Acts 15:1-35 "The Jerusalem Council"

Good morning Calvary Chapel Lake City! We are journeying through the Book of Acts picking up in Acts 15. Acts 15:1-35 today.

Last time we finished looking at “Paul’s First Missionary Journey.”

Paul and Barnabas were separated to the Holy Spirit for a work He called them to…

Which was to be sent out to various cities to preach the Gospel… to the Jew first, and also to the Greek… Gentiles.

Because of Jesus… there were several significant changes in God’s program.

Jews, who always had the law, were believing Jesus was their Messiah and were becoming completed in Christ.

And, Gentiles were also being saved.

But, Gentiles didn’t have the same convictions towards the law. They only knew the Christ… and salvation in Him.

And, as we will see today, this led to great confusion in the early church… namely the question arose, “What must one do to be saved?”

Is it faith in Jesus alone?

Or faith in Jesus plus adherence to the law? Faith plus works?

And, this is still a question… sadly… that many wrestle with today.

The year is 49 A.D., and Chapter 15 of Acts reflects a very important council of disciples that gathered in Jerusalem to discuss this critical question of the means of our salvation.

An important meeting and an important chapter that impacted our faith even today.

The title of today’s message is, “The Jerusalem Council.”

Let’s Pray!

Acts 15:1-2 “And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.”

Verses 1-2 sets the stage for why the Jerusalem Council was called into order.

Certain Jewish religious men… Judaizers… come to Antioch and sow seeds of doubt over salvation by ‘grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.’

A saying that became a battle cry for the reformation… and Martin Luther as he wrestled against false teachings in his day.

These Judaizers… which is a term for those who insisted on Christian conformity to Jewish customs…

These Judaizers come to Antioch and declare to the Christians something to the effect of, “Hey, we know Paul and Barnabas said all you have to do is have faith in Jesus to be saved, but there’s more to it… we know better…”

They are legalists. Legalists add to the word of God.

They are the opposite of liberals who take away from the word of God.

Truth is somewhere in between.

I want to give you a heads up that… we’re going to camp out in VSS 1-2 for a bit to address legalism and liberty because it’s a big topic in our Christian experience today.

Don’t worry… we’ll be done exactly when we’re supposed to be. It may 2pm, but we’ll finish.

I’m just joking… we’ll be much later.

But, this topic is important because legalism and liberty is a friction point in our Christian fellowship… like a speck of sand in your eye… an irritant.

Now… these Judaizers were beyond legalistic…

In his letter to the Galatians… Paul calls them “false brethren” and “spies”… they were pretenders posing as Christians.. .they weren’t even saved.

In Gal 2:4-5, Paul recounts this event of Acts 15… and wrote, “And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), 5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.”

Paul wrote that to cities of the Galatian region…

Antioch of Pisidia was one such city… which we recently encountered as we studied through Paul’s First Missionary Journey.

Paul encouraged them to “continue in the grace of God.” Grace, not law.

A message Paul would need to reiterate because false teachers kept pushing for upholding the law… like being circumcised as we see in V1.

Circumcision was a temporal act that represented being holy/set apart/cut off from the life of the flesh and to be set upon the life of the spirit.

Jewish Circumcision is comparable to Christian baptism...putting to death the life of the flesh, and living for the spirit.

And, OT verses explicitly instructed circumcision, beginning at…

Gen 17:14 “And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

That was a command specific to the Jews.

Here’s one for Gentiles: Ex 12:48 “And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised…”

I imagine they didn’t have many dinner guests. That’s quite the admission price.

So, the Judaizers hung onto their traditions… not understanding the new covenant of Grace, so they dismissed grace… and taught works… thus they were titled “false brethren.”

And, that’s still true today… anyone who adds works to salvation teaches a false Gospel.

Jesus plus baptism… Jesus plus tongues… Jesus plus Saturday worship… Jesus plus good works… Jesus plus special underwear [that’s a Mormon thing in case you’re not aware]…

All of these are adding to salvation… they’re false teachings.

Eph 2:8-9 declares “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Even today, there are those who have difficulty accepting the free gift and the finished work on the cross.

On the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished.” We can rest in His declaration.

Trying to add to the finished work of God is as ludicrous as a child thinking they can enhance a Monet by drawing on it with a crayon.

