Acts 15:36-16:10 - Some People, Some Places

Introduction

[READING - Acts 15:36-16:10]

Acts 15:36–16:10 NASB95

After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily. They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

[PRAYER]

[CONTEXT] Paul and Barnabas returned from their first missionary journey, rejoiced with the church in Antioch that had sent them out, stood against false teachers who tried to lead people away from faith alone, and continued to teach and preach the word of the Lord.

Then Paul wanted to visit those people and places from their first missionary journey, and Barnabas was will but wanted to take along John Mark.

Paul insisted that they not take John Mark, and suddenly the partnership between Paul and Barnabas was over.

[CIT] Shockingly, Paul and Barnabas parted company, but the Lord providentially used it to increase His impact around the world.

[PROP] Here we learn that some people will go with us on our missionary journey through life but not all people. We’ll make disciples in some places but not all places.

But the Lord uses is all for His glory and the growth of His church.

[TS] Those are the two THINGS that I want us to remember today…

Major Ideas

THING #1: On our missionary journey, some people won’t go with us, but some people will (15:36-41; 16:1-5).

Acts 15:36–41 NASB95

After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

[EXP] In v. 36 we see THE PLAN, to visit all the believers from Paul and Barnabas’s first missionary journey.

That journey took them from Syrian Antioch to Cyprus, Perga, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. Then Paul and Barnabas back tracked through all those places as they returned home on that first missionary journey.

Paul and Barnabas were planning to visit and encourage the believers in these churches for the second times.

But in v. 38 we see THE PROBLEM, Barnabas wanted to take along his cousin, John Mark, on this second missionary journey.

John Mark had abandoned Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. It says in Acts 13:13 that when the team arrive in Perga, “John (Mark) left them and returned to Jerusalem,” (Acts 13:13).

We don’t know why John Mark left them.

Some speculate that there was a pressing family matter back home.

Some others think that an illness Paul suffered made John Mark question the wisdom of continuing the journey.

Others believe that John Mark went back home to Jerusalem because the journey was moving into increasingly Gentile areas.

Ultimately, we don’t know why John Mark left, but we do know that Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement, wanted to give him a second chance and Paul emphatically did not.

John Mark had deserted Paul, Barnabas, and the work on that first missionary, so Paul ‘kept insisting’ that John Mark not along on the second missionary journey, while it seems that Barnabas kept suggesting that he be allowed to go.

The two brothers in Christ who stood together against false teachers in Antioch couldn’t come together concerning John Mark, so THEY PARTED.

Verse 39 says, “There arose a sharp disagreement that they separated…”

The Greek word (paroxysmos) for ‘sharp disagreement’ comes right into English as paroxysm, which refers to ‘a sudden attack or violent expression of something’.

Paul and Barnabas fell out with one another, and it wasn’t pretty.

Barnabas and Mark headed for Cyprus, Barnabas’s hometown and the first place visited on that first missionary journey.

They were starting at the beginning of the first missionary journey.

Paul and Silas headed north for Cilicia on the way to Derbe and Lystra.

They were starting at the end of the first missionary journey.

It says in v. 40 that Paul and Silas were “committed by the brethren to the grace of God.”

Some people understand this to be an endorsement of Paul and Silas and, therefore, a condemnation of Barnabas and John Mark.

Others, however, believe that this statement is included in v. 40 as a defense of Paul who at this point refused to give John Mark a second chance but was still “committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord” as he traveled through Syria and Cilicia strengthening the churches.

But then we see THE PROVIDENCE of God; we see God working through this parting of Paul and Barnabas for His glory and the good of His church.

When Paul and Barnabas parted and then joined with different missions partners, the number of missionaries sent out went from 2 to four.

And then we read in Acts 16:1-5…

Acts 16:1–5 NASB95

Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.

Timothy was a disciple, a follower of Jesus who was likely converted when Paul and Barnabas came to Lystra preaching the Gospel on that first missionary journey. He was well spoken of by the other Christians there, and Paul wanted him to join his team, but there was one issue.

Whenever Paul and Barnabas went to a new city on their first missionary journey, they always went to preach the Gospel at the local Jewish synagogue first if the city had one.

But Timothy was the uncircumcised son of a Jewish mother and a Greek father (likely not a Gentile god-fearer like Cornelius in Acts 10 but a true pagan), which means that Timothy would likely be viewed as something like a Samaritan or an apostate Jew; he likely wouldn’t be permitted to enter the synagogue and no Jewish person would take what he said about Jesus seriously.

So, in order to become a Jew in hopes of reaching Jews for Christ, Timothy decides to get circumcised.

As we studied in Acts 15, this circumcision didn’t save Timothy, but it was a practical act in hopes of removing any barriers between the Jews and the Gospel.

Paul, Silas, and Timothy passed through the cities, telling Gentile believers about the instructions from the Jerusalem Council, and the churches were growing and getting stronger.

I believer that in another place, Barnabas and Mark were doing the same with the same result. Why don’t we have their work recorded in Acts? Because Luke wasn’t with them.

If you look in v. 10, you see Luke’s language go from “they” to “we” because Luke likely joined Paul’s team at that point. In v. 8, Luke wrote…

Acts 16:8 NASB95

and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.

But then in v. 10, he wrote…

Acts 16:10 NASB95

When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

So now it wasn’t just Paul, Silas, and Timothy, but Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke. God providentially used the parting of Paul and Barnabas to put six missionaries on the field instead of two.

