Acts 15:2

Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

Don’t grumble, as some of them also grumbled, and perished by the destroyer.

to speak evil of no one, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing all humility toward all men.

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole assembly, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brothers.

Only let your way of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ, that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the Good News;

Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses.

I have become foolish in boasting. You compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you, for I am in no way inferior to the very best apostles, though I am nothing.

The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching;

For the overseer must be blameless, as God’s steward, not self-pleasing, not easily angered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain;

Moses said, “Now Yahweh will give you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to satisfy you, because Yahweh hears your murmurings which you murmur against him. And who are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against Yahweh.”

Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and make them a king.” Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Everyone go to your own city.”

But you have today rejected your God, who himself saves you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said to him, ‘No! Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before Yahweh by your tribes, and by your thousands.”

Isn’t it wheat harvest today? I will call to Yahweh, that he may send thunder and rain; and you will know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in Yahweh’s sight, in asking for a king.”

An evildoer heeds wicked lips. A liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

The Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.”

They of the circumcision who believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles.

Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their service, also taking with them John who was called Mark.

When they had appointed elders for them in every assembly, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed.

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News of God,

bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

But when I saw that they didn’t walk uprightly according to the truth of the Good News, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live as the Gentiles do, and not as the Jews do, why do you compel the Gentiles to live as the Jews do?

Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.

not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Dispersion: Greetings.

He answered, “I have not troubled Israel; but you, and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken Yahweh’s commandments, and you have followed the Baals.

In the shelter of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man. You will keep them secretly in a dwelling away from the strife of tongues.

Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is with people who take advice.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

For John said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

When they received it, they murmured against the master of the household,

But he, beckoning to them with his hand to be silent, declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.

When they had arrived, and had gathered the assembly together, they reported all the things that God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith to the nations.

When they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly and the apostles and the elders, and they reported everything that God had done with them.

The apostles and the elders were gathered together to see about this matter.

When there had been much discussion, Peter rose up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that a good while ago God made a choice among you that by my mouth the nations should hear the word of the Good News and believe.

All the multitude kept silence, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul reporting what signs and wonders God had done among the nations through them.

Then all the Greeks seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. Gallio didn’t care about any of these things.

From Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called to himself the elders of the assembly.

When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly.

who, knowing the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the assembly of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:

Paul, an apostle—not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—

But from those who were reputed to be important—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God doesn’t show partiality to man—they, I say, who were respected imparted nothing to me,

So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:

one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself;

Do all things without complaining and arguing,

bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.

But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children.

and not to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which cause disputes, rather than God’s stewardship, which is in faith—

desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor about what they strongly affirm.

I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks be made for all men:

Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching.

Remind them of these things, charging them in the sight of the Lord, that they don’t argue about words, to no profit, to the subverting of those who hear.

But refuse foolish and ignorant questionings, knowing that they generate strife.

traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

to Titus, my true child according to a common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

I left you in Crete for this reason, that you would set in order the things that were lacking and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you,

for the anger of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God.

Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,

Therefore I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and who will also share in the glory that will be revealed.

But these, as unreasoning creatures, born natural animals to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil in matters about which they are ignorant, will in their destroying surely be destroyed,

Regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote to you,

The elder, to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not I only, but also all those who know the truth,

But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.

Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt.

Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all the men who were on the surface of the earth.

Though while he lived he blessed his soul— and men praise you when you do well for yourself—

But the house of Israel will not listen to you, for they will not listen to me; for all the house of Israel are obstinate and hard-hearted.

which they also did, sending it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

but if they are questions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves. For I don’t want to be a judge of these matters.”

seeing that you can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship at Jerusalem.

Therefore he who rejects this doesn’t reject man, but God, who has also given his Holy Spirit to you.

he is conceited, knowing nothing, but obsessed with arguments, disputes, and word battles, from which come envy, strife, insulting, evil suspicions,

forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of wrongdoing;

These are murmurers and complainers, walking after their lusts—and their mouth speaks proud things—showing respect of persons to gain advantage.

If you will do this thing, and God commands you so, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.”

Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they tell you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me as the king over them.

Those who forsake the law praise the wicked; but those who keep the law contend with them.

Joses, who by the apostles was also called Barnabas (which is, being interpreted, Son of Encouragement), a Levite, a man of Cyprus by race,

But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.

So he called them in and provided a place to stay. On the next day Peter arose and went out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.

The Spirit told me to go with them, without discriminating. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house.

The report concerning them came to the ears of the assembly which was in Jerusalem. They sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch,

it seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves will also tell you the same things by word of mouth.

As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered the decrees to them to keep which had been ordained by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem.

The day following, Paul went in with us to James; and all the elders were present.

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

For I reckon that I am not at all behind the very best apostles.

to whom we gave no place in the way of subjection, not for an hour, that the truth of the Good News might continue with you.

The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but be gentle toward all, able to teach, patient,

Beloved, while I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I was constrained to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

Then the contention grew so sharp that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus,

But I determined this for myself, that I would not come to you again in sorrow.