Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 25
John 10:22-42; Luke 10; Luke
11
22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at
Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area
walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around
him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the
Christ, tell us plainly." 25 Jesus answered, "I did
tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak
for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my
sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they
follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father,
who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my
Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one." 31 Again
the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to
them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of
these do you stone me?" 33 "We are not stoning you
for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you,
a mere man, claim to be God." 34 Jesus answered them,
"Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods' ?35 If
he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came--and the Scripture cannot
be broken-- 36what about the one whom the Father set apart as his
very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy
because I said, 'I am God's Son'? 37 Do not believe me unless
I do what my Father does. 38 But if I do it, even though you
do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that
the Father is in me, and I in the Father." 39 Again they
tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. 40 Then Jesus
went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the
early days. Here he stayed 41 and many people came to him.
They said, "Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John
said about this man was true." 42 And in that place many
believed in Jesus.
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two
others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he
was about to go. 2 He told them, "The harvest is
plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to
send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending
you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag
or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 5 "When
you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' 6 If a
man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to
you. 7 Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they
give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to
house.8 "When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is
set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them,
'The kingdom of God is near you.' 10 But when you enter a town
and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 'Even
the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be
sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' 12 I tell you, it
will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. 13 "Woe
to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed
in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more
bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And
you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the
depths.16 "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects
you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me." 17 The
seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to
us in your name." 18 He replied, "I saw Satan fall
like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to
trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy;
nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the
spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in
heaven." 21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the
Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed
them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. 22 "All
things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is
except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those
to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." 23 Then he turned
to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what
you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted
to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not
hear it." 25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood
up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to
inherit eternal life?" 26 "What is written in the
Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" 27 He
answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your
neighbor as yourself.' " 28 "You have answered
correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." 29 But
he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my
neighbor?" 30 In reply Jesus said: "A man was going
down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They
stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half
dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and
when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So
too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other
side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man
was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to
him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on
his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The
next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look
after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra
expense you may have.' 36 "Which of these three do you
think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" 37 The
expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told
him, "Go and do likewise." 38 As Jesus and his
disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha
opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who
sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But
Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to
him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the
work by myself ? Tell her to help me!" 41 "Martha,
Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many
things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what
is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Acts 16
Acts 16 New International Version (NIV)
Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
16 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi
11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis.12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district[a] of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Paul and Silas in Prison
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and draggedthem into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.
35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” 36 The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”
37 But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”
38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.
Footnotes:
- Acts 16:12 The text and meaning of the Greek for the leading city of that district are uncertain.
Revelation 2
Revelation 2 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 2
To the Church in Ephesus
1 "To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
To the Church in Smyrna 8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown. 11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
To the Church in Pergamum 12 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
To the Church in Thyatira 18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets, 'I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.' 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one 'will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery'[b]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 2
To the Church in Ephesus
1 "To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
To the Church in Smyrna 8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown. 11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
To the Church in Pergamum 12 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
To the Church in Thyatira 18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets, 'I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.' 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one 'will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery'[b]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 24
John 9; John 10:1-21
1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from
birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned,
this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 "Neither
this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so
that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long
as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no
one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the
world." 6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made
some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7 "Go,"
he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So
the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors
and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same
man who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some claimed that he was.
Others said, "No, he only looks like him." But he himself insisted,
"I am the man." 10 "How then were your eyes
opened?" they demanded. 11 He replied, "The man they
call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and
wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see." 12 "Where
is this man?" they asked him. "I don't know," he said. 13 They
brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now
the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a
Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had
received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied,
"and I washed, and now I see." 16 Some of the
Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the
Sabbath." But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous
signs?" So they were divided. 17 Finally they turned
again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes
he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet." 18 The
Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight
until they sent for the man's parents. 19 "Is this your
son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it
that now he can see?" 20 "We know he is our
son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. 21 But
how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of
age; he will speak for himself." 22 His parents said this
because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that
anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the
synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, "He is of
age; ask him." 24 A second time they summoned the man who
had been blind. "Give glory to God, " they said. "We know this
man is a sinner." 25 He replied, "Whether he is a
sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I
see!" 26 Then they asked him, "What did he do to
you? How did he open your eyes?" 27 He answered, "I
have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again?
Do you want to become his disciples, too?" 28 Then they
hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are
disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as
for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from." 30 The
man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from,
yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to
sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32 Nobody
has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If
this man were not from God, he could do nothing." 34 To
this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture
us!" And they threw him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had
thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son
of Man?" 36 "Who is he, sir?" the man asked.
"Tell me so that I may believe in him." 37 Jesus
said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with
you." 38 Then the man said, "Lord, I believe,"
and he worshiped him.39 Jesus said, "For judgment I have come
into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become
blind." 40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say
this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?" 41 Jesus
said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you
claim you can see, your guilt remains.
1 "I tell you the truth, the man who does
not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a
thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the
shepherd of his sheep. 3The watchman opens the gate for him, and
the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them
out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead
of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But
they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because
they do not recognize a stranger's voice." 6 Jesus used
this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling
them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the
truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before
me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I
am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go
out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and
kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the
full. 11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays
down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the
shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the
sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.13 The
man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 "I
am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- 15 just
as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the
sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I
must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one
flock and one shepherd.17 The reason my Father loves me is that I
lay down my life--only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it
from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down
and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my
Father." 19 At these words the Jews were again
divided. 20Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and
raving mad. Why listen to him?" 21 But others said,
"These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open
the eyes of the blind?"
Acts 15
Acts 15 New International Version (NIV)
The Council at Jerusalem
15 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 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. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 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.
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 keep the law of Moses.”
6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 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. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wondersGod had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. 14 Simon[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.20 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. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers
22 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 Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. 23 With them they sent the following letter:
The apostles and elders, your brothers,
To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
Farewell.
30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. [34] [d] 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas
36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark,with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Footnotes:
- Acts 15:14 Greek Simeon, a variant of Simon; that is, Peter
- Acts 15:17 Amos 9:11,12 (see Septuagint)
- Acts 15:18 Some manuscripts things’— / 18 the Lord’s work is known to him from long ago
- Acts 15:34 Some manuscripts include here But Silas decided to remain there.
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