On our missionary journey through life, some people will go with us, and some people won’t but the Lord providentially works through every missionary journey to glorify Himself and grow His church.

[ILLUS] George Whitefield and John Wesley were close friends, brothers in Christ, and co-founders of the Methodist movement along with a few others way back before the Revolutionary War.

Each man was a faithful minister and powerful preacher in his own right, but they disagreed over God’s sovereignty in salvation, charismatic gifts like speaking in tongues, and slavery.

Seeing no way to come together on these issues, the two men parted, and both went on to have world-changing ministries separate of one another.

[APP] As believers, we’re all on a missionary journey. Some will go with us, and for various reasons some won’t.

Sometimes we will go separate ways because we have different opinions.

Paul and Barnabas had different opinions on John Mark, so they went their separate ways.

Sometimes we will go separate ways because we have different interests.

Maybe you have an interest in music, and I have an interest in crafts. If so, we might find ourselves on different journeys as we serve the Lord, and that’s OK; we can’t be interested and involved in everything.

Sometimes we will go separate ways because we have different callings.

I have been call to serve as pastor here, while others are called to be missionaries elsewhere.

But although our missionary journeys may differ, we are still together in the Lord, and the Lord will providentially use all our journeys to glorify Himself and grow His church.

We will journey with some people but not all people, and that’s OK.

My journey is not better than your’s, and your’s isn’t better than mine.

The Lord uses us all as sees fit.

[TS] On our missionary journey, some people won’t go with us, and some people will.

THING #2: On our missionary journey, some places aren’t for us, but some places are (16:6-10).

Acts 16:6–10 NASB95

They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

[EXP] In v. 6 Paul and his team are FORBIDDEN by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He is called ‘the Spirit of Jesus’ in v. 7. After Jesus was crucified and raised, He ascended to the Father’s right hand and poured out the Holy Spirit on His disciples.

Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus, the Head of the Church, is still directing the mission of the church, and Jesus forbade and Paul and his team to preach the Gospel in Asia at this time.

So they passed through the regions of Phrygia and Galatia and came to the region of Mysia thinking they would preach the Gospel in the city of Bithynia; but the Spirit of Jesus DID NOT PERMIT them.

They passed on by and came to Troas.

At Troas Paul had a vision; he saw a Macedonian man standing and calling out, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” As Luke wrote in v. 10, immediately they concluded that God had called them to PREACH THE GOSPEL IN MACEDONIA.

Charles Spurgeon said, “The best help we can give men socially is to help them religiously, and the best religious help is to preach the Gospel to them.”

The Gospel is the good news that God has saved us from His wrath by pouring out His wrath on His Son, Jesus. Jesus willingly took our wrath in our place on the cross. Three days later God raised His Son from the dead, certain proof that all who trust in Jesus will be saved from sin, death, and hell.

This is the Gospel that must be preached to all people in all places… but we can only preach it to some people in some places.

[ILLUS] I once had a sister in Christ from another church invite me to preach at her church on a certain Sunday night. She said, “You can surely come preach on that night.” I said that I surely could not because I had to preach at Emmanuel on that night. She pressed, and I nicely said no again. She pressed some more, and I finally said something like, “I have to preach at Emmanuel, and I can’t be in two places at once, so I won’t be coming to your church.”

[APP] I am limited by my creaturely finitude, and you are too. We are finite, limited creatures who can only be in one place at one time. We can’t be everywhere, and all places are not for us; we can only take the Gospel to some people in some places.

This may not make sense to others.

Perhaps the folks in the regions Phrygia or Galatia or Mysia wondered later why Paul was forbidden from speaking the Gospel to them at that time. Maybe it didn’t make sense to them, but even if it didn’t, Paul was still forbidden.

That place wasn’t for him at that time.

This may not make sense to us.

I imagine that when Paul and his team came to Troas, they thought, “Here it is! A city ripe for a church! Surely we’ll preach the Gospel, make disciples, and plant a church here!”

Troas was a commercial center, a communication hub in the Roman Empire, and a key port city, but that place wasn’t for Paul at that time.

He was to go to Macedonia to preach the Gospel.

This all may not make sense to others or to us, but it does teach us to trust Jesus who guides us on our missionary journey.

The body of Christ is called to make disciples of all nation, but I can only make disciples of some people. Therefore, I’ll have to follow Jesus where He wants me.

[TS]…

Conclusion

[ILLUS] As both men were well-known in their day, George Whitefield and John Wesley’s parting soon went public, which prompted someone to ask Whitefield, “Mr. Whitefield, do you think you’ll see John Wesley in Heaven?”

Whitefield replied with something like, “No, I should think I’ll be too far back, and good Mr. Wesley too close throne of God for me to see him.”

Paul and Silas went one way. Barnabas and Mark went another.

But later, they all met again in Heaven.

There is, however, some indication of their reconciliation even before their meeting in Heaven.

In 1 Cor. 9:6 Paul refers Barnabas as a sacrificial, hard worker for Christ like himself.

In Colossians 4:10, Paul passes along greetings from John Mark to the church in Colossae and instructs that church to welcome John Mark if he comes to them.

In 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul tells Timothy to bring Mark to him because he would be useful to Paul.

And in Philemon 24 Paul again passes on greetings from Mark.

These brothers had reconciled. They had come back together.

We may head in different directions on our missionary journeys for a time, but after all is said and done we are still together in Christ.

[PRAYER]