Understanding Acts 15:22-End

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Acts 15.22-end
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January 22nd 2017

This teaching SHOULD have been given on Sunday January 15th 2017 but I missed or skipped it and taught Acts 16:1-15

The Decision of the Apostles and Elders

Okay so I made a major blunder last week and skipped a chunk of passages in Acts 15. So go back with me to Acts 15:22. James has given his verdict on the matter of circumcision, and says that a letter should be written and sent to the Gentiles concerned that details his views. This takes us to verse 22 and we will actually read through till the end of chapter 15.

Acts 15:22-29

22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:
23 And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.
28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

Reactions and Continuations

30 So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:
31 Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.
32 And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.
33 And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles.
34 Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still.
35 Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Paul and Barnabas Plan Their Next Journey

36 ¶ And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.
37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.
38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;
40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.
41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.

Okay, back to chapter 15 verse 22 please. The apostles have decided that the circumcision question is done and Paul and Barnabas decide to head back to Antioch.

Acts 15:22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:

Apparently after coming to this decision all the church (along with the Elders and the Apostles) they decided to send two of their own back to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. Their names – Judas (with the surname of Barabas) and Silas. Again, we have no insight into what caused this decision or how it came up – just that it was done. Maybe it was done so that their additional witness, as men who had came from the church in Jerusalem, would help validate Paul and Barnabas when they returned to the Gentile churches with the news of what was decided on circumcision.

We really don’t know for sure who Barsabus or Silas were but some believe that Barsabus was somehow connected to the two men called forth to replace Judas in Acts chapter one – Mathias and Joseph called Barsabas. But there is nothing but conjecture on this point. Additionally, it is believed that Silas is later (because he became a travelling servant).

The Role of Barsabas and Silas

Companion of Paul) is referred to as “Silvanus” mentioned in 2nd Corinthians 1:19; 1st Thessalonians 1:1 2nd Thessalonians 1:1; and in 1st Peter 5:12. What we do know is they were considered “chief men” among the faithful, men of influence, experience, and authority in the church and we will read in verse 32 that they are also called prophets. It seems very reasonable that both of them were leaders in the church at Jerusalem.

The Letter to Antioch

23 And they wrote letters by them after this manner – (And from here through verse we read the content of the epistle or letter written). Where it reads, And they wrote letters by them after this manner, it seems like it is saying that Barsabas and Silas wrote the letters but consulting the Greek it seems that the epistles or letters were compiled in Jerusalem by the Church (perhaps whoever had the best penmanship or use of the language under the guidance of the Apostles) and then this foursome (including Judas, Silas, Barnabas, and Paul) carried or bore the correspondence to Antioch.

And then Luke provides us with the contents of the epistle written, which says, “The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: The reason these three places are addresses seems pretty obvious – this is where the dispute over circumcision was alive and well, with Antioch being the capital of Syria (and Cilicia being adjacent to Syria).

The Dispute Over Circumcision

The letter continues, rehearsing what we already learned earlier in the chapter, and says: 24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: (AITS) “Some people have popped up and troubled you with words, with doctrines that have disturbed you, even to the point of “subverting your souls.” “An ask yoo ad zo” – is the word used here and translated to “subverting your souls” and it’s a Greek word not used again in the New Testament. Interestingly, it means to “pack up” – as in to take all the furniture in a home and bunch it together in the living room before hauling it all out – as in a robbery. “Gathering all the best pieces inside and then hauling them off.” It is used in Greek writings to convey disturbance by or through invading and packing things away in the way an enemy or invader would do.

Now, it’s not a really straight across application but here’s the deal – these Gentiles were given the Good News – and it was NOT encumbered with a bunch of rules and laws on how to be or remain saved. It was just the Good News – something I wish we had more of today. By taking the Law and applying it to their lives these invaders upset the stability the Gentile converts had in their lives in the way a marauder would upset a homeowner who comes home and finds the place he was used to living in robbed of all its comforts.

Verse 24 says that these invaders had been preaching that the Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the Law (Listen) which the letter says: “ . . . to whom we gave no commandment.” Now this happens. All the time. Even today. People come to receive the Good News and marauders come in and pack up all the good they’ve received and haul it away leaving only despair.

And so as a means to protect and defend these gentile converts an epistle has been written and is now being delivered by Paul, Barnabas, Barsabus and Silas. “We have a protection too” – recorded in this book. But let me tell you, the instructions have to be read in harmony of the whole or in all likelihood we too will find ourselves “robbed of the peace of the Gospel.” It is VERY easy to take a passage or two and make them a law. It happens all the time. We prepare ourselves by studying the whole word of God, in context by the Spirit, and by testing all of its facets.

