THE JERUSALEM COUNCIL: PAUL /2

 

                                                                                     Read Part One HERE

A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                      PART XV - II

"After Barnabas and I Paul, had shared from our experiences among the Gentiles,, some one else stood up... His name is James... He is, in fact, the half-brother of Jesus.... I, Paul, am sure that he does not mind telling you that while Jesus was still alive he was opposed to Jesus' ministry... Just as I was opposed to Jesus' ministry... In the case of James, Jesus appeared to him after His resurrection.... I do not know what Jesus shared with James at that time.... But I do know that James became a disciple of Jesus after his encounter with Jesus....He is now one of the leaders in the Church in Jerusalem....And he is the moderator of this meeting that is being held today...It will be good to hear what he has to say."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that James, the half-brother of Jesus, next stood up to address the meeting... 

    

                  ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                                                    PART XV - II

Then James, the half-brother of Jesus, stood up. It was time for him to speak up in his position as one of the leaders in the Church in Jerusalem and as moderator of this important meeting of Jewish believers as you can read in Acts 15:13

When they (Barnabas and Paul) had finished, James spoke up, "Brothers," he said, "listen to me.".....

James is mentioned in Matthew 13:55

"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?"

Before Jesus' crucifixon James had, in fact, been critical of His ministry as you can know from John 7:3-5

Jesus' brothers said to Him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples may see the miracles You do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show Yourself to the world." For even His own brothers did not believe in Him.

However, Jesus appeared to James after His resurrection as you can know from 1 Corinthians 15:7

Then He (Jesus) appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

No doubt, that would have caused James to recognise Jesus for who He was and, conequently, he became a follower of his half-Brother as you can know from Acts 1:14

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

And Paul calls him an apostle in Galatians 1:19

"I (Paul) saw none of the other apostels - only James, the Lord's brother."

And this James wrote the Book of James.

Read Part Three HERE

THE JERUSALEM COUNCIL: PAUL P/1

  

                                      

A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                        PART XV - I

"We, Barnabas and I, Paul. are now back in Jerusalem.... Today we attended a very important meeting with the apostles and elders....We discussed with them whether or not Gentile believers should obey the law of Moses in order to be saved.... There was much discussion going on as you can well imagine... One of the men who stood up was Peter.... He reminded everyone that God had selected him to preach to the Gentiles... He, no doubt, referred to the time that the Holy Spirit had led him to go to the home of Cornelius.... Cornelius is a Roman Centurion living in Ceasarea... Peter had travelled there... And he had shared with him, his family and friends the gospel....Peter reminded them that God had accepted these Gentiles...Barnabas and I, Paul, then stood up.... And we began to share with everyone how God had worked among the Gentiles through us....Everyone listened to us as we shared details of the conversion of the pro-consul of Cyprus, Sergius Paulus....They continued to listen to us as we shared with them the healing and conversion of the crippled man in Lystra... And we shared many other stories with them... It was clear that the apostles and elders were taking it all in... And they knew they needed to consider what should be done with what we had shared.".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn what Peter as well as Barnabas and Paul shared with the members of the Jerusalem Council...

                ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                                                        PART XV - 1

The Holy Spirit, who was present at the Birth of the Church on the Day of Pentecost, as you can read in Acts 2:1-4

When the Day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

was very much in charge of what took place at the meeting of the Jewish believers in Jerusalem that day and led Peter to share his experience in Caesarea as you can know from Acts 15:7

After much discussion Peter gor 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."

Peter was here referring to the time that the Holy Spirit had send to him three men from the household of a Gentile Centurion named Cornelius, who lived in Caesarea, because Cornelius had seen an angel in a vision who had told him to invite Peter to come to him to share the gospel. And Peter, in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit, had gone to Caesarea and had preached the message of salvation to Cornelius and all those with him. Consequently, these Gentiles had become believers as you can read in Acts 10:44-48

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, "Surely, no one can stand in the way of their being baptised with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." So he ordered that they be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

And so Peter reminded these Jewish believers that God had accepted these Gentiles, just as much as He had accepted them who were of Jewish descent, by giving the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles in the same way that He had given the Holy Spirit to them, as a sign that both Jews and Gentiles alike are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ as you can read in Acts 15:8-10 where Peter said,

"God, who knows the hearts, shows 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."

