I absolutely hate conflict when it shows up in the body of Christ. The sadness of a few situations I’ve known over the years will likely go to the grave with me. It is not always that there is a completely right or wrong party, but rather, a pair of reasonably-committed followers of Christ just have such different perspectives and values on a particular subject that it causes them to have to go in different directions.

Today’s rather brief passage is one of those where we would wish to have a few more details about exactly what transpired between Paul and Barnabas. In writing this account, Luke is setting up the story of the Second Missionary Journey of Paul. And so it is necessary for him to explain why Barnabas did not participate, but rather, a new figure by the name of Silas becomes Paul’s travelling companion.

In short, Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement of significant proportions. It was all over John Mark (yes, the guy who would later write the Gospel of Mark), who had abandoned them on the first journey – apparently in some moment of personal weakness…

Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

Acts 15:36 – 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.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 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. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

When it says in this text that it was a “sharp disagreement,” there is no way to get the original Greek words to water it down – this was a significant conflict, enough to cause them to part ways and work separately.

Paul was standing on principle. Though we don’t know the exact reason why John Mark departed, it was a scar that Paul could not get past. Maybe it was a personal failure? Or perhaps it had to do with John Mark’s possible discomfort at the Gospel going to the Gentiles on the first missionary journey? Maybe he even caused some of the trouble in Jerusalem by being an eyewitness reporter of these events? That would certainly rile a person of principle like Paul, for in this scenario, John Mark would have been challenging the core of the Gospel message of grace.

On the other hand, Barnabas was standing on the value of personal restoration. Some might argue that this was because John Mark and Barnabas were cousins (Col. 4:10); though being a person of grace and encouragement of others fits the entire Scriptural portrait of Barnabas. Paul himself could not have originally been aligned with the early church leaders apart from the gracious, visionary intervention of Barnabas. Barnabas saw the potential in John Mark, whereas Paul could not get beyond the problem.

I reconcile this as simply the outworking of two very different personalities with differing gifts. Though Paul had certainly a large compassion for lost people, he was a fellow who particularly valued truth, hard facts, and principles. Barnabas, while standing for truth repeatedly in biblical passages, valued people so highly – having a heart for seeing believers restored and deployed in greater capacities than ever before.

These personalities sometimes have difficulties working together. As I’ve written previously over the years of these devotionals, I relate to Barnabas most especially among biblical characters. And in my ministry life, I have a number of times had conflictual issues most often with other leaders who lean in the opposite direction toward the hard line on principle. I have sometimes been the last person standing in defense of someone – a couple of times when there really was no substantial defense remaining.

The fact is this: each of these personality proclivities needs the other. The “truth first people” need to be challenged that we are all such a mess saved only by God’s great grace, that none of us have much merit apart from Christ. But the “people-oriented, gracious types” need to be reminded that there are hard principles that genuine believers must honor in order to walk rightly with the Lord in the light of truth.

The fact is that all of these guys went on to serve the Lord well. We see Paul sending greetings to John Mark later on; and this passage in Galatians (2:12-13) shows the high esteem Paul had for Barnabas: (writing about a time he confronted Peter) … For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

God has a place in His vineyard for all of us to work for Him with the gifts He has given each one. And we need to value one another, even if we are not always working side by side.

The older one gets, the more difficult it is to give up long-held beliefs and notions about all sorts of life items. I grew up being taught that even going to a movie theatre to see a wholesome film was wrong for a Christian to do, the idea being that supporting the industry in any way was making possible all of the other morally corrupt productions. I struggled always to see that logic, and though I reject that association, it remains very rare that I will enter a theatre. On the other hand, I was also taught that alcohol consumption was sinful in any degree. Whereas that is surely true for drunkenness, I acknowledge the Christian liberty to partake, though continue to this day to think that any participation is unwise for the believer. Yes, I understand what a minority I am in this regard.

Jewish folks of the first century grew up in a culture that was filled with many restrictions and detailed obligations. It is difficult for us to imagine what a complete worldview change it was for those first Jews who accepted Christ as the Messiah. Beyond that, they had to grow to understand that this church thing was not “Judaism Version 2.0.”  No, this was a totally new thing (a “mystery” – to use the biblical description – something hidden in the past, but now revealed). This new experience was never something they anticipated, yet it did have all of its roots in the Jewish background of the sacrificial system of atonement, etc.  So what elements of the past were to be kept, and what were to be discarded as now obsolete?

