Video Bible Study: Jerusalem Council Decisions on Gentiles, Circumcision etc Part 2

adventistsermonsandmusic.com/ Jerusalem Council Part 2. Acts 14:21-28 describes the growth of the church with a certain exuberance. Paul and Barnabas went from town to town in Asia Minor, winning many disciples to the Lord. They appointed elders for each group of believers, praying with them, and en trusting them to the Lord.
When they returned to Antioch, the missionaries called the church together and told of God's blessing on their efforts. In particular, they told how God had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles (Acts 14:27). Apparently circumcision was not an issue for these Gentiles-until some believers came from Judea and declared: "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved" (Acts 15:1)."
Paul and Barnabas were alarmed, fearing that their mission to the Gen tiles could be at risk. Unwilling to link circumcision with salvation, they had "no small dissension and dispute" with their Judean brethren. It soon became clear to the believers in Antioch that the larger church must address this issue that went right to the heart of the church's mission. They sent Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to discuss the matter with the brethren.
Dissension couldn't cool the ardor of the missionaries. En route to Jerusalem, they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, "describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren" (verse 3). And in Jerusalem they "reported all things that God had done with them" (verse 4).
But discord broke out once again as certain believers from the sect of the Pharisees expressed their convictions about the new Gentile believers: "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses" (verse 5). The conference had its agenda, all right, but note that it was a mission-driven agenda, erupting as a direct result of explosive church growth among the Gentiles.

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This is the second part of the video bible study on the Jerusalem council.