However, Peter did not stop there but continued by pointing out to these Jewish believers that they were trying to test God by demanding that Gentile believers keep the law of Moses that they themselves had not been able to keep as you can read in Acts 15:10-11

"Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles 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."

Everyone present listened to him as well as to the stories that Barnabas and Paul shared of the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles. No doubt, they would have mentioned the healing of the crippled man in Lystra among others as you can read in Acts 15:12

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.

It was clear from what they had heard, that God had been at work among the Gentiles. They could not deny that. But what would that mean for them? They knew that they needed to make a decision.

Read Part Two HERE

MINISTRY IN ANTIOCH AND BEYOND: PAUL P/8

 

                                                                                    Read Part One HERE

A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                   PART XIV - IV

"Barnabas and I, Paul eventually returned to Antioch where we shared with the church all that the Lord had done through us, including the salvation of the pro-consul Sergius Paulus in Cyprus as well as the salvation and healing of the crippled man in Lystra... We do not know his name...But God knows his name for he is important to Him... We then had some visitors from Judea.... We welcomed them gladly in our midst.... However, they began to teach things about circumcision that we did not agree with... So it was decided that Barnabas and I should go to Jerusalem... While there we should discuss this issue with the Apostles.... We have now arrived in Jerusalem... And we will be having a meeting with the Apostles shortly....I believe this meeting to be very important for the direction of the Church." Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn what took place after Barnabas and Paul returned to Antioch....

                    ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                                                        PART XIV - IV

Paul and Barnabas eventually travelled back to Antioch where they shared all their experiences with the church as you can read in Acts 14:26-29

From Attalia, they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. And they stayed there a long time with th disciples.

However, when Paul and Barnas were in Antioch some believers from Judea came down to Antioch as you can read in Acts 15:1

Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved."

Their teaching was causing confusion so Paul and Barnabas were send to Jerusalem to find out from the Apostles and Elders whether or not Gentile believers had to adopt the Mosaic Law in order for them to be saved as you can read in Acts 15:4-6

When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the chuch and the Apostles and 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 obey the Law of Moses." The Apostles and Elders met to consider their question.

This meeting was a very significant event in the life of the Church for the decisions made that day would affect the worldwide Church from that moment onwards.

MINISTRY IN ANTIOCH AND BEYOND: PAUL P/7

 

                                                                                    Read Part One HERE

A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                    PART XIV - III

"Barnabas and I, Paul, thought we knew everything about people only to discover there is always more to learn.... Just the other day people in Lystra were so excited about the healing of the one crippled man in Lystra that they thought we were gods... Of course, we quickly told them that we are only human beings like them... However, these same people then changed their minds about me, Paul, and decided that I should be stoned.... And they did... People are really fickle... But I am very grateful to God that He preserved my life....Barnabas and I then decided to move on so we left for Derbe... However, after having spend some time in Derbe and seeing many come to faith in Christ we thought it may be good to return to Lystra.... We would like to encourage the believers there.... We, especially, wanted to encourage the previously crippled man... For we believe the Holy Spirit may well want to use him as His instrument....He may not seem to be an important person in the eyes of the world... But we believe he is an important person in the eyes of God."...Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn trip of Barnabas' and Paul's to Derbe and from there on back to Lystra....

                     ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                                                           PART XIV - III

Some Jews from Antioch and beyond travelled to Lystra and were able to influence the people there to such an extent that these same people, who not too long ago believed Paul and Barnabas to be gods because of the miraculous healing of the crippled man, were now only too willing to stone the same Paul through whom the crippled man had been healed as you can read in Acts 14:19-20

Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. 