The theology of grace through faith in the once-for-all finished work of Christ’s atoning blood meant the eradication of much of the Mosaic Law. Even so, there were timeless moral principles in the Law that were honorable to be kept and valued. Immorality was forbidden by the Law, though it was the common experience in many Gentile circles. Jesus didn’t set people free to indulge in such activity. This remained a black and white item. While on the other hand, there were dietary restrictions of the past that did not necessarily constitute a sin if now participated in doing, yet if Gentiles and Jews were to successfully meld together in this new institution of the church, it would be best for the Gentiles to willingly abstain from certain practices and associations.

James takes the lead in bringing the intense Jerusalem Council to a conclusion by suggesting a plan of action and communication for new Gentile believers – both affirming and welcoming them, while also seeking from them a high level of moral decorum …

Acts 15:19 – “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the Law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

Acts 15:22 – Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. 23 With them they sent the following letter:

The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings.

24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.

A most important truth was established – that the Gospel message was fully of grace and did not contain the requirements of the Law of Moses. In the face of the Jewish world around them, this was not going to play well, yet the truth needed to be established. This would facilitate the rapid expansion of the Gospel in the Gentile world. Paul and Barnabas were affirmed, along with their mission.

As well, the Gentiles were encouraged to be sensitive at the same time to certain Jewish cultural backgrounds, particularly related to dietary matters that, if participated in publically, were going to be difficult for the Hebrew Christians to accept and fellowship around. The exhortation was to avoid these things for the greater good of the church and for family unity.

So essentially, one side was told to not make precepts of beliefs that were in reality preferences, but the other side was encouraged to be sensitive to not live out the freedom of their every preference in the face of those who struggled from a cultural background of rejection toward such things.

Beyond the great message of the love and grace to be found in God and his provision in Christ, there is hardly any other message so pervasive in Scripture (particularly the New Testament) than that of giving away personal values and tastes in order to rather serve others. This is the essence of Christian living – of having the mind of Christ who did not hang onto the glories of heaven, but rather took on humanity to the extent of being subject to death for sins he did not commit.

We can be people who live with such others-oriented values!

Some of you today read the headline and knew exactly what was meant by it; others of you looked at it and had no clue whatsoever!

We have a lot of fun in our church staff meetings on Tuesday mornings. Trent and Chris will often comment about how a topic we’re talking about reminds them of a scene in a movie. Dave, Tim, or Mary might understand the reference, whereas I will be about 98% in the dark – being a guy who practically never watches movies.

But once in a while the older guys in the meeting will make a reference to something of the past, and the two younger guys have that “glazed eyes” look of being totally lost. And this happened not long ago when I called something “an E.F. Hutton moment.”  Dave, Tim and Mary laughed, but Trent and Chris looked quizzically at each other, wondering what just happened.

In the 70s and 80s there were frequently-repeated commercials on TV (sort of like those we see today for Geico, for example) about a brokerage company called E.F. Hutton.  A typical sort of setting would be a group of people in a loud, public setting, like a restaurant full of patrons and waiters. At one table would be two people talking over dinner and one of them would say, “Well, my broker is E.F. Hutton, and E.F. Hutton says …….”  Suddenly, the entire restaurant goes totally quiet; the waiters all stop; everyone is looking and leaning toward the table to see what stock recommendations E.F. Hutton promotes. And then the announcer would always say, “When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen.”

We have several E.F. Hutton sorts of moments in our passage today in Acts 15 as the crowd of people gathered for the Jerusalem Council met to discuss the issue of Jewish/Gentile obligations relative to the keeping of the Law of Moses. In verse 7 where ii says, “After much discussion…” that word for discussion is one that includes intense argument and debate. This likely went on for quite some time before Peter finally stood up with an E.F. Hutton moment … followed by Barnabas and Paul … followed by James – the half-brother of Jesus.

