Home | Directions | Contact Us

Old Forest Road
Baptist Church

3630 Old Forest Road
Lynchburg, VA  24501

434.385.7413
office@oldforestroad.org
www.oldforestroad.org

Downloads

Sermon Notes
Wallpaper
eBooks/Articles
Chord Charts

Nine Principles for Biblical Problem Solving

Acts 15
Pastor Mike O’Brien
August 26 & September 2, 2007

3 things I know about problems:
  1. You can’t stop them;
  2. You can’t run from them;
  3. Problems are solvable, but we must know how to do it. How we do it is to look to God’s word. That is what I want us to do this morning.

Now the problems will vary but steps to solving problems are universal. The problem in Acts 15 is a doctrinal problem. But it also included cultural elements. The church as we have seen became a mixture of Jews—who had been steeped in Judaism and Gentiles. The Jews wanted to keep some elements of Judaism and mix it with Christianity. Some of them believed that a Gentile must be circumcised in order to be saved. That is the issue at hand.

Again I want us to see how this problem was handled because we can copy this and implement this in our lives. In my opinion this is as important and practical as any lesson we will have from the book of Acts.

We can begin by learning 3 important things:
  1. Predict when problems are going to arise; (Ex. The time I put dog droppings on my neighbors front porch.)
  2. How to solve them;
  3. What benefits result when the problem is solved.

Most leaders will learn how to predict problems rather quickly. Most of us are smart enough to know when our actions or decisions are going to cause ripple effects.

In the early church I think we can see three things that raised red flags and had the potential to cause problems:

Change—Not only was the gospel being preached to the Jews, but to the Gentiles. And so the church was growing and that caused changes. It is hard to grow without changing. In order to change you have to move and motion causes friction. From chapter 3-20 in the book of Acts I counted no less than 17 problems which confronted the church. This must be why one guy said, “nothing should ever be done for the first time. One leader has said, “nothing is ever done until everyone is convinced that it ought to be done and has been convinced for so long that it is now time to do something else.” Change makes people insecure and that can cause problems.

How many of you remember the story of Galileo? He was a professor and he wanted to prove to his students that if he dropped a ten pound weight and a one pound weight from high up that they would land at the same time. This ran contrary to what Aristotle had taught and what was accepted as true by the scientific community. So Galileo went up on top of the Leaning Tower of Fesis. He dropped the two weights--a ten pounder and one pounder--and they landed at the same time. Now even though the students and other professors witnessed this many of them refused to change their thinking. They visually saw it and still would not admit the truth.

Change in people’s lives causes them to feel insecure. In fact, it may even cause them to dig their heels in a little more. That is what some of the Jews were doing in Acts 15.

Differences--In personalities and values in the early church. There were cultural differences as well. In our church we have generational differences, for instance. Those differences may be in the way we dress or the style of music we prefer, just to name a few.

Stress or pressure--They had a lot of persecution from outside the church. We don’t have too much of that, praise God.

Ok so let’s look at 9 principles for problem solving in Acts 15. Now as a leader of any type--and parents this includes you--we must be aware of the atmosphere. We must know when there is a problem.

Now remember the problem we are going to focus on in Acts 15, was the most important problem facing the early church. In fact, I would say it was the most important problem in church history. I say that because the gospel was at stake.

Ok, now the first principle is:

I. Evaluate the size of the problem

Acts 15:1-2

But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.

Notice they were disputing with them. Now this is not speaking about some loud shouting match. Paul and Barnabas were getting to the heart of the problem. This allowed them to figure out what they should do to fix the problem. I want to suggest that we ask 4 questions when evaluating a problem:

  1. What is the issue involved? Is it a big deal? You know some people are so technically minded that they feel like they have to correct everything that is not right in their eyes. Some issues are not worth debating. So to begin with ask what the issue is and then determine if it needs to be addressed at all.
  2. Who is involved? Look to see who is involved. In this story we have Peter, Paul and Barnabas involved. Now when men like this are involved it is to be taken seriously. You know sometimes you might hear this or that about this person or that person and you just say well just as the sun rises in the morning this person will be complaining about something at noon! You know all churches and most families have Charlie Browns. At home we have the collection of Charlie Brown holiday shows. I remember Lucy saying to Charlie Brown as he was complaining about something, “Charlie Brown you are the only person I know who can take a great season like the Christmas season and turn it into a problem!” So don’t waste time with the Charlie Brown’s of the world, but pay attention to the Paul’s and the Barnabas’ of the world.
  3. What are the motives? Is there an undercurrent of attitude and motive problems? Is it a selfish type of thing or what? Now we cannot always determine that, but we should gauge the motives if we can.
  4. Is it the right time? Some things need to be fixed now, and some can wait. This one is tough for me. I often want to fix things right away—unless it’s the lawnmower or something! You can’t always do that. Some things do need to be addressed, but at the right time.

