What to do when they don't agree (Acts 13:42-52)

Introduction

When it comes to the day we live in, we find that not everyone will agree with everything we think or do.

A simple example would be if I asked everyone what temperature is the perfect temperature. We would hear various numbers being thrown out. I simply believe that 65° is the perfect temp.

Regardless on what is your “hot take” or “hot button issue” we have to find a way to continue when someone does not agree. Here in our text we see Paul and Barnabas come to the synagogue and that they went in to preach.

1. Stay together

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime. - Babe Ruth

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. - Helen Keller

“Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together.” ― Vesta M. Kelly

Paul and Barnabas went together into the synagogue. They stayed and preached on the Sabbath. They waxed bold. They shook the dust off their feet.

So often when conflict comes and when disagreements happen, it is very easy to step back and say well I am just going to go at this by myself. Or rather, it is very easy to look at the situation and to say “I am all alone in this.”

Paul and Barnabas here stood together boldly and proclaimed the Word of the Lord. There is nothing wrong in today’s day with standing up and standing boldly for the Bible.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

We read in the Old Testament of a similar partnership between Elijah and Elisha as they traveled together on the day Elijah was swept up into heaven by a whirlwind. In Second Kings 2, Scripture repeatedly (a total of seven times) notes their partnership. “They went down to Bethel” (v. 2); “they came to Jericho” (v. 4); “they two went on” (v. 6); “they two stood by Jordan” (v. 7); “they two went over on dry ground” (v. 8); “they were gone over” (v. 9); and “they still went on” (v. 11).

2. Stay truthful

Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and did what the Lord had commanded them. In today’s age there is nothing wrong with staying with truth. Now, this is not in the sense of speaking truth to specifically hurt.

Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”

That last phrase, “that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” We ought to be able to have discernment to be able to speak to people and know how to handle situations while staying true to the Word of God. Paul and Barnabas waxed bold here and stood firm on the Word of God.

a. Integrity of Heart

For Paul to stand and recount their actions to them and to be able to stand in his integrity with what he had given them. Paul did his job as a Christian. He told them what God wanted him to say. Our job as a Christian is not to convince the unbeliever of the Gospel. Our job is to give them the Gospel. What they do with it is on them.

Psalm 7:8 “The Lord shall judge the people: Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, And according to mine integrity that is in me.”

John 16:7–8 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:”

John 3:14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:”

John 12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

John 3:15 “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Stay true to the Word of God. Do not compromise the truth of the Gospel for those who are around us.

b. Rewards from the Master

The Believing Gentiles:

The Foretelling (13:47)

Paul here quotes Isaiah 49:6 “And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, That thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”

The Fulfilling (13:48-49)

Many Gentiles accept Jesus.

3. Stay true

Stay faithful. Paul and Barnabas did not quit after facing repeated adversity.

a. The Good Response

Acts 13:48 “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.”

After Paul and Barnabas finished speaking those that agreed with the Gospel believed! Such a wonderful thing to see when we stay faithful to the Lord and to what he has called us to, we see God work in marvelous ways.

b. The Bad Response

Acts 13:50 “But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.”

Acts 13:51 “But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.”

When you come to a place where people do not agree, there is nothing wrong with realizing that your work there is done and moving on to the next place. This genuinely is one of the hardest things I know of in the life of a Christian. When you have given the Gospel and truth and someone or a group of people reject it and they tell you to move on to the next place.

Having the right attitude with those people will do wonders. I think about the verse we read earlier Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”

How you leave a matter oft times will open doors that you otherwise wouldn’t see open. Do not be afraid of some seasoning when leaving matters.