Christian Living: Acts 15

There is an enourmous amount of information about "Christian living" to be gleaned from a thorough reading of Acts 15.

v. 1: People will teach, whether or not they've been approved and are competent.  Be careful to test the lessons of any teacher before becoming a disciple!
v. 2: Paul and Barnabas together fight the wrong teaching.  It is tempting but often misguided to engage in a moral fight alone.  Our culture encourages this sort of self-sacrifice, but it may be self-serving on some level.  Fight good battles with qualified colleagues.
When necessary, appeal to a trusted higher authority for a ruling.
v. 3: Share good news publicly to encourage others.
vv. 4-7: Vigorous debate is healthy, even within the church.  It is important to remember that personal stories carry a great deal of weight in settling abstract matters and persuading people.  I'm not a lawyer, but it seems that this would be a part of formal legal training.
vv. 7-11: Although Paul is practically deified in some contemporary churches, it is Peter who makes the first defense of the new gentile believers (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:3-11).

I will continue this analysis tomorrow.