But, in our world of earning accolades and promotions… for some it’s easier to strive to work for salvation… instead of just praising God for His goodness and receiving the gift.

And, these Judaizers… were laying a similar trip on the Christians in Antioch of Syria.

They said, in V1 “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

And, that was probably their downfall. Maybe they could have gone with… you have to keep Sabbath to be saved… or you have to give a tenth to be saved…

But circumcision? That was poorly designed marketing plan. Who thought of that?

Can you imagine being a 50 year old man and hearing this? You want me to do what?

As a church globally… interdenominationally… there are many doctrinal issues we can disagree upon… gray areas of scripture…

Are gifts of the spirit alive for today, or did they cease with the canonization of scripture?

Is feet washing an ordinance? God’s sovereignty vs. man’s free will. Methods of baptism.

Views on end times? Pre-Trib, Pre-Wrath, Mid-Trib, Post-Trib… Pan-Trib?

Some of you are thinking, “What’s Pan-Trib?” Those are the folks who don’t have an eschatological stance… they’re just going to see how it “pans out” in the end.

Better to have an opinion, than no opinion… in my opinion because No opinion just means no study.

There’s a long list of topics Christians from diverse backgrounds can debate over.

They have their opinion… we have our opinion.

And, I’m of the belief that everyone has the right to be wrong.

Not everyone can be perfectly aligned with God like us.

What I actually believe is when we stand before God in heaven and Jesus teaches us all things… we’re all going to be surprised when we hear God’s perfect doctrine.

But for now, beyond the gray area topics… there are other topics that are NOT debatable.

Jesus is part of the Godhead. The trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… all distinct, all God. Not debatable.

Incarnation. Resurrection. Inspiration of the Bible. Not debatable.

Salvation is not debatable… this is where we draw a line in the sand… salvation is a non-negotiable topic.

I remember several months back, a Mormon attended our local Ministerial Association… he actually came in how Paul described in Gal 2 he “came in by stealth” not disclosing he was a Mormon.

And, I put my foot down that I would not continue with the Ministerial if he did. Fortunately, I was not alone.

There’s a difference between opinions, and false teachings.

And so, Paul and Barnabas put their foot down… these Judaizers have crossed the line.

And in V2, we read, “Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them...”

It was a major -or- serious argument and debate.

These Judaizers wanted to put the disciples back under the Law of Moses… which was an attack on the Gospel… grace through faith.

They were legalistic.

Often today, when Christians stand against sin, they are called, “legalistic.” And, that’s wrong.

There is a sect of Christians who live life seeing how close they can get to fire before getting burned. That’s truly wrong.

There is a difference between legalism and truth. Legalism is opposed to grace. Truth aligns with grace.

The truth is we are supposed to be set-apart from the world… to live holy lives…

The word “holy” or a variation thereof… like “holiness”… is in the Bible 669x in 598 verses.

1 Pet 1:15 states, “…but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct...”

Holy standards are NOT legalism. We are to ‘be holy in all our conduct.’

Our Father always knows best, and puts hedges around our lives… not to rain on our parade, but to protect us from snares, pitfalls…

From loosening a stone that will create a landslide in our life.

The danger we create…is when we add to His standards.

Legalism is when we add to what He says. When we start to tell people they are not saved unless…

And, if you fill in that blank with anything other then “faith in Jesus Christ”… than that’s legalism.

In our sin we were once separate from the Father, but Jesus reconciled that relationship by sacrificing His body in order Col 1:22 “to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight...”

And, for all that Jesus did for us on the cross… by sacrificing His own body…

Living a life above reproach is the least we can do… in order to represent Him well today.

And, there’s a fine line in representing Him well by living above reproach… yet... not crossing over to legalism.

One more thing around this topic before we move on… we have liberties… freedoms… and yet it’s biblical to exercise love over liberty.

Some claim it’s legalism whenever their liberties are challenged.

But consider Jesus’ sacrifice. We too are called to sacrifice.

Which is not legalism, but love. Jesus loved us enough to sacrifice His body… can we love each other enough to sacrifice our liberties?

Paul exhorts in Rom 14:21 “It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.”

Again in 1 Cor 8:9 “But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.”

