Paul and Barnabas were “sent on their way by the Holy Spirit…” What does it mean to be sent by the Holy Spirit?

“…all who were appointed for eternal life believed.”
This is the foreknowledge of God, not predestination. God knew ahead of time whose names were written in the Book of Life, put there before the foundations of the earth were established.
(Revelation 13:8)

Persecution was stirred up against Paul and Barnabas, “So they shook the dust from their feet…”
Often the Jews would shake the dust off their feet when leaving a Gentile town, so this was a familiar phrase. It symbolized cleansing themselves from the contamination of those who did not worship God. Jesus told His disciples to do this if any town would not accept them or listen to them. What does that mean for us as Believers today? If we have faithfully, carefully, and sensitively presented the message of Jesus Christ we are not held responsible for the decision the other person may make. Being filled with joy is a great indicator of being in God’s will and knowing when to “shake the dust”.  We should be careful though and not use this as an excuse to stop witnessing too soon.

When Paul delivered his first sermon of record, he was speaking to the Jews in the synagogue. They were accustomed to the old law of sacrificing animals for the forgiveness of sins. Paul introduced the new order of things. Paul says, "I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses."

This was a totally new concept. To stop animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins and believe in Jesus as the sacrificial "lamb" was a radical move for them.

Paul was stoned and dragged outside the city where he was left for dead. After the disciples gathered around him, Paul not only got up and went back into the city but he preached the good news and won a large number of disciples. The stoning itself could have killed Paul, the dragging certainly could have. Yet he was able to return to his mission, almost immediately. What happened when the disciples gathered around him????  We (Phil and Patti) personally believe that Paul was actually dead and he was brought back to life.

2 Corinthians 12:2
I know a man in Christ fourteen years before (whether in the body, I do not know; or outside of the body, I do not know; God knows) such a one was caught up to the third Heaven. 

(By the way, according to most historical evidence, the stoning of Paul took place about 14 years before 2 Corinthians was written.  Hmmm...)

Concerning circumcision:
Many of the Jews believed that a Gentile convert should go through Judaism first. Circumcision was merely a symbol of the attitude of obeying the letter of the law.  What they decided was that if a man wanted to be circumcised, that was his decision, but it wasn't necessary for salvation.  This is similar to water baptism.  Water baptism is certainly a personal decision but it is not necessary to be immersed baptized in water for salvation.  These Gentiles were not familiar with the history of God's people, the Mosaic law, the commandments, the precepts, etc. The apostles and elders sent to the Gentile believers some guidelines to follow.
1. Abstain from food sacrificed to idols
2. Abstain from blood
3. Abstain from the meat of strangled animals
4. Abstain from sexual immorality

These four requirements were more than just the literal interpretation. The first three refer to anything pagan.