







                      THE COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM
                       ------------------------
                    A simulation based on Acts 15


                     Software Sharing Ministries
                      2020 North Fremont Street
                      Tacoma, Washington  98406
                             206-756-7980




    Goals:
    ------

    1. To share a living experience of decision making in the
    early church, bringing into play the value commitments,
    the traditions, the hopes, and the intense feelings of
    those members of the original Council who met to resolve
    some of the conflicts arising from the varying points of
    view of the followers of Jesus Christ.

    2. To realize that the vitality of the church arises out of
    the attempt to be faithful even in the face of differences
    of opinion.

      a) this means making the effort to arrive again and again
    at group decisions that will enable the Christian
    community to grow and witness to the gospel of Christ.

      b) this means, also, being sensitive to the direction of
    the Holy Spirit, and responsive to its leading. It means
    respecting the uniqueness of each disciple's experience
    of God.

    3. To learn from this experience, the church's response to
    the Holy Spirit and respect for the uniqueness of each
    Christian's experience today. To relate the position taken
    by the Christian church to the needs of youth, in our
    time.


    Time Schedule for the simulation:
    --------------------------------

    Introduction and grouping    15-30 minutes

    Small group meetings for
        research and strategy     45-60 minutes

    Council simulation            45-60 minutes

    Reflection and debriefing     45 minutes






    The Situation
    -------------

    You are to simulate the leaders of the early church who have
    come together in Jerusalem to decide the next steps in your
    mission to the Gentile world. This is the first meeting of
    the various groups following Jesus, and you are faced with
    several important problems:

    1. You will need to elect a bishop for Jerusalem who will
    then conduct your further deliberations.

       The problem of leadership in the first church must have
       been fairly intense.  By all odds the leader should have
       been Peter, leader of the twelve. But that is either
       hindsight or else opposition to the apparent leader the
       church was forced to take as a compromise candidate
       (Galatians 1). The compromise was a brother of Jesus, James
       the Just. Oddly enough, after the martyrdom of James,
       another relative of Jesus, Matthias, an uncle, led the
       church for about thirty more years.

    2. You will need to decide whether to send Paul on a mission
    to the Gentiles.

       The decision for Paul to cross from Asia Minor into
       Macedonia was one of the most momentous actions of the
       earliest church. It meant that Greeks who had never been
       exposed to Judaism would be brought into the church.
       Presumably previous adherents were either Jewish or at
       least god-fearers (non-Jews self-consciously associated
       with Judaism).  It also meant the great antagonism between
       Jew and Greek, Palestinian and Roman would be erased
       within the church.  Paul says it was the Holy Spirit
       appearing in a vision which caused him to cross over into
       Europe.

    3. You need to establish minimal requirements for non-Jews
    who are brought into church.

       Christianity was at first a branch of Judaism; as such it
       adhered to the basic laws and customs of Judaism. All were
       circumcised. Within limits all adhered to the formal
       liturgical and dietary laws of their faith. To expect this
       of Greeks was futile. Yet there had to be minimal
       expectations if Jews and Greeks were to remain in the same
       social structure. In Acts 15 it is recorded this problem
       was solved by the mother church issuing the following
       minimal requirements: not to commit adultery, not to
       commit idolatry, and not to murder.

    4. In view of the possibility of riots in Ephesus you need to
    decide whether Paul will be allowed to go there to preach
    the gospel.












       Nearly everywhere Paul went on a missionary journey,
       conflict was created. In the early accounts (Acts 14-18)
       it is clear a riot occurred at nearly every point.



    Tasks of All Groups Prior to the Simulation (During small
    group meetings):

    1. Appoint a leader who will--

       a. chair in the preparations for the simulation,
       b. lead the group during the simulation.

       For purposes of the simulation the leaders of the groups
       will have the following identities:

                 Suffering Servants       James
                 Apocalypticists          Paul
                 Zealots                  Peter
                 Hellenists               Stephen





    2. Appoint a chronicler who will--

    a. record briefly the process of the group,
    b. record the action of the simulation from the

       perspective of his group,
    c. report to the debriefing session.

