Acts 15:28 “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements.”

That one little phrase, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us,” really jumps out at me from this passage. We, either individually or in groups, sometimes get tied in knots over decisions. The answer lies in something Paul calls “the unity of the Spirit,” both in Romans (Romans 15:5) and Ephesians (Ephesians 4:3). Those who aren’t open to the Holy Spirit really put this sort of thing down, and indeed, some unscrupulous leaders have used it to justify their lusts, but for those who are genuinely submitted to God, it is a glorious reality. The very best kind of unity and agreement comes from being mutually agreed with the Holy Spirit. This isn’t compulsion, but rather liberation, because again as Paul said, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) The interesting thing is, even in the middle of such unity there can be differences of opinion on minor points, but there is a deep, calm assurance of what is right on the major points. We don’t need to get all mystical about this, and sometimes disagreements are part of God’s plan, as when Paul and Barnabas disagreed, right after this, over whether to give Mark another chance as an itinerant missionary. That ended with Barnabas taking Mark and Paul taking Silas, which effectively doubled the ministry! (Acts 15:36-41) That doesn’t lessen the need to seek the unity of the Spirit, but it does mean that we aren’t to be rigid about human agreement.

Even as I have sought to be true to the Lord myself, there have been times when I have been in agreement with people around me and times when I felt very alone. Agreement feels much better, but agreement with God is of the utmost importance. The danger for me is in convincing myself that my opinion is God’s, when actually I haven’t submitted the issue fully to Him. Joy Dawson called it “dying to the issue.” In other words, it means letting go of it so fully that it doesn’t matter which way it goes, just as things don’t matter to someone who is already dead. That can be easier said than done! However, I know from experience that the more I grow in that direction the more peace and joy I have, because I am letting Jesus be Lord indeed.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I have various decisions coming up, as we leave for a 3-day conference this morning. Help me be agreed first with Your Spirit, and then with my wife, and then with those around me as You lead, so that Your will may be done on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!