Acts 15:6 – The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

Acts 15:12 – The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. 14 Simon [Peter] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: 16 “‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, 17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things—18 things known from long ago.” [Amos 9:11-12]

Peter’s story was referencing the conversion about 10 years earlier of Cornelius and his household (see Acts 10). This was a huge breakthrough moment in Peter’s life, as you will recall that there was a massive movement of the Holy Spirit. So Peter’s reasoning is that since the same Holy Spirit was given to these very genuine new Gentiles as to Jewish believers, there was no reason to believe that some connection of Law-keeping was necessary for them to be truly saved.

Barnabas and Paul next described their incredible missionary journey stories with the group, surely highlighting the massive movement of God among Gentile peoples.

And finally, James – the ostensible leader of the church in Jerusalem – put the concluding emphases upon it by validating these testimonies, yet also bringing to mind a Scripture passage that looked forward to a day of Gentile salvation and inclusion.

Boom!

There is a two-pronged formula here that is valid to this day for affirming truth and the work of God: there is the observable testimony of what God is doing, foundationally validated by the testimony of Scripture. Experience alone doesn’t do it. But when the experience squares with God’s Word, there is the authoritative stamp of approval.

Upon reflection, I am sometimes more than a bit amazed that I went into pastoral ministry and have continued in such for four decades now. I have very clear and distinct memories from my childhood of church controversies and nasty congregational meetings that my parents discussed very openly and vehemently in front of me. Beyond that, I lived through a few of them in early ministry years. So it is with great gratitude that, in spite of our imperfections at TSF that begin most obviously with the Lead Pastor, we as a church have had little of the broiling contention common to so many congregations.

Church fights and controversies are the stuff of legend. In fact, they go back to the very beginning of the church era. For the next four days we will look at the first dispute of grand significance that arose, threatening to undercut all of the early positive effects of the gospel mission.

With the center of Judaism being in Jerusalem – the place also of the death and resurrection of Christ and the Day of Pentecost – it is no wonder that the church in that city would be seen in the earliest years as the “mother church” most embedded with authority. There too remained the bulk of apostles and earliest disciples. We would be accurate as well to say that there also remained the largest number of Jewish background Christians who retained many affections for their history and past.

These Hebraic Christians had already made some big personal changes and shifts in thinking and belief, having accepted the minority position within the Jewish community that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah. They had accepted his new teaching of grace and payment as the ultimate sacrifice for sin. But more changes were on the horizon for them, coming in reports of a great influx of Gentiles to faith also in Jesus. That Gentiles would become proselytes to Judaism and align with the idea of the God of Israel as the one true God was nothing new. But to see so many accepting the teachings about Jesus, and seeing a ministry that was developing more directly to reach them apart from pure Jewish roots … well … this was more change than some were ready to receive. This was more than just shifting gears, this was a matter of replacing the entire engine and drive train!

Questions were raised as to what elements of the past should be retained, whereas as others were now to be replaced or modified. And sure enough, for certain traditionalist Judaizers, the entire issue of circumcision and legalistic keeping of the Law was raised as something still necessary – to both be in right relationship with God and to live appropriately.

The issue really hit the fan in Antioch as we read at the beginning of Acts 15 …

Acts 15:1 – Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

Acts 15:5 – Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

I’ll say it again – I just love Paul’s boldness; and really, he has to have New Jersey roots! But Paul understood that this particular issue was not the typical church fight about the color of the carpet, the thermostat setting, or the volume of the worship team. No, this issue about demanding Gentile believers to observe Jewish prescriptions cut to the heart of the gospel message of faith alone. It was bringing a “works” perspective into both salvation and sanctification. This could not be tolerated, and it had to be resolved. The problem was not only in Antioch, but it too was a divisive issue in the newly-founded churches of the first missionary journey (as we wrote about Friday, and as Paul deals with in the book of Galatians).

The need for a definitive word had to involve the primary players and personalities of the first church and followers of Christ in Jerusalem. The excellence of the Antioch church is seen in the wisdom of the decision to send not only Paul and Barnabas to share their stories, but other witnesses as well who could collaborate the truth.

This gathering is known as “the Jerusalem Council” in church history (occurring probably in the year A.D. 49). Other church councils happened in the early centuries of Christianity as well, including those that wrestled with theological issues such as the deity of Christ and the authentication of the canon of Scripture (“canon” meaning those writings accepted as divinely inspired).

