The Councils Letter to the Gentile Believers; Acts 15:22 – 35 – Part 4

Church History: Date: A.D. 49-50
As soon as they arrived in Antioch, they gathered the multitude together, and delivered the epistle to them. This was done so that they might all know what was expected of them. The people were wonderfully pleased with the orders that came from Jerusalem. They rejoiced for the consolation; and a great consolation it was to the multitude. They were confirmed in their freedom from the yoke of the ceremonial law, and were not burdened with it, as those upstart teachers would have had them to be. It was a comfort to them to hear that the carnal ordinances were no longer imposed on them, which perplexed the conscience, but could not purify nor pacify it. Those who troubled their minds with an attempt to force circumcision upon them were now silenced and put aside. The fraud of their pretensions to an Apostolical warrant being now discovered. The Gentiles were encouraged to receive the gospel, and those that had received it were to adhere to it. The peace of the church was restored, and that removed the things which threatened to be a division. All this was consolation which they rejoiced in, and blessed God for.
When they had spent some time among them they were sent in peace from the brethren at Antioch, to the apostles at Jerusalem, with all possible expressions of kindness and respect; they thanked them for their coming and pains, and the good service they had done, wished them their health and a good journey home, and committed them to the custody of the peace of God.
Silas, when it came time to leave, would not go back with Judas to Jerusalem, but let him go home by himself, and chose rather to stay at Antioch. We have no reason at all to blame him for it, though we don’t know the reason that moved him stay. The congregations at Antioch were both larger and livelier than those at Jerusalem, and this might have tempted him to stay there, and he did well: so did Judas, who, notwithstanding this, returned to his post of service at Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas, though their work lay chiefly among the Gentiles, lingered for some time in Antioch, being pleased with the society of the ministers and people there, which, it should seem by divers passages, was more than ordinarily inviting. They continued there, not to take their pleasure, but teaching and preaching the word of God. Antioch was the chief city of Syria, and it is probable there was as large a number of Gentiles there from several nations, as there was of Jews from Jerusalem; so that in preaching there they did in effect preach to many nations, for they preached to those who would carry the report of what they preached to many nations, and thereby prepare them for the apostles' coming in person to preach to them. In other words, they were not only busy at Antioch, but were serving their main intention. There were many others also there, laboring at the same oar. The multitude of workmen in Christ's vineyard does not give us a writ of ease. Even where there are many others laboring in the word and doctrine, yet there may be opportunity for us; the zeal and usefulness of others should excite us, not lay us asleep.