July through September our series is entitled: Paul's Odyssey II
Odyssey means "a long and adventurous journey or experience". It is the second of a three-part series about the life and ministry of Paul. The text for these three months will cover Acts 15 - 18, Paul's second missionary trip.

Last summer we focused on Saul's conversion to Christ. He went from a persecutor to a proclaimer of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The Lord had a new purpose, or mission, for his life.
The Lord didn't just save him to take up space, live the life he had always lived, and attend church on Sundays. God wanted Saul to be on mission.
Galatians 1:13-16a

If you are a Christian, then you've been given a mission to impact your family, your place of work, school, your neighborhood, your peer group and others. Are you mindful of your mission?

Paul's 1st missionary journey took a good 1 1/2 years as he traveled over 1,500 miles. A LOT happened during this time and Paul had come back to rest and rejoice, but a storm was brewing!
In ministry, you'll always encounter waves...but you just don't know what kind.

Today we'll look at what transpired between Paul's 1st and 2nd trips.
Our text begins in Acts 14:26 and goes through Acts 15:29. We'll look at this passage of Scripture in three segments.

First - The CALM before the storm.
Acts 14:26-28
After completing his long trip (first missionary journey) Paul celebrated, communicated, and crashed (recovery).
From this we can learn a few principles about the storms of life:
Storms are a reality of life.
Storms will come and go.
Storms will provide new opportunities.
Storms will test our faith and obedience.
Storms should teach us to be thankful for the calm times.

Second - The CORRUPTION of truth.
Acts 15:1-2
Gentiles were quickly outnumbering the Jews who had converted to Christ. And the Jews were stubbornly holding on to their identity.
The words, "certain people" were used in verse 1. This wasn't an official delegation, but a few who stepped out from the authority of the Jerusalem church to impose their will on others. Their agenda was purely selfish and not in the best interest of the Lord or those that He loves.
They changed the Gospel message of God's Grace through Faith in Jesus to a system of works.
Galatians 1:6-8
A few points of application:
1. There will always be false teachers and opinionated people - measure them by the Word.
2. Follow God's chain of command in your dealings with others.
3. Put forth the effort to properly understand and communicate the Gospel.

Third - The COUNCIL at Jerusalem.
Acts 15:3-4
Most of the rest of the chapter (through verse 29) covers the discussions and decisions that took place at this important council of spiritual leaders. This Scripture lays out the areas of conflict but also the commitment the spiritual leaders had to God's teachings and His people.
The result confirmed that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus alone, without works or keeping of the laws.
It also showed that men should not be so insistent on their own preference that they wound one another with harshness or unreal expectations.

There is a famous saying, "In essentials Unity, In non-essentials Liberty, In all things Charity.
Application for this third truth:
1. Even in uncertain times, we need to be telling the Story.
2. God's chain of command is for our protection and the preservation of the truth.
3. Give credit to God and resist the temptation to bow to the applause of men.

As you read verses 22-29 you see how the storm of false teaching is averted, the integrity of God's Word is maintained, and spiritual leadership is enforced.
Application:
The opinions and experiences of men must always be filtered through the pages of the Scriptures and be in subjection to the spiritual leadership of the church.