A Walk in the Park or a Walk in the Dark?

Introduction

Good morning! We’ve spent the last few weeks on the theme of Easter, since it was Easter season. Today we continue from so long ago to the story of the early church as found in the book of Acts. The passage that was read for us is the first leg of Paul’s second missionary journey. This is a large passage to cover in one morning, but we will do it anyway. We want to take a look at the ups and downs in ministry that Luke recorded for us in Paul’s Second Missionary Journey. As we heard in today’s passage, there are a lot of things that both help and hinder missions, and there are many different people that we encounter.

Background information

To start, we’ll take a quick peek at the verses right before today’s passage starts. In chapter 15:22 we find that Paul, Barnabas, Silas and Judas are sent from Jerusalem to Antioch to deliver a letter to the believers there, so these four made the 700 km journey. Silas and Judas stay for a while and then return to Jerusalem, while Paul and Barnabas stay to teach and preach the word of the Lord, verse 35.

This is where we enter with today’s topic. Paul and Barnabas have been in Antioch for some time now.

Acts 15:36 NIV

Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.”

While this seems good and Barnabas is on board with the idea, they disagree on something; or rather, someone.

Acts 15:37–40 NIV

Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.

Acts 15:37-

Here we see the first of the many people Paul encounters that we will talk about today, and the first down in ministry.

Down 1: Christians Don’t Always Agree On What To Do

Paul and Barnabas are both good godly men. They have worked together, preached and taught together, and faced many difficulties together on the road, ranging from a false Jewish prophet to rioting crowds, even including a plot to kill them! In we read that Barnabas is actually the man who brought Paul to the disciples after his conversion. Throughout Acts Barnabas is portrayed as a respected and godly man. Paul is of the same reputation. They have both shown their commitment to Christ and the sincerity of their faith and work. But here they disagree. Barnabas wants to take John Mark along with them on this new missions trip, but Paul will have none of it.

Acts 15:38 NIV

but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.

Acts 15:

If you remember John Mark, he is first mentioned in . After Peter gets broken out of prison by the Angel, he goes to the house of Mary, the mother of John, also called Mark. Paul and Barnabas had gone to Jerusalem in chapter 11: 30 to bring gifts to the Jerusalem church from Antioch. When they finished their mission, they went back to Antioch and took John Mark with them (). He goes with them on part of their first missionary journey, but leaves early to go back to Jerusalem. Now it doesn’t say why he left early, only that he did. Obviously this didn’t impress Paul very much, because Paul doesn’t want him to come along for a second time. Barnabas, on the other hand, thinks that he should come along, maybe give him a second chance. After this, Acts does not record Paul and Barnabas working together again, although Paul mentions Barnabas in several of his epistles.

So who was right and who was wrong? It’s impossible to tell. Maybe they were both right, Paul was maybe right that John Mark was ready to come along, and Barnabas was right to let him try again. Or maybe they were both wrong. Instead of working this out in a good manner, they allowed the disagreement to get the better of them and parted company.

Short Story

I heard a story several years ago that I believe is similar to this one. At a church conference gathering a number of years ago, several leaders in different church ministries met together to discuss church direction and budget. One man, a gifted youth pastor at one of the churches, believed strongly that most of the available resources should be spent on youth ministry, since the youth of today are the church leaders of tomorrow. This was a good area to focus on. Others in the group disagreed. While they agreed that youth work was important, they thought that there was not enough focus on international missions, and that more money should be spent developing the missions program that these churches shared. The youth pastor was not impressed. There was sharp disagreement and some heated words were said. I forget what the final decision was by the people in charge, but it goes to show that people with equally good intentions can find themselves in opposite corners of the boxing ring. The same is true for Paul and Barnabas. One writer states that for Paul, “nothing could eclipse the mission of preaching the gospel and building churches. If John Mark jeopardized that mission, he should minister elsewhere. For Barnabas, whose name means “son of encouragement” (4:36), the restoration of one sincere Christian worker justified the risk.” They split up and went their separate ways.