All of this makes me grateful to live and minister at a time with the completed canon of Scripture to use as authority. God has spoken; we have His completed Word. The Greek word for canon (κανών) means “measuring stick” or “rule.” And this is our resource for dealing with controversy and establishing truth. And we are blessed.

I had a particular music history professor in college who was notoriously difficult when it came to grades. Not exactly understanding that everyone else was not a genius like he was (with a Ph.D. from Berkeley at age 24), he explained his grading philosophy on the first day of class.

“If you do all of the work I prescribe and do it accurately and well, you will get a “C” grade. A “C” is a good grade – it says you did all of the work you were supposed to do. If you do all of that plus a good bit more, you may be able to earn a “B”.  And if you do all of that, plus teach me something that I don’t already know, I’ll give you an “A” … although no student has yet to get one of them from me.”

Y’all know how competitive I am, and I determined to get an “A” from him in one of the five classes I would have to take that only he taught. I think I got a pair of “C” grades and one “B” in the first three semesters. By the fourth semester I had figured out some music analysis patterns that he liked, and in a major paper and presentation on Tchaikovsky I was able to prove to the prof that several melodic themes in two of the composer’s symphonies indeed had roots in Russian folk music rather than merely western influences. I got an “A-” for the semester, though another student a year ahead of me got the first full “A.”

We live in a place and time where persecution for our faith is not terribly profound, though it is true that Christians are increasingly becoming a hated minority. But if we are affected in some way – like being overlooked for a promotion because the boss resents our belief system – we think we are going above and beyond in the Christian experience … surely deserving a “B” or an “A.”  However, the actual truth is that opposition, ridicule and persecution are to be seen as normal in the Christian life. Jesus said that just as the world persecuted him, they would persecute his followers. Paul said to the Philippians that it was a sort of gift or blessing to suffer for our faith … Philippians 1:29 – For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.

We have seen the persecutions suffered by Paul already on this, his first missionary journey. He and Barnabas retrace their steps back toward the sending church at Antioch in Syria. Along the way they encourage their new believers, set them up for success in local church experience, and tell them that they should expect the Christian life to be filled with difficulties and hardships.

The Return to Antioch in Syria

Acts 14:21 – They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

Acts 14:26 – From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

What an amazing gathering that must have been back in Antioch, home with the brothers who had sent them out to share the gospel, even while not having much of any idea how to do it or what it might look like. They simply obeyed God’s directive to GO and to be SENT. Imagine the stories that poured out of Barnabas and Paul … like about getting stoned and dragged out of town presumably dead! … or telling how people thought they were Zeus and began sacrificing to them! The most interesting report had to be the fact and manner by which the gospel was massively spreading to the Gentiles.

This was the beginning of the worldwide expanse of the gospel and the church. Over the last 2,000 years, missionaries have been SENT and have been GOING to the corners of the earth with the same message and goal of growing the body of Christ. We do the same. We are involved in much the same sort of worldwide endeavor. Our efforts as a church extend to places like Kazakhstan and Thailand and Togo and Brazil.

It is the most wonderful privilege to have the joy of partnering in this eternal work. There should be a place in the corner of every Christian’s heart for the corners of the earth where the gospel is being preached. After church in just two weeks on the 16^th, we are going to have a luncheon to hear about our partnering work in both Spain and Kyrgyzstan. Don’t miss being a part of this. Parts of your giving dollars go to these works, so invest also with parts of your heart. Christians have been doing this for two millennia.

Over the past couple of generations the terminology of “getting stoned” has related to being high on marijuana, drugs or alcohol. Various suggestions have been advanced as to how the “stone” word got involved in describing these activities – from smoking through stone pipes, or perhaps being so wiped out that the user looked as lifeless as a stone.

In any event, getting stoned meant something completely different in the Bible, as Paul could testify. And it would appear from his life that preaching a great sermon is what could most quickly get you pelted with rocks. Wanting to learn and apply Scripture wisely, I’ve taken this to heart, therefore determining that it is best to never be too terribly interesting or provocative! Being the last person on the planet who is likely to ever get stoned in the modern sense of the term, I might as well go full-out on avoiding the other meaning.

