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Main Idea
The inspired Word brings clarity and unity.
Have you ever been comforted by a parent as a child? Maybe you remember a time when you fell off your bike and skinned your knee. Or perhaps you lost the big promotion at work and needed someone to help you work through the disappointment. Maybe you needed Mom or Dad to guide you through a broken heart when you had your first breakup. Or maybe you remember a comforting hug at the graveside of a loved one. I think we can all remember times like that when we were hurt, struggling, troubled, or angry, but mom or dad came to the rescue. That is the tone for today’s passage. Last week, we saw the deliberation at the first-ever ecumenical council in Jerusalem. Now, the hurting church up north needs to be comforted and cared for.
And leaders from Jerusalem will come to the rescue with the care of a loving parent with two perfect remedies for their troubled hearts.
Passage
Acts 15:22–35 ESV
22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” 30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. 33 And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
Outline
I – The Jerusalem brothers are sent (v. 22)
II – The Antioch brothers are equipped (vv. 23-29)
III – The brothers rejoice together (vv. 30-32)
IV – The brothers continue the work (vv. 33-35)
I – The Jerusalem brothers are sent
The leadership
Once the main arguments from both sides were presented and concluded, the Council leadership, consisting of the apostles and elders, had to make their final judgment call. James’ conclusion was solid, and it seemed good to them. Now, all that was needed was to put pen to parchment and make it official- signed, sealed, and to be delivered. And that is what they did. The entire leadership of the Jerusalem church couldn’t travel north to Antioch, so instead, they wrote their decision in the form of a letter and delivered it with the hands of trusted and faithful men who were also seen as leaders. And this showed wisdom. We’ve seen a Jewish leader travel before. Peter and John were sent to Samaria to investigate what Philip was doing. However, the church in Antioch was a mixed bag of Jews and Gentiles, so they sent men like them so they could better connect and identify with the confused church.
Judas and Silas
Of course, Paul and Barnabas are a given since Antioch is their base of missionary operations. No surprise there. But we have a few other new characters – leading men – who carry the letter with them.
1. First is Judas, who is also called Barsabbas, whom we know literally nothing about because he is never mentioned in scripture again. He may be the same person mentioned in Acts 1:23 as Joseph, who was called Barsabbas, but we can’t know for sure, so we will simply move on.
2. The other person is Silas. That is the name Luke uses. Paul and Peter call him by his Latin name, which is Silvanus (see 2 Cor 1:19; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1; & 1 Pet 5:12). Later on, we will see how he becomes another one of Paul’s proteges and joins him on his second missionary journey. He, like Paul, is also a Roman citizen and is even mentioned by Peter as a co-contributor of his first epistle. So, we are talking about a prominent church leader who contributed much to the early church.
All these men are identified as men who risked their lives in the name of Christ and are, therefore, beloved.
Beloved: agápē [love], agapētós [beloved]: agape being the strongest use of the word love which communicates a deep and abiding love. To cherish someone who is special and close to your heart.
So, because of their sacrificial display of love and care for the church, the church expresses their deep, compassionate love for them as a commendation.
Judas and Silas are also recognized prophets who act as God’s spokesmen. This acknowledgment wouldn’t have been given lightly. These men would have had to be proven faithful over time to be promoted as a prophet. Perhaps that is why the Jerusalem leaders speak the way they do. They wanted the church to know they fully supported and endorsed these men.
So, these are the brothers from Jerusalem. They come bringing good news. They are respected leaders who lead from the frontlines and who have proven to speak on behalf of God faithfully. Our message comes to you in faithful hands. You can almost hear the tones of Heb 13:7:
Hebrews 13:7 ESV
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
We all need leaders to emulate. Jerusalem was sending some of its best and brightest. Have you ever considered who in the church needs a role model? I don’t think any of us feel we are worthy of emulating, but there will always be someone less spiritually mature than you. Why not consider pouring yourself into someone else, encouraging them to continue in their faith? You might be surprised how much you will be blessed by it, not to mention the person who benefits from your wisdom.
