Acts, Chapter 15

Please, first read this chapter.

Verse 1: “Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved”.

‘According to the custom taught by Moses’. But why not ‘according to the covenant made by God?’ The covenant He made with Abraham and his descendants. It excluded all non-Jews, the Gentiles. To Jews circumcision was ‘the sign of the covenant’ (Genesis 17).

The men who came down from Jerusalem to Antioch wanted gentiles to come into some kind of Christian Judaism. But while, temporarily, placing Judaism to one side, God had begun the formation of the Church of the Lord Jesus, building it by His grace through human faith, certainly not on the foundation of human efforts or ideas.

They were teaching ‘the brothers’. Many of these brothers, a short time ago, still were pagan Gentiles. Now the brothers were Christian Gentiles. In His grace God had purified them, through their faith in the work done by His dear Son. These brothers still were very young in the faith and could easily be misled. That’s where elders in each congregation (14:23) must be alert and be teaching truth, so that Christians may learn to discern truth from error.

Verse 2: “This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question”.

At times Christians are inclined to avoid sharp disputes and debates. For the sake of peace they decide to agree to disagree and leave the truth in limbo. In the presence of many different and opposing opinions confusion is allowed to continue and Bible truth maligned. That is the sad condition of the Church of the Lord Jesus on earth. No longer can the world at large recognize her for what she really is.

Verse 3: “The church sent them on their way, and as they travelled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad.

‘The church’sent them on their way. Not a pastor, or a priest, nor the elders, but ‘the church’. No doubt a church led by wise and godly elders.

Verse 4: When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them”.

That church made them welcome and the apostles and elders received the report. It was the task and ministry of wise and godly men, seniors in the life of faith, to consider and conclude on important matters that related to the whole church, the church of those days and also the church of our days.

Verse 5: “Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said: ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses’ “.

Yes, they were ‘some of the believers’. They had accepted Jesus of Nazareth as their Savior. But they still did not grasp that Jesus did not come only for Israel, but because ‘God so loved the world’. They still did not know that the Law of God, given to Israel through Moses, had been annulled, cancelled, abolished (Ephesians 2:14, 15, 16). They still needed to learn about the grace of God, available to a world in sin.

Verses 6, 7: “The apostles and elders met to consider this question. After much discussion Peter got up and addressed them: ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe’ “.

From the day of Pentecost Peter had been a kingpin in the new church. In the night of that dreadful day, when Jesus stood on trial before Herod and Pilate, Peter had learned something about Peter. One moment he lifted a sword and would have fought for his Master. Within hours he would betray Him. Where and how do human emotions lead a human being? What happens when God, the Holy Spirit moves in and transfers those emotions into tools He can use? That’s what happened to Peter. How many times did I hear Christians pray ‘Lord, please help me’? Would it not be wiser to move the emphasis away from ‘me’, and pray: ’Lord, please use me’? That places the Lord in the centre of things, not ‘me’. God made a choice and could use him. Like Peter, all God’s children are sinful, but . . . God!

Verses 8, 9: “ God Who knows the heart, showed that He accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for He purified their hearts by faith”.

Well, who did the purifying? Did careful observance of the Law? Must it be by efforts or devotions? Can anyone purify his or her own heart? How many people are being deceived when they are taught they must do that, one way or another. Only God can and does purify sinful human hearts. Those hearts need to believe Him and in the sacrifice He provided when He had His dear Son dying on a cross as the substitute for every sinner. ’He purified their hearts by faith’.

Verses 10, 11: “Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?

NO! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are”.

In his question Peter could not have been more serious. ‘Why do you try to test God?’ How can you dare to suggest that His grace is not adequate? Or that faith in His grace is not sufficient? Why do you try to test God? How can you possibly expect to make His word more valid by adding your puny works? NO! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved!

Verse 12: “The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them”.

‘The whole assembly became silent. The party of the Pharisees did not have any further argument.

