Acts 15:22-41
A Letter Is Written to Gentile Believers
Then the apostles, the elders and the whole church decided what to do. They would choose some of their own men who were leaders among the believers. They would send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. So they chose Judas Barsabbas and Silas. They were leaders among the believers. Here is the letter they sent with them.
The apostles and elders, your brothers, are writing this letter.
We are sending it to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia.
Greetings.
We have heard that some of our people came to you and caused trouble. You were upset by what they said. But we had given them no authority to go. So we all agreed to send our dear friends Barnabas and Paul to you. We chose some other men to go with them. Barnabas and Paul have put their lives in danger. They did it for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we are sending Judas and Silas with them. What they say will agree with this letter. Here is what seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us. We will not give you a load that is too heavy. So here are a few basic rules. Don’t eat food that has been offered to statues of gods. Don’t drink blood. Don’t eat the meat of animals that have been choked to death. And don’t commit sexual sins. You will do well to keep away from these things.
Farewell.
So the men were sent down to Antioch. There they gathered the church together. They gave the letter to them. The people read it. They were glad for its message of hope. Judas and Silas were prophets. They said many things to give strength and hope to the believers. Judas and Silas stayed there for some time. Then the believers sent them away with the blessing of peace. They sent them back to those who had sent them out. Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch. There they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
Paul and Barnabas Do Not Agree
Some time later Paul spoke to Barnabas. “Let’s go back to all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord,” he said. “Let’s visit the believers and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them. But Paul didn’t think it was wise to take him. Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia. He hadn’t continued with them in their work. Barnabas and Paul strongly disagreed with each other. So they went their separate ways. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas. The believers asked the Lord to give his grace to Paul and Silas as they went. Paul traveled through Syria and Cilicia. He gave strength to the churches there.
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