Those of us who worked in the corporate world know what it is like having auditors from "Corporate" go over everything being done. We may know we have done a good job because business is growing and profits are rising. Nonetheless, it is worrisome because you never know if an opinion in the "ivory tower of corporate world" differs from those in the real world around us.

It is not uncommon for a remote operation to discover a better way of conducting business. After all, they are "on the ground" where the effects of changes can be seen immediately. When they experiment with something, they know right away if it was better or worse. This was what happened with Paul and Barnabas in Antioch. It was quite evident that Christianity was not intended to exist only as a subset of the Jewish faith. Their results among the Gentiles were obvious. They were converting people to follow Jesus Christ and they observed the effects of the Holy Spirit on them. It was obvious that God, who knows all hearts, approved.

Gentiles had been converted before without being circumcised but now the numbers were growing to the point that the Church could no longer ignore them. The situation demanded an explicit decision as to whether circumcision was a pre-requisite to baptism. The "certain men" who came from Jerusalem to Antioch came to force the issue. They said, "Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved." These folks came to insure that the Christian faith remained a part of the Jewish faith.

It would be easy to define the "certain men" as trouble-makers determined to make their approach a requirement for the whole church. But conservatives are a vital part of every controversy. While the liberals are striving to try new things and make things better, the conservatives strive to retain the absolutely essential aspects of the faith. If there were no conservatives, essential aspects could be lost for eternity among the clamor for new and exciting changes. The old saying, "if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it" applies to conservatives everywhere.

The ceremonial law concerning circumcision was established with Abraham. It worked well and helped the Jews retain their identity through good times and bad. They retained their sense of being a nation even though dispersed throughout the world. We have personally seen that changes in the liturgy of the 1979 Prayer Book changed the beliefs of the Episcopal Church. However inadvertently, it opened the way for changes that defy the statements of the Creed. Episcopal bishops have denied the virgin birth and divinity of Christ which is explicitly stated in all three creeds. The men from Jerusalem were trying to make sure nobody stepped out on the slippery slope of lost essentials.

So Paul and Barnabas, along with some of the "certain men", traveled to Jerusalem to determine the official position of the Church on this issue. Apparently the debate was quite lively. Peter finally arose to point out that God made the decision that he should bring the word of the gospel to the Gentiles. He pointed out that the Holy Spirit came upon them just as He came upon the Jews. He claimed that their hearts were purified by faith and that they would be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ even as were the Jews.

Then Paul and Barnabus told what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles through their efforts. James then attempted to clarify the issue. He separated the ceremonial law involving circumcision from the more social ceremonial law concerning food. Free social intercourse between Jewish and Gentile Christians would involve meals and the Jewish Christians were not willing to drop all their ceremonial laws. If they were both to be Christians, there must be a way for them to support and help each other without offending their respect for the Jewish laws.

James requested that circumcision be dropped as a requirement for Gentiles but insisted that they to abstain from meat offered to idols, fornication, things strangled and from blood. This was designed to insure that prohibitions against idolatry, fornication and murder were retained. Things strangled were considered a delicacy among pagans and they contained the blood of the animal. This was completely prohibited to the Jews. The decision was a compromise in that circumcision was not required of the Gentiles but that the Gentiles were required to observe the minimum moral law and to keep the food laws of Judaism out of respect for their fellow Christians who happen to be Jews. In effect, James was willing to compromise in order to give this new movement a chance.

The conference was one of the first to address what is essential and what is merely beneficial in the faith. We are still trying to find the elusive line between the two today. While almost everyone will agree that the division in the church is a scandal, correcting it is very difficult. We must understand what we can change or let go and what we must keep. There will always be those who want to change nothing to insure no essentials are lost. There will also always be those who want to change to make the church easier to accept to those on the outside. Most Christian churches agree on the importance of the Scriptures, the classic creeds and the two major sacraments. However, how the major sacraments are implemented is highly varied. The search for essentials is never ending. Is wine essential to the Lord’s Supper? Must the bread be unleavened? How much water is required for a valid baptism? At what age is Baptism relevant to the recipient? This is why most church conferences result in compromise. It is also why they move as slowly as they do.

The Apostles and elders wrote a letter to the Church at Antioch to explain the official position of the church with respect to circumcision. To insure all aspects of the decision were correctly distributed, the apostles and elders selected two men to accompany Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch. Judas called Barsabas represented the Judaistic section of the conference. Silas, was like Paul a Roman citizen. This selection of men assured everyone that no important details were left out when the decision was explained to the church at Antioch. Barsabas and Silas exhorted the brethren at Antioch and strengthened them with encouragement. Eventually Barsabas returned to Jerusalem, but Silas opted to stay.

Like all good pastors, Paul wanted to check on the progress of his flock. He wondered about those he and Barnabas had exhorted on their previous trip. He knew that people do not spring into spiritual maturity overnight. He knew that encouragement was necessary and thought guidance and reminders might be necessary. He wanted to know they were continuing to go over the same questions with the same affirmations. He wanted to tell them that the Christian life is not grown into quickly. It requires long term development as each lesson provides the foundation for the next.

Barnabas agreed in principle but wanted to take John Mark with them. Paul did not want to take a man that might again desert them in the middle of the trip. In chapter 13, John left Paul and Barnabas in Pamphylia and returned to Jerusalem. They were not yet half-way through their journey. As they could not agree, Barnabas took John Mark to Cyprus while Paul took Silas through Syria and Cilicia strengthening the churches.

It is a shame that the partnership of Barnabas and Paul could not continue. Their accomplishments in very short time were amazing. Together they were able to convince the Church at Jerusalem to allow Gentiles to come into the church without being circumcised and added minimum moral requirement of the Jewish faith as a requirement. We noted earlier that their personalities were quite different. Paul was demanding of both himself and those around him. Barnabas had a more easy-going approach to all around him. The drive of Paul surely drove Barnabas to greater heights than he would have sought on his own. On the other hand, Paul would not have gotten an audience with the Apostles without Barnabas’ influence. Barnabas sought Paul from Tarsus when he needed help at Antioch and gave Paul a chance to show his faith and zeal.

This provides a reminder to all of us to find ways to keep a team together. Each member has something unique to offer and no combination of individuals can replace any one without loosing some unique contribution. That remains one of our challenges – find what each person has to offer and use it to the glory of God.