The year was 48 A.D. and Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch in Syria at the conclusion of their successful first missionary journey. As they reported on the trip to the brethren, there was great rejoicing that God had so liberally “opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27). This provided clear justification that Gentiles should be included into fellowship without a need for circumcision or keeping other Mosaic ordinances.
Jews from Jerusalem
The joy was diminished, however, by the arrival of converted Jews from Jerusalem, brethren who were formerly priests and Pharisees. They fallaciously claimed to represent the views of James, the Lord’s brother, and insisted the Gentile converts must be circumcised and keep the Law.
The Jewish believers, including Peter and Barnabas, were so intimidated that they withdrew from the Gentile believers, refusing to break bread with them (Gal. 2:11-21). Peter’s withdrawal is astonishing since God first invited Gentiles into fellowship through his visit to Cornelius (Acts 10 and 11). The vacillation of Barnabas is also bewildering as he had seen all the events of the first missionary journey. (To the credit of Peter and Barnabas, they both supported Paul at the Jerusalem conference which followed.)
It was clear to Paul that the Jew-Gentile controversy was a perversion of the gospel and a threat to his apostolic authority. Moreover, his missionary work would be severely hampered if the Judaizers prevailed. This issue needed a resolution with support from apostles at Jerusalem before he could renew his missionary activities.
The conference
The Antioch Ecclesia decided to send Paul, Barnabas and others to Jerusalem to settle the Gentile issue.
When the conference convened, Peter’s declaration of the conversion of Cornelius was followed by Paul and Barnabas recounting the success of work among the Galatians. They declared that God had approved of the Gentiles by signs and wonders. James finished the presentation by citing Old Testament scriptures proving God’s intent of calling the Gentiles (Amos 9:11-2; Jer. 12:15; Isa. 45:21).
The letter
A letter, approved by the conference, documented the acceptance of Gentiles into fellowship without requiring they be circumcised or keep the Law. They were asked, however, to observe Jewish sensitivities with respect to four specific items (Acts 15:20-29).
This was a landmark for Christianity which was not fully appreciated at the time by Jewish believers. They took release from Mosaic restrictions to apply only to Gentiles but not to Christian Jews. This issue would need to be emphasized by Paul again.
Paul and Barnabas part company
A reinvigorated Paul, with copies of the letter in hand for distribution among the Gentile ecclesias, planned his second missionary journey. Barnabas was ready to go but insisted they take Mark with them. Paul was opposed to Mark because he had proven unreliable on the first journey. The contention proved unresolvable, and the two great apostles parted company. Barnabas with Mark went to Cyprus while Paul took Silas and headed north for Galatia (Acts 15:36-41).
Timothy
As Paul and Silas made a circuit, strengthening the Galatian ecclesias, they received several warm commendations of the young believer Timothy. He was a remarkable young man who turned into a great assistant of Paul, becoming like his own son.
Observing his zeal and knowledge, Paul invited Timothy to accompany them on the second missionary journey. Interestingly, Paul requires Timothy to be circumcised before joining them. While this may seem inconsistent with Paul’s basic position, he was looking at the practical side of the issue. Timothy’s father was a Gentile, and the synagogue Jews, where Paul would start his efforts in a new city, would have no use at all for an uncircumcised Gentile.
Among the Macedonians
As Paul finished his work in Galatia, he contemplated preaching in Bithynia. In a night vision, however, he was redirected into Macedonia (Acts 16:7-10).
On sabbath days in Philippi of Macedonia, Paul and Silas preached at a regular place of prayer. One of those who heard them was a devout Jewess, a merchant woman. Shortly afterwards, Lydia and all her household believed the gospel and were baptized. From then on, Lydia’s house became the center for the ecclesia in Philippi (Acts 16:11-15,40).
