“Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question.”
Acts 15:2 (NLT)
In Acts 15, we see that it’s not all cupcakes and rainbows at church. Paul and Barnabas are in Antioch, enjoying fellowship. Then men from Judea step in and begin teaching that unless a believer is circumcised according to the Law of Moses, they can’t be saved.
Paul and Barnabas know that message isn’t consistent with what God has taught them. It’s not true, and it’s not something they can allow to keep growing. So they disagree sharply and argue fiercely, because bad teaching has to be addressed immediately. Galatians 2 shows us Paul and Barnabas were trying to protect the message for the Gentiles. The disagreement wasn’t about them, it was for others.
What moves me is what happens next. The church sends them to Jerusalem to talk with the apostles and elders about the question. Even as spiritual leaders, they still honor the wisdom of those who have walked with the Lord longer. They check their sources, and they’re willing to wrestle through the issue together instead of letting it fester into disunity. Paul takes Titus with him in the group of “local believers” and Titus benefits as a young leader from being in the room.
So here’s the question for us: Is there anything going on around you that you need to stand up against to preserve the truth, not for your benefit, but for the sake of others? If so, do it in love, with grace and patience, and with the right people in the room. What kind of faith would we be left with if Paul and Barnabas didn’t do the same? Lord, give us humility, boldness, and obedience as you lead us. So that the message of the Good News continues in the same power it did in Acts.