Acts 15:2 - When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation. Dissension means resistance. And the Greek word for disputation is the word questioning.
So, there was resistance, and there was questioning, trying to bring the truth out with these people.
They determined, literally they ordained or appointed that Paul and Barnabas, and certain others of them, should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and to the elders about this question.
Acts 15:4 - And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church. The word received in the Greek is literally the word welcomed.
Here comes Paul and Barnabas and the delegation from Antioch, and the church with "open arms" receives them. Even if they don't agree with them, that was their attitude towards them.
But notice that last little phrase "what God had done with them." That is the literal translation. It is not through them. It is with them. It denotes that they basically put their lives in the Lord's hands and said do with us as you please.
Acts 17:2 - And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
In Verse 2, it tells us that according to Paul's custom that he went in unto the Jews in the synagogue, and for three Sabbath days, he was reasoning with them.
The English text says "reasoned," but it is actually in the Imperfect Tense in the Greek. He continually reasoned with them from out of the scriptures.
Again, the scriptures are always emphasized for us that the ministry increased and prospered because of the ministry through God's word.
Acts 17:4 - And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
It says some of them believed. Please allow me to share with you some technical points about the translation. It's not the normal word for believe. It is literally the word persuasion.
And some of them were persuaded, and consorted, or joined themselves with Paul and Silas;
So, Luke is emphasizing that Paul ministered from out of the Old Testament scriptures, and he was persuasive. He has persuaded them to believe, and they joined themselves with Paul and Silas;
and of the devout Greeks.
The word devout means worshipping, and it is another name for a Gentile who has joined up with a Jewish person, and they are worshipping together, a great multitude of devout Greeks, and of the chief women, chief meaning leaders of the women, not a few. That's the Greek way of saying many of them!
Acts 15:38 - But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
But Paul thought, and that is in the Imperfect Tense. Paul was continually thinking this is not good to take him with them, who departed, and departed here means defection in Greek. So, Paul and Barnabas are really going nose to nose here.
I mean Paul is flat out calling John Mark a deserter, not just somebody who went home. He says, it's not good to take him. He defected last time from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
And that's what Paul is looking at, is that he went through Cyprus with us through the good time, but when it came to the hard times, he wanted to turn around and go back.
Acts 16:16 - And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination, and in the Greek text, it is called the spirit of python, a snake! It's the spirit of python.
In Greek mythology, Apollos won a victory over his enemy and in his celebration, he decided to embed himself into a body of a python.
So, they always felt that a demonic spirit, a pythonic spirit could indwell someone, and even though it is a snake, things could come out well in the human.
Check this out: A spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by fortune telling: That's where it comes from.
But please note, because you know the spirits not going to stay there, right? With Paul there? Notice that once the demonic spirit's cast out, she can't tell fortunes anymore, which means with the demonic spirit, she can tell people's fortunes. She was good at it!
Satan can give people the ability whether it is generalized or not to see in the future.
Acts 15:19 - Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
You see the word to? It is literally upon in the Greek text. They are not turning to the Lord, they are turning upon Him. They are totally entrusting their lives upon the Lord.
Acts 15:24 - Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
The word souls is PSUCHE which is also translated minds. Who have subverted or troubled your minds, saying, you must be circumcised, and keep the law. Now here is something for you to underline: to whom we gave no such commandment.
Everybody that went out from Jerusalem and preached that you have to keep the law, they did not have the approval of the apostles in Jerusalem. Nor did they send them out. They went out on their own when they heard the Gentiles were being saved!
Acts 15:29 - That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
That little word (do) in the phrase "do well" is the Greek word PRASSO. It's not do. It is the word practice. If you make this your lifestyle, you'll do well.
And then it says "Fare ye well." It literally means may you prosper spiritually in these things.
Acts 15:5 - But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed. That's one word. It is in the Perfect Tense. It says those from out of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, which means that they had believed now for a long time.
It almost sounds like a contradiction. How can a Pharisee be a believer? But you see, that's the problem! They saw the truth, they received Jesus Christ as Messiah, but they couldn't let go of the old religion. They combined them. Many people do this today. Some have a tough time following the Lord because they can't leave the old religious system, or they try to combine it.
Acts 15:8 - And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
That little term "knows the hearts" is all one word in Greek. It is "heart-knower." In the Greek, it is in the Attributive Position. It's the heart-knower God.
Those are His attributes and characteristics. He knows everybody's heart. So, first of all, it is Gods choice. Secondly, it is based on God knowing everybody's heart.
What did this God the heart-knower do? He gave confirmation. He bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as He did unto us.
God's testimony was that He gave them the Holy Spirit. And all the way through the book of Acts, up until this time, we have seen that that has been the testimony. God has given them the Holy Spirit like He has given us they would say.
They didn't talk about their beliefs. They didn't talk about their doctrines. They talked about the one element that is the actual experience that saves someone, being born again.
It's not just belief. It's not just faith. It is not just correct doctrine, but rather being born of the Spirit of God, where Christ comes to live within.
(Acts Part 36):
Acts 15:2 - When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation. Dissension means resistance. And the Greek word for disputation is the word questioning.