The first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas continues in our text today in Acts 14 as the pair travel from Antioch to Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. To give you a sense of the distances and directions involved with these four cities (that are in modern-day south-central Turkey), going from Antioch to Iconium would be like the distance from Hagerstown to Baltimore. Going next to Lystra would be similar to travelling south, southwest from Baltimore to Washington. And finally from Lystra to Derbe would relate to the direction and distance from DC to Annapolis.

So these are not great, great distances, though we are talking about a time in antiquity without rapid communications such as we know. Yet even without electronic infrastructure, it is startling how quickly the word of their travels spread from one place to another, with the oppositional element following not far behind.

Acts 14:1 – At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. 5 There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 6 But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the gospel.

Again we see the familiar ministry patterns of beginning in the synagogue with Jews, along with the gospel bearing successes not only with a Jewish element, but also with numbers of Gentiles. As well, we also note again the divisions that caused a hostile reaction and life-threatening plots.

An additional new element is that of “signs and wonders.”  The purpose for these is stated clearly in the text as confirmatory of the spoken message. I believe this is a special and unique work of God that was for this particular time in the beginning of church history. Paul could not begin his message by saying, “Today’s sermon will be coming from Matthew’s gospel” … none of that was yet written. Eventually, as the Scriptures were written and gave authority and authentication to the preaching of evangelists and pastors, the need for special manifestations ceased. (See Hebrews 2:3-4)

So Paul and Barnabas once again need to pack their bags and head down the road to the hometown of Timothy …

Acts 14:8 – In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

There are so many places in Scripture where I find myself doing a “LOL” … this is one of them, as it really is humorous. Imagine Paul and Barnabas, being unable to understand the language while also seeing the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd, eventually coming to realize what is actually happening! It was an “Oh My Goodness!” moment … “They think we’re gods!!”

Acts 14:14 – But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. 21 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch …

There is so much I like about Paul. Surely he had to be from the New Jersey town of Tarsus! The bold speech … the in your face attitude … it reminds me of my roots!  The old pastor joke that seeks to answer why Paul marched right back into the town where they just executed him with stoning is that … (wait for it) … he hadn’t finished his sermon!

The opposition to the preaching of the gospel was so intense and angry … sorta like Paul himself had been a few years previously. He was travelling from Jerusalem to Damascus to persecute Christians, and now he has enemies going from town to town to seek him out and do the same to him.

We are going to find ourselves on a number of occasions throughout this series on Paul commenting about how the preaching of the gospel is not universally popular. Far from it. Though it is the means by which many come to faith, it is also a message that incites expressions of the selfish roots of sin and evil within many people. The kingdom of darkness is not going to just sit back and let truth be preached without seeking to disrupt, intervene, and discredit, even in violent ways. None of this should surprise us, even in our day; and neither should it deter us from speaking the truths of eternal life.

Certainly we live in a day where particularly with political speech there is a great deal of hostility. When an idea is rejected or disapproved, it is no longer enough to simply disagree. Now the pattern is to also personally destroy and discredit the messenger or proponent of the disliked idea. This double-barreled attack is deployed to assure that the opinion is eliminated from viability.

Yesterday we noted the establishment of a pattern by Paul and Barnabas to begin their evangelistic strategy from city to city by starting in the synagogue. And today we will note the beginning of a pattern of reaction to this methodology: some Jews and proselytes believing, while the leadership rejected the message and the messengers by inciting vindictive violence upon them and creating great upset. The result would be that the gospel message would move beyond Jewish circles to include increasing acceptance by Gentiles, even as civil authorities would grow more hostile to the church movement as distinct from Judaism.

Paul had finished the sermon with a quote from Habakkuk that was a warning to not miss God’s true work and thus risk judgment. A number of listeners were sufficiently moved by this to want more information …

Acts 13:42 – As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. 43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

We need to remember that the sermons and events we read about in Acts were just some representative highlights of all the preaching and teaching that Paul, Barnabas and others did on the missionary journeys in the early church era. Conversations lingered long after gatherings and were surely continued on other days as well. Ministry, then and now, is truly a 24/7 type of thing. The “conversation” must have been very intense, resulting in a huge crowd congregating the next week …

Acts 13:44 – On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.