One of the greatest problems we face as believers today is to know which passages are to be applied and which are not and we cannot discover this only through an intellectual, or an emotional, or a spiritual witness. The solution lies

The Origins and Interpretation of the Christian Council Epistle

In restful faithful trust in Him. Relaxing in the Spirit, whose fruit is love, and let God guide according to His will and ways and not mans. So the rest of the letter says:

25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, (and then speaking of Paul and Barnabas the letter adds – verse 26)
26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(verse 27)

27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.

The same things that we wrote to you, Silas and Barsabus will confirm to you verbally. Presumably this was keeping with the law that in the mouth of two or three witnesses all things would be established.

The Holy Spirit and Its Role

(Verse 28)

28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; Now, from this passage many people believe that we have proof that the Holy Spirit is a third person of the Godhead, separate and distinct from Jesus and God the Father but making up the Trinitarian God. Jesus said to know the Only true God and His Son is life eternal – so figure out if this includes the person of the Holy Spirit as Trinitarians claim. I suggest that the Hagias Pneuma (the Holy Spirit) is the Spirit of God, which is the Spirit of Christ (as Philippians 1:19 and Romans 8:9 clearly state) and to Know the True God and the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ BY THIS non-person spirit IS life eternal.

In any case, the letter says “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us . . . to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; This is a strong claim of inspiration from these men. “It seems good to both the Holy Spirit and to us ourselves that . . . No greater burden be layed upon you than these NECESSARY things. And the epistle then lays the necessary things out related to idol worship which we covered two weeks ago. That word for necessary means exactly that, what was needful and necessary at the time.

Context and Interpretation of Scripture

Now, we must look to context – this epistle was written specifically to the gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. It was not written to all the believers and this is key – because as mentioned last week Paul will refute what is said here in 1st Corinthians and tell the believers at Corinth that they can eat whatever they want so long as they don’t offend those present. I mention this to once again show you how context comes into play when we read the Bible, and that we have to be very careful when we choose to just take a passage, extract it out from it time and place and purpose, ignore its context, and then assign it to ourselves or to others.

I do not think it was by accident that I served an LDS mission to an area of Pennsylvania where I had first hand experience with a group of believers (rigorous Amish) who ignored what I just described when it came to scripture and then refused to chop wood because “what God has put together let no man put asunder.”

At this point the epistle details those necessary things (for them) saying in verse 29:

29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. Again, can we accept this as law? I mean its in the New Testament, right? No, we take it as written to them in that day and admit it has zero application to our lives now.

Conclusion of the First Christian Council

Verse 30

30 So when they were dismissed (the group was dispersed in Jerusalem), they (Paul, Silas, Barnabas and Barsabas) came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:
(verse 31)
31 Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. They rejoiced over the fact that they would not be subjected to the burdensome rites and ceremonies of the Jewish religion. Good News. And here we wrap up the history of the first Christian council. And yet again there are those who read about what was obviously a council held by the Christians in the early Apostolic church and insist that this model

Examination of Early Church Councils

I suggest that what we can take away from this 1st counsel was that it seems to have been conducted in a spirit of peace and with an attempt to reasonably answer and respond to a problem. The Holy Spirit was present, an agreement was made and action taken.

Do problems occur in gatherings of people? All da time. And so we have in scripture a time and place where all the believers got together – including the Apostles and Elders – and discussed that matter and arrived at a conclusion. The conclusion is not contextually applicable to us but the process has some merit. But just some.

Let me explain.

The Role of the Council

Some try to use this council as the model for all believers everywhere. But the council didn’t establish itself as a permanent corporate fixture in the faith – as a council, a court, and a means to govern the church forevermore! Instead . . .

It was an assembly convened for a special purpose; designed to settle an inquiry which arose in a particular part of the church, and which required the collected wisdom of the apostles and elders to settle. There is not the slightest intimation that any permanency was to be attached to this council or that it would be periodically or regularly repeated. That’s Man making religion.

Yet almost every denominational attempt has used this 1st counsel to justify their annual, Semi-annual, quarterly or even monthly meetings. Not biblical – in the New Testament sense of things. And the reason this is important is because the New Testament is in the hands of the Spirit – not the flesh and management of men.

Man has taken this event – summoned on a very important matter that related directly to the lives of new converts to the faith on an emergency basis – and said, "Well, if they did it according to emergency issues we ought to do it every year! Hey how about every month! Why not every week!" And the church becomes the product of men and their meetings (who take time to invite the Spirit to be with them) rather than sitting back and letting God manage His church by His Spirit leading the way.

“In all the parks and towns and cities there are no statues of committees.”

Authority of Apostolic Councils

We should also note that IF these counsels were to be taken seriously then there would need to be at least some “degree of authority” present in the case of emergencies (like this one). But as we have shown in weeks past the age of apostles (qualified Apostles, mind you) is over, and the body is in the hands of Christ Himself by His Spirit – and has been since the deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. of John.

