The First Church - Lesson Four: The Council in Jerusalem

What happens when the very people who wrote our Bible couldn't agree on something? That's what Joe Lake explores on Sunday, July 5th, 2026. Acts 15 reveals a stunning truth: even the most Spirit-filled, miracle-working apostles had to sit down and work through conflict. This isn't a story about perfection—it's a story about unity through disagreement. The early church faced a critical question: Do Gentile believers need to follow Jewish law to be saved? The answer would shape Christianity forever. What's remarkable is how they resolved it—not through power plays or division, but through listening, citing Scripture, watching where the Spirit was moving, and submitting to recognized leadership. Peter pointed to the undeniable evidence: Gentiles were receiving the Holy Ghost just like the Jews did on Pentecost, without circumcision. James then connected this to Old Testament prophecy, showing God's plan had always included the nations. The resolution? Four simple instructions rooted in Leviticus—abstain from idol worship, sexual immorality, strangled things, and blood. These weren't arbitrary rules but boundaries that honored both God's holiness and the conscience of Jewish believers. The lesson for us is profound: we will have conflicts in the body of Christ because we're human, but we can remain family through it all. Our churches aren't meant to be perfect—they're meant to be real places where imperfect people work things out together under the Lordship of Jesus.