Up 1: Blessings Can Come From These Disagreements

This leads me to ‘Up 1,’ and that is that blessings can come from these disagreements. Just because two or more Christians get into a fight doesn’t mean that God’s mission comes to a complete halt. Disagreements are not always desirable, but they are still beneficial. Let’s study that a bit more closely.

In it says that Paul and Barnabas had a sharp disagreement, so sharp that they parted company. But in the very next verse it already shows us something good that came out of it!

Acts 15:40 NIV

but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.

Acts 15:39–40 NIV

They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.

At first Paul and Barnabas were planning on going together on this journey. But because of their spat, they each took someone else along and went their separate ways. Barnabas and John Mark went to Cyprus (a place they had visited earlier in ), and Paul takes Silas with him on his way ‘through Syria and Cilicia.’ There are now twice as many mission teams as there were before, and that means (approximately) twice as much ground covered.

Reconciliation Among Believers

As commendable and effective as Paul and the other early Christians were, they were not perfect. We read a story like this and we realize our humanness. Even the best leaders can be wrong, and the best, most well-intentioned Christians can make mistakes. Or disagree. Or do something they later regret.

In the story that I mentioned earlier, the youth pastor and some of the other people present clearly and strongly disagreed on what should be done. However much they disagreed then, both of these parties are still involved in their respective ministries and building up the church.

Something else to remember in church disagreements such as this is that reconciliation also happens. Just because two people have a fight once doesn’t mean that they are enemies for the rest of their lives! Paul and Barnabas disagreed, and split directions. But what about John Mark? Later in the New Testament, we find several passages that mention him. In it says:

2 Timothy 4:11 NIV

Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.

And in Colossians Paul writes:

Colossians 4:10 NIV

My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)

Col 4:

Both of these passages come from New Testament letters that Paul wrote. John Mark has become one of Paul’s coworkers. What!? The same guy who would rather split with his mission partner than bring this guy along is now praising John Mark! How does this kind of turnaround happen?

The Bible doesn’t say how it happened. All we know is that somehow Paul’s doubts subsided, and it also seems like John Mark developed from the young man in Acts that left them on their journey into a solid, respected and effective church leader. We could assume that Barnabas saw something good in John Mark, even after he left them the first time, and kept encouraging and helping him develop into the man he later became. In any case, people are not static. People change over time, we can see this in both John Mark and in Paul in this story. Remember, this is the Mark - also called John - that tradition tells us wrote the Gospel of Mark. Conflict in ministry happens: this should not surprise us. Conflict is a normal part of life, it will happen in my ministry, and it will happen in your ministry. But we can rest assured that God’s mission does not jolt to a halt when His servants have a fight. He works through us even still. Better yet, He works through these conflicts and uses them to further His advance of the Gospel and to glorify His name.

Application 1

Maybe you’re facing a disagreement with someone in your workplace, or someone you respect is doing something you don’t approve of. Perhaps even an elder or deacon in the church is in the middle of a conflict with you or someone you know! The truth of the matter is that these things happen. They happen in work, they happen in the home, and they happen in church. People don’t always agree. That is normal, we can expect it even in church settings. Paul and Barnabas show us that there is disagreement, and throughout history we see how people in the church don’t always see eye to eye. But since we know that conflict is a normal part of life, we can plan what to do WHEN they happen instead of panic IF they happen. It’s not so important that conflict happens, but rather what we do when it happens. In the adult Sunday School class we have been going through church and Mennonite history, and there are many times when the Mennonites would simply excommunicate each other and split churches when they disagreed. We can learn from them what not to do and instead find constructive ways to work through our problems so that the church and the community is built up.

Up 2/Another Person Paul Meets: Timothy and Luke

Now what do ups and downs in ministry have to do with us? First of all, we can be prepared conflicts instead of surprised by them. We know that conflicts happen, they are a normal part of life. And just because two people are Christians does not mean that they won’t argue. History and the Bible have both shown us that this is not the case. Instead, we can expect them and have a plan or an idea in mind so that WHEN they happen we know what to do. Also remember that whatever happens, whether good or bad, there is still someone who knows which way is up. Just because humans make mistakes doesn’t mean that God does. Rather, He can use those conflicts, arguments, and fractures for His glory and to the furtherance of His kingdom, just like He did with Paul and Barnabas. Sounds a little bit like life, am I right? We disagree with each other all the time: in the workplace, with your siblings, dare I say even with your spouse :P It happens. It will happen in church too. But what is much more important than conflict happening is how we deal with it when it does happen.

