What the heck are we fighting for?!?

Today: Acts 14-15

Have you ever watched people and wondered, "What the heck are you fighting for?!?"

I've asked that question whenever I've (sadly) watched a minute of "The Hills." But even more tragically, I've asked it...virtually all my life...when I've watched Christians fighting Christians.

When I was a little girl, I attended a small church where the congregation voted on everything. I remember nights sitting under a pew hearing the people of God...argue about carpet colors for the church...or whether or not to buy a new real piano versus a keyboard.

Just this week, I heard about a pastor sending an angry letter to another local church (not my own by the way). Why? The church is hosting a U2charist event...using U2's music to present God's love to their community. This pastor took the time to spew a hateful letter about another church's outreach event.

Shouldn't he have focused his time and energy on something else...like, I don't know...loving, serving and reaching people in his own community?

What the heck are we fighting for?!?

In today's passage, the early church faced similar battles. Some rule-focused Jewish Christians thought it was impertative for non-Jewish converts to become circumcized (an old part of the Jewish faith and law). For obvious reasons, the non-Jewish adult male converts weren't exactly thrilled about the idea. Thankfully, some of the apostles and disciples gathered people together, discusssed the issue and decided to focus on the big picture. I love what Peter said here:

"Friends, you well know that from early on

God made it quite plain

that he wanted the pagans to hear

the Message of this good news and embrace it—

and not in any secondhand or roundabout way,

but firsthand, straight from my mouth.

And God, who can't be fooled by any pretense on our part

but always knows a person's thoughts,

gave them the Holy Spirit exactly as he gave him to us.

He treated the outsiders exactly as he treated us,

beginning at the very center of who they were

and working from that center outward,

cleaning up their lives

as they trusted and believed him.
"So why are you now trying to out-god God,

loading these new believers down

with rules that crushed our ancestors and crushed us, too?

Don't we believe that we are saved

because the Master Jesus

amazingly and out of sheer generosity

moved to save us

just as he did those from beyond our nation?

So what are we arguing about?"

I'd like to ask Christians today the same question...whenever they fight about politics, carpet colors, musical styles, or outreach events.

Let's remember--Jesus died because He loved people and wanted to save them. I don't think He thought about carpet color on the cross.

Tomorrow: Acts 16-17