A controversy had sprung up in the church as more and more Gentiles were getting saved. There were a group of Jews who felt that the only way for a Gentile to be saved was if they were circumcised and became a Jew.

In response to this problem, the church in Jerusalem got together and after much discussion, agreed that salvation comes only by believing in Jesus, and that we are saved by grace, and not by the keeping of the Law.

The church wants to make sure that there’s no room for someone to question what has happened.

troubled – tarasso – to agitate, trouble, to render anxious or distressed

subverting – anaskeuazo – to pack up baggage in order to carry it away to another place; dismantling, plundering, ravage. It’s a picture of what your house would look like after someone broke in and ransacked it, except this is what’s done to your soul.

we gave no such commandment – James wants it to be clear that these Judaizers were not sent by the church in Jerusalem to circumcise the Gentiles. They were acting on their own, out of their own zeal.

It seemed good – same word in verse 22 translated "then pleased it ..." (dokeo)

one accord – homothumadon – with one mind, with one accord, with one passion, we might say they were "unanimous" in their decision.

Paul and Barnabas had risked their lives to bring the gospel to the unsaved.

it seemed good – dokeo – the word dokeo ("it seemed good", "it pleased") is only used nine times in the entire book of Acts, and 1/3 of those times are right here in verses 22,25,28. I think Luke is trying to make a point here and show us a kind of theme running through these verses.

meats offered to idols – the cheapest meat could always be bought at the back of the pagan temples, after having been sacrificed to the pagan gods. Kind of like an "Aphrodite Alpha Beta".

As we mentioned a few weeks ago, the reason the Gentiles were encouraged to abstain from this kind of meat was for the sake of the Jewish people among them (15:21).

As Paul would write to the Corinthians in 1Cor. 8; the truth is, there are no such things as "gods", and an idol is just a lump of wood or metal. There is no big deal to eating meat sacrificed to idols.

For the sake of the Jewish people, for love’s sake, the Gentiles were encouraged to abstain from eating meat sacrificed to idols.

These too were for the sake of the Jews, who were forbidden to eat meat that still had the blood in it. (Lev. 17:10-11)

fornication – porneia – any kind of sex outside the bounds of marriage.

The first century world was not too much unlike our modern society.

consolation – paraklesis – exhortation, admonition, encouragement, comfort

exhorted – parakaleo – to admonish, exhort; to console, to encourage

let us go again – epistrepho – to turn to; to return, come back

visit – episkeptomai – to look upon, to inspect, examine with the eyes

This is what Paul intends to do, just visit the churches that have already been started and strengthen them. But it’s going to go far beyond that.

Mark was some kind of relative to Barnabas, either a nephew or a cousin (Col. 4:10)

determined – bouleuo – to deliberate with one's self, consider; to take counsel, resolve

thought (not) good – axioo – to think fit; to judge worthy. Literally, "But Paul kept on thinking it wise not to be taking along with them this one."

departed – aphistemi –to depart from anyone, to desert

Who was wrong?

contention – paroxusmos ("paroxysm") – an inciting; irritation, a sharp split. I do not see this as "agreeing to disagree". The disagreement here is so sharp that it splits apart the dynamic duo of Paul and Barnabas.

Cyprus was Barnabas’ home.

I’ve heard it taught that God would use this division between Paul and Barnabas to double the work. About half of my commentaries presented it this way.

Why I don’t think this split was that great, it doesn’t seem that Barnabas is really the same afterwards –

Silas will accompany Paul through what is called the "second missionary journey" which goes through Acts 18. The last that we see Silas with Paul is in Acts 18:5, when he and Paul have established the church in Corinth.

It’s while they’re in Corinth (around AD 51) that Silas will write a couple of letters with Paul (1Thess. 1:1; 2Thess. 1:1)

The last we hear of Silas (also known as Silvanus), he is helping Peter write his first epistle (around AD 63), along with John Mark (1Pet.5:12-13)

This is the same phrase that was used when Barnabas and Paul began their first missionary journey –

It would appear that after the split between Paul and Barnabas, that Paul has the approval of the church in Antioch.

Syria is the area that Antioch was in, Cilicia was the area to the north, where Paul’s hometown of Tarsus was.