Beware of the religious VIPERS, they're still out there

First in Iconium

Acts 14:5 And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them,

Then Lystra
Acts 14:19 Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.

Everywhere Paul went he face persecution for preaching The Gospel. Can you imagine what a stoning when he was supposed dead would look like. These people were no strangers to stoning and they concluded he was dead. And by the protection and Grace of God he gets up and picks right up where he left off....and what does he say about it:

Act 14:21-22 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,
22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."

COME ON MAN! Does that sound like "Easy Believism" to you? READ THAT AGAIN! "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God." Persecution for righteousness sake, not for the cares of this world.

Acts 15:1 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."

Acts 15:5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses."

Talk about an age old problem. The religous putting parameters on salvation. Pick your favotite herecy; you must be circumcised, you must be confirmed catholic, you must pray facing Meca "x" amount of times per day, you must this or that.

Acts 15:4 And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them.

All of the amazing things God did through Paul and Barnabas and they still were not prideful or under any illusion that they did it, but it was God through them....or as they said, "God had done with them". This is where we need to get to, surrendering ourselves as tools for God to do with what He wills.

Peter clarifies everything for those that want to add to Jesus Christ's finished work on the Cross:

Act 15:8-9 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,
9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

I never noticed this before; but within Acts 15 is a letter addressing the circumcision group (along with it any other "Christ plus" doctrines). Paul dispells the "works righteousness" dosctrined, but makes repentance clear:

Act 15:28-29 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:
29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.

Over and over again as we read in The Word that we are to absatin from all wickedness. In Galatians and Ephesians Paul gives us a list that hits a little closer to home than this list (which was the issue for that people group):

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 4:30-31 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

Ephesians 5:3-5 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

This next verse really gives us a template to go by, notice how Paul doesn't just preach The Word, but he goes back to continue ministering to those who believe:
Acts 15:36 Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing."

The thing that jumped out to me in this next set of verses is that it seems there is a season for everything and at this point Paul and Barnabas were at the close of a season of ministry together:
Act 15:37-40 Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark.
38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.
39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus;
40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God.