Acts 15:10 - Prayer Tents



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Acts 15
The Message Help

To Let Outsiders Inside

15It wasn't long before some Jews showed up from Judea insisting that everyone be circumcised: "If you're not circumcised in the Mosaic fashion, you can't be saved."G2532G5100G2718G575G2449G1321G80G3754G3362G4059G1485G3475G3756G1410G4982 2Paul and Barnabas were up on their feet at once in fierce protest. The church decided to resolve the matter by sending Paul, Barnabas, and a few others to put it before the apostles and leaders in Jerusalem.G3767G3972G2532G921G1096G3756G3641G4714G2532G4803G4314G846G5021G3972G2532G921G2532G5100G243G1537G846G305G1519G2419G4314G652G2532G4245G4012G5127G2213 3After they were sent off and on their way, they told everyone they met as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria about the breakthrough to the Gentile outsiders. Everyone who heard the news cheered—it was terrific news!G3303G3767G4311G5259G1577G1330G5403G2532G4540G1555G1995G1484G2532G4160G3173G5479G3956G80 4When they got to Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas were graciously received by the whole church, including the apostles and leaders. They reported on their recent journey and how God had used them to open things up to the outsiders.G1161G3854G1519G2419G588G5259G1577G2532G652G2532G4245G5037G312G3745G2316G4160G3326G846 5Some Pharisees stood up to say their piece. They had become believers, but continued to hold to the hard party line of the Pharisees. "You have to circumcise the pagan converts," they said. "You must make them keep the Law of Moses."G1161G1817G5100G575G139G5330G4100G3004G3754G1163G4059G846G5037G3853G5083G3551G3475 6The apostles and leaders called a special meeting to consider the matter.G1161G652G2532G4245G4863G1492G4012G5127G3056 7The arguments went on and on, back and forth, getting more and more heated. Then Peter took the floor: "Friends, you well know that from early on God made it quite plain that he wanted the pagans to hear the Message of this good news and embrace it—and not in any secondhand or roundabout way, but firsthand, straight from my mouth.G1161G1096G4183G4803G4074G450G2036G4314G846G435G80G5210G1987G3754G744G2250G575G2316G1586G1722G2254G1484G1223G3450G4750G191G3056G2098G2532G4100 8And God, who can't be fooled by any pretense on our part but always knows a person's thoughts, gave them the Holy Spirit exactly as he gave him to us.G2532G2316G2589G846G3140G1325G846G40G4151G2532G2531G2254 9He treated the outsiders exactly as he treated us, beginning at the very center of who they were and working from that center outward, cleaning up their lives as they trusted and believed him.G2532G1252G3762G1252G3342G5037G2257G2532G846G2511G846G2588G4102 10"So why are you now trying to out-god God, loading these new believers down with rules that crushed our ancestors and crushed us, too?G3568G3767G5101G3985G2316G2007G2218G1909G5137G3101G3739G3777G2257G3962G3777G2249G2480G941 11Don't we believe that we are saved because the Master Jesus amazingly and out of sheer generosity moved to save us just as he did those from beyond our nation? So what are we arguing about?"G235G4100G1223G5485G2962G2424G5547G4982G2596G3739G5158G2548 12There was dead silence. No one said a word. With the room quiet, Barnabas and Paul reported matter-of-factly on the miracles and wonders God had done among the other nations through their ministry.G1161G3956G4128G4601G2532G191G921G2532G3972G1834G3745G4592G2532G5059G2316G4160G1722G1484G1223G846 13The silence deepened; you could hear a pin drop. James broke the silence. "Friends, listen.G1161G3326G4601G846G4601G2385G611G3004G435G80G191G3450 14Simeon has told us the story of how God at the very outset made sure that racial outsiders were included.G4826G1834G2531G2316G4412G1980G1484G2983G1537G2992G1909G846G3686 15This is in perfect agreement with the words of the prophets:G2532G5129G4856G3056G4396G2531G1125 16After this, I'm coming back; I'll rebuild David's ruined house; I'll put all the pieces together again; I'll make it look like newG3326G5023G390G2532G456G4633G1138G3588G4098G2532G456G2679G846G2532G461G846G461 17So outsiders who seek will find, so they'll have a place to come to, All the pagan peoples included in what I'm doing. "God said it and now he's doing it.G3704G302G2645G444G1567G2962G2532G3956G1484G1909G3739G3450G3686G1941G1909G846G3004G2962G3588G4160G3956G5023 18It's no afterthought; he's always known he would do this.G1110G2316G2076G3956G846G2041G575G165 19"So here is my decision: We're not going to unnecessarily burden non-Jewish people who turn to the Master.G1352G1473G2919G3926G3361G3588G575G1484G1994G1909G2316 20We'll write them a letter and tell them, 'Be careful to not get involved in activities connected with idols, to guard the morality of sex and marriage, to not serve food offensive to Jewish Christians—blood, for instance.'G235G1989G846G567G575G234G1497G2532G4202G2532G4156G2532G129 21This is basic wisdom from Moses, preached and honored for centuries now in city after city as we have met and kept the Sabbath."G1063G3475G1537G744G1074G2192G2596G4172G2784G846G314G1722G4864G2596G3956G4521 22Everyone agreed: apostles, leaders, all the people. They picked Judas (nicknamed Barsabbas) and Silas—they both carried considerable weight in the church—and sent them to Antioch with Paul and BarnabasG5119G1380G652G2532G4245G4862G3650G1577G3992G1586G435G1537G846G1519G490G4862G3972G2532G921G2455G1941G923G2532G4609G2233G435G1722G80 23with this letter: From the apostles and leaders, your friends, to our friends in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Hello!G1125G1223G5495G846G3592G652G2532G4245G2532G80G5463G80G3588G1537G1484G2596G490G2532G4947G2532G2791 24We heard that some men from our church went to you and said things that confused and upset you. Mind you, they had no authority from us; we didn't send them.G1894G191G3754G5100G1831G1537G2257G5015G5209G3056G384G5216G5590G3004G4059G2532G5083G3551G3739G1291G3756G1291 25We have agreed unanimously to pick representatives and send them to you with our good friends Barnabas and Paul.G1380G2254G1096G3661G3992G1586G435G4314G5209G4862G2257G27G921G2532G3972 26We picked men we knew you could trust, Judas and Silas—they've looked death in the face time and again for the sake of our Master Jesus Christ.G444G3860G846G5590G5228G3686G2257G2962G2424G5547 27We've sent them to confirm in a face-to-face meeting with you what we've written.G649G3767G2455G2532G4609G846G518G2532G518G846G1223G3056 28It seemed to the Holy Spirit and to us that you should not be saddled with any crushing burden, but be responsible only for these bare necessities:G1063G1380G40G4151G2532G2254G2007G5213G3367G4119G922G4133G5130G1876 29Be careful not to get involved in activities connected with idols; avoid serving food offensive to Jewish Christians (blood, for instance); and guard the morality of sex and marriage. These guidelines are sufficient to keep relations congenial between us. And God be with you!G567G1494G2532G129G2532G4156G2532G4202G1537G3739G1301G1438G4238G2095G4517