    3. Examine those texts of the New Testament which establish
    the identity of this particular group.

    4. Articulate your identity to each other, i.e., make a
    banner or a standard, etc.

    5. Project your group's position regarding each of the
    decisions to be made.

    6. Discuss what type of power you could and should use in the
    course of the stimulated decision making.

    7. Assist the chronicler in recording all pertinent data,
    especially your projections prior to the simulation so
    that you can make a later comparison.

















    Rules of the Simulation
    -----------------------

    1. Each group will be allowed two representatives at the
    Jerusalem table.

    2. Other members will be arranged behind the chairs of the
    two representatives.

    3. Any member may replace a representative as he or she
    chooses.

    4. Each group will be allowed two roving politicians who may

       a. discover the character and purpose of the other groups,
       b. facilitate or disrupt the procedures,
       c. consult with the background resource person.


    Tasks of the Simulation (Council meeting)
    -----------------------------------------

    1. The coordinator will chair the session until the church is
    able to elect a bishop.

    2. Following the guidance of the bishop, the church council
    will attempt to deal with the following critical
    decisions:

    a.  Will Paul and his cohorts from Antioch be allowed to
    carry the gospel to the purely Gentile world, i.e.,
    Greece? Specifically, will you allow Titus to be seated
    at your meeting?

    b.  What minimal requirements should be established for
    Christianity as it spreads? Specifically, will you
    accept in to the church the man who has been living
    with his stepmother?

    c.  What method will be used for the spreading of the
    gospel?



    Tasks for Debriefing
    --------------------

    1. Discuss with one another how you felt during the
    simulation.

    2. Hear the reports from the chroniclers.

    3. Discuss any questions that may be raised by the experience
    together.












    1. The Disciples of the Suffering Servant
    -----------------------------------------

    Your group identity for the simulation will be that of a band
    of faithful followers of that Jesus who was known as the
    Suffering Servant. In the simulation there will be other
    groups who are identified with the same Jesus of Nazareth,
    but from a vastly different perspective. It is your task to
    determine how your group (church?) should utilize its power
    so that it can be true to your understanding of Jesus. The
    following are some New Testament texts which will help you
    with your identity:

    Mark 8:34-38
    Mark 9: 33-37
    Mark 10:35-45
    Matthew 5:1-16
    Matthew 5: 38-48
    Matthew 10:34-39
    Matthew 11: 25-30
    Matthew 23:1-12
    Luke 10: 29-37
    John 13:1-20
    1 Corinthians 1:18-31
    1 Corinthians 4:8-13
    Philippians 2:1-11

    Background Data:

    The idea of a suffering servant in Judeo-Christianity arose
    after the Jews were taken into captivity by the Babylonians
    (586 B.C.). The political power of the state of Israel had
    failed. Now some writers began to interpret the role of
    Israel as one who enables all nations to come to God by
    taking on herself the turmoil and sin of international
    strife. We know this position best by the servant songs in
    Isaiah, especially Isaiah 53. It is the opinion of many
    people that the genius of Jesus of Nazareth was to combine
    this picture of the suffering servant with the more
    apocalyptic Son of man in order to say that the kingdom of
    God will come with the self-giving of men to each other.  The
    cross, of course, would be the standard symbol of that self-
    sacrifice. Those who follow this Jesus would use their power
    and their personhood to enable others to participate in the
    kingdom. This picture of Jesus has been especially powerful
    among free churches and Catholic orders.




















    2. The Hellenistic Believers on the Son of God
    ----------------------------------------------

    Your group identity for the simulation will be that of a band
    of Greeks or, more likely, Hellenistic Jews, who think of
    Jesus as Son of God. In the simulation there will be other
    groups who are identified with the same Jesus of Nazareth, but
    from a vastly different perspective. It is your task to
    determine how your group (church?) should utilize its power so
    as to be true to your understanding of Jesus. The following
    are some New Testament texts which will help you with your
    identity:

    Mark 1:9-11
    Mark 9:2-8
    Mark 15:33-39
    Colossians 1: 15-20
    Matthew 12: 15- 21
    John 5: 19-47
    John 18:33-37
    Revelation 5:1-14

    Background Data:

    "Son of God" is primarily a monarchical or imperial term. It
    denotes the king.  In the Old Testament the king is called
    the Son of God (2 Samuel 7:14) and becomes that at the time
    he is enthroned (Psalm 2).  In the more contemporary Roman
    Empire the emperor was just becoming known as filius dei (son
    of god) . To speak of Jesus as Son of God is to say he is
    your Lord rather than someone else (e.g. ,Nero) . Those who
    believe in Jesus as the Son of God have seen in Jesus the
    ultimate Truth, the Father. They consider themselves as the
    true agents of God, exercising his power and proclaiming his
    truth. Needless to say, the church groups derive their
    identity primarily from this confession that Jesus is Lord,
    Son of God.