Activities at Philippi rapidly came to a climax when Paul healed a clairvoyant girl who was used as a source of income by her masters. With their source of income gone, they sought revenge dragging Paul and Silas before the chief authorities of the city. Their arguments were cleverly presented, taking advantage of anti-Jewish sentiment and Roman patriotism: “These men are Jews and are disturbing our city. They advocate customs which are not lawful for us Romans to practice” (Acts 16:20 RSV).
Without inquiring as to their citizenship, the magistrate had Paul and Silas stripped, beaten and thrown into prison. During the night, an earthquake struck the prison area, throwing open the doors and releasing the prisoners from their locks.
Thinking himself a doomed man, the jailer was about to kill himself when he heard Paul’s assurance that none of the prisoners had escaped. Reeling from his close brush with death, the man knew that God was with Paul and Silas. He immediately took them home to tend to their wounds and to hear the message of the gospel. With joy, he and all his house received the Truth and were baptized.
When morning came, word was received to release Paul and Silas from prison, but Paul would not leave until their Roman status was properly taken into account. His strategy was clear: in the future, they would not hastily condemn Christians.
Onward to Thessalonica
At Thessalonica, Paul preached the gospel in the synagogue on three sabbath days. When some Jews believed along with a multitude of devout Gentiles, the unbelieving Jews responded with jealousy and hatred. Assembling an angry mob for vigilante justice, search was made for Paul and Silas. They could not find them, however, and at night, the brethren secretly sent them to Berea (Acts 17:1-10).
At Berea and Athens
The truth found fertile soil in Berea as the Jews there were willing to search the scriptures to verify the gospel message. Paul’s work was cut short, however, by the arrival of unbelieving Jews from Thessalonica who were still smarting from their failure to arrest him.
They followed their familiar pattern of inciting the masses against the Christians. The brethren thus sent Paul to Athens in company with a few local brethren while Timothy and Silas remained at Berea to strengthen the new ecclesia (vs. 10-15).
Paul’s efforts at Athens were not very fruitful because the Greeks there were consumed with learning new things but never coming to any conviction. Despite their scoffing at the resurrection, a few men and women believed (vs. 32-34).
Paul at Corinth
Paul must have left Athens with a heavy heart. His spirit was soon to be revived in Corinth, however, as he was once again to find enthusiastic response to the Truth. When Silas and Timothy arrived at Corinth, they found Paul busy doing what he liked best, preaching to Jews and Gentiles from the local synagogue. He was soon cast out, but the word had been sown in good soil; Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, was converted along with many of the Corinthians (18:1-8).
To further the work in Corinth, the Lord gave special assurance to Paul that he would not suffer persecution at the hands of the Jews “for I have many people in this city” (vs. 9-11 RSV). The promise held true; even when the Jews succeeded in dragging Paul before the judgment seat, the proconsul of Achaia released Paul but permitted the Gentiles to beat the ruler of the synagogue (vs. 12-17).
Paul had been 18 months in Corinth, and after this incident he “tarried there yet a good while.” This permitted him to lay a firm spiritual foundation in Corinth. As he later would write, “I give thanks…that in everything you were enriched in him with all speech and knowledge even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift” (I Cor. 1:4-7 RSV).
At Ephesus
When Paul departed from Corinth, his good friends Priscilla and Aquila accompanied him while presumably Silas and Timothy were left behind to carry on with the ecclesia.
Ephesus, like Corinth, became an important center for the growth of the Truth. But for the moment, Paul’s plans called for only a short stay at Ephesus and then on to Jerusalem and his home ecclesia at Antioch in Syria. He gave only a few lectures at Ephesus and, leaving Priscilla and Aquila to carry on the work, he departed for Palestine. He would return to Ephesus on his third missionary journey and resume the work there.
Upon arriving in Palestine, he visited Jerusalem to update the brethren on developments and then returned to Antioch. During the visit to Jerusalem or at Antioch, Paul’s plans to revisit Galatia were intensified by reports that the Judaizers were hard at work among those ecclesias. They preached the Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the Law to be saved.
Paul immediately began his third missionary journey to counter this influence. But that must be considered in another article, God willing.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One