Thankfully, Paul was able to get up after the stoning and was even able to leave town for another city the next day. Nevertheless, he did eventually return to Lystra to meet with the believers for, despite all that had happened, there were those, including the previously crippled man, who had come to faith in Christ Jesus, as you can know from Acts 14:21b 22a

...... Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disicples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith....

So you can see then that the Holy Spirit cared about all kinds of people, whether rich or poor, important or unimportant, and He would choose whomever He wished as His instrument to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. The Holy Spirit has not changed, and He still cares for anyone of us regardless of our age or our present position in life Moreover, He wants to use anyone of us as His instrument to share God's love with others.

Read Part Eight HERE

MINISTRY IN ANTIOCH AND BEYOND: PAUL P/6

 

                                                                                    Read Part One HERE

A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                     PART XIV - II 

After Barnabas and I, Paul had arrived in Lystra, we had begun to share the Gospel with the crowd that had gathered around us... I had specifically noticed one crippled man.... He had listened to every word that I had spoken.... And I knew he believed he could be healed.... So I had told him to get up.... And he had done so!!... The crow had begun to shout.... They were obviously very excited about his healing... But then things went very wrong... Because they wanted to offer sacrifices to Barnabas and me.... They had begun to believe we were gods.... Thankfully, we were able to convince them otherwise... We were able to make them realise we are only human beings!"... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn of Paul's and Barnabas's visit to Lystra where they experienced the fickleness of the crowds....

               ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                                                        PART XIV - II

Unfortunately, the visit of Paul and Barnabas to Lystra caused quite an uproar as you can know from Acts 14: 11-20

When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lyconian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. But when the apostles Paul and Barnabas heard this, they tore their clotes and rushed into the crowd, shouting, "Men, why are you doing this?" We too are only men, human like you."We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. In the past, He let all nations go their own way. Yet, He has not left Himself without testimony: He has shown kindnes by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from cacrificing to them.

Having seen a miracle, the people were convinced that these men had to be gods... Paul and Barnabas were shocked to learn that the people wanted to offer sacrifices to them and made it very clear they were only human beings.... They then used the opportunity to preach to them...

Read Part Seven HERE

MINISTRY IN ANTIOCH AND BEYOND: PAUL P/5

 

                                                                                    Read Part One HERE

A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                       PART XIV - I

"Barnabas and I, Saul or Paul, as I have begun to be known by now, have begun to travel to other places after our amazing time in Paphos, when the pro-consul came to faith in Christ Jesus... No doubt, he can be greatly used by the Holy Spirit on this island because of his position.... We, first all, travelled to Perga in Pamphylia... While there, very sadly, our assistant John Mark left us... I am not sure if we will ever be able to use him for ministry again... But God knows.... Barnabas and I then travelled on to Psidian Antioch... While there we had many people listen to our message... Unfortunately, this caused the Jews to beome jealous... So we had to leave.... We then travelled to Iconium where we had a similar experience... The Holy Spirit then led us to Lystra...There we met a man God had chosen to use for the spreading of the Gospel... However, this man was not an important person... He was a very insignificant person being lame."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will read about Paul's encounter with a crippled man in Lystra....

                  ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                                                     PART XIV - I

From Paphos Paul and Barnabas continues their travels as led by the Holy Spirit. Interestingly, from this point on, Paul is no longer named Sau; and he is now mentioned before Barnabas. It seems, therefore, that an exchange of positions has taken place after this encounter in Paphos.

Their usual method of ministry was to enter a synagogue whenever that was possible to preach about the Lord Jesus. Some people would come to faith because of their preaching while others would be opposed to their message. Nevertheless, whatever the circumstances, the disciples were glad as enabled by the Holy Spirit as you can read in Acts 13:52

And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

One of the cities the Holy Spirit led Paul and Barnabas to was  city named Lystra. No doubt, the Holy Spirit would lead them once again to the right person to start their ministry just as he had done in Paphos. You can read in Acts 14:8 who it as He was leading them to

In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked.

