The Gospel Delivered, The Saints Encouraged Text: Acts 15:30-35
Introduction: The Aftermath of a Good Fight
We live in an age that is terrified of doctrinal clarity. Our generation treats theological conviction as though it were a social disease. The highest virtue is not truth, but a squishy, sentimental tolerance that calls everything into question except for the one dogma that you must not question anything. The result is a church that is broad, shallow, and frankly, boring. It is a river a thousand miles wide and an inch deep. It can't bear any weight. It can't refresh anyone. It is a swamp of niceness.
The previous section of Acts 15 shows us a church that was not afraid of a good fight. The apostles and elders in Jerusalem confronted a deep, foundational error, the idea that a Gentile had to become a Jew before he could become a Christian. This was not a minor squabble over carpet color in the fellowship hall. This was a battle for the soul of the gospel. The Judaizers were attempting to put the grace of God on lockdown, to make Jesus a mere supplement to Moses. And the apostles, led by the Spirit, brought the hammer down. They fought, they deliberated, they appealed to Scripture and to the clear work of God, and they rendered a definitive judgment. They wrote a letter.
Now, in our passage, we see the results of that conflict. And what are the results? Division? Bitterness? A church split down the middle? Not in the slightest. The result of doctrinal faithfulness is joy. The result of apostolic clarity is encouragement. The result of standing firm on the gospel is strength. When the truth of God is delivered faithfully, the people of God are built up powerfully. This is because the gospel is not a burden; it is a relief. It is not a set of heavy regulations; it is the announcement of glorious liberty. The church at Antioch had been troubled by legalists, and now they were about to be refreshed by the gospel.
This passage is a picture of a healthy church in action. It shows us how a church receives authoritative teaching, how it is strengthened by the ministry of the Word, and how it becomes a hub for further gospel advance. This is what happens when the gospel is unchained and allowed to do its work.
The Text
So when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And both Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with a lengthy message. And after they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brothers in peace to those who had sent them. [But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.] But Paul and Barnabas spent a long time in Antioch, teaching and preaching with many others also, the word of the Lord.
(Acts 15:30-35 LSB)
Gospel Delivery and Gospel Joy (vv. 30-31)
We begin with the arrival of the delegation in Antioch.
"So when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement." (Acts 15:30-31)
The first thing to notice is the straightforward authority of the whole process. The delegation from Jerusalem, which includes Paul and Barnabas, but also Judas and Silas, doesn't just wander into town and start whispering in corners. They gather the whole congregation together. This is a public matter. The false teachers had troubled the whole church, and so the remedy must be applied to the whole church.
They deliver the letter from the Jerusalem council. This letter was the written, authoritative verdict. It wasn't a collection of suggestions or pious advice. It was a judgment, rendered by the apostles and elders under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And how does the church at Antioch receive this exercise of ecclesiastical authority? With suspicion? With resentment? No, they receive it with joy. Why?
The text tells us plainly: "they rejoiced because of its encouragement." The Greek word for encouragement here is paraklesis. It means comfort, exhortation, solace. The gospel, when clarified, is always an encouragement. The Judaizers had come with a message of "you must," a message of earning and striving and measuring up. They had laid a heavy yoke on the necks of these Gentile believers. But the letter from Jerusalem was a message of "it is done." It was a confirmation that their salvation rested on Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone. This is always good news. It is the best news. It is a message that lifts burdens, it doesn't impose them.
This joy is the litmus test of true doctrine. Does the teaching you are hearing lead to liberty and gladness in Christ, or does it lead to anxiety, pride, and a constant, nagging fear that you haven't done enough? The true gospel sets prisoners free, and free men are happy men. The false gospels, all of them, put you back in chains, and there is no joy in a prison cell. The Antiochians rejoiced because the letter confirmed their freedom in Jesus Christ.
Prophetic Strengthening (v. 32-33)
The letter was not the only means of grace delivered to Antioch. God also sent men to expound upon it.