So, there was resistance, and there was questioning, trying to bring the truth out with these people.
They determined, literally they ordained or appointed that Paul and Barnabas, and certain others of them, should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and to the elders about this question.
Acts 15:4 - And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church. The word received in the Greek is literally the word welcomed.
Here comes Paul and Barnabas and the delegation from Antioch, and the church with "open arms" receives them. Even if they don't agree with them, that was their attitude towards them.
But notice that last little phrase "what God had done with them." That is the literal translation. It is not through them. It is with them. It denotes that they basically put their lives in the Lord's hands and said do with us as you please.
Acts 17:2 - And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
In Verse 2, it tells us that according to Paul's custom that he went in unto the Jews in the synagogue, and for three Sabbath days, he was reasoning with them.
The English text says "reasoned," but it is actually in the Imperfect Tense in the Greek. He continually reasoned with them from out of the scriptures.
Again, the scriptures are always emphasized for us that the ministry increased and prospered because of the ministry through God's word.
Acts 17:4 - And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
It says some of them believed. Please allow me to share with you some technical points about the translation. It's not the normal word for believe. It is literally the word persuasion.
And some of them were persuaded, and consorted, or joined themselves with Paul and Silas;
So, Luke is emphasizing that Paul ministered from out of the Old Testament scriptures, and he was persuasive. He has persuaded them to believe, and they joined themselves with Paul and Silas;
and of the devout Greeks.
The word devout means worshipping, and it is another name for a Gentile who has joined up with a Jewish person, and they are worshipping together, a great multitude of devout Greeks, and of the chief women, chief meaning leaders of the women, not a few. That's the Greek way of saying many of them!
Acts 15:38 - But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
But Paul thought, and that is in the Imperfect Tense. Paul was continually thinking this is not good to take him with them, who departed, and departed here means defection in Greek. So, Paul and Barnabas are really going nose to nose here.
I mean Paul is flat out calling John Mark a deserter, not just somebody who went home. He says, it's not good to take him. He defected last time from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
And that's what Paul is looking at, is that he went through Cyprus with us through the good time, but when it came to the hard times, he wanted to turn around and go back.
Acts 16:16 - And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination, and in the Greek text, it is called the spirit of python, a snake! It's the spirit of python.
In Greek mythology, Apollos won a victory over his enemy and in his celebration, he decided to embed himself into a body of a python.
So, they always felt that a demonic spirit, a pythonic spirit could indwell someone, and even though it is a snake, things could come out well in the human.
Check this out: A spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by fortune telling: That's where it comes from.
But please note, because you know the spirits not going to stay there, right? With Paul there? Notice that once the demonic spirit's cast out, she can't tell fortunes anymore, which means with the demonic spirit, she can tell people's fortunes. She was good at it!
Satan can give people the ability whether it is generalized or not to see in the future.
Acts 15:19 - Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
You see the word to? It is literally upon in the Greek text. They are not turning to the Lord, they are turning upon Him. They are totally entrusting their lives upon the Lord.
Acts 15:24 - Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
The word souls is PSUCHE which is also translated minds. Who have subverted or troubled your minds, saying, you must be circumcised, and keep the law. Now here is something for you to underline: to whom we gave no such commandment.
Everybody that went out from Jerusalem and preached that you have to keep the law, they did not have the approval of the apostles in Jerusalem. Nor did they send them out. They went out on their own when they heard the Gentiles were being saved!
Acts 15:29 - That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
That little word (do) in the phrase "do well" is the Greek word PRASSO. It's not do. It is the word practice. If you make this your lifestyle, you'll do well.
And then it says "Fare ye well." It literally means may you prosper spiritually in these things.
Acts 15:5 - But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed. That's one word. It is in the Perfect Tense. It says those from out of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, which means that they had believed now for a long time.
It almost sounds like a contradiction. How can a Pharisee be a believer? But you see, that's the problem! They saw the truth, they received Jesus Christ as Messiah, but they couldn't let go of the old religion. They combined them. Many people do this today. Some have a tough time following the Lord because they can't leave the old religious system, or they try to combine it.
Acts 15:8 - And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
That little term "knows the hearts" is all one word in Greek. It is "heart-knower." In the Greek, it is in the Attributive Position. It's the heart-knower God.
Those are His attributes and characteristics. He knows everybody's heart. So, first of all, it is Gods choice. Secondly, it is based on God knowing everybody's heart.
What did this God the heart-knower do? He gave confirmation. He bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as He did unto us.
God's testimony was that He gave them the Holy Spirit. And all the way through the book of Acts, up until this time, we have seen that that has been the testimony. God has given them the Holy Spirit like He has given us they would say.
They didn't talk about their beliefs. They didn't talk about their doctrines. They talked about the one element that is the actual experience that saves someone, being born again.
It's not just belief. It's not just faith. It is not just correct doctrine, but rather being born of the Spirit of God, where Christ comes to live within.
This comment thread is locked. Please enter a new comment below to start a new comment thread.
Note: Comment threads older than 2 months are automatically locked.
Do you have a Bible comment or question?
Please Sign In or Register to post comments...
Report Comment
Which best represents the problem with the comment?