To be consistent with the analogy, the parent has heard the painful cry of their child, and they are swooping in to care for, encourage, and strengthen their cherished child.
II – The Antioch brothers are equipped
Troubled and unsettled
When the four men arrive in Antioch, they get straight to business. Remember, this all started here when Judaizers from Judea arrived and began teaching their misguided doctrine. The Gentile believers here have been wrestling with this news for a while now, and they were very unsettled and troubled. Why?
Well, imagine you are your own boss and have a very relaxed schedule. You can do things your way at your own pace. But now, you’ve lost that job, and you get hired by an extreme micro-manager who details every minute of your workday, even when you can take bathroom breaks and what you can eat in the lunchroom. The company had been hopeful to fill three positions but could only afford one, so you have three times the workload of a standard full-time job. You are no longer in control of your life; the overbearing manager and the overwhelming tasks of the job are.
If you can feel the weight of that scenario, that gives you a tiny glimpse through the keyhole in a Jewish door of what the Gentiles would have been facing. The Gentiles eagerly received Jesus as their Savior and have been delighting in their newfound freedom. But now, they were being told that they had to learn and obey 613 laws in the Jewish Old Testament scriptures that would control every aspect of their lives – from the types of food they could eat, the distance they could walk on certain days of the week, to how they interacted socially based on their level of cleanliness. I know many of you keep task lists. How many tasks need to be on that list before you start to feel overwhelmed – 15 or 20? Now, think about the internal panic that would come with 613! That’s some fine print for ya!
Surely, these four men felt the weight of the law and the panic in the hearts of their Gentile brothers, so as they opened up, these leaders put their pastoral hearts on display.
The leadership is unanimous
It seemed good to us, having come to one accord. There was complete unity among the sending leadership.
First– they are unanimous in their rejection of the actions of the Judaizers. Their teaching was not endorsed nor sanctioned by the church leadership. Even though they were professing believers in Jesus and are therefore ‘from among us,’ their teachings are not of us. Their words are entirely their own. Once this was confirmed, I’m sure you could feel the whole room exhale in delight.
Second– they unanimously agreed to send these four men. This decision involved the Apostles, the Elders, and the entire church. Think about how edified you would be if you were in another place and your church leaders sent John Piper, Voddie Baucham, and Steve Lawson to encourage you. That would feel pretty edifying, would it not? I imagine the Antiochian church responded similarly when they realized that the entire church agreed to send these esteemed leaders.
Third– they were in unanimous agreement as to the content of the letter. There were no lingering questions in the minds of the Jerusalem leadership as to what they thought was right, but thankfully, it wasn’t just their decision. While verse 25 says that “it was good to us,” meaning the leadership, verse 28 confirms that these leaders and the Holy Spirit were in agreement, which is crucial.
The Holy Spirit’s inspiration
At the center of this exhortation is God’s sovereign guidance. It is not just the decision of human minds and hearts. The Holy Spirit guided the entire process, and the leadership listened in dependence. For anyone in a leadership position, that should be both empowering and humbling. We should never even attempt to act without God’s guidance.
This again highlights the interplay between God’s active role among man’s active response. God is in control, and man is still responsible to act. The Holy Spirit guides, and the people follow. The Good Shepherd speaks, and His sheep hear His voice. Hearers become Doers.
This is one of the most pivotal moments in all of church history. Through the guidance of the Spirit and the actions of faithful followers, the core of the gospel is preserved and protected. This decision preserves the truth that salvation is only possible by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ and nothing more.
The requirements
The only burden they are to carry are the same ones that James proposed:
1. abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols.
2. abstain from blood.
3. abstain from what’s been strangled.
4. sexual immorality.
