Acts 15

(1) Jewish Believers Think Christians Should Follow Jewish Law—Paul Disagrees

Some people from Judea went to Antioch and started telling the spiritual family there,

“You guys can’t be rescued unless you get circumcised like it’s explained in Moses’s custom.”

Paul and Barnabas disagreed and heavily debated them until the spiritual family decided that Paul, Barnabas, and a few others should go to Jerusalem and meet with Jesus’s original disciples and the elders there about the topic. So the church sent them.

On their way, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, telling people about how non-Jews had been converted. The spiritual family in those places was thrilled to hear that.

When Paul’s group got to Jerusalem, they received a warm welcome from the church, its elders, and Jesus’s original disciples. Paul’s group told them about everything God had done on their mission trip, but some of the Pharisee believers stood up and said,

“Those non-Jewish converts need to be circumcised and instructed to keep Moses’s rules.”

(6) Peter: God Gave them the Holy Spirit

Jesus’s disciples and the elders came together to look into this matter. After much debate, Peter stood up and said,

“Spiritual family… As you know, God chose long ago to have the non-Jews believe after hearing me share the good news. God knows everyone’s heart, and He vouched for them by giving them the Different Spirit, just like He did for us! And He didn’t make any distinctions between us and them, and He cleaned their hearts by faith. So why are you challenging God by trying to put a harness around their necks? We ourselves couldn’t even carry that harness, and neither could our forefathers! We believe that the way we Jews are rescued is through Master Jesus’s favor—and they’re rescued the same way we are.”

(12) Paul: God Did Attesting Miracles for the Non-Jews

The room fell silent, and everyone listened to Barnabas and Paul tell stories of all the marvels and signs God did through them during their time with the non-Jews. 

(13) James: Prophets Foretold of Non-Jews Associating with God

When they finished telling their stories, James chimed in and said,

“Family, listen. Peter just explained how God first concerned Himself with claiming a group of non-Jews for His cause. And I want to point out that the prophets agree. They wrote:

‘After these things, I’ll come back and rebuild the house [tabernacle] I used during David’s time. It has fallen, but I’ll rebuild it from the ruins. I’ll stand it back up so that all of humanity can come toward the Ruler alongside all the non-Jews who are associated with My name.’ That’s what the Ruler says, who explained these things long ago.
—Amos 9:11–12

“That’s why my conclusion is that we shouldn’t annoy the non-Jews who are turning to God. We should just tell them to avoid: things contaminated by false gods, sexual misconduct, strangled animals, and blood. After all, Moses’s books have been preached in every city since ancient times. His books are read in the Jewish assemblies every Sabbath.”

(22) Council’s 3 Restrictions

Jesus’s original disciples, the elders, and the rest of the church thought it seemed good to send some of their own members to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose two leaders, Judas (nicknamed Barsabbas) and Silas, and sent them with a letter that read:

“From: Jesus’s original disciples and the elders of the spiritual family.

To: the spiritual family in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia who don’t have a Jewish background.

“Greetings!

“We found out that some people from Judea went to you and started teaching some upsetting things that rattled your souls. We want you to know that we never approved of them to do that. Since then, we’ve discussed that topic, and now we’re all on the same page. That’s why we choose some men and sent them to you with Barnabas and Paul (the guys who risked their lives for the reputation of our Master, Jesus the Chosen One). Judas and Silas are the ones we sent to you, and they can confirm our message.

“What seemed best to us and to the Different Spirit was to avoid putting a bunch of burdens on you except for these few necessities:

• Stay away from items that have been sacrificed to idols
• Avoid blood and animals that have been strangled
• Avoid sexual misconduct

“If you’re careful about doing those three things, you’ll do well.

“Farewell!”

(30) Non-Jewish Believers Receive Restrictions

When the group arrived in Antioch, they gathered the congregation together and delivered the letter. They read it and were glad to receive its encouragement. Then Judas and Silas (who were also prophets) encouraged and strengthened the spiritual family there with a long message. They spent some time in Antioch, but were eventually sent back home in peace (although Silas thought it would be best for him to stay there a little long). Paul and Barnabas also stayed in Antioch and shared the Master’s exciting message with many others. 

(36) Paul and Barnabas Part Ways

After spending a number of days in Antioch, Paul told Barnabas, 

“Let’s go back to all those cities where we shared the Master’s message so we can visit the spiritual family there and see how they’re doing.”

Barnabas wanted to take Mark (whose real name was “John”) with them too, but Paul didn’t think he was worthy to join them since he had left them in Pamphylia instead of joining them on their mission trip. They disagreed about this so sharply that they ended up parting ways. Barnabas took Mark and set sail for Cyprus, while Paul (who the church had dedicated to the Master’s grace) took Silas and traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches there.