Barnabas and Paul Go Their Separate Ways

30And so off they went to Antioch. On arrival, they gathered the church and read the letter.G3303G3767G630G2064G1519G490G2532G4863G4128G4863G1929G1992 31The people were greatly relieved and pleased.G1161G314G5463G1909G3874 32Judas and Silas, good preachers both of them, strengthened their new friends with many words of courage and hope.G2455G2532G4609G5607G4396G2532G846G3870G80G1223G4183G3056G2532G1991 33Then it was time to go home. They were sent off by their new friends with laughter and embraces all around to report back to those who had sent them.G1161G4160G5550G630G3326G1515G575G80G4314G652 34(OMITTED TEXT)G1161G1380G4609G1961G847G1961 35Paul and Barnabas stayed on in Antioch, teaching and preaching the Word of God. But they weren't alone. There were a number of teachers and preachers at that time in Antioch.G3972G1161G2532G921G1304G1722G490G1321G2532G2097G3056G2962G3326G4183G2087G2532 36After a few days of this, Paul said to Barnabas, "Let's go back and visit all our friends in each of the towns where we preached the Word of God. Let's see how they're doing."G1161G5100G2250G3326G3972G2036G4314G921G1211G1994G1980G2257G80G2596G3956G4172G1722G3739G2605G3056G2962G4459G2192 37Barnabas wanted to take John along, the John nicknamed Mark.G1161G921G1011G4838G2491G2564G3138 38But Paul wouldn't have him; he wasn't about to take along a quitter who, as soon as the going got tough, had jumped ship on them in Pamphylia.G1161G3972G515G3361G515G4838G5126G4838G3588G868G575G846G575G3828G2532G4905G3361G846G1519G2041 39Tempers flared, and they ended up going their separate ways: Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus;G3767G3948G1096G3948G846G5620G673G575G240G5037G921G3880G3138G1602G1519G2954 40Paul chose Silas and, offered up by their friends to the grace of the Master,G1161G3972G1951G4609G1831G3860G5259G80G5485G2316 41went to Syria and Cilicia to build up muscle and sinew in those congregations.G1161G1330G4947G2532G2791G1991G1577


The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. More details.
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