"And both Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with a lengthy message. And after they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brothers in peace to those who had sent them." (Acts 15:32-33 LSB)
Judas (not Iscariot, obviously) and Silas were not just mailmen. They are identified here as prophets. In the New Testament, a prophet was someone who spoke God's word to God's people. While it could include prediction, its primary function was forth-telling, not fore-telling. It was inspired preaching. They took the doctrinal truth of the letter and drove it home to the hearts of the people with power and application.
And notice the effect of their preaching. They "encouraged and strengthened the brothers." Here we have that word paraklesis again, encouraged. But another word is added: strengthened. True biblical preaching does two things. It comforts the afflicted and it afflicts the comfortable. It brings the encouragement of grace, but it also builds spiritual muscle. It strengthens. Sound doctrine is the high-carbohydrate diet of the soul. It provides the fuel for robust Christian living. A church that is fed on a steady diet of theological fluff and sentimental stories will be a weak church, unable to withstand the slightest cultural pressure. A church fed on the meat of the Word will be strong, resilient, and ready for a fight.
Their message was "lengthy." This wasn't a ten-minute devotional with three sweet points. This was a substantial, theological meal. They took the time to explain, to reason, to apply, and to build up the church. After their work was done, they were sent off "in peace." This indicates that the mission was a complete success. The trouble had been dealt with, the church was unified and joyful, and fellowship between Jerusalem and Antioch was strong.
The Ongoing Ministry at the Hub (v. 34-35)
The conclusion of this episode shows us that Antioch was not just a recipient of ministry, but a center of it.
"[But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.] But Paul and Barnabas spent a long time in Antioch, teaching and preaching with many others also, the word of the Lord." (Acts 15:34-35 LSB)
Verse 34 is not in all the ancient manuscripts, but it provides a good explanation for how Silas is available to join Paul on his next journey shortly after this. Whether he stayed on then, or returned later, the point is that strong connections were being forged.
But the main focus is on verse 35. Paul and Barnabas remain in Antioch, and what do they do? They are "teaching and preaching... the word of the Lord." This is the lifeblood of a healthy church. Preaching (kerusso) is the public proclamation, the heralding of the good news. Teaching (didasko) is the systematic instruction, the building of a coherent worldview from all of Scripture. A healthy church needs both. It needs the fire of proclamation and the light of instruction.
And notice, it was not just Paul and Barnabas. They were ministering "with many others also." Antioch was a thriving Christian metropolis. It was a deep bench. It was a place where the Word was being ministered in a rich and multifaceted way. This is what happens when a church is centered on the gospel. It doesn't just create passive consumers who come to be entertained for an hour a week. It creates an entire culture of ministry, where many people are equipped and active in speaking the truth in love to one another.
Antioch was the first great missionary sending church, and it was so because it was first a great missionary receiving church. It was a church that was deeply rooted in the apostolic gospel, constantly being watered by the teaching and preaching of the Word. And out of that deep-rooted health, immense fruitfulness was the natural result.
Conclusion: The Encouragement of a Settled Gospel
So what does this mean for us? This passage is a profound encouragement for us to be a people of the Book, a people of conviction. When a church knows what it believes and why it believes it, the result is not arrogance, but joy. When the gospel of grace is clearly proclaimed, the result is not laziness, but strength.
Our world is confused. It is adrift on a sea of relativism, and it is drowning. The last thing it needs is for the church to be just as confused, just as adrift. What it needs is a church that stands on the solid rock of God's Word, a church that knows the truth, loves the truth, and proclaims the truth without apology.
The letter to Antioch settled the matter. It drew a clear line. On this side is the gospel of grace. On that side is a gospel of works, which is no gospel at all. And the people rejoiced because they knew where they stood. They stood on grace, and that is the only place to stand that brings encouragement and strength.
We must recover this confidence. We must recover the joy that comes from a settled faith. Let us be a people who receive the Word with gladness, who delight in lengthy, meaty preaching, and who build a culture where the word of the Lord is taught and proclaimed by many. Because a church that is strengthened by the gospel is a church that will, like Antioch, be a blessing to the nations.