Talk about how ministry isn’t done alone, Paul and Silas find someone else to help them in their ministry, and how Paul mentors Timothy who eventually becomes a pastor. Also talk about how people don’t have to do everything in ministry but can share loads to help each other out. Luke also enters the party, as is evident by the change to first person plural pronouns “WE” instead of 3rd person “THEY.”

POSSIBLY NOT SURE YET ABOUT THE TIMOTHY SECTION

Down 2: You Can’t Always Get What You Want

Now let us take a look at verses 6-10 in chapter 16.

Acts 16:6–10 NIV

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Reading through this passage we come to our second ‘down’ in ministry: You Can’t Always Get What You Want. Verse 6 tells us that Paul and his companions were kept from preaching in Asia by the Holy Spirit. Later on, when they try to enter Bithynia, the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to. What’s going on? These guys were going around sharing the Gospel and strengthening the churches. Did God not want the people in Bithynia and Asia to be encouraged in their faith or to hear about Christ?

Paul and his fellow travelers were planning on going into these areas to share and encourage, yet God closes those doors. For reasons unknown, those plans did not work out. So what then?

About 20 years ago my parents were asked to come down to Belize to teach in a private school there. It was a very exciting time for me. I was only about four years old at the time, and the idea of moving to a different country was something fresh and new. Mom and Dad said yes, and so we packed everything we could into a pickup and trailer. What Dad had also done was strap some items to the top of the trailer since they wouldn’t fit inside. We had just crossed over the border into the United States and stopped for fuel and a bathroom break. Dad noticed a loose strap on the trailer and went up to tighten it, while the rest of us waited in the truck. The next thing I remember is Dad coming to the driver side window holding his hands against his chest like this, and he looked like he was in a lot of pain. He had fallen off of the trailer head first, put his arms out, and both his elbows were broken. Needless to say there was a lot of commotion! Fortunately there a man at the station who kindly offered to take Dad to the hospital, and our uncle and aunt had to come from across the border to take us all back home.

We didn’t make it to Belize that year. Or the next. Dad needed surgery to repair the damage, and then more things happened that hindered their desire to move to Belize. That door had been shoved shut even though Mom and Dad both felt that it was God’s will that we move away. I don’t remember this, but I can imagine that they also felt some confusion. Why did this happen? We were sure this is what God wanted…so why is this not working? Doesn’t He want us there? Paul and his friends, Mom and Dad wanted something, and these were good and profitable things that they desired. But as good as they were, they were not part of God’s plan at that time. They didn’t get what they wanted.

Up 2: Other Opportunities Come

However, the story does not end there. No, you don’t always get what you want, but something else will come around. Other opportunities come. They may not come right away, but for every door that closes on us, it just means we haven’t reached the right door yet. God knows what He wants each of us to do, what He wants us to be involved with, and He will lead us to exactly that place. Sometimes it might mean getting something slammed in our face, and sometimes that opportunity will not come right away. Mom and Dad didn’t hear this invitation for several years after this first ordeal. And from what it looks like in Acts, Paul and his companions didn’t know where they were supposed to go right away either. In fact, they traveled for another week to the city of Troas before Paul had his dream of the man in Macedonia!