So these four questions are very important in evaluating a problem. I remember hearing a man who grew up on a farm talking about a sign they had on their fence. The sign read: “If you decide to trespass and cross this field you better do it in 9.8 seconds, because the Bull does it in 10 seconds!” Evaluate before you make your move!

*Now, not only should we Evaluate the size of the problem but we should:

II. Gather the people involved together

Acts 15:2

And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.

Notice the certain others. We don’t know who they were, but they knew who they were. Sometimes people tell everyone else about this person or that person, but they never speak to the ones who they need to speak to. Now this will require confrontation. There is just no other way. But this is healthy confrontation. It is good to just air it out and get to the bottom of things.

I was recently speaking to a Principal of a school. He was telling me that he had interviewed a lady who was known as an excellent teacher in the classroom. She had taught at this particular school before and now was trying to come back a few years later. The Principal was new and so had not worked with this lady before. Other administrators who worked with her told the principle not to hire her. He said “why?” They said that even though she was an excellent teacher she tended to talk behind the scenes and stir things up. The Principal then asked if anyone had ever spoken to her about that. The answer was no. The Principal hired her after talking to her about that and she was one of the best teachers there. You have to communicate. I know that confrontation is difficult, but it must be done.

*So we must evaluate the size of the problem, gather the people involved and we must:

III. Respect the authority and wisdom in the body of Christ

to the apostles and elders, about this question.

They were going to go to the apostles. Now too often people go to the last people that they should, not the first people they should. Now this is very important in a church setting. I respect the wisdom of the deacons on issues and they respect mine—I think! But you get the point. For believers, we must obviously bath everything in prayer.

Now what if you are not in a church setting? Then find someone whom you respect and think has wisdom in the area that relates to the problem.

You know there are at least 5 ways that people tend to handle conflict. I would say that only one of the five is a wise way to deal with conflict. Listen to these five:

  1. Total war (Intimidation) – This is the Rambo leader. This person tries to intimidate people to get there way.
  2. Limited War (Irritation) – They pick there spots and throw there shots.
  3. Suppression (Inhibition) – We suppress things. This can cause ulcers and other health problems, so this is not a good thing.
  4. Avoidance (Isolation) – This is the person who just stays in their corner and does their own thing. A leader cannot afford to do this.
  5. Interaction – This is where we interact with those whom we need to in order to fix the problem. Communication will always be a key.

*So we must evaluate the size of the problem, gather the people involved, respect the authority and wisdom in the body of Christ and:

IV. Focus on the positive things happening – vv. 3-4

If there are no good things happening then we are really in trouble! Now look at vv. 3-4.

Acts 15:3-4

So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.

Paul and Barnabas have made up there mind what the next step is. They were headed to Jerusalem. Now they couldn’t just hop on the next plane! They had to walk. But notice what they did on the way to Jerusalem. They knew they had a problem on their hands. They also knew what the next step was and they headed to that next step. But they did not dwell on the negative. They did not let that problem paralyze them, they trusted God.

Also, they did not go and gossip and tell the rest about the problem. They focused on the positive things. Almost always there will be positives but we too often let the negative overshadow the positive. Some of us are pessimistic by nature. Some insist that behind ever silver lining is a dark cloud! We need to be careful not to come across as too negative.

By describing the positive they brought joy to other believers. Listen, when we gossip or share only negative happenings we don’t bring joy. But when we share the positive things that are happening we bring joy. We need to be sure that we don’t lose perspective. There are usually some positive things happening.

Now let me ask you a question? Do you see and verbalize the positive around you? At your place of work, do you notice the positive? There should be some positives. Or do you only focus on the negative. At church, do you focus on the positives? At home do you focus on the positives? I am not saying to ignore the negatives, but we need to focus on the positives. And listen to this moms and dads: Our children are watching and listening to us! We better be positive example for them.

You know at times someone will come up to me and complain about someone else. I will usually try to point out the positive things about that person. Sometimes I have to think real hard, but I can usually come up with a positive!

*So we must evaluate the size of the problem, gather the people involved, respect the authority and wisdom in the body of Christ, focus on the positive things happenign and:

V. Consider who or what is causing the problem

Now Paul and Barnabas were having a very fruitful ministry, but not everyone was thrilled with what God was doing through them.

Acts 15:5

But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses."

So the ones causing the problem were the Pharisees who had become saved. They still wanted to keep aspects of the Law. Now throughout the New Testament we will see that Jewish converts to Christianity seemed to always be at the heart of conflicts. One pastor calls this the 80/20 principle. He says that 80% of the problems a pastor will deal with will usually come from 20% of the people.

Now this is related to the second principle which was to gather the people involved. But in this step you are considering the actual cause of the division or problem.

