frustrates our plans. In this week’s passage, we get the opportunity to see how Paul reacts when God is the One frustrating his plans. From this experience, we are able to discover how to live a missional life when God’s plans don’t seem to make sense.

For The Good Of The Church, Joe Cotroneo
Disagreeing, Yet Unified
For The Good Of The Church, Brock Graham
Disagreeing, Yet Unified
For The Good Of The Church, Brock Graham

Acts 15:36–16:5 | We often, rightly, talk about agreeing in the Lord. It is important that we stay lock-step, unified on the mission Christ has left us with and the core doctrines God has left us with in His Word. But what about disagreement in the Lord? Is there room for us to disagree on some things and remain a unified family? We believe the answer to that question is yes!  This week we are going to see where we can disagree on methods, but (here's the important part) remain in missional and relational unity. This week's passage leads us to the most famous ministry partnership breakup in history, but let's be careful we don't quickly assume this to be a completely sad or bad thing.  What do we mean by that? Let's find out.

For The Good Of The Church, Brock Graham
How We Stay United
For The Good Of The Church, Brock Graham
How We Stay United
For The Good Of The Church, Brock Graham

Acts 15:1-35 | This week we study a church meeting. Sounds riveting right? Except this is probably the most important meeting in the history of the church.  There were two types of Christians in the early church, those Christians that came from a Jewish background and those that came from a Gentile background. These were groups of people from very different walks of life. As more and more Gentiles became Christians, a big topic of conversation was how they fit into the family of God. Could they become Christians without becoming Jews? Could they truly be saved without taking part in circumcision and adhering to the Law? These types of questions led to a really important meeting called the Jerusalem Council, in which the church walks out with a clear plan, a unified body, and no distinction between Jew and Gentile. What were the convictions and commitments that were made between Jew and Gentile? And how can we continue these convictions and commitments to forever stay unified as a church?

For The Good Of The Church, Brock Graham
Olivia Zurawski https://www.makerscc.com
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Disagreeing, Yet Unified
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Through Many Tribulations