1 Some men came and said, “You must do old rules from Moses, or you cannot be saved.” ♂️⚠️ 2 Paul and Barnabas said, “No.” They argued with them. The church sent Paul, Barnabas, and friends to ask the leaders in Jerusalem. ♂️♂️➡️️ 3 On the way, they told how other people now trust Jesus. The friends were very happy. ️️❤️ 4 In Jerusalem, the church and leaders welcomed them. Paul and Barnabas told all that God did. ✨ 5 Some rule men who believed in Jesus said, “They must do old rules from Moses and keep all the rules.” ☝️ 6 The leaders met to talk about this. ⚖️️ 7 After many talks, Peter stood up. He said, “Long ago God picked me to tell other people about Jesus. They heard and believed.” ♂️️️ 8 God knows hearts. God gave them God’s Holy Spirit, the same as us. ️ 9 God did not make a gap. He made their hearts clean when they trust Him. 10 So why make it hard? Do not put a heavy load on them. Our dads and we could not carry it. 11 We trust the Lord Jesus. His kind gift saves us. It saves them too. ✝️ 12 All were quiet. Barnabas and Paul told how God did big works with other people. ✨ 13 They stopped. James said, “Friends, listen to me.” ♂️ 14 Peter told how God picked other people to be His people. 15 God’s book men said the same thing. ✅ 16 God says: I will come back. I will fix David’s house. I will make it strong. ️ 17 Then other people will look for the Lord. They will be mine. ➡️ 18 God knew this long ago. ⏳ 19 So I say: Do not make it hard for other people who turn to God. ️➡️ 20 But tell them: do not eat food for fake gods. Do not do wrong with your body. Do not eat animals not killed in a good way. Do not eat blood. ️ 21 Moses’ words are read in towns each rest day. People hear these rules. ️️ 22 The leaders and the church picked Judas and Silas to go with Paul and Barnabas. ✅✈️ 23 They wrote a letter: “Hello, friends who are not Jews in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.” ✉️ 24 “We heard some men upset you. They said, ‘Do the old rules.’ We did not send them.” ️❌ 25 “We all agreed to send chosen men with our dear Barnabas and Paul.” ❤️ 26 “They risked their lives for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ✝️️ 27 “Judas and Silas will say the same things to you.” ️ 28 “God’s Holy Spirit and we agree. We will not give you a big load, only a few rules.” ️ 29 “Do not eat food for fake gods. Do not eat blood. Do not eat animals not killed in a good way. Do not do wrong with your body. If you do this, you will do well. Bye!” ️ 30 They went to Antioch. They gathered the people and gave them the letter. 31 They read it and were glad. The letter helped them. 32 Judas and Silas were teachers from God. They spoke many words and made the friends strong in trust. ️ 33 After a time, the friends sent them back with peace. ️ 34 But Silas chose to stay there. ♂️⏸️ 35 Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch. With many others, they taught and told the Lord’s good news. ️ 36 After some days, Paul said, “Let us go back. Let us visit the friends. We will see how they are.” ♂️♂️ 37 Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them. 38 But Paul said no, because Mark left them before and did not help in the work. ✋ 39 They had a big argue. They split. Barnabas took Mark and went by boat to Cyprus. ⚡️ 40 Paul picked Silas. The friends prayed and asked the Lord to help Paul with a kind gift. Then Paul left. ️➡️ 41 Paul went through Syria and Cilicia. He made the churches strong. ️⛪