Could that really be the person the Holy Spirit intended for them to meet since he, obviously, was not a very influential person? It seems he was the person the Holy Spirit had specifically selected for them to meet in Lystra for Paul, as led by the Holy Spirit, seemed to focus on him in particular after he had been preaching as you can know from Acts 14:9-10

He listened to Paul as he was speaking,Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed, and called out," Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

The Holy Spirit who knew what was in this man's heart, showed Paul that this man had faith to be healed so He impressed upon Paul to speak to him and tell him to get up for the Holy Spirit wanted to use this man as His instrument to spread the Gospel.

Read Part Six HERE

 

                                   

MINISTRY IN ANTIOCH AND BEYOND: MISSION P/4

 

Read Part One HERE

  

A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                   PART XIII - IV

I, Paul (previously known as Saul), sensed the leading of the Holy Spirit to deal with this man Elymas... He had been trying to persuade the pro-consul not to accept the message I had been preaching....I then began to speak the words the Holy Spirit had put on my heart for him... He was to be blind for a season... And Elymas did indeed become blind...The pro-consul watched with amazement at the scene in front of him... He realised the man he had trusted so much was not the person he had claimed to be...I next turned to the pro-consul.... And I invited him to become a follower of the Lord Jesus..... He gladly accepted my invitation... For he knew that my message about the Lord Jesus was the truth....Barnas and I rejoiced.... For we knew that the reason the Holy Spirit had sent us to Cyprus was so that this important man could hear the gospel... And would be given an opportunity to respond to the gospel... And he had done so by becoming a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ....Being such an unfluential man, no doubt, the Holy Spirit will be able to use him greatly.... Does that mean, though, that the Holy Spirit can only use so-called important people?... Perhaps future events will help us know the answer to that question."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn details of the conversion of the pro-consul Sergius Paulus....

                  ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                                                          PART XIII - IV

The pro-consul Sergius Paulus, who had invited Paul and Barnabas to preach to him, watched the scene before him very carefully and saw the words of Paul with regards Bar-Jesus becoming a reality before his very eyes. No doubt, he would have been very grateful that the man he had trusted so much had been exposed for who he really was: a sorcerer and a false prophet. He knew too that the message Barnabas and Paul had preached was the truth, and he believed as you can read in Acts 13:12

When the pro-consl saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

What the Holy Spirit had planned all along, had happened: Bar-Jesus had been exposed as a false prophet and the pro-consul Seergius Paulus had become a believer so that he could be used as an instrument by the Holy Spirit for the spreading of the gospel in that region. Does that mena that the Holy Spirit was only concerned about so-called important people since He could use them in ways that He may not have been able to use so-called less important people?

Read Part Five HERE

                                                   

MINISTRY IN ANTIOCH AND BEYOND: MISSION P/3

                                        Read Part One HERE

                                       A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                                                        PART XIII -III

"As arranged, this morning Barnabas and I, Saul, presented ourselved to the pro-consul of Cyprus, Sergius Paulus... He is a very gracious man... And he is wonderful host... For he spread out a table with all kinds of delicacies for us... However, we had not come to partake in these delicacies.... We had come to share the Word of God with him... So we began to preach to him the Good News that God had sent His Son for him to die on the Cross... In order that the pro-consul could be forgiven of his sins... And could become a child of God...The pro-consul listened attentively... It was very clear that he was taking in the message... While we were talking, we were interrupted... This Jewish man Elymas suddenly appeared from nowhere it seemed... He began to whisper to the pro-consul.... We could see that he was very agitated... Suddenly, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, Saul... He told me to deal with this man... For he was a sorcerer... And a false prophet.... So I did."... Please read the typed out attachment to learn details of how the Holy Spirit led Saul to deal with Elymas....

