Acts 15

http://www.esvbible.org/Acts+15/

Paul and Barnabas hear many people telling that all male believers must be circumcised, like Jewish men, in order to be accepted by Christ. Paul and Barnabas try to cast out these rumors because they are untrue. God does not worry about what you look like or what you physically do to yourself, as long as you set your heart right. The believers in Antioch, however, send Paul and Barnabas the Jerusalem to speak to the apostles. After much debate, Peter recounts the tale of how the Lord told Peter the He cleansed the non-Jewish people, and the Holy Spirit has already filled many non-Jewish believers. Jesus did not dies to cleanse one group of people, so God does not discriminate between people groups any longer. James says that the prophets spoke of this, and in the next quotation, the prophet does say all the people who aren't Jewish in particular. So the church elders come up with a few things from Jewish teachings that they think carry over from Christ's teachings and write a letter to the Church in Antioch that the rumors they have heard are untrue, and they list the rules they think believers should follow. Then, they send Silas and Judas with Paul and Barnabas to deliver this. Since Silas and Judas have the Spiritual Gift of prophecy, they speak at great length to the church before the church sends them back to Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas stay even longer.

After some time, Paul told Barnabas that they should travel to all of the lands where they spread the Good News and check on the progress of the churches there. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them, but Paul did not think John Mark should be allowed to go with them since he abandoned them before and did not help them work. Paul and Barnabas ended up disagreeing so strongly on this point that they split ways. Barnabas took John Mark with him, and Paul took Silas with him.