*So we must evaluate the size of the problem, gather the people involved, respect the authority and wisdom in the body of Christ, focus on the positive things happening, consider the source of the problem and:

VI. List the facts that are known – vv. 6-12

When you have a problem people involved can become very fearful that what they believe in, or what they value will be destroyed. This can cause emotions to take over. When decisions are made by emotions then trouble will usually be the outcome.

For instance, I have heard of many churches where an issue arises over the pastor or another staff member. And instead of people letting the facts dictate their decision they make a decision on emotions. They vote for or against the pastor or staff member based on how much they like them instead of on the issue. So we must focus on the known facts. There may be facts that are unknown, but we can focus on the known facts.

This is what they did at this council in Jerusalem. Look at vv. 6-12:

Acts 15:6-12

The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will." And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

Now I want us to see that there were at least 4 facts that they all knew. Peter points these out. Also, notice that it was Peter who was first to speak. Why is this important? Remember the problem involved the Jews. Peter was the apostle to the Jews so he was the perfect spokesman, even moreso than Paul in this matter. Now that is a point of wisdom. We need to see who might be the best leader to handle a given problem.

4 facts:
  1. Peter reminded them that he, a Jew, was chosen by God to preach the gospel even to Gentiles:

Acts 15:7

And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

  1. Peter reminded them that the Gentiles had been given the Holy Spirit without being circumcised:

Acts 15:8

And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us

Peter reminded them that God was purifying their hearts through faith, not works of the Law:

Acts 15:9

and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.

Peter reminded them that no one could truly keep the Law--not even their forefathers:

Acts 15:10

Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

Now notice the results of laying out the facts:

Acts 15:11-12

But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will." And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

I love what Peter does here in v. 11. He says “but we believe,” thus aligning himself with the Christians not the Jews. Peter is saying based on the facts I just reminded you of, this is the only viable conclusion.

And in v. 12 everyone was silent. Why? Because they could not dispute those facts. And then Paul and Barnabas added to what Peter had been saying. They reported the many miracles that God had wrought among the Gentiles. This was even further proof that the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised to be saved.

Now before we go on let me say this. You may lay out the facts and still have some resistance. If those involved are saved and thus have the Holy Spirit, then everything should be all right. But remember the story of Galileo. People saw that the different pound weights hit the ground at the same time and still refused to admit that they were wrong.

VII. Check to see if there is any Scriptural precedent or direction (now be sure to use Scripture in its context

Acts 15:13

After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me.

James was the leader of the church at Jerusalem. He listened and now he is making his pronouncement. I like how he says “Men and brethren.” It seems a bit redundant. Perhaps he is reminding them that they are brothers in Christ.

Acts 15:14

Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.

Now also notice that James refers to Peter by his Jewish name, Simon. But why? Well, no doubt it is because he is mainly addressing the Jews. James reminds how them how God, the same God who had chosen the nation Israel out of the world, had chosen—that is visited—the Gentiles to make a people for Himself. If God did that with the Jews, He most certainly could do that with the Gentiles as well.

Acts 15:15-18

And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, " 'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.'

James is taking the experiences that Peter had just mentioned and showing how they are in line with Scripture. This is an important point. We are not to decide things by saying “I feel this way or that way.” That is emotion talking. We need to appeal to God’s word. Someone has said that

if you have the Spirit without the Word you BLOW UP
if you have the Word without the Spirit you DRY UP
if you have the Word and the Spirit you GROW UP

 

VIII. Take a stand

Acts 15:19

Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,

James is the leader of the Jerusalem church. He has listened to the facts and now he is going to render a decision based on those facts. A leader must do that. A leader cannot afford to sit back. Now I know firsthand how difficult it can be at times. I mean there are churches on every corner around here. It would be easy for me to rationalize and say, “well, I can’t do this or that because these people might leave the church.” You might say that about employees under you at work. They might quit and go work elsewhere. You know what? You will be better off. Just do what is right in the right way.

 (Now sometimes leaders need to take a risk. When we do what is clearly taught in Scripture we are taking a stand, not a risk. But at times, leaders need to take a risk. You know we have changed a few things around here, and we are planning some other changes. Now we could stand around and do nothing and pray that people come through the church doors, or we can do some things differently and see if the Lord blesses it. Some people will always tell you why you can’t do this or that, but they never offer any ideas. Be willing to take a risk.)

IX. Communicate the outcome clearly – vv. 23, 30

They are writing and sending men to convey to people the outcome. Now notice who they are sending. They are sending the men who were on the wrong side of this. James made sure that the communication was clear. This is important whether it is in a marriage between two people or in an organization with 2,000 people. Now James did at least four critical things here to be sure that the communication was clear:

Now what were the results this problem being settled properly? Let’s look at four God glorifying results:

This is just like back in chapter 6. They solved the issue and the word of God kept being spread.