Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
- Forming: Team members get to know each other, set goals, and define roles.
- Storming: Conflict arises as people challenge ideas and each other.
- Norming: People resolve their differences, appreciate one another’s strengths, and respect the leader.
- Performing: The team works smoothly, showing high levels of efficiency, innovation, and autonomy.
I’ve seen this at work when I help congregations with their strategic mission planning. The process is sometimes necessarily messy. Different ideas must be considered. Different approaches must be hashed out. Different understandings must be synthesized. The dross needs to be removed. The best ideas brought forth.
When it comes together well, by God’s grace and with his blessing, it’s a beautiful thing. But coming together isn’t a matter of arriving at a good plan. Coming together is a matter of people coming together to work together with Jesus in his mission. It is more than a product. It is a mission movement we seek.
This is what Paul is recalling here. Time in Jerusalem with the pillars of the church: Peter, James, and John yielded some clarity. But there was still storming and norming that had to happen. This was due in part to the radical change that was taking place as the new church was forming.
That which was initially Jewish was becoming multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multinational. This was a new wine in new wineskins moment. The old wineskins were being burst by the new wine of the Great Commission movement. The Gospel was going to the ends of the earth.
The Jerusalem church would never be the same. In the years to come the power centers of the Christian faith would be Rome, Constantinople, and Europe, and now we might look to sub-Saharan Africa as the center of power in the Christian Church. But make no mistake, the power there is not hierarchical. It is the power of the Holy Spirit, bringing more and more people to faith.
I once expressed my view about the mission of God by saying, “When it comes to the Mission of God, I’d rather have chaos than gridlock any day.” Chaos that leads to the salvation of more people, and the successful pursuit of God’s mission may not be pretty. But in a fallen world it is inevitable. And God has a way of working through fallen people to accomplish great things.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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