The Book of Acts

Paul’s 2^nd Missionary Journey

Paul & Barnabas Separate

Acts 15:36-41 _NLT

“After some time Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.’”- Acts 15:36

            Paul was intent on beginning his 2^nd missionary expedition and wished to take Barnabas with him again, but Barnabas wanted Mark to go with them. Paul considered John Mark a deserter since he abruptly left them in Pamphylia and didn’t return. Barnabas sharply disagreed with Paul therefore, they went their separate ways. There is no indication they had anger towards one another. It was simply a difference of opinion, albeit a strong one.

            Barnabas ended up inviting John Mark, with him to present the gospel across the region, while Paul invited the prophet Silas, mentioned in the last posting, to go with him. The believers in Antioch, Paul’s launching point, turned their care and protection over to the Lord as they left.        

Their intention was to travel throughout the entire region of Syria & Cilicia, reinforcing the faith of the churches there. Scholars say this 2^nd journey began roughly 3 years after the 1^st one ended, indicating that Paul & Barnabas stayed with the believers in Antioch of Syria for those 3 years. Paul’s choice of Silas to partner up with indicates a sense of unity between the Antioch and Jerusalem churches, as Silas was a part of the latter church and involved with the 1^st council.

            What we can take from this writing today is that just as Mark needed a 2^nd chance to prove himself, at times so do we or someone we know or even do not know. We need to be discerning regarding God’s will with such things, tempered with patience, compassion and mercy. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

The Book of Acts

The Letter for Gentile Believers

Acts 15:22-35 _NLT

“Then the apostles and elders together with the whole church in Jerusalem chose delegates, and they sent them to Antioch of Syria with Paul & Barnabas to report on this decision.”- Acts 15:22

            As you will recall, many Jewish believers felt grace was way too easy a way for gentile converts to become saved, so they sought to make them adhere to the Jewish law in addition to God’s grace. Paul & Barnabas travelled to Jerusalem to attend the first Jerusalem council where the apostles, leaders, and elders would discuss the matter and decide, based on scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit, which way the teaching should follow.

                  After the council, based on the apostle James statements, decided which direction to take, the apostles, elders, and the entire Jerusalem church body chose delegates to accompany Paul & Barnabas to report the final decision to the church in Antioch of Syria. The men chosen were two church leaders among the brethren. They were Judas, also known as Barsabbas, and Silas, who were known to be prophets. Below is the letter they sent with them to the church in Antioch.

            “This letter is from the apostles and elders, your brothers in Jerusalem. It is written to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Greetings!

“We understand that some men from here have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but we did not send them! So we decided, having come to complete agreement, to send you official representatives, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are sending Judas and Silas to confirm what we have decided concerning your question.

“For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements: You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well. Farewell.” ^{[Acts 15:23-29]}

            The brethren at the Antioch church in Syria rejoiced at the proclamation as it’s message brought them great joy.  Prophets Judas Barsabbas & Silas encouraged and strengthened the faith of the body of Christ there, while Paul & Barnabas, who stayed on in that town, taught and preached the word of God to the people there. This would be recognized as the official end of Paul’s first missionary trip. 

                  The lesson to be learned here is that whenever there is a dispute among the brethren, they are to gather together, consult scripture, and pray, seeking the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit to attain the mind of the Lord in the matter. Well respected men of God are to coordinate the gathering and the final decision, based on God’s Word, is to be accepted. Should there be an interpretive disagreement, such a decision should be solved thru diligent & earnest prayer, considering regional and cultural information which may have some bearing on the scriptures interpretation. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

Word for the Day

“God will meet you where you are in order to take you where He wants you to go.”— Tony Evans

The Book of Acts

The First Church Council

Acts 15:1-21

“As long as most of the first Christians were Jewish, there was little difficulty in welcoming new believers; however, Gentiles (non-Jews) began to accept Jesus’ offer of salvation. The evidence in their lives & the presence of God’s Spirit in them showed that God was accepting them. Some of the early Christians believed that non-Jewish Christians needed to meet certain conditions before they could be worthy to accept Christ. The issue could have destroyed the church, so a conference (council) was called in Jerusalem, & the issue was formally settled there, although it continued to be a problem for many years following.” ^[1]

            There were 3 points of view shared at the conference: The Judaizers (some of the Jewish Christians) viewpoint, the Gentile Christian viewpoint, & Peter and James’ viewpoint. 

The Judaizers felt the Gentiles must become a Jew first to be eligible for salvation. Their reasoning was as follows: They were devout, practicing Jews who had a problem setting aside the tradition of following God’s Law. They thought grace was too easy for the Gentiles. They were afraid of appearing too non-Jewish in the practice of their new Christian faith. Placing these ritualistic demands on the Gentiles was a for them to control these new believers & the movement as a whole.

The Gentile believers saw faith in Christ as Savior as the only requirement for salvation. Here’s why: They felt that if they submitted to the demands of the Jews, it would be the same as doubting what God had already done for them through grace alone. The Gentiles were resisting exchanging their former pagan rituals for Jewish rituals. They desired to obey Christ through baptism instead of circumcision to show the world their new faith.  

Peter & James felt that only faith was required, but there must be evidence of a change in their behavior by replacing their old lifestyle with their new, godly behavior. They also wanted to preserve unity within the body of Christ. Lastly, the Apostles didn’t believe Christianity would survive as just a sect of Judaism. 

James stood & addressed the conference with their judgment regarding the matter. “And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood. For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.” ^{[Acts 15:19-21]}

What can we take from all this for today? Salvation is by faith through the grace of God & purchased for us by Christ’s blood. That’s it & that’s all. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In his name & for his glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

^[1] “The first church conference” as seen in the footnotes from Acts 15:1-21 in the Life Application Study Bible, p. 2423.

Word for the Day

“Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion; it is like a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.” – Billy Graham

In his name & for his glory,                                                                                                                                         RLKeller                                                                                                                                                                      Bread of Life Ministries                                                                                                                                                     

         

Word for the Day

 

The Book of Acts

Paul & Barnabas Return to Antioch of Syria

Acts 14:21-28 _NLT

“After preaching the Good News in Derbe & making many disciples, Paul & Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium & Antioch of Pisidia, where they strengthened the believers.”- Acts 14:21-22a

                  Wait, weren’t these the places that Paul & Barnabas were threatened and physically attacked? Knowing this, why would they return to these places? It was because they knew God was with them and the Spirit was leading them there for a specific purpose. That purpose was to encourage the new believers and establish leadership. Leadership was important in that they would do what the Apostles couldn’t do being that they were not present at all times. The Apostles were called to spread the gospel, while the Spirit-led leaders chosen would be with their own local church helping the congregation grow in maturity and knowledge through the teaching of the word and encouragement. 

                  Wherever Paul & Barnabas went the Spirit of God used them to win many souls to Christ. The church was growing rapidly and because they were Spirit-led, would be successful in the eyes of God. Their opposition seems to have mainly come from the Jews who were not ready to accept Jesus as the long awaited Messiah. The Jews within the body were opposed to Gentile converts at first, but acquiesced to the wishes of the Apostles, though they still demanded that the gentiles follow Jewish law and their ritualistic practices. The Apostles took issue with this and so a council was formed in Jerusalem to resolve the matter. We shall discuss that in the next chapter.

                  What can we learn from this portion of scripture? There has been and always will be opposition of one form or another to the true teachings of Christ. We must make sure we know God’s word for ourselves and hold firmly onto the truth, for there can only be one truth, not many. Know what you need to know and live it out for the world to see. As the scripture says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In his name & for his glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.