Hello,
Read Acts 15:36-16:15
Today’s passage is the reality check we all need as we study Acts as we see not everything is peace and unity in the early church even after the council of Jerusalem.
After the big decision to not put too many restrictions on Gentiles entering the church, which would have been a considerable “win” for Paul and Barnabas, the two of them have such a big fight they split up their ministry. Paul takes Silas, and then Timothy, and Barnabas takes John Mark, who they were fighting about.
Not only does this split happen, but Paul has Timothy get circumcised because of the Jews in the area he was going, which was just decided didn’t need to happen. And then, to make matters worse perhaps the Holy Spirit forbids them to speak the word in Asia, and doesn’t allow them to go into Bithynia. Instead they are called in a vision to go to Macedonia and eventually make it to the city of Philippi.
What’s happening here? I don’t know. Even though things don’t work out the way the missionaries want in these cases, God is still at work. We can lament the fact Paul and Barnabas have this split over John Mark, and we can also celebrate that instead of just one missionary journey, there are two that take place as Paul heads to Syria and Cilicia and Barnabas goes to Cyrus and then perhaps onto Alexandria.
We can lament that Paul and the others weren’t able to go to Asia (they eventually make it there, after all he spends quite a lot of time in Ephesus), but if Paul had bullishly continued on and not been receptive he wouldn’t have listened to God’s voice to go north to Macedonia.
How do you respond when things don’t go as planned? Do you think God has abandoned you, or do you look for what new thing God might be doing in this unexpected or even unhoped for situation? Following God’s call, being faithful to what God is doing in the world doesn’t mean we won’t rub up against other believers and that the church will be absent of conflict. Being faithful will often result in us having difficult conversations with people we love and care about deeply. May we each have the grace and courage we need when situations like that arise.
Grace and Peace,
Matt
P.S. If you’re terribly concerned about Paul and Barnabas and especially Paul and John Mark, check out Colossians 4:10 and 2 Timothy 4:10 as well.