Summing up in 1 Cor 10:31 “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

This is no small topic, and because we all have varying convictions… our liberties often become the sand or the grit… the irritant between our relationships with one another.

And, what challenges me… is Paul instructs us to refrain in respect of the other person’s conscience.

1 Cor 10:29 “Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other.”

You may not have a conviction against- or an issue with certain… dress, food/drink, screen time, leisure, money, sports… but what if your brother or sister does?

Are you ready for this challenge?

1 Cor 8:12 “But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.”

Christian living is no small task. Jesus instructs that which He modeled- sacrifice.

Our varying convictions, and laying down our pride… laying down our freedoms for what we might consider frivolous is one of the most frustrating experiences we have with one another.

But, we are called to unity… and we are called to love… and when we can rise above our flesh… and walk in the Spirit… our very unity is a testimony to the world.

In Jn 13:34-35 Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Our love for one another… our unity despite how diverse and weird we are… it stands as a testimony to the world that we are students of Christ.

Legalism and freedom in Christ is a big topic and a big debate in Christianity today.

As it was for Paul and Barnabas, and we see in … V2 that they do not come to a conclusion, but determine they must go up to Jerusalem and consult with the apostles and elders over this debate of ‘how is one saved?’

By Grace alone through faith alone… or must one also add works… circumcision specifically in this example?

And, if you cannot come to a conclusion over a debate… follow the example here… consult with elders.

So, now… Paul, Barnabas, Titus (according to Gal 2:1), and some other unnamed disciples travel from their hub in Antioch of Syria… up to Jerusalem… the seat of the church Apostles.

Acts 15:3-4 “So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them.”

Our Missionaries, travel south from Antioch into the regions of Phoenicia and Samaria… notice they don’t avoid Samaria as Jews would…

And, they spread the Good News in these Gentile areas speaking about how Gentiles came to saving faith in Jesus.

The response from the brethren… saved Christians… was great joy.

I’ve never seen Christians respond with anything but “great joy” when testimonies of salvation are shared.

Great joy is the natural response when someone encounters the love of God.

And, as they arrive in Jerusalem, they continue to share this praise report with the Twelve apostles, the leaders of the church, and the people of the church.

But, the debate was not finished…

Act 15:4 “But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

These are “Pharisees who believed.” Pharisees who supported the message of the Judaizers... which was wrong. Yet the Pharisees are said to believe.

So the issue wasn’t that they disbelieved… more they mis-believed.

These guys were still stuck on the law. In V5, they state circumcision and they add ‘keeping the law of Moses’ are necessary…

Necessary for what? The context is salvation according to V1.

Now, the Law was not bad… but, it did not save. The law is like a thermometer in that it informs you of your condition.

A thermometer measures and indicates body temperature. It makes you aware of a fever and illness, but it does not provided a cure.

And, the law is the same. It informs you of your condition, but the only remedy is salvation is Jesus Christ.

In Gal 3:24-25 Paul wrote, “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”

The law exposed mankind’s sinful condition and highlighted the need for a Savior.

And, as the Savior came… the purpose of the Law was ‘made complete.’

Jesus said in Matt 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”

Jesus was not abolishing the OT, but He completed it in that it’s purpose to point to a Savior was now realized in Him.

Another way to put it is Rom 13:10 says “love is the fulfillment of the law” and 1 John 4:8 says “God is love.”

Therefore, God fulfills the law. Interesting, Jesus said He came to fulfill the law.

Who is Jesus? Jesus is God. Just connect the dots.

Jesus is God, and Jesus fulfilled the law,… and He did it in love.

By His love for us to sacrifice Himself on the cross.

These legalists had not arrived here yet, so they debate… and starting in V6 we now view “The Jerusalem Council.”

Acts 15:6-11 “Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. 7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

In V6 the church leaders considered the words of both sides of the debate…

And V7 seems to indicate there was an open forum of discussion “there had been much dispute...”

But them Peter rose up… and especially after Acts 2… after the Baptism with the Holy Spirit… Peter had many great things to say as the Holy Spirit worked through him…

And, Peter reminds them that is was by his mouth that “the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.”

Which looks back to Acts 10 and Peter’s encounter with the Roman Centurion Cornelius.

