Outline
- Introduction (1:1-2)
- Christ's resurrection ministry (1:3-11)
- The period of waiting for the Holy Spirit (1:12-26)
- The filling with the Spirit (ch. 2)
- The healing of the lame man and the resultant arrest of Peter and John (3:1;4:31)
- The community of goods (4:32;5:11)
- The arrest of the 12 apostles (5:12-42)
- The choice of the Seven (6:1-7)
- Stephen's arrest and martyrdom (6:8;7:60)
- The scattering of the Jerusalem believers (8:1-4)
- Philip's ministry (8:5-40)
Acts Chapter 15:1-35
ACTS 15 NLT
1 While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch
of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers :
“Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be
saved.”
2 Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them,
arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to
Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and
elders about this question.
3 The church sent the delegates to
Jerusalem, and they stopped along the way in Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the
believers. They told them—much to everyone’s joy—that the Gentiles, too, were
being converted.
4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, Barnabas
and Paul were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders.
They reported everything God had done through them.
5 But then some of the believers who
belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile
converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.”
6 So the apostles and elders met together
to resolve this issue.
7 At the meeting, after a long discussion,
Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God
chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they
could hear the Good News and believe.
8 God knows people’s hearts, and he
confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he
did to us.
9 He made no distinction between us and
them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith.
10 So why are you now challenging God by
burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors
were able to bear?
11 We believe that we are all saved the
same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”
12 Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas
and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them
among the Gentiles.
13 When they had finished, James stood and
said, “Brothers, listen to me.
14 Peter has told you about the time God
first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself.
15 And this conversion of Gentiles is
exactly what the prophets predicted. As it is written:
16 ‘Afterward I will return and restore the
fallen house of David. I will rebuild its ruins and restore it,
17 so that the rest of humanity might seek
the LORD, including the Gentiles— all those I have called to be mine. The LORD
has spoken—
18 he who made these things known so long
ago.’
19 “And so my judgment is that we should
not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.
20 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.
21 For these laws of Moses have been
preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many
generations.”
22 Then the apostles and elders together
with the whole church in Jerusalem chose delegates, and they sent them to
Antioch of Syria with Paul and Barnabas to report on this decision. The men
chosen were two of the church leaders —Judas (also called Barsabbas) and
Silas.
23 This is the letter they took with them:
“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!
24 “We understand that some men from here
have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but we did not send
them!
25So we decided, having come to complete
agreement, to send you official representatives, along with our beloved
Barnabas and Paul,
26 who have risked their lives for the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27 We are sending Judas and Silas to
confirm what we have decided concerning your question.
28 “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit
and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements:
29 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.”
30 The messengers went at once to Antioch,
where they called a general meeting of the believers and delivered the
letter.
31 And there was great joy throughout the
church that day as they read this encouraging message.
32 Then Judas and Silas, both being
prophets, spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthening their
faith.
33 They stayed for a while, and then the
believers sent them back to the church in Jerusalem with a blessing of peace.
34
35 Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch.
They and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord there.
