Wednesday's Word: The Holy Spirit's Decision - and Ours

Acts 15 records the minutes of a church business meeting in Jerusalem thousands of years ago. It describes the decision reached by the church as, "the Holy Spirit's decision - and ours." Wow! Wouldn't it be great if churches were governed by this attitude and not some Americanized majority wins ethos. The process that led the church to discern the will of the Holy Spirit and make it their own is one worth following. The Jerusalem church:

1. Gathered everyone together - Twice the text refers to the church, the apostles, and the elders. Leaders had an important role to play but they expressed their leadership "with the whole church" and not over against the church.

2. Spoke, Remained Silent, and Listened - All points of view were honored. The believers from the party of the Pharisees, Peter, James, Paul, Barnabus, etc. all spoke and all listened.

3. The community discerned the will of the Holy Spirit by coming to a unified desision and course of action - The words of verse 25 are truly life giving, "we have unanimously decided." A 51% majority wouldn't cut it in Acts 15.

My prayer is that we will continue to follow this process. I am reminded of something Bro. Reeves said, "Any church that will honor Christ as its head will do some good in a community."

By the way: We have our regular business meeting tonight!