Peter had a vision of clean and unclean things and a voice spoke to him, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”

Initially reluctant, Peter obeyed and after he preached the gospel to the gentiles… the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles…

Peter describes this experience in VSS 8-9.

God gave them the Holy Spirit and made no distinction. God is not partial.

Which Peter references here in V8.. “God, who knows the heart...”

Of Cornelius it was said he was “a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.”

A very good heart, and yet… Cornelius still needed a Savior.

Because God knows the heart of all mankind is desperately wicked.

That’s what He declares in Jer 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? 10 I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.”

And, for Cornelius the Lord determined to give him the Holy Spirit and to purify the hearts of him and his friends and family who heard Peter… all who came to Jesus in faith… which Peter reflects in V9.

Now, in V10, Peter challenged all listening… “why do you test God” meaning… ‘why do you want to push the boundaries with God?’

God already determined salvation to the Gentiles by faith alone.

Cornelius was saved and was not circumcised…

He was described as one who “feared God”… he was a “God-fearer”… not a full converted proselyte that was circumcised.

So, why now go back to the yoke of the law? Why put a yoke on the disciples which none of the Jews historically could bear.

And, of course Peter is referring to the Law symbolically as a yoke.

A yoke is literally a wooden bar put around the necks of beasts of burden to cause them to effectively work together…

But, a yoke has metaphorically been applied to work, bondage, slavery… even divine judgment…

With a promise that Messiah would break the yoke of bondage… such as in Ezk 34:27… “...they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.”

Paul would also apply the image of a yoke and would exhort the Galatians to not return to the law… and not to get circumcised.

Gal 5:1-2 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.”

Paul refers to the Mosaic Law as a “yoke of bondage” that they should not be entangled or ensnared in.

And, yet, Jesus would say you should take on a yoke… not that of the Law, but His yoke…

We all serve a Master… the trick is finding a loving Master.

Matt 11:28-30 Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Jesus GIVES rest. “I will GIVE you rest.” You don’t have to earn rest. It’s a gift that Jesus gives. Just receive His rest through faith.

“Rest for your souls”… Jesus said. Anyone want some rest for your soul?

If you are saved you already have that rest… just abide in Him to realize it more and more day-by-day.

And, then in V11 Peter addresses a very Jewish audience… and says the most profound thing, “… we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

I love that Peter elevates grace over law… over works as the means of salvation, but that’s not what hit me as profound.

Peter tells the Jews… “we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

NOT, ‘they shall be saved in the same manner as us.’

BUT, ‘US Jews shall be saved in the same manner as the Gentiles.’

That’s profound! And, of course… that’s how all are saved… “through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Jews would not be saved by the law, but through faith and grace, just like the Gentiles.

And, that was Peter’s input. Next other leaders speak… V12…

Acts 15:12 “Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.”

Testimonies are powerful and indisputable. It’s very difficult to argue against someone else’s experience.

Paul and Barnabas no doubt share the testimony of what we call “Paul’s first Missionary Journey.”

V13 And after they had become silent, James answered [this is James the 1/2 brother of Jesus… same mother… different Dad… think about it], saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: 14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.

First, Peter went to the Gentiles… James says ‘God first visited the Gentiles’… both are true… God was working through Peter, and the Holy Spirit fell on them.

Even before Paul ever declared “behold we turn to the Gentiles” in Acts 13:46.

God had already settled this principle that He was going to the Gentiles and would make them a people for His name.

Deut 26:18 calls God’s people “peculiar people”… which holds more truth in some of us over others.

We’re a special bunch for sure!

James continues…

V15 “And with this the words of the prophets agree, [prophets is plural because quoting one prophet is acceptable, since they are in harmony… as in one prophet is a representative of the whole” just as it is written: [Amos 9:11-12] 16 ‘After this [properly “On that day”] I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; 17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.’

To back his point, James accurately quotes OT scripture… always a wise move.

James’ quote from Amos 9 to make the point that Gentile salvation apart from the Law was not a contradiction to OT prophets.

This was the Lord’s doing… and this was His plan as is reflected in V18…

V18 “Known to God from eternity are all His works.”

In order of events…

Presently, V14 is being fulfilled in this Church Age… this Age of Grace… God is “taking out of the Gentiles a people for His name.”

