Peter got up and addressed them: ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles should hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.’
The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. (Acts 15.7-12, NIV)

Acts 15 Key Themes:

Salvation by Grace: The council affirms that salvation comes through grace, not adherence to the Mosaic Law.
Unity and Diversity: The early church grapples with integrating diverse cultural practices and beliefs while maintaining unity.
Guidance by the Holy Spirit: Decisions are made through prayer, discussion, and reliance on the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

For by Grace we are saved, through faith and not of ourselves, a Gift of God, not of works, so that we cannot boast, (Ephesians 2.8-9). Our salvation is by faith alone, nothing else. SAVED by FAITH. Not by religious observance, tradition or any ordinances of the Church, or by what we have done. We are SAVED by FAITH IN CHRIST! We receive salvation as a free gift! A GIFT! And like every gift, you can accept or refuse. It’s SO SIMPLE. Salvation is GIVEN to us! A GIFT from GOD OUR FATHER, and we receive it THROUGH CHRIST by faith alone!

Faith in God begins at your conversion! When you receive that faith, you have a glorious powerful deliverance! Paul says in Romans 10:8-10, the Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, the Word of faith which we preach, that if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved! Delivered! Set free! – From every curse, from every fear, from all the oppression of the devil! Wow! When we preach this kind of Gospel, the drug addicts stream down to the front, set free! Why don’t we believe this? Why don’t we understand? If we believe, we’ve got to put it into practice; it must change our lives, our nation. When government officials come into my meetings, they don’t hear me preaching some strange new doctrine or psychology – I’m preaching Christ! When I talk about healing, I tell the people, I’m not a ‘healing’ evangelist, I can’t heal anybody, I can’t save anybody, I can’t even bring people into the meeting – only God! That’s the power and the demonstration of the Gospel I am preaching! If we get back to the simplicity of this Gospel, God will change our nation!

The only answer is in Christ! Why? Because the power in the Gospel of Christ can be demonstrated! The Gospel is the Word of faith which becomes the power of your salvation! Faith comes with the Gospel, so that we can confess and believe that our salvation through the Blood of Christ is complete – now! But it takes faith to accept this! The Bible says that our eternal life comes, not after death, we have it now!

When we come to Christ, we receive forgiveness of every sin and we have peace with God. My father, who was converted in the Welsh Revival, told me the Bible teaches that when you are saved, your sin is forgiven: all the sins of the past, all the sins of the present, and all the sins of the future are under the Blood. That’s the Word of God! Christ died once! To deliver man forever! The Bible says sin entered the world through one man, Adam. Salvation entered through one man, Christ. Just as we have sinned because of Adam, we have salvation because of Christ! It’s a done deal! We’ve got it! It works! That’s why I’m an evangelist! Forgiveness! Peace with God! This will drive out all your depressions and fears! Christ made my peace, Christ is my peace!

Summary of Acts 15

The Council at Jerusalem (Verses 1-21)

Conflict Arises: Certain individuals from Judea come to Antioch and teach the believers that circumcision according to the custom of Moses is necessary for salvation.
Dispute and Debate: Paul and Barnabas strongly disagree and argue with them. The church decides to send Paul, Barnabas, and others to Jerusalem to consult with the apostles and elders about this issue.
The Council Meeting: Upon arrival in Jerusalem, they are welcomed by the church, apostles, and elders. Paul and Barnabas report all that God has done through them among the Gentiles.
Pharisees' View: Some believers from the Pharisees' sect insist that Gentile converts must be circumcised and obey the Law of Moses.
Peter's Argument: Peter reminds the council that God chose him to bring the gospel to the Gentiles and gave them the Holy Spirit, cleansing their hearts by faith, not by the law. He argues against burdening the Gentile converts with the law.
Paul and Barnabas Testimony: They share signs and wonders God performed among the Gentiles.
James' Decision: James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, references Scripture, affirming that God’s plan includes Gentiles. He proposes that they should not trouble Gentile converts with the law but ask them to abstain from certain practices offensive to Jewish Christians (food polluted by idols, sexual immorality, meat of strangled animals, and blood).

The Council's Letter to Gentile Believers (Verses 22-35)

The Letter's Content: The apostles and elders write a letter to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, explaining their decision.
Messengers Sent: They send Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, along with Paul and Barnabas, to deliver the letter.
The Letter Delivered: The Gentile believers in Antioch rejoice at the encouraging message.
Judas and Silas: They stay in Antioch, encouraging and strengthening the believers before returning to Jerusalem, while Paul and Barnabas remain in Antioch teaching and preaching.

Paul and Barnabas Separate (Verses 36-41)

Plan to Visit Churches: Paul suggests to Barnabas that they revisit the believers in all the towns where they preached.
Disagreement: Barnabas wants to take John Mark, but Paul disagrees because John Mark had previously deserted them. They part ways; Barnabas takes Mark to Cyprus, and Paul chooses Silas and sets out, strengthened by the believers’ commendation.
Paul's Journey: Paul travels through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.