But when they do get there, we get an idea of why God closed those doors to Asia and Bithynia. Just read chapters 16 -18:21 and you can see all that happened as a result of God’s direction. Because they didn’t go to Asia or Bithynia, the entire rest of their journey changed. Who knows if Paul would ever have gone to Athens, or Corinth, or Ephesus if God had allowed them to go where they wanted to at first! Who knows then if 1 and 2 Corinthians would have been written, or Ephesians! You may not always get what you want in ministry, such as more funding, or the position or mission assignment you were hoping for. You may not even be able to get anywhere at first! But when you keep moving and stay open to the Spirit’s leading, God gets things done, and He will guide you in His time. Paul kept going with his trip, he didn’t just sit down and wait for things to happen for him, and eventually the invitation came. Mom and Dad kept serving in church, and eventually the invitation came. Several years later we moved to Belize, where they did become teachers, but also so much more.

Application 2

Maybe there’s a new job opportunity coming up, or a class you want to take, or a vehicle you have your eye on, the list could go on. And while they may be good things and you think pursuing them is the right decision, someone else gets the job, or your application is declined, or the bank doesn’t give you the loan. It’s OK! We won’t get everything we want here on earth, and at times that’s a difficult lesson I have to learn over and over again. But it’s not the end of the world! And while it may be confusing, there are more job opportunities, more classes, and more vehicles. Other opportunities will come around that we would have missed if it had worked out the first time.

Down 3: Persecution and Imprisonment

Acts 16:16-

Let’s read a few more verses in chapter 16

Acts 16:16–24 NIV

Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

And now, we reach Down #3: Persecution and Imprisonment. Now this may be the most obvious one from reading over it, and I agree; getting beaten and thrown in jail would absolutely suck. And the reason for their beating and imprisonment is not a good one. The owners of this female slave didn’t seem to care that she was possessed by a spirit; they were more interested in the money they could make off of her situation.

Now some might ask, “If this spirit was advertising the Most High God, then why did Paul cast the spirit out of her?” One writer has this to say: “Pagan religions of the day commonly referred to a Most High God who was just one of their many gods. So the fortune-teller was not necessarily referring to the true God. In addition, coming from the lips of a diviner, her testimony might suggest one could believe in the God Paul preached and yet continue involvement in idolatry and the occult.” The Evangelical Commentary on the Bible says this:

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible C. Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (15:36–18:22)

Such endorsement was of no value to Paul, because he had no wish to be approved in this way by representatives of the Evil One, whose kingdom he sought to overthrow.

It also says in verse 18 that Paul got annoyed, and that is the reason he commanded the spirit to come out of her. This may sound like a petty reason, but imagine a false spirit following you day in and day out and yelling all the time! Finally, may I remind you that even if this spirit was talking about the God we serve, this was a false spirit. It doesn’t matter what this spirit was saying, it had possessed her. I wouldn’t want that in me no matter what it said!

It also says in verse 18 that Paul got annoyed, and that is the reason he commanded the spirit to come out of her. This may sound like a petty reason, but imagine a false spirit following you day in and day out and yelling all the time! Finally, may I remind you that even if this spirit was talking about the God we serve, this was a false spirit. It doesn’t matter what this spirit was saying, it had possessed her. I wouldn’t want that in me no matter what it said!

In any event, Paul got rid of the spirit, freeing this woman from her spiritual imprisonment. So what he did was a good thing. But here we find some more people we can encounter in ministry: the bad guys. These owners realized that they would no longer be able to exploit the woman’s situation, and they rightly blamed Paul for it. This not only led to Paul and Silas getting accused of treason, but also beaten and thrown in prison.

At this point Paul and Silas are in jail, bound in stocks in the innermost cell in the prison. It is here that we come to Up #3.

Up 3: Opportunity in Trials

Acts 16:26-

Acts 16:26–34 NIV

Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

Paul and Silas had it pretty bad. But even in their situation, God has something planned. And yes, the earthquake was a pretty awesome way of showing His power! But if we read the rest of the story, the earthquake wasn’t necessary at all to get them out of prison. Paul already had something up his sleeve for that. This earthquake had nothing to do with getting Paul and Silas out of jail and everything to do with presenting the jailor with the Good News of Jesus Christ. And that is Up #3: Opportunity in Trial. Yes bad things happen! They happen to everyone! You may not get thrown in jail for something you didn’t do, but the principle is still there. Even in the middle of the prison, their message has open ears. And because of this whole scenario, the jailor and his entire family “had come to believe in God” and got baptized!