 

                   ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                                                 PART XIII - III

Elymas, the attendant of the pro-consul of Cyprus, was not pleased that the pro-consul wanted to listen to Barnabas and Saul, and tried to dissuade him from doing so as you can read in Acts 13:8

But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the pro-consul from the faith.

Why would Elymas want to prevent the pro-consul from accepting he message of Barnabas and Saul? Was it because he was concerned for the well-being of the pro-consul and did not want him to be misled by the message of these two men? Or was it because he had other reasons?

The truth is, Bar-Jesus or Elymas was a Jewish sorcerer and a false prophet. But the pro-consul did not know that. And Sergius Paulus trusted Bar-Jesus who, no doubt, had a very comforable life because of his position in society as an attendant of Sergius Paulus. He knew that if Sergius Paulus accepted Barnabas's and Saul's message, he might be exposed for who he really was: a sorcerer and a false prophet. And that must not be allowed.

However, what he no doubt, feared, did happen for the Holy Spirit prompted Saul to expose Elymas as a false prophet and let him to pronounce a word of judgement over this man as you can read in Acts 13:9-11a

Then Saul who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas (or Bar-Jesus) and said, "You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun."

The Holy Spirit knew that this man was an obstacle to the Word of God spreading throughout Cyprus and that something needed to be done to stop his activities. Saul was completely in tune with the Holy Spirit so when he knew he should speak these words of judgement he did so as led by the holy Spirit. And we know that he spoke these words of judgement in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit for as soon as he had spoken them Bar-Jesus was unable to see as you can know from Acts 13:11b

Immediately, mist and darkness came ove rhim, and he groped about, seeking someeon to lead him by the hand.

Read Part Four HERE

Ministry In Antioch And Beyond: Mission P/2

 

                                                                                    Read Part One HERE

A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                       PART XIII - 11

"Barnabas and I, Saul, thought we would be in Antioch for quite some time to disciple the new believers there... However, that all changed the other day... We, together with the other leaders of the church in Antioch had come together for a time of worship and prayer....The Holy Spirit then told  usthat He had other plans for us....We knew that we should obey Him....We trust that the Lord will provide other believers in Antioch to take over from us....For we are sure that the Lord means for the work to continue...As Barnabas and I prepared for our trip we sensed we should travel to the island of Cyprus... So we did.... We travelled throughout the island... And we eventually arrived in Paphos....The pro-consul of Cyprus lives here.... His name is Sergius Paulus.... He has invited us to his residence....W have met a Jewish man named Bar-Jesus or Elymas as well.....We are both very uneasy about this man....Something about him does not feel right.... I suppose that we will meet him tomorrow....For we will then visit the pro-consul.... And Bar Jesus is very close to the pro-cosul."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn of the invitation of the pro-consul of Cyprus, a man named Sergius Paulus, to Barnabas and Saul....

 

                       ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                                                            PART XIII - II 

As for Barnabas and Saul, having learned during a time of worship and prayer with the leaders of the church in Antioch that the Holy Spirit wanted them to leave Antioch, they would have realised that they needed specific direction from the Holy Spirit as to where to go. And the Holy Spirit did indeed show them where they were to travel to as you can read in Acts 13:4

The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.

Once they arrived at the island of Cyprus, they travelled throughout the island until they came to a place called Paphos. That is where they began to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the people who lived there. One of the people the Holy Spirit allowed them to meet was a man named Bar-Jesus or Elymas. He was connected to the pro-consul of Cyprus, a man named Sergius Paulus. And the pro-Consul invited Barnabas and Saul to meet with him as you can read in Acts 13:6-7

They travelled through the whole island until they came to Paphos, There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was attenant of the pro-consul Sergius Paulus. The pro-consul, an intelligent man sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.

 A wonderful opportunity arises for Barnabas and Saul to preach the gospel, for all people, regardless of their status in life, are lost and in need of salvation.

 Read Part Three HERE