Problems. Humanely
speaking, they are as inevitable as ‘death and taxes.’ Amazingly, some people
thrive in an atmosphere of challenge and conflict while others feel crushed by
it all.
Today, however, problems take on a new dimension:
deeper, more frequent, more complex, crisis-riddled and chaos-laden. Leaders
today, though often possessing above-average intelligence, are scratching their
heads about what to do with the issues of the day. Even wise Solomon would be stumped
at some of the global, economic, social and spiritual challenges we face today.
While some problems seem ‘unsolvable’ and ‘impossible,’
let us never forget that with God, all things are solvable and possible. If we
are going to exercise sound judgement and leadership, we need to take our cue
from the Word of God.
The early church, which initially was Jerusalem-based
and 100% Jewish, began to spread into areas inhabited by the Samaritans and
Gentiles. This was God’s will all along (Genesis 12:3; Matthew 28:19; Acts
1:8). Yet with growth comes complications. The unexpected yet glorious windfall
of Gentile converts to the Christian faith attracted problems in the form of
unauthorised teachers.
They approached these Gentile congregations saying
unless you get circumcised after the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.
Remember that circumcision was not the end result but a package deal to more
rules and regulations. With circumcision, Gentile believers would be obligated
to keep Sabbath, observe strict dietary requirements, and other parts of the
613 laws of Moses. These self-appointed teachers were demanding Gentiles to
keep a standard that even Israel, with 100s of years of history, struggled to
achieve.
In essence, the message to the Gentiles was that in
order to be a Christian, you had to be a Jew first. This teaching caused great
distress to the Gentile believers and threatened the integrity of the young
church. A Godly solution needed to be found to solve this dangerous situation,
before a serious rupture occurred.
The Council of Jerusalem gathered the Jewish apostles
and leaders to determine what to advise the Gentile believers. Wisdom of the
highest order was required. Fortunately, the Council succeeded and their was a
Godly resolution of the problem.
Solutions.
Let’s look at the text and draw some problem-solving
principles from it.
Acts 15:22-29 (NKJV)
Then it pleased the
apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own
company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named
Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren. 23They
wrote this, letter by them:
The
apostles, the elders, and the brethren,
To the
brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24 Since we have heard that some who
went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You
must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment— 25it
seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you
with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26men who have risked their
lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27We have therefore
sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28For
it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden
than these necessary things: 29that you abstain from things offered
to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you
keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.
Principles
of Problem-Solving:
1.
Unity: The early church and
the apostles gathered ‘in one accord’ (vs. 22, 25). When the decision-makers
are united in heart and mind, solutions will be forthcoming. Remember the power
of Psalm 133: unity brings anointing, blessing, and life forevermore.
2.
Authorised men: People are the
problem and people are the solution. The brethren from Judea who came to the
Gentile believers with false doctrine were unauthorised. They were
self-appointed and presumptuous. Rather than bringing truth, they delivered
opinions and instead of edifying, they placed baggage and burdens. These
teachers were ‘the problem.’ Yet, God also raised up ‘chosen’ (v. 25) ‘authorised’
and ‘anointed men’ to be the solution: Paul, Barnabas, confirmed (v. 27) by
Judas Barsabas and Silas. These men risked their lives for the gospel (v. 26),
so they had credibility.
3.
Divine leadership: God is always the
solution! Verse 28 says ‘It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us ….’
With the crazy nature of today’s problems, why do we insist on muddling along,
hoping to make the best of it, when we can be filled and led by the Holy
Spirit? Jesus says that the Spirit makes things alive but the flesh in
unprofitable (John 6:63).
4.
Simple solutions: The solution that was
offered to the Gentiles was disarmingly simple - they had to keep only four
commandments, not 613!
5.
Practical solutions: The
recommendation to the Gentiles asked from them to abstain from four things:
A) Food
offered to idols; B) Blood; C) Things
strangled; and D) Sexual
immorality. It couldn’t be more practical or simple.
6.
Humane solutions: Problem-solving means
lifting burdens, not adding to them! The apostles told the Gentiles they did
not want to lay on them any greater burden than these four necessary, simple
and practical things. When dealing with church matters, put aside the corporate
mindset, which is obsessed with numbers and money, as well as the political,
traditional, and/or religious mindsets. With a renewed mind (Romans 12:1-2),
focus on what matters most to God: people and His kingdom. The former mindsets
will use, abuse, and totally miss the mark. The latter. ‘kingdom-first’ mindset
will be humane and nurture people to great fruitfulness. Jesus says that His
yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30).
What
was the final result? The churches were encouraged (v. 31) and strengthened
(vs. 32, 41). When this happens, growth and revival will be your portion.
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