Acts 16:34 NIV

The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

So even though they got imprisoned, the message of the Gospel continues, and the same man that had charge of their jail-time now became a brother in Christ. Hardships cannot stop or hinder the message of the Gospel or the ministry that God has in store for us, it just looks different than we might have thought. This is evident from the next few verses as well. Paul pulls out his trump card: Roman citizenship. One writer observes:

So even though they got imprisoned, the message of the Gospel continues, and the same man that had charge of their jail-time now became a brother in Christ - he and his whole household! Hardships cannot stop or hinder the message of the Gospel or the ministry that God has in store for us, it just looks different than we might have thought. This is evident from the next few verses as well. Paul pulls out his trump card: Roman citizenship. One writer observes:

Moving on, we see that

“The Roman Empire had three classes of people: slaves, foreigners and a relatively small group of citizens. Roman citizens had legal rights that gave them preferential treatment and explicitly protected them from torture…The magistrates’ illegal beating gave Paul a reason to protest to Rome. In a sense, he held their political future in his hands.” Unquote. Having the magistrates escort them out of prison established their innocence. Now they take their time to encourage the new group of believers before they go on their way.

Application

Application 3

Alright, I know we don’t face a lot of persecution or imprisonment for our faith here in Canada in the present day and age. But we do face difficult situations, trials we go through, and times when we wonder what God’s plan is in all of it. Illness, death, or financial troubles are a few examples that come to mind. I am not trying to downplay the severity of crises like these, this is serious stuff. But we don’t have the full picture in mind. Maybe someone’s testimony in the midst of their battle with health is an encouragement to someone else who is also having health issues. Perhaps the death of a loved one makes an unbeliever ask questions, and this leads them to salvation. We don’t always know what will happen. But let’s keep our eyes open to opportunities that come along the way.

Conclusion

To conclude, there are multiple highlights and lowlights that come up in ministry, just like there are ups and downs in other areas of life. I haven’t even talked about several of them in this passage. We didn’t talk about Timothy, who got a great mentor when Paul picked him up, and based on 1 and 2 Timothy Paul got a great helper in his work. Paul even goes to say that “as a son with his father he has served with me” in Philippians 2.Nor did we talk about Lydia, who eagerly responded to the story of Jesus and based on what we know was a key member of the Philippian church from that time on. The spiritual victory that Jesus brings and the people that respond to His offer of salvation is another huge “Up” that happens in ministry. Let’s remember that these ups and downs happen, so that we can face the downs with courage and trust in God, celebrate in the highlights, and walk alongside and encourage each other in our areas of ministry as the ups and downs come.

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible C. Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (15:36–18:22)

Luke relates the fact that Paul circumcised Timothy “because of the Jews who lived in that area” (v. 3). They knew “his father was a Greek” and his “mother was a Jewess” (v. 1). This, in their eyes, still meant that he was a Jew, and the failure of his mother to circumcise him would make it difficult for him to minister to Jews, as such a fact would follow him wherever he went. Paul was not compromising principle, because this was not an issue of the requirements for salvation, but a matter of customs and culture. Paul discusses this sort of thing in 1 Corinthians 9:19–23. To a Jew, he “became like a Jew, to win the Jews” (1 Cor. 9:20).

WALK DOWN HERE

Benediction

Let’s pray.

Our Holy Father, thank you that you don’t give us a task and then expect us to labour on our own, but rather that you sent your Holy Spirit to lead and guide us as we remain faithful in sharing the Good News of Your Son Jesus the Christ. We ask you Lord that as we go from here we would respond to conflicts in a way that honors You, and that Your message would be proclaimed through us and the church built up. We ask that when things don’t happen the way we plan You would help us to trust that You know better than we do, and that You still have a plan. And Father, as your Gospel continues to move out into the world through Your church, may we have the courage to face trials that come our way, strengthened by the Holy Spirit, and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, whom we love and profess. For we ask these things in Jesus’ name, and now

:15-

Colossians 3:15–17 NIV

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.