Sometimes my preparation for Sundays is very painful.  I’m not asking for sympathy; you should actually thank God with me for the power of His Word.  In our return to the Book of Acts, we’re studying the meeting that took place in Jerusalem. Virtually every commentary I read kicked my “you know what.”  Here’s the problem, I have fallen prey to the modern (and very American) notion of “efficiency.” I like to get things done. I do not like long meetings. Many times, discussion drives me crazy.  I am wrong! There is something more important than the speed and agility of what we accomplish; specifically, the people with whom we accomplish whatever we accomplish. Obviously, there is no virtue in dragging things out for the sake of doing so but the thoughts and opinions of people matter.  The main reason for this, as we see in Acts 15, is because consensus brings unity and unity is a theological core value. As God’s people, we are here to glorify Him. At a minimum, this means that we represent Him well. We cannot represent God accurately and be divided. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one and if we are to accurately represent Him we must be an answer to the prayer of Jesus in John 17:21.  I’m sorry for the slowness of my growth in these things. Old wiring is hard to re-do. You probably already know this but these truths apply in many contexts and we would do well to meditate on James 3:13-18 and Colossians 3:12-17. It appears James and Paul both profited greatly from the tension of those meetings in Jerusalem and they passed along their “findings” to the rest of us. Pray for me, I have some bandages to change.