From their days in slavery in Egypt Israel had been privileged to see God’s miraculous signs and wonders. That privilege was meant to encourage Israel to trust and obey the God of Israel. The believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees (v.5) now had further evidence of the grace of God to the Gentiles.

Verses 13, 14: “When they finished, James spoke up; ‘Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed His concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for Himself”.

Verses 15-18: “The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent.

Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord and all the Gentiles who bear My Name, says the Lord, Who does these things’ that have been known for ages’ “.

James knew that the ancient prophets predicted that Gentiles were going to be converted to Christ, this ‘had been known for ages’. He was quoting from the Book of Amos, in the Old Testament, chapter 9. James spoke the words: ‘after this’. Amos wrote: ‘in that day’ (Amos 9:11). What James did read in the Book of Amos, is waiting to become fulfilled in today’s future. It will happen! First the last remainder of the Church of the Lord Jesus will be taken away from earth, to be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:132-18). Then on earth there will be great tribulation (Amos, chapter 9 / Matthew, chapter 24). After this, in that day, Jesus will return to this earth, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives (Acts, chapter 1:11,12) then He will rebuild and restore David’s fallen tent, the house of Israel.

James continued:

Verses 19, 20: “It is my judgment therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God; instead we should write to them,

telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.

Verse 21: “For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in every synagogue on every Sabbath”.

Moses meant Jews must do this and Jews must not do that. Gentiles who desired to turn to the Jewish faith in God, needed to learn and obey dozens of rules and regulations. Every Sabbath, every sermon about Moses, told such Gentiles it was impossible to please God. Therefore they needed to rely on constant blood sacrifices. But James’ judgment was ‘we should not make it difficult for Gentiles who are turning to God’. Do not bind them to rules and regulations! The rules and regulations have now been abolished! Now, through the life on earth, death and resurrection of Jesus, grace has become available to all, and faith in the grace of God is now the only way to salvation.

Verses 22, 23 “Then the apostles and elders with the whole church decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. With them they sent the following letter:

“The apostles and elders, your brothers,

Not ‘your board of directors, not your rulers, but‘your brothers’! How lovely! There was a difference, but not a differentiation! There are leaders and those being led, all on one and the same level, ‘your brothers’.

Please, in your Bible, read that letter; here we will refer to a segment of it.

Verse 28: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us . . . .”.

The Holy Spirit, the bond and substance of the Jesus family life. Jesus love, the manifestation of His life in His believers.

Verses 30, 31 “The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message”.

Regardless the distance between Jerusalem and Antioch, there was only one church.

It gathered in many places, Jerusalem and Antioch two of them.. Today Rotterdam, and Rio de Janeiro, two more among hundreds. By God’s loving grace, all over the world, today Christians may read the encouraging letter that Paul and Barnabas carried from Jerusalem to Antioch to encourage the Christians of that day.

Verses 32, 33 “Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them”.

Verse 35: “But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord”.

Verse 36: “Some time later Paul said to Barnabas: ‘Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing’ “.

On that suggestion the two men agreed. The church in Antioch was to be left in the care of the Lord and under the leadership of the elders and the two pastors would be travelling, teaching here and preaching there. Then came the day the partnership broke up.

Apparently the name Barnabas means ‘he who encourages’. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith (Acts 11:24). Barnabas was the Christian who went to find the apparently forgotten Saul (Acts 11:25) and in this chapter we read that he wanted to take John Mark with them:

Verse 37: “Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them”.

This young man needed encouragement and Barnabas shows him and us the Barnabas character.

Verse 38 “ But Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphilia and had not continued with them in the work”.

Paul did not agree when Barnabas wanted to give John Mark another chance and so encourage him.

Verse 39, 40, 41: “They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Silicia, strengthening the churches”.

And so, not the friendship, but that fruitful partnership ended, for each man to remain fruitful still. John Mark did benefit by the Barnabas encouragement. He grew in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and later Paul requested his company:

2 Timothy 4:11 “Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry”.