Understanding the Bible

THE MISSION AND EXPERIENCES OF THE APOSTLE PAUL

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 The debate about what was required of Gentiles and Paul's Second Missionary Journey (Acts 15:1 - 18:22)

(The research for this article was undertaken by Marian Coekin. To aid your search, the passage of time, the names of places, and significant events are highlighted. This page prints onto three A4 sides.)

CHAPTER REFERENCE	WHAT HAPPENED: the passage of time is indicated by  words in bold blue: to help your search for events, place names are highlighted in bold green: : the more significant events are highlighted in bold purple.
Acts 15:1-4	Some men went to Antioch from Judea teaching that 'Unless you are circumcised according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.' This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. Paul later calls them 'trouble makers' (Gal.1:7 RSV) Paul sees clearly that these men were proposing a Jesus+plus gospel (replacing faith in Christ alone with faith plus works) which in Galatians he calls 'no gospel at all', and was very upset. So the church sent Paul and Barnabas and some others to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about it.
Acts 15:5-21	The apostles and elders in Jerusalem met to discuss the problem. Peter stood up and declared that God had given the Gentiles faith in the same way as Jews, and should not have further 'burdens' put on them - saying 'It  is through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that we are saved, just as they are.'  After hearing the things God had done in Antioch among the Gentiles, James stood up, quoted from Amos 9:11,12 and declared that gentile converts should 'abstain from food polluted by  idols,  from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.'
Acts 15:22-35	The apostles and elders sent Judas (Barsabbas) and Silas back to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They also sent a letter repeating James's judgement. At Antioch the letter was gladly received. Judas and Silas greatly encouraged the church. After spending some time there, they returned to Jerusalem, but Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch teaching the church.
Acts 15:36-41	Some time later (possibly to await the better weather of Spring), Paul and Barnabas decide to go back to the towns they had previously visited. Barnabas wanted to take Mark but Paul thought it unwise because Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia. They parted company: Barnabas and Mark went off to Cyprus, Paul and Silas (who must have joined him from Jerusalem)  and went through Syria and Cilicia strengthening the churches.
Acts 16:1-5 Start of the 2nd Missy journey	Paul and Silas came to Derbe and then Lystra, where they discovered the young man Timothy. Timothy's mother was a Jewish believer but his father was a Greek. Paul wanted to take Timothy with him so he circumcised him in order not to upset the Jews there. They went on from town to town delivering the decisions of the apostles and elders and generally encouraging the believers.
Acts 16:6-10	Paul and his companions travelled throughout Phrygia and Galatia  but 'were prevented by the Holy Spirit' from entering Asia. So they went down to the Aegean port of Troas. During the night Paul has a vision of a men from Macedonia begging him to go over to help them. They got ready at once. (v.10 Luke has joined them - 'we got ready')
Acts 16:11-15	They sailed to Samothrace and on to Neapolis, and then on to Philippi, a Roman colony. [Their first visit to 'Europe'] Stayed there several days.  On the Sabbath found some women at a place of prayer near the river. Paul spoke to them and one of them, Lydia - a seller of purple cloth - 'opened her heart' to the message. She and her household were baptised . She invited Paul and his party to stay at her house.
Acts 16:16-40	Once on their way to the place of prayer they were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of fortune selling. She shouted 'these men are servants of the most high God, who are telling you the way to be saved.' Paul commanded the spirit to leave her, which it did. When her owners discovered that their way of earning money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas in to the market place and reported them to the authorities. They were stripped and severely beaten and thrown into prison. During the night Paul and Silas sang hymns and there was an earthquake that released all the prisoner's fetters. The jailer was about to commit suicide when Paul called out to him. He fell at their feet and said 'Sirs what must I do to be saved?' Paul replied 'Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved - you and your household.'  The jailer looked after them and he and his family were baptised. The next morning officers arrived to release them, but Paul complained at their treatment considering they were Roman citizens.  They were released and went to Lydia's house to meet 'the brothers'. Then they left.
Acts 17:1-10	Paul and Silas pass through Amphipolis and Apollonia, and on to Thessalonica. Paul preached in the synagogue on three Sabbaths; some were persuaded, including many God-fearing Greeks and women. Jealous Jews gathered a crowd started a riot. The rioters went to Jason's house looking for Paul and Silas, but not finding them dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, saying they were defying Caesar's decrees. Jason and the others were put on bail and released. As soon as it was night the brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea.
Acts 17:11-15	The Bereans were very noble; received the message with great eagerness and searched the scriptures (the OT) every day to see if what Paul was saying was true. Many Jews believed, as did a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. When the Jews back in Thessalonica heard what was happening they went there and started to cause trouble. The brothers sent Paul off to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. The men who escorted Paul took him to Athens and then left taking instructions for Silas and Timothy to join Paul as soon a possible.
Acts 17:16-34	Paul was much distressed to find so many idols in Athens. So he reasoned daily in the market place with Jews and God-fearing Greeks. When preaching about the resurrection, Paul was opposed by Epicureans and Stoics and they took him to a meeting of the Areopagus. Paul spoke to them about the 'unknown God'. A few men believed also a woman named Damaris and a few others.
Acts 18:1-11	Paul went to Corinth and met a Jew called Aquila and his wife Priscilla, who like him were tentmakers. He stayed with them and every Sabbath preached in the synagogue. When Silas and Timothy arrived from Berea Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching. When the Jews opposed him he shook out his clothes and declared that from henceforth he would go to the Gentiles. He left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus. Crispus the ruler of the synagogue and household all believed. The Lord appeared to Paul in the night saying 'Don't be afraid, keep on speaking, do not be silent. For  I am with you; no-one will harm you, because I have many people in this city.' So Paul stayed for a year and a half.
Acts 18:12-22 End of the 2nd Missy journey	Angry Jews brought Paul before Gallio, proconsul of Achaia, but Gallio turned them out. So the Jews beat Sosthenes the ruler of the synagogue, but Gallio took no notice. After 'some time' Paul set sail with Aguila and Priscilla for Asia. Arriving at Ephesus, Paul left the other two and went to synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. They asked him to stay to hear more but he declined saying 'I will come back if it is God's will'. Then he alone set sail from Ephesus and landed at Caesarea (a long sea journey) where he greeted the church; then proceeded to Antioch. This is about AD 52/53.

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