<p>15:3 <i>Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the believers</i>- Given our notes on :1, this is a true sign of spiritual maturity: to rejoice in the accession of others to our community of faith, when the newcomers are of a radically different ethos and culture to our own. &quot;Great joy&quot; is a phrase used four times by Luke; it was a characteristic of the early church.</p>