We also have to note that even IN the apostolic church that neither the apostles nor the elders asserted any jurisdictional authority over the churches of Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. There is nothing about following up or reporting back to Jerusalem, nothing about a top-down power, nothing about excommunication for eating something strangled.

Liberty in Christ was abundant – even in the Apostolic Church – and it was only supposed to get more free – not less – as the power of Judaism was going to be cut off from persecuting the Church.

The Priesthood of Believers

On a final note – there is absolutely NO authority on earth in the hands of Men or Man. There was none bestowed by Christ to His apostles that was passed down to others to carry forward, none restored, and there isn’t a single Protestant denomination on earth where anyone of them, from the top to the bottom, possess more authority than the next guy.

Every single line of authority is a lie – first, because there was no authority to get – there is merely a priesthood of believers with Jesus Christ being our great high priest. And if a priesthood of believers then let’s let that priesthood reign. But additionally, institutional authority is a claim without merit.

For the Catholics and their claims of direct authority has proven itself corrupt, the Mormons and their restored authority has proven itself a fiction, and every single protestant claim are actually even less reliable because they fail to provide any proof whatsoever to support their claims.

The Spirit of Jesus touches whom it will. Those souls believe unto life. The Spirit works and moves in their lives, bringing people to God through its influences and ways – and NO others.

Okay, verse 32

32 And

Prophets in the New Testament Context

Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them. We’ve discussed Apostles in the New Testament here we would do well to discuss prophets. For starters, let’s remember that the book of Acts is a transitional book with the outflow of the Old and inflow of the New.

Prophets were certainly part of the Old Testament narrative and so let’s first admit that they were not going to stop on the spot but would more likely fade in time. That being said, prophetic ministry in the early church was present and diverse. For example, we’ve already read that “a band of prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch, and one of them, whose name was Agabus, “stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world”

Prophetic Activity in Early Christianity

In Acts 13 we are told that prophets were active in the church at Antioch, and in Acts 21 we will read that they were in Tyre (Acts 21:4), and then in Caesarea, where in the same chapter we will read that “the four daughters of Philip prophesied.”

Prophecy, one of the gifts of the Spirit mentioned by Paul, was designed for edifying the body of Christ and was also present in the churches at Rome (Romans 12:6), Corinth (1st Corinthians 12:7–11; 14:1–40), Ephesus (Ephesians 2:20; 4:11;and Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 5:19–22).

Now, as with many things in the faith, the way and extent which prophecy in the New Covenant differs from its exercise and purpose in the Old Covenant is disputed. Some say that prophecy under both covenants functioned in essentially the same way. We have to admit that this is true in some circumstances (like that of Agabus).

Isaiah and Jeremiah of the Old Covenant received revelations through inspiration as did those who wrote the New—so there is that similarity between the two as Christians hold the Words of Peter and John in the same regard as Malachi or Ezekiel.

Purpose of New Testament Prophecy

The question then becomes “if the Prophets of Old wrote and spoke according to inspiration, and Apostles of the New Testament did the same, is the gift of prophecy is alive and well today and if so why aren’t we recording them and considering them scripture?” The body of believers have answered this question by saying with the death of the last apostle the gift of prophecy ended – and we have all that is needed in the writings of the prophets and apostles of the Old and New Testaments today.

Of course, the LDS claim that God loves us as much today as He loved the COI in the Old Testament (and as much as He loved the people in the Apostolic age) so therefore there are modern-day Prophets (like unto Moses) who continue to receive revelation for His church which keep up with the times and therefore their revelations “trump” (a word we have to be careful using in this day) the written Words of prophets before.

Additionally, we have to remember that in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul encourages everyone to pursue the gift of prophecy (v. 1) which he says has the primary purpose of strengthening, encouraging, and comforting believers (v. 3). In other words, “the one who prophesies edifies the church” (according to verse 4).

1 Corinthians 14 is pretty much about this spiritual gift and since Paul admonishes all to “pursue possessing the gifts” then we must see it as at least having a unique purpose in the Apostolic Church.

Teaching and Revealing through Prophecy

It is at this juncture that many Christians describe the Spiritual New Testament gift of prophecy as having a very close association to teaching by the Spirit and professing to others what the Scripture means.

This being said we have to admit that there are still passages in the New Testament that suggests that Prophecy then was the ability to reveal hidden, secret mysteries and even the contents of other people’s hearts. (1st Corinthians 14:24-25)

Admittedly, Paul does hope that all prophetic utterances will teach others (1st Corinthians 14:31) even to the point of serving as the means by which certain spiritual gifts are identified and imparted to others. (1st Timothy 4:14).

