Study Desk

Paul and Barnabas chose some leaders for each of the churches. Then they went without eating and prayed that the Lord would take good care of these leaders.

and sailed to Antioch in Syria. It was there that they had been placed in God's care for the work they had now completed.

After arriving in Antioch, they called the church together. They told the people what God had helped them do and how he had made it possible for the Gentiles to believe.

Some people came from Judea and started teaching the Lord's followers that they could not be saved, unless they were circumcised as Moses had taught.

When the men arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, including the apostles and the leaders. They told them everything God had helped them do.

But some Pharisees had become followers of the Lord. They stood up and said, "Gentiles who have faith in the Lord must be circumcised and told to obey the Law of Moses."

They had talked it over for a long time, when Peter got up and said: My friends, you know that God decided long ago to let me be the one from your group to preach the good news to the Gentiles. God did this so that they would hear and obey him.

God treated them in the same way that he treated us. They put their faith in him, and he made their hearts pure.

We should simply write and tell them not to eat anything that has been offered to idols. They should be told not to eat the meat of any animal that has been strangled or that still has blood in it. They must also not commit any terrible sexual sins.

The apostles, the leaders, and all the church members decided to send some men to Antioch along with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Silas and Judas Barsabbas, who were two leaders of the Lord's followers.

They wrote a letter that said: We apostles and leaders send friendly greetings to all of you Gentiles who are followers of the Lord in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.

The four men left Jerusalem and went to Antioch. Then they called the church members together and gave them the letter.

Judas and Silas were prophets, and they spoke a long time, encouraging and helping the Lord's followers.

The men from Jerusalem stayed on in Antioch for a while. And when they left to return to the ones who had sent them, the followers wished them well.

But Paul and Barnabas stayed on in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached about the Lord.

Sometime later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let's go back and visit the Lord's followers in the cities where we preached his message. Then we will know how they are doing."

They traveled through Syria and Cilicia, encouraging the churches.

As Paul and the others went from city to city, they told the followers what the apostles and leaders in Jerusalem had decided, and they urged them to follow these instructions.

The girl followed Paul and the rest of us and kept yelling, "These men are servants of the Most High God! They are telling you how to be saved."

When the girl's owners realized that they had lost all chances for making more money, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them into court.