2nd Nov 26 | 06:29
Daily Study
Joy in the church
Acts 15 - Series 2/Episode 27 - Sun, 03rd May 2026 - Joy in the church - Acts 15:22-35 - THE ANNOUNCEMENT - Philippians 02:01-05
Acts 15:33-35 And after they had stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles. (34) However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there. (35) Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
Judas and Silas were sent back to the apostles in Jerusalem with greetings. This may sound like a simple statement of fact, but we must view it in the light of the dispute that began in Antioch. Acts 15:1-2 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." (2) Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.
The dispute had rocked the church. Everyone was troubled and desperate for an answer. The church in Antioch was looking up to the apostles in Jerusalem to find a solution and point the way forward for them. Now that all things were sorted out and completed in fullness, the church in Antioch experienced much joy at the outcome. Thus, we can see that sending greetings to the apostles in Jerusalem carried much meaning and weight.
This is how the Lord is longing for us to come to solutions to our differences in the church, whatever the nature and intensity may be.
Philippians 2:1-5 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, (2) fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. (3) Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. (4) Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (5) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
What is the mind of the Holy Spirit? The mind led by the Holy Spirit will be the mind of Christ.
The mind of Christ is explained to us. Philippians 2:6-8 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, (7) but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. (8) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
What does it mean that Jesus did not consider it robbery to be equal with God? The newer translations explain this for us. "Did not think of equality with God as something to cling to" (NLT). / "Did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage" (NIV).
This is the mind of Christ. Are we trying to exert our position and influence in the church? Haven't we become so used to this manner of behaviour among us? We have accepted that this is the norm. Whenever we see this attitude and behaviour creeping in and through us, we must root it out ruthlessly. Each of us must deal with ourselves, for that is our scope. We encourage others to be lowly but let the Holy Spirit change/convict the other person. Let us not try to force the change in others.
Lowliness is what precedes our capacity to esteem others and see how each has a quality that exceeds us and is good for us as the body of Christ. This does not mean that we manifest low self-esteem in ourselves. We know the qualities that we have and how we excel in those qualities, but because of lowliness, we have the keenness to observe the qualities of others, and we encourage and facilitate others to excel in their capacities.
What we experience in our fellowship with Jesus, personally, is what we share in the body of Christ. The way we deal with ourselves is our willingness to be emptied of ourselves. We are called to be proactive in emptying ourselves. This is what Jesus did. It was because Jesus emptied Himself and went to the cross that we have been restored to God. We are restored to God, not for us just to be happy and thankful for our restoration to Christ, but to empty ourselves into the themes that take place around us.
Often, we run away from our circumstances, not that we are physically absent, but even as we are in our situations, we have insulated ourselves so that the call of the situation does not affect us. We become defensive, and we blame others for the predicament. Thus, to a large extent, we have not identified with Christ.
Loving others will not be difficult if we are learning the lesson of identifying with Christ, of emptying ourselves into our circumstances. When this lifestyle of emptying ourselves is that of the church, then being of one mind is not a mirage.
The dispute in the church in Antioch was fully resolved.
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