And how they finished the letter shows they weren’t trying to develop mandates to cram down their throat. Instead, it was a loving exhortation to the Gentiles to act in a way that leads to flourishing in community lived with their Jewish brothers and sisters. As Paul says in Romans 14:13-21
Romans 14:13–21 ESV
13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
We live in a highly individualistic society where the ultimate display of bravery is how you unapologetically portray yourself despite the reaction of others. If people don’t like it, then get over it. This is me, baby! How does this section of scripture combat this modern-day mentality?
The triumph of the Council’s decision is reason enough to launch a full-scale celebration, and that is precisely what they do next.
III – The brothers rejoice together
Rejoicing in encouragement
Imagine the relief the Gentile believers must have felt! The thought of obeying 613 laws must have been crushing, but praise God, the freedom they felt when they accepted the Lord Jesus by faith alone once again returned. They no longer had to think of bearing an impossibly heavy yoke. Their salvation and way of living is safe and secure in Christ alone! Now, instead of one group of brothers pouring into the other group… both groups rejoice together. Rejoice in what, you ask? They delight in God’s word, defended and defined. In short, they rejoice together in the acknowledgment of sound doctrine. Securing the theology of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone is the platform of praise.
The necessity of Christian fellowship and sound theology is the central aspect of the passage today—the mutual encouragement among the Body of Christ that comes from the celebration of God’s word.
Al Mohler said it best: “Christian fellowship devoid of sound theology is no true fellowship. Likewise, theology which does not stir up the body of Christ toward fellowship and worship is no true theology.
– [Mohler, R. Albert, Jr. 2019. Acts 13–28 for You]
This marriage of joy-filled fellowship and sound theology has a galvanizing effect of bringing an even tighter unity to the Body, and isn’t that exactly what Christ wants for His bride?
Encouraged and strengthened
Confirming correct doctrine not only encouraged the congregation but also strengthened them. The paralyzing requirements of the law are no longer applicable. Praise God. That is incredibly encouraging. That, I’m sure, was the core of their celebration. But this letter and visit from the Jerusalem leadership also strengthened the Body. The expulsion of heresy and clarity of the Spirit’s will has a powerful effect. These believers learned how to depend on the Spirit for guidance, defend against incorrect teaching, and define orthodox teaching. They learned how to discern. They grew by observing the example set by their leaders. They sharpened their spiritual skill and shepherding abilities.
Have you ever witnessed another person or group wrestle with an issue? Have you seen how they discuss it in light of the scriptures… how they cry out to God for wisdom… how they wait on His guidance… and how the outcome is right on point? Was that not inspiring to you? Did it not strengthen your faith and resolve to imitate their actions? That is why I encourage you to let others see your struggles, weaknesses, and dependence on the Lord. He uses that to strengthen others.
The party will soon end, but the work continues on.
IV- The brothers continue the work
Judas and Silas return to Jerusalem
After a time of empowerment and celebrating the news together, Judas and Silas return to Jerusalem in peace. In our little analogy, the child has been comforted and cared for; now, they show gratitude to the parent. I do not doubt that these two men carried many words of appreciation and exhortation from the brothers in Antioch to the brothers in Jerusalem.
Paul and Barnabas remain in Antioch
These two men, however, remain in Antioch because there is more work to be done. The pivotal response from the Jerusalem Council has been delivered, but now, they had to continue to flesh it out and show them how to use their freedoms to honor Christ and represent Him well. This opened a whole new realm of teaching and preaching for this dynamic duo, and it wouldn’t be long until they sensed the need to equip the churches in Asia Minor with these new and encouraging exhortations.
In closing, let me encourage you always to hold this scale in balance. Sound theology and Christian fellowship – They should have equal weight in our lives. This also plays out corporately. We look to our leaders to emulate this balance while they humbly acknowledge this responsibility and seek to imitate the ultimate leader – Jesus Christ, who shows us how to live sacrificially, not looking to our own needs, but to the needs of others so they don’t stumble. When the balance is correct, there is Christ-exalting unity and joy within His Body.