Acts 15:30-41 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Acts 15:30-41. Let’s go!
Acts 15:30-32 (NIV)
30 The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter.
31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message.
32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.
On verses 30-32: Sent by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, Judas and Silas join Paul and Barnabas on their way back to the church in Antioch. There, the prophetically gifted Judas and Silas “said much to encourage and strengthen” the Christians in Antioch with their words.
What can we learn from this? The purpose of prophecy in the church is always to encourage and strengthen the people in the church. As Paul explains:
– “But everyone who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort” (1 Corinthians 14:3)
– “What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.” (1 Corinthians 14:26)
– “Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening.” (2 Corinthians 12:19)
In other words, when a person with the gift of prophecy prophesies, it’s about catching God’s heart for people and communicating it to them with the goal of strengthening and encouraging them. Sometimes prophecy involves fore-telling the future, that is, having insight through divine revelation about a situation that has not yet happened. At other times prophecy involves forth-telling the present, that is, having special insight through divine revelation about a situation that has already happened or is currently happening. Whether it’s foretelling or forth-telling, the goal of prophecy within the church is always to encourage and strengthen the church.
Likewise, whether you consider yourself to have the gift of prophecy or not, make it your goal to speak words that build people up, not tear people down. Since our words have the power to bring life or death to others, use your words to strengthen and encourage others. As Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Acts 15:33-34 (NIV)
33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.
34
On verses 33-34: In your Bible you may find that verse 34 is blank. That is because verse 34, which traditionally read “But Silas decided to remain with them. Only Judas departed.”, is not found in the earliest manuscripts of the book of Acts. It is most likely that a scribe tried to add this sentence in to explain why Silas is present again in Antioch in verse 40. However, verse 33 clearly states that more than just one of Silas and Judas (“they”) returned to Jerusalem. So there was no need for that scribe to add in the sentence that became verse 34. After all, Silas could have easily returned to Antioch later on. So this unnecessary addition of verse 34 was eventually caught and that is why verse 34 is blank.
What’s the lesson here? Don’t try to add unnecessarily to what Scripture has already said.
Acts 15:35 (NIV)
35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
On verse 35: While the prophets Judas and Silas came and went, Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch with the believers there. There are those who come with a momentary word from God for us and then go. But there are others who stay with us and who are a consistent presence in our lives. That in some ways illustrates the difference between a prophet and a pastor. A pastor may himself or herself have a prophetic gift which he uses when preaching, praying and spending time with others, but what a pastor does, which a prophet does not necessarily do, is a pastor maintains an ongoing presence among the people, like a shepherd stays with the sheep. That’s what pastors Paul and Barnabas were doing for their church in Antioch. The prophets Judas and Silas came and went, but the shepherds Paul and Barnabas stayed. Prophets and pastors all have an important role to play in the church, but it is important to recognize that their roles are not the same, and that sometimes one person can be gifted for both pastoral and prophetic ministry, as were Paul and Barnabas.
Acts 15:36-41 (NIV)
36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.”
37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them,
38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.
39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,
40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.
41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
On verses 36-41: One of the things I love about the Bible is its honesty. Here Luke details a real disagreement that two high profile leaders in the church had, so much so that they parted ways when it came to their next ministry trips. So who was right and who was wrong? In this case, I think I can see where Barnabas and Paul were each coming from. Barnabas, ever the encourager and the one who liked having everyone together, wanted to give John Mark a second chance. Paul, always focused on moving forward and not wanting to let anything get in the way of the mission at hand, didn’t think he had time to waste dealing with someone who had quit on them before (see Acts 13:13) and might do so again.
Without knowing any further details, it would be unfair for us to conclude who was right or wrong. In any event, from this we see that Paul and Barnabas had different approaches to ministry, different personalities, and different core values and this disagreement brought those differences to light. But they were still brothers in Christ, and they both ultimately had the same goal: to bring people to Jesus and to glorify God in the process. It goes to show that in the kingdom of God there is room for – and in fact we need – different kinds of teams so that we can reach different kinds of people.
Thank You Holy Spirit for the gift of prophecy by which You encourage and strengthen Your people. Thank You also that in Your kingdom there is room for different teams with different approaches all to work simultaneously for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