Yet future, V16, when Jesus returns…

He will restore believing Israel…V16…

V17… And, more called Gentiles will seek Him.

V18… from eternity… from the beginning of the world… God knew all of this.

Side Note: V18 is a great counter text to “Open Theism” or “Free Will Theism” which holds that the future is not knowable, not even to God... “because if God absolutely knew the future, human beings could not truly be free.”

The Psalmist would disagree, Ps 139:4 “Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all.”

And, I would side with the Psalmist…

V19 “Therefore [the Summary… the conclusion] I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, 20 but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. 21 For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

Note that James is leading the Council… which proves a problem is you think Peter was the first leader… the first Pope…

Peter is taking marching orders from James…

And, James’ instructions are simple. Gentiles are turning to God and we're not going to trouble them.

“Were not going to lay a heavy trip on them” as Pastor Chuck Smith would say.

The things the Gentiles had to refrain from were things that would stumble their Jewish brethren.

They were to refrain from things that would disrupt unity in the body of believers.

Hey, we talked a lot about that earlier in this message.

Rom 14:21 “... nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.”

1 Cor 10:29 “Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other.”

Jn 13:35 “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The four practices mentioned in V20…often were associated with pagan worship… foods offered to idols, sexual immorality which was a common pagan practice, animals that had been strangled (prohibited in Gen 9:4) to keep the blood in the meat… which Gentiles preferred…

These practices were condemned by Jews as unclean.

For the sake of unity… if the Gentiles could refrain from these things, unity in the body would prevail.

They would not stumble, offend or make weak the Jewish believers.

V21 explains why these prohibitions were put in place… Jews in every city had learned the Law of Moses… it was ingrained in them… it was part of their culture… it was read at every Sabbath synagogue service.

They would never accept the Gentiles if they continued these pagan practices that were clearly idolatrous and against God.

And, so with this decree… the court rules in favor of Paul and Barnabas… and opposed to the Judaizers.

Had the Judaizers won… Christianity would have been a sect of Judaism and a speck in history… likely to have died out by now.

No Jew would have accepted it… and it would not have been attractive to Gentiles.

Had the Judaizers won… our hymns would have sounded a lot different.

We’d be singing “Nothing but the Law of Moses.”

Or “Amazing Works… how sweet the sound.”

Instead we sing about victory in Christ, the cross and grace.

And, praise God for that…

So, now that the Jerusalem Council had closed… a decree is sent back to the church in Antioch…

Acts 15:22 “Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas [a prophet we will see more of soon], leading men among the brethren. 23 They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment— [the Judaizers acted on their own accord, as false brethren often do] 25 it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord [One accord… thematic to the Book of Acts… mentions 11x in Acts… more than any other Book. “it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord...”], to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. [reflecting on their First Missionary Journey] 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:

This was not just a decision made by the good wits of men, but men who were led by the Holy Spirit…

This is how we operate as a church… this is how I am led. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.” Zech 4:6

V29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

End of decree.

Notice they said “you will do well”, NOT “you will be saved.”

It was necessary for unity for the Gentiles to abstain from these things, and by doing so they would do well in the sight of God, and with fellow man.

This decree seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to the church leaders in Jerusalem.

So, how do the Gentiles in Antioch receive this decree?

V30 “So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement.”

This wasn’t taken as a “keep off the grass” sign, but as a huge victory.

The Gentiles celebrated… especially the adult men who were facing down the possibility of circumcision.

They especially rejoiced and found this encouraging.

Grace prevailed… and Salvation and Christianity was secure.

It was not works that saved, but “by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.”

Wrapping up…

V32 “Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. 33 And after they had stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles. 34 However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there. 35 Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.”

And, what a blessed time of ministry… and Christian victory… and fellowship… and discipleship… salvation… witnessing…

When you get to heaven be sure to track down the guys mentioned in theses verses to hear more about this blessed time.

Let’s Pray!

Read ahead… next week “Paul’s Second Missionary Journey.”

For us to be unified as a church… there must be a balance of truth and grace… freedoms and sacrifice…

And, that grit… that sand that is present in our relationships… that may be purposed for our sanctification.

So. be gracious and love one another… and by this our community will know we are disciples of Jesus.

God bless you as you go!