    Whether Jesus himself was conscious of being the Son of God
    is debatable.  Most students of the New Testament suppose we
    are dealing with a term which became popular when
    Christianity began to compete with other Eastern religions
    and with the power of the emperor himself.






















    3 . The Warriors of the Zealot Jesus
    -------------------------------------

    Your group identity for the simulation will be that of a band
    of armed and dangerous revolutionaries who believed Jesus had
    come to overthrow Rome. You are the historic Zealots. In the
    simulation there will be other groups who are identified with
    the same Jesus of Nazareth, but from a vastly different
    perspective.  It is your task to determine how your group
    (church?) should utilize its power so as to be true to your
    understanding of Jesus. The following are some New Testament
    texts which will help you with your identity:

    Matthew 4:1-11
    Matthew 10:1-4
    Matthew 19:23-30
    Matthew 20:20-28
    Matthew 21:2-13
    Matthew 26:47-56
    Luke 20:19-26
    Luke 22:35-38
    Luke 23:32-38

    Background Data:

    The Zealots were one of several parties among the Jews at the
    time of Jesus. In contrast to the Sadducees who cooperated
    with Rome and the Pharisees who quietly resisted, the Zealots
    intended to bring the kingdom by triggering the new age with a
    violent, radical action. It is not known how they arose, but
    somehow they must have evolved from the militant Maccabeans.
    They constantly sought out leaders who appeared to be
    messianic hopefuls. Most of these were Galileans and most of
    them were killed as insurrectionists. There can be little
    doubt that Jesus was killed for the same reasons. It was
    Zealots who precipitated the Jewish War which ended in the
    defeat and destruction of Jerusalem by Titus (A.D.70). Just
    prior to this the Christian community finally recognized it
    had no part in the Zealots' cause and left Jerusalem. But at
    the time of the Jerusalem Council, as found in Acts 15, this
    would not have been so clear. The presence of so much Zealot
    material in the Gospels would indicate this was a continuing
    struggle.























    4. Apostles of the Apocalyptic Prophet
    --------------------------------------

    Your group identity for the simulation will be that of a band
    of people who, as did Jesus before them, continue to await
    and proclaim the coming of the kingdom of God. You are the
    messengers of God, the apostles. In the simulation there will
    be other groups who are identified with the same Jesus of
    Nazareth, but from a vastly different perspective. It is your
    task to determine how your group (church?) should utilize its
    power so as to be true to your understanding of Jesus. The
    following are some New Testament texts which will help with
    your identity:

    Mark 1:14-15
    Matthew 5:1-10
    Matthew 10:34-39
    Matthew 13:24-52
    Matthew 19:23-30
    Matthew 21:33-44
    Matthew 22:1-14
    Matthew 22:23-33
    Matthew 24:36-51
    Luke 9:57-62
    Luke 12:8-40
    1 Thessalonians 1:6-10
    2 Thessalonians 3:11-13
    Acts 14:1-18

    Background Data:

    Apocalypticism is both a form of literature and, in the Bible,
    an attitude which grew up out of the despair of the Jewish
    exile . Essentially these were Jews who believed the promise
    of God would be fulfilled but that historical movements and
    institutions could not bring about that kingdom. Since it was
    both a prophetic movement and a wisdom genre, it stands to
    reason that eventually there were those who said the kingdom of
    God most likely does come when one lives as if it were coming.
    The historical Jesus must have been such an apocalypticist who
    felt himself sent by God to proclaim the coming kingdom. He
    gathered about him apostles who also shared that sentness
    (apostleship) . A major aspect of the earliest church was that
    of continuing to proclaim this coming, even though eventually
    most of Christendom defined that coming by the past events
    which surrounded the man Jesus.


















