And after there had been much debate…

Acts 15:7

What are we to make of this first activity of the Jerusalem Council? Does this show that they are still immature in their faith and are operating according to the “ways of man”? Or was this a valuable and valid part of their decision making process? The text does not say one way or the other. How we answer will depend on how we see the relationship between God’s guidance (“the voice of the Lord”) and human wisdom and understanding.

If the voice of the Lord is needed instead of human wisdom, then the period of much debate was a waste of time and reflected a lack of spirituality amongst these leaders. The much debate consisted of various people expressing different opinions and perspectives which came from their own minds. This is not helpful for godly decision making, which needs to focus on hearing the voice of the Lord on the matter at hand.

However, if God is more interested in redeeming our human wisdom and understanding than in directing us in what to do, then a period of much debate is an important part of that process. It is important that the various perspectives are allowed to be expressed and heard if there is to be a process in which all grow together in spiritual wisdom and understanding. If God delights in decisions that His people make from their own spiritual wisdom and understanding, then the expression of their current understandings is the necessary starting place. These current understandings are not barriers to discerning the will of the God, but rather the place where God wants to develop HIs people into better and wiser understanding. And it is necessary that all are allowed to express their current understanding so that they feel a part of the process.

This is important for how we see the Lord directing us in our work. How are we going to relate to our co workers if we have the perspective that God leads with a directing voice that often does not make sense to flawed human understanding? If we are seeking that kind of guidance from God in our work, then we will be alienated from our co-workers, secluded in our own world of listening for God’s voice. And when we hear that voice, we will be even more alienated from our co workers if the guidance makes no sense to their human understanding. Why would they listen to input from someone who has heard from God something that does not seem like a good idea to them?

But if we understand that God is working to help us to grow in knowledge and discernment so that we are able to then determine what is best, then we see that He does not do this with a directive voice. Instead He is able to orchestrate all that is around us and that we experience to help us to grow. And this will include the perspectives of our work colleagues. We can grow in spiritual wisdom by listening well to the perspectives of those around us and asking the Holy Spirit to help us to learn what we need to learn. And when we offer input from a mind that has grown in spiritual wisdom, our work colleagues should be able to recognize it as a good idea, especially if our input displays a deep grasp of what they have presented. This model allows for a more collegial relationship with our co workers than the model that focuses on hearing the voice of the Lord.

I would love to connect with you about these posts if they have stirred any thoughts or questions. Take a minute, shoot me an email at bo@leavenedlives.org, and let’s see where that takes us.