Di Big Meeting for Jerusalem

Voices dey rise for one room wey full for Antioch. Some visitors from Judea just talk one thing wey turn joy to worry. Unless una do wetin we dey do, dem talk, una no fit be saved.

Di church for Antioch na new kind of family. Jewish believers and Gentile believers, people from all kinds of backgrounds, dey worship Jesus side by side. Paul and Barnabas just come back from one long journey, dey tell everybody how God open door of faith for di Gentiles. Then di visitors come from Judea, dey teach say Gentile believers must do circumcision and keep di law of Moses, as Jewish men dey do. Paul and Barnabas no agree at all. Di argument no small. So di church decide: make we no divide. Make we send Paul and Barnabas and some others go up to Jerusalem, make dem talk di matter with di apostles and di elders.

As dem dey go south, pass Phoenicia and Samaria, Paul and Barnabas tell di believers how Gentiles dey turn to God, and joy fill everybody. For Jerusalem, di church welcome dem. But some believers wey be Pharisees before stand up and talk am straight: Gentile believers must do circumcision, and dem must tell dem make dem keep di law of Moses. So di apostles and elders gather to look di matter. Di discussion long. People talk wetin dey dem mind. Then Peter stand up. E remind dem how, many years before, God choose am to tell di good news to di household of one Roman soldier. God, wey know di heart, give dem di Holy Spirit just as e give us. E no make any difference between us and dem, e clean dem heart by faith.

Peter continue. So now, why una dey test God, as una wan put yoke for di neck of di disciples, one yoke wey our fathers no fit carry, and we sef no fit carry? But we believe say na through di grace of di Lord Jesus Christ we go be saved, just like dem. Di whole room quiet. Then Barnabas and Paul tell about di signs and wonders wey God do among di Gentiles through dem. When dem finish, James, di brother of Jesus and one leader for Jerusalem, talk. E say di words of di prophets agree with am, and e quote Amos: God go build back di house of David wey fall, so dat di rest of mankind, all di Gentiles, go seek di Lord. And James give im judgment: we no suppose trouble di Gentiles wey dey turn to God.

Instead, James suggest some few things wey dem suppose keep away from: food wey dem offer to idols, sexual sin, di meat of animals wey dem strangle, and blood. Simple guidelines so dat Jewish and Gentile believers fit share one table for peace. Di apostles, di elders and di whole church agree. Dem write one letter and choose two men wey people respect, Judas wey dem dey call Barsabas, and Silas, make dem carry am go back with Paul and Barnabas. Di letter talk say, E seem good to di Holy Spirit, and to us, say make we no put any burden on top una pass dis necessary things. For Antioch, dem gather everybody and read am loud. And di people rejoice because of di encouragement. Judas and Silas stay there small time, dey strengthen di believers with plenty words, before dem send dem go in peace.

Antioch, where dis argument start, no be small town at all. E dey for di River Orontes for Syria, and di Jewish historian Josephus call am di third city for di Roman world, after Rome itself and Alexandria for Egypt. Acts tell us say na for Antioch dem first call di disciples Christians. One big, mixed, international city na exactly di place where di question of Jews and Gentiles together go first show.

Di big meeting for Jerusalem. You go find am for Acts chapter fifteen, verse one to thirty-five. One church wey no agree at all, but choose to listen, to look wetin God dey do, to search di scriptures, and to welcome new people by grace. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When people no agree for your family or church, how you fit help dem listen to one another and to God?