Friday: Further Thought – When Conflicts Arise
Further Thought: Ellen G. White, “A Seeker for Truth”, pages 131-142; “Jew and Gentile”, pages 188-200, in The Acts of the Apostles.
“The council which decided this case was composed of apostles and teachers who had been prominent in raising up the Jewish and Gentile Christian churches, with chosen delegates from various places.
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Elders from Jerusalem and deputies from Antioch were present, and the most influential churches were represented. The council moved in accordance with the dictates of enlightened judgment, and with the dignity of a church established by the divine will. As a result of their deliberations they all saw that God Himself had answered the question at issue by bestowing upon the Gentiles the Holy Ghost; and they realized that it was their part to follow the guidance of the Spirit.
“The entire body of Christians was not called to vote upon the question. The ‘apostles and elders,’ men of influence and judgment, framed and issued the decree, which was thereupon generally accepted by the Christian churches. Not all, however, were pleased with the decision; there was a faction of ambitious and self-confident brethren who disagreed with it. These men assumed to engage in the work on their own responsibility. They indulged in much murmuring and faultfinding, proposing new plans and seeking to pull down the work of the men whom God had ordained to teach the Gospel message. From the first the church has had such obstacles to meet and ever will have till the close of time.” – Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, pages 196, 197.
Discussion Questions:
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Summary: The early church was threatened by internal conflicts over a number of issues that could have had a devastating effect on it. We saw the way that the church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and submission to the Word of God, was able to resolve these conflicts and avert schisms.
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I guess that in the light of this lesson and the events that have taken place in our church only a few weeks ago, anything that I say now will be agreed with by many and disagreed with by others, almost 50:50. The voting at the Council meetings shows evidence of polarisation, not unity. Does that mean that folk are not listening to the Holy Spirit? Could it be that one side is listening to the Holy Spirit and the other side is selfish?
Or maybe the Holy Spirit is simply saying that there is a lot more to be learned and unlearned and we have a way to go yet.
There is a lifeboat in operation that requires people to power the oars. We could give every able and willing person the opportunity to pull on the oars, or we could stand around arguing about who has the license that allows them to pull on the oars. In the meantime, people are perishing in a tempestuous sea that could even cause the lifeboat to flounder
After listening to elder Jackson's comments I became both angry and sickened by his tone and perceived threats!! I fear for our church!
God has made it clear three times re the issue re Woman's Ordination, whether we agree or not, God has spoken!
It is quite possible that God is trying to teach us something and we are slow learners. The dynamic around the issue is more complicated than a vote.
Daniel, rather than making your own assertion that "God has spoken!" it would be much more helpful if you shared just how you perceive God has spoken.
If I understand you correctly, you should be able to supply dates and precise wording. (I thought of looking it up myself, but since you brought up the issue, I thought it fair to ask you to do the looking up.)
Thank you.
I think Daniel was referring to the passage in Testimonies V. 9 page 260 - 261 under the title "The General Conference" It needs to be read in whole, but here is the most frequently used quote from that section."
"When in a General Conference, the judgment of the brethren assembled from all parts of the field is exercised, private independence and private judgment must not be stubbornly maintained, but surrendered. Never should a laborer regard as a virtue the persistent maintenance of his position of independence, contrary to the decision of the general body."
There are other cases where the GC has voted down something several times, only to finally approve it. Does that mean that God changed his mind?
Lets also get on our knees in prayer and supplication,for the devil is looking for ways to divide the church!
Yes, the devil has been doing that from the beginning and certainly hasn't given up his divisiveness. We have seen division between top leaders. The time may come that decisions will be forced at many other levels, if not on one issue than on another (as we know that issues which were prophesied are gaining strength outside the SDA church). Pray we must, or we will fail.