Acts 15: The Council at Jerusalem

Alongside our Sunday teachings, we’re keeping things simple. We’ll be reading through the book of Acts, featuring the many unique voices of the ClearView Church congregation. Each week, we’ll release two chapters, followed by a few reflection questions.

In this  episode, you’ll hear a brief introduction from Pastor Phil, followed by a reading of Acts 15 and some reflection questions from a member of our congregation.

Read along with the following reflection:

Traditions, customs, they’re a tough thing to let go of. When you hear today’s passage, what is the Holy Spirit drawing your attention to? 

Over the centuries, the church has gathered to discern and wrestle with interpretation of many different things. What do you notice about the process that the early apostles and elders engaged with?

It takes work to get to a statement like the one in verse 28: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” How is this good news? To the original hearers? To the church of all time? To you and to me?

Slowly repeat this phrase, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” Pray your thoughts, desires, needs and feelings from your meditation. Enjoy the presence of your Lord and Saviour.

Faith Matters is a ministry of Clearview Church, Oakville, On.
https://clearviewchurch.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:08

You are listening to the Faith Matters Podcast from Clearview Church, where we explore everyday faith in a complex world. Our goal is to strengthen and equip followers of Jesus just like you through practical and theological discussions and resources. In this season of the podcast, we're diving deeper into the practices of prayer and study. Each week, we'll release two episodes featuring voices from our congregation reading a chapter from the book of Acts, along with a few reflection questions. Each episode will begin with a short introduction to help set the context of the passage. As you listen, we encourage you to go slow. There will be built-in pauses with gentle background music, giving you space to reflect and wonder about what you're hearing. You might choose to follow along in your Bible or use a Bible app as the passage is read aloud. Above all, invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you and reveal what you need from the text. Our hope is that this practice would nurture and deepen your faith as you continue to grow your life with Christ. Now, onto the book of Acts and the Passage of the Day.

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In Acts 14, we see the mission of the church continued with a mix of miracles and crowds, there's some confusion, there's conflict. Paul and Barnabas are welcomed as gods in one place and they're nearly killed in another place, which tells you how quickly the mission field can change. But they keep preaching, they strengthen believers, they appoint leaders. The journey's rough, but the church keeps taking roots. And now in chapter 15, we're going to read about how the church wrestles with how to handle the changes that this border crossing gospel presents.

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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. 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. 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. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. 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. 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. God who knows the heart showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors 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. The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul, telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. When they finished, James spoke up. Brothers, he said, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 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 rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things, things known from long ago. 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. For the law of Moses had been preached in the city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath. The Council's letter to the Gentile believers 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 amongst the believers. With them they sent the following letter. The apostles and elders, your brothers, to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Silesia. Greetings. We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements. 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. So 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. Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, sent much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 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. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord. Sometime later Paul said to Barnabas, let's go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preach the word of the Lord and see how they are doing. Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark with him. 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. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Silesia, strengthening the churches. Traditions and customs, they are a tough thing to let go of. When you hear today's passage, what is the Holy Spirit drawing your attention to? Over the centuries, the church has gathered to discern and wrestle with interpretation of many different things. What do you notice about the process that the early apostles and elders engaged with? It takes work to get to a statement like the one in verse 28. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us. How is this good news? To the original hearers? To the church of all time? To you and to me. Slowly repeat this phrase. It seem good to the Holy Spirit and to us. Pray your thoughts, desires, needs, and feelings from your meditation. Enjoy the presence of your Lord and Savior.

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Join us again for our next episode as we continue through the book of Acts together. Go in peace and may you continue to grow your life with Christ.