Acts 15:8-17

⁸God knows what people are thinking, and he gave them the Holy Spirit to show them that he wants them in his family too. You see, at first he gave the Holy Spirit to us, then he gave the Holy Spirit to those people that are not Jews.

⁹He did the same thing for them that he did for us. They believed in him and he made them clean from the wrong things they did.

¹⁰So, why are you telling those Christians that are not Jews to do something that is too hard for them. You might upset God. You know that we can’t keep all of the law of Moses. It is too hard for us, and it was too hard for our grand-fathers too

¹¹But our leader, Jesus, is good to everybody in the same way. We believe in him, and he saves us.”

¹²Then everyone stopped talking and listened to Barnabas and Paul. They told everyone that God gave them power to do great things for the people that are not Jews.

¹³They finished talking, then a man called James stood up and said, “My friends, listen to me.

¹⁴Peter just told us about the first time God showed everyone that he loves those people that are not Jews, and that he picked some of them to be his own people.

¹⁵A long time ago God’s men told that same message. They wrote,

¹⁶‘God said, “I will come back later and I will fix up David’s family again. They are like a tent that broke and fell down. But I will fix them up and make them strong again.

¹⁷And some people from other countries will ask me for help. They are my people too. I am God. I promised to do that a long time ago, so I will do it.” ’ That’s in God’s book.”