Quick hits on Acts 15-16 and children’s ministry
Acts 15
When rewriting this chapter I was again impressed with what a mess church can be. The entire counsel/debate was avoidable. Nine-years earlier God gave the church a template for how they were to deal with Gentiles at Cornelius’ home. However Peter and Co. were unable or unwilling to make a clear stand on the issue because of political pressures from the temple and from the Christians who were still active in the Pharisee party.
Interestingly, there is no mention of God in this pericope until the story is wrapping up. James writes to the church at Antioch that their ruling “seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.”
Why is the church “worth it”? Because this is where the Holy Spirit works. He hover over our chaos as he did at the beginning of time and recreates us into community.
Our times with children cannot be so overprogrammed that there is no quiet moment for them to encounter the Holy Spirit.
Acts 16
This chapter reminds me that discovering God’s will is more like a conversation than it is working through an equation. Paul’s herky-jerky stagger through Asia Minor makes sense if we view it as a dialogue.
“Here, God?”
“No.”
“How about here? This is a great urban hub!”
“No.”
And then through the dream, “This is where I want you to be.”