1st Corinthians 14:29 says something important, claiming that in any church meeting, “two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.” It is passages like this that cause many Christian scholars to suggest that the gift of New Testament prophecy was akin to being a teacher or instructor of the

The Role of Prophecy in the New Testament

But, and this is key to our understanding of Prophets then and prophets now – according to 1st Corinthians 14:36-38 all claiming to be prophets were subject to the final authority of the Apostles and since the Apostles were definitely for THAT day and age (as no one qualifies to be an apostle today according to the biblical qualifications) then we have to admit that whatever prophecies that come forward today must also match the apostolic standards which are found in the words of the New Testament.

Finally, and like most things in the New Testament, prophets and their prophecies were almost ALL related to the Church in that day and the coming of Christ to save His people and church. If he didn’t come as promised then from what I can tell the Spiritual gift of prophetic utterance ought to still be alive and well in the faith. But if He came as promised, and rescued the faithful in the church from eminent destruction (as promised) then all the talk about prophetic utterances like unto Moses (and living apostles) is complete, God is all in all, and the church has been replaced entirely by a body of believers.

Now, that being said, I am of the opinion that the Spiritual gift of prophecy is alive and well (and has been since the ascension of Christ – through teachers – who too, by the Holy Spirit reveal the hidden mysteries and make plain the meaning and purpose of the Word). So where people are no longer providing literal prophetic warnings of hidden things as a means to protect people from extinction “until He comes,” the Gift of Prophecy is alive and well in the Body as people share (teach) (by inspiration) the meaning of the Words found in the Bible in order to uncover and share their heavenly meaning, to know God and Christ and to exalt them.

Testimony to Jesus

John the Beloved adds in Revelation that “it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” (That’s in Revelation 19:10). In other words, all true prophecy bears witness to Jesus Christ, and in this we can see that prophetic revelation is alive and well on the earth today. And specific to Him. So back to Silas and Barsabas – who were considered prophets – but I would add that in their case they were men who could reveal the scriptures to others. So Luke writes at verse 32:

32 And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them. 33 And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles. Meaning after they finished their work there they were let go (or released) by the faithful in the Church there to return to the Apostles in Jerusalem.

Silas and the Apostolic Mission

(verse 34) 34 Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still. This passage is missing in a number of otherwise reliable manuscripts and is regarded by MANY scholars to be spurious and an addition that was inserted to make sense of the whole story. However, the Latin Vulgate retains the gist of the passage and says

"It seemed good to Silas to remain, but Judas Barsabas went alone to Jerusalem." Not a hill to die on but a note to consider. (verse 35)

35 Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. And it is at this point in Paul’s life that he had a confrontation with Peter. Apparently Peter went also to Antioch and a bit of a problem arose. We read about it in Galatians 2:11-14 where Paul says:

Galatians 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. 13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. 14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

So Paul had a run in with Peter as noted in Galatians 2. Now let’s read verse 36 here in Acts 15:

36 And some

The Issue of Contention between Paul and Barnabas

In the days following their previous travels, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.”

(verse 37)
37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.

And Barnabas determined (or was disposed to take John Mark) with them. And here we are introduced to another issue that leads Paul to have words with another brother – Barnabas.

We know from Acts 12 that John Mark had been a traveling companion of Paul and Barnabas and that he was the son of Barnabas’s sister.

(Verse 38) 38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.

Because John Mark bailed out on Paul and Barnabas earlier and did not seem to persevere with them in the faith, Paul did not like the idea of taking him with them on this next journey. Remember, we don’t know why John Mark flew the coup last time but whatever the reason Paul did not appreciate it nor think it valid.

The Sharp Contention

So we had Barnabas pushing for John Mark to join them on this next journey and Paul saying no.

(verse 39 – 41) 39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; 40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.

The Word contention is “par-ox-oos-mos” and comes from the root word from “par-ox-oo-no” which means a sharp exasperation or provocation. Contention is a pretty good English term to describe it. And let me put it plainly – it was not of the Spirit nor its fruits. Simply put, the men got up in their flesh and war was waged.

To include this in scripture is great because it is neither flattering nor of God but it was present and pretty natural for men – even men of God. It is believed that Barnabas was in the wrong and may have chosen filial dedication over what should have been through the Spirit.

This idea is supported by the fact that Barnabas appears to have left without the blessing of the church but Paul had “the blessing of the Holy Spirit to abide with him from the brethren.”

The Call for Reconciliation

We will later see, however that Paul will become traveling companions with Barnabas again (as recorded in 1st Corinthians 9:6) and that Paul will reconcile with John Mark (supported by Colossians 4:10 and Galatians 2:9) and even refer to his value in 1st Timothy. And that is the lesson isn’t it? We are human and we will have differences of opinion, annoyances, and even outright contentions.

But the Spirit calls for reconciliation, for peace, and for love to abide. Be quick to forgive, to apologize, to surrender to the ways of the Lord. Heal the divisions. Give grace to all. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be wise or that we allow others to use us as a doormat. But avoid division if possible, and if not, make amends quickly.

There. Filled that gap.

Q and A Prayer