[:en]The Council at Jerusalem (vs. 1-21)
There is a question as to whether the Gentiles had to adhere to the law of Moses and the custom of circumcision or not. Believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees insisted that the Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses. They were afraid of breaking moral standards if they did not follow Jewish Law. However, salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not by law. So Paul and Barnabas discussed this problem with the leaders of the church. Their differences were settled amicably.
The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers (vs. 22-35)
The apostles and elders with the whole church decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They also chose Judas (called Barsabas) and Silas ad send letters to the Gentle believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia telling them to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.
Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas (vs. 36-41)
Paul and Barnabas disagreed sharply over Mark. Paul did not want to take him along because he had left them earlier. Their disagreement caused the two great preachers to separate. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus while Paul chose Silas and went through Syria and Cilicia.
Christians do not always agree but problems can be settled by agreeing to disagree and letting God work out His will.[:]