They rejoiced over its encouragement

"When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement.” - Act 15v31

I have really enjoyed this far to brief look at the Jerusalem council. It has been exciting and challenging to see how the church dealt with disagreement and possible division.

Notice one last comment before we leave this and move on. The disciples took the letter back to Antioch to read it to the church there. I can’t even imagine what it was like in that crowd. The saved Jews must have been hoping for confirmation that they were right. The Gentiles surely hoped that circumcision was not going to be a part of salvation.

The letter was read – a solid compromise had been reached, and the people all rejoiced over the encouragement of the letter! Both sides could live with the agreement. Humans being humans this was not the end of the issue, but the letter encouraged the church to move on in its infant stages.

There is plenty written today by good men who sincerely are trying to “earnestly contend” for their view of the faith. From every shade of Christianity writers try to prove they are right and to convince us that they are exposing error.

I always enjoy and am lifted up when I read the kind of letter that causes me to rejoice in its encouragement.

How encouraging it would be if we could read of men who would come together to consider the matter instead of grabbing acerbic pens at every opportunity in order to prove their particular point of view.