Bent Oak Church

Acts 15 contains one of the greatest depictions of church unity yet; Luke includes in the same chapter one of the most trivial disagreements of the New Testament. We look at what caused the separation between Paul and Barnabas and recognize how it helps us think about our own church experiences and the work God is doing.

Last week, we saw the churches gathering to settle disagreements. In this week's sermon, we're looking at the letter that emerged from their meeting and the requests the Jewish believers had for the Gentiles. Their advice turns out to matter far beyond just the First Century.

As the gospel continued to spread amongst the Gentiles, the church faced questions about how to welcome these new believers. Returning to Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas helped guide the first church council and its celebration of what God was doing. 

While the citizens of Lystra had seen a miracle and been moved to worship, it didn't take much to shift their passions to violence. As the crowd turned, Paul was stoned and left for dead. He used it as a chance to demonstrate the strength and faithfulness required to follow Christ and enter the kingdom. 

As Paul and Barnabas continued on their first missionary journey, they came to the city of Lystra. After a lame man was healed, the town was convinced that Paul and Barnabas were gods. Paul pleaded with them to turn their attention instead to the living God and not to them or their idols.

As Paul's first missionary journey continues, they arrive in Antioch in Pisidia. Paul steps forward in the synagogue to speak. His sermon parallels earlier sermons in Acts. By this speech, Luke highlights the unchanging center of the church's message: Jesus. 

Acts' first missionary journey begins with opposition as Paul and Barnabas take the gospel to Cyprus and confront a Jewish false prophet who resists the truth. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Paul exposes this deception and demonstrates that the spread of the gospel involves a spiritual conflict, not merely a clash of ideas. The episode establishes a pattern for the Gentile mission: God’s power overcomes resistance and opens blind eyes.

Before Luke records the great missionary works of Paul, he pauses the story to give us another summary glimpse of the church, this time the church and its leaders in Antioch. It is a short passage but teaches a lot about how the church can embrace the misison of God. 

Before turning his attention to the church's missionary efforts, Luke returns to give us another story from Jerusalem. Under renewed persecution, Peter had been imprisoned by Herod. But once again, Peter would find a miraculous escape while Herod would meet his fall from pride and vanity. 

Jance Mosley shares how God has been faithful to his promises over time and through faithful obedience.