Table Manners

Message Listening Guide

Guiding Question: What should we do when someone else’s values collide with our freedoms (or vice versa)?

The First Church Council
The Dispute (15:1–5): Some Pharisee-background believers argue that Gentiles must become Jewish in order to be saved.
Peter’s Testimony (15:6–11): Peter recalls Acts 10–11 and insists: God gave the Holy Spirit to Gentiles without making them Jewish. Salvation is by grace alone.
James’s Judgment (15:12–21): James quotes Amos 9 to show from Scripture that God always planned to welcome Gentiles as Gentiles—not as Jewish converts. He recommends four practices from Leviticus 17–18 to preserve fellowship between Jews and Gentiles.
The Letter to the Churches (15:22–29): The apostles send a letter affirming salvation by grace—and encouraging Gentile believers to avoid practices that would disrupt eating with Jewish believers.

The Point: You can have comfort or you can have community—but rarely both.

Application and Reflection:
Are you willing to limit your freedoms out of love, or do you insist on getting your way? (1 Cor. 8:13)
Do you demand cultural conformity as a test of true faith? “We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:19)
Are there unspoken expectations you place on others before you will welcome them into your life or our church?