“THE EARLY BELIEVERS DISAGREE”
Season: Book of Acts
Episode 19: “The Early Believers Disagree”
Today’s Bible Bite: Acts 15:1-35
Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmx4UjRFp0M (The Bible Project – Overview: Galatians – for adults and older children)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iueAaXqZLA... (Saddleback Kids – Galatians)
“We understand that some men from here have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but we did not send them!” (Acts 15:24, NLT)
As the good news spread, many people became believers. But an area of disagreement soon developed. Some of the Jewish believers thought that in order to be a follower of Jesus, you also needed to follow the old Law as the Jews had always done. The question really boiled down to whether or not belief in Jesus was enough to become a child of God. Paul and Barnabas said, ‘Yes!” But some Jewish Christians from Jerusalem said, “No!” They wanted people to obey the Laws of the Torah too. The believers sent a message to Jerusalem. They wanted the advice of the leaders of the early Church, including the Apostles.
They held a big church meeting to discuss the matter. Peter made it clear that he thought the non-Jewish people didn’t have to follow Jewish laws. After all, hadn’t God provided him with a vision that all people were acceptable to become part of God’s family before sending him to teach Cornelius, a Gentile. Paul and Barnabas shared about all the good things God was doing through the Gentile believers—they had even received the Holy Spirit. God hadn’t made any distinction between Jewish and Gentile people based on the old Laws. James, a brother of Jesus’ who had become a leader at the Jerusalem church, told the gathering that it was his opinion that the Jewish believers shouldn’t make it difficult for the Gentiles to become followers of Jesus. This was a big deal for the early believers and it would take more than this decision to convince everyone; however, it was clear that expecting people to obey the Jewish traditions should no longer be a requirement for having faith in God.
Think about it...
• Paul and Barnabas taught people that all they needed to do was believe in Jesus and obey him. What did the Jewish Christians think was also required?
• Rather than choosing sides, the believers asked for the advice of the leaders in Jerusalem. Why didn’t they just make the decision themselves?
• When the meeting was held, Peter, Paul, Barnabas and even James agreed. What decision did the group make?
Prayer: Thank you, God, that though we may not always agree, you will guide us to an understanding of the truth when we ask you to help us. Help me to know the right way to live for you.