Beaten, Chained, and Free (Acts 16:16-34)
Sermon for Milledgeville and Centenary UMC... [Slide] Beaten, Chained, and Free (Acts 16:16-34) Paul and Silas in a Philippi Jail Today we continue our study of the Book of Acts with Paul’s second missionary journey. After his first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas returned to Syrian Antioch. [Slide] During this time, some Jewish Christians from Jerusalem visited the church in Antioch and told the Gentile Christians, “Unless you are circumcised, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1) Paul and Barnabas strongly opposed them. [Slide] This led to the famous Jerusalem Council recorded in Acts 15. Peter reminded them that God gave the Holy Spirit to Gentiles just as He had to Jewish followers of Jesus. God made no distinction. “We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” (Acts 15:11) The Church acknowledged that salvation was through the grace of Jesus, not the law of Moses. The Jerusalem Church issued a form...