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(Acts 15:1-6, 34-41)

Read all of Acts 15 for context.

Why did those who came from Judea insist that Gentile believers in Jesus be circumcised? What was their problem?

What did the people from Judea mean by “saved” when they told the Gentile believers that unless they were circumcised, they could “not be saved”?

Paul and Barnabas entered into a “sharp dispute and debate” with the Judeans. Was this an appropriate response for Christians and, if so, why? What was at stake?

Why were “other believers” (besides the debaters) sent to Jerusalem to present the issue to the apostles and elders? Is there anything we can learn from this?

The church of Antioch did not try to stop the debate but sent the debaters to Jerusalem for a decision. Was this a wise thing to do? Why or why not?

Read verse 3. The news that the Gentiles had turned to God brought joy to the “brothers” in Phoenicia and Samaria. Did some Jewish believers accept uncircumcised Gentiles while others refused to accept them?

Read verse 5. If you had asked these Pharisees to give reasons for their demand, how might they have responded?

Read verse 6. Why did the apostles invite the church’s elders to this meeting and include them in the decision-making process? What does this tell us about the church?

Read verses 36-41. Why, after settling a dispute with the help of the church, did Paul and Barnabas part ways as the result of a dispute?

Does it seem to you that either Paul or Barnabas was more in the wrong than the other? Explain.

The word the NIV translates as “sharp disagreement” is as strong, if not stronger, than the one used of the disagreement over circumcision in verse 2. Do you think that this disagreement displeased God? Did it dishonor God?

Did anything good come out of the breakup of the Paul and Barnabas team?

Read 2 Timothy 4:9, which Paul wrote years later. What do you make of Paul’s request regarding John Mark? What can this teach us?

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