Dealing with Disagreement

Introduction

We have just learned how the church at Jerusalem and the leaders in the church dealt with false doctrine.

Last week we looked in depth at the battle in the church to reject legalism, to embrace liberty, while still avoiding license.

In this passage a period of time has passed and Paul now desires to get on the move again with the intent of following up once again with the churches he and Barnabas had been instrumental in establishing.

Barnabas was on board and was determined to take John Mark. At this point we see two godly servants of the Lord with a sharp disagreement.

We can learn a great deal about disagreement in our own lives from this passage.

Disagreement is a Reality

These two faithful servants of the Lord who had sacrificed so much in service to the Lord found themselves with an irreconcilable difference of opinion as they moved to set out to serve the Lord again.

Disagreements are a reality! We cannot expect that we will always agree with everyone.

If you have been a member of High Plains Baptist Church for some time now there have probably been things that have been said or done that you disagree with.

As your pastor I do the best I can to follow God’s leading but that does not mean that you disagree with something that I say or do.

Often when we think of two people disagreeing, we immediately want to determine who is in the right and who is in the wrong.

There are times when people disagree because one individual is less or more spiritual than the other but there are also times when sincere godly individuals disagree.

We are confident that Paul was a spiritual man who was trying to follow the Lord as was Barnabas, and yet they disagreed on the matter of taking John Mark with them on their journey.

Both were sincere in their perspective- Paul may have believed that John Mark was a liability and that he was not read for the task they were about to undertake. Barnabas evidently believed that John Mark just needed some encouragement (which Barnabas specialized in) and that he could be a valuable asset to the ministry.

Was either wrong or right? Scripture does not tell us, but we know that both men went on to have successful ministries.

We can disagree and still maintain a good testimony

So often when someone disagrees with another brother or sister in Christ, they not only allow it to cause division but they often become angry and bitter.

Paul and Baranabas definitely disagreed on this matter but nowhere do we see either of them attacking the other.

Nowhere do we see Paul trying to discredit Barnabas’s ministry or Barnabas trying to convince the church that Paul is wrong.

These two men did what we so often fail to do and that is simply to “agree to disagree.” This was not a doctrinal matter neither was it a matter of biblical convictions or principles.

We cannot simply “agree to disagree” in matters of doctrine or scriptural standards, but we can agree to disagree on many other things.

Choosing the color of new carpet- changing service times, etc...

We must remember that there is not always a right or wrong answer. There are many things that simply come down to a matter of personal preference and it is ok if we sometimes disagree in these areas.

We do not have to attack or attempt to discredit those who do not agree with us. It is entirely possible that there could come a day when you sharply disagree with me as the pastor of High Plains Baptist Church but that does not mean that you have to attack me and my family or the church.

If we shared all of our personal preferences with one another it is likely there may be an area where I disagree with you but I do not have to attack your character and your family because we disagree!

Disagreements will happen but it is how we conduct ourselves when we disagree that will help us to avoid serious conflict that damages our testimony and most importantly the testimony of Jesus Christ.

There has been significant damage done to the Christian faith throughout history by men and women who disagreed and then let that disagreement rise to public conflict that was a poor testimony for Christ.

We can disagree and still continue to serve the Lord

The greatest part of this passage of scripture is that even though Paul and Barnabas disagreed about some things, both of these great men continue to serve the Lord.

Barnabas could have said “If you won’t let me bring John Mark, I quit!” Instead he took John Mark and sailed to Cyprus still intent on serving the Lord!

Paul could have said “If you are so intent on bringing John Mark along, go ahead but I’m not going!” Instead Paul selected Silas and set out for Syria and Cilicia and did what God called him to do in strengthening the churches and preaching the gospel.

The fact that we disagree with a brother in Christ does not mean that you have to stop serving God! If you disagree to the point that you do not feel you can serve God at HPBC come to me and we will attempt to resolve the situation, but if you feel you cannot serve God here then find somewhere that you can!

We are all still sinners and we all have opinions that whether right or wrong may produce disagreements among us, but we ought never to quit on God!

You may disagree with how another Sunday school teacher teaches their class but this shouldn’t stop you from teaching your class!

It is ok to disagree but never let that disagreement prevent you from serving the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas were committed to serving the Lord even if they could no longer do it together.

In the end John Mark was restored () and would even write one of the gospel accounts and he and Barnabas continued faithfully serving the Lord. Paul and Silas had a wonderfully successful ministry together as well strengthening the churches and ultimately planting new ones. Disagreement may bring division but it does not have to bring destruction!

This passage is a wonderful example of how God can take seemingly negative circumstances and produce something positive.