There is a new term we hear in political discourse these days – “the deep state” – referring to career Washington insiders who are threatened by the prospect of change from the outside. The bulk of Jewish leadership at the time of Christ and the New Testament era was a sort of “deep Jewish state” who liked things just the way they were – with them in authority. And they were willing to fight to keep it that way.

Acts 13:46 – Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” [Isaiah 49:6]

This prophecy from Isaiah was specifically anticipatory of Christ personally, though the messenger of this gospel who was most particularly commissioned to take it to the Gentiles was Paul. So there is a sense in which this passage would apply to this missionary ministry.

Acts 13:48 – When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. 49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.

It was God’s plan to reach Gentiles. God always desired the nation of Israel to be a beacon of light and outreach to the rest of the world. They were never very good at it however. Though God had especially selected them through which to work his plan of salvation (and in that sense they needed to be the first to hear the fulfillment of it in Christ) God’s heart was always of a missionary bent toward the whole world.

It is impossible from this passage (in my view) to not see the sovereign work of God in salvation and, dare I say the word – election. Surely from this entire passage and work of the Spirit through Paul, God was choosing (electing) for the gospel to go to multitudes of Gentiles – people whose hearts were divinely prepared and open to embrace this saving truth. We can surely thank God for His grace in this matter that extends down to today and to each one of us!

Acts 13:50 – But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Those hostile to Paul were persistent, working with and through sympathetic people in governmental authoritarian circles to have the missionaries expelled from the region. We will yet this week see that their hostility led them to pursue Paul and Barnabas even to their next several destinations, with dramatic actions and incitements.

Look again at that last verse: the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Even in the midst of all of this turmoil, there was joy in the assurance found through the knowledge of Christ. Growing the Church in a hostile surrounding culture has never been easy. Plan to stay for our luncheon after church on 7/16 as we hear reports from our missionaries in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Spain. We’ll hear of great difficulties and opposition, but also note the greater joy in serving Christ for those carrying the gospel to these regions. Do you have that joy in your office… your neighborhood… wherever you live for Christ and share the gospel in an unbelieving culture? It is never easy, but it is worth it all in the end.

What is it that makes for a great sermon … you know, beyond the fact that it was preached by the great staff at Tri-State Fellowship? The science of homiletics – preaching – is one that that has been studied over the years with a wide variety of opinions and applications. Surely there is variety, even within the Scriptural models, but also some timeless truths to be learned and applied.

Luke records a number of Paul’s sermons in the book of Acts, today’s passage being the first rather complete model.

This sermon is preached in the synagogue on the next stop of Paul’s first missionary journey. Having made two major stops on the island of Cyprus, he and Barnabas head now to the north and to the mainland of what is today the country of Turkey – landing at Perga on the coast and travelling north to the major city of Antioch of Pisidia.

Are you getting your Antiochs confused?  The departure point for the journey was from Antioch of Syria, these cities being named after a dynasty of kings by the name of Antiochus. Actually, the first Antioch (called Antakya today) is also in modern Turkey but is very close to the border of Syria, not far from the city of Aleppo which is sadly much in the news in recent years.

Acts 13:13 – From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch.

John Mark leaves then to return to Jerusalem. He was the cousin of Barnabas. Why he did this is unknown. Speculations include that he was displeased with Paul becoming the more prominent leader, or that he did not like the growing Gentile emphasis. Maybe the hardships and controversies were more than he could endure; but in any event, Paul saw it clearly as a defection and personal defect (15:38).

Acts 13:14 – On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”

We see here a pattern of Paul’s missionary strategy – to begin in the synagogue to the Jews and proselytes and then to move on to the Gentile population, often because of large-scale rejection of the message in Jewish circles. As with the account of Jesus in the synagogue in Nazareth, after the pair of regular readings from two sections of the Old Testament (as we call it), a capable person would be asked to give a homily or explanation to expand upon the passage – essentially a sermon. And if there happened to be a credentialed teacher travelling through the area and attending, he might be asked to do the speaking.

Acts 13:16 – Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct in the wilderness; 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years.

“After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’

26 “Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.

32 “We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: “‘You are my son; today I have become your father.’ [Psalm 2:7]

34 God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’ [Isaiah 55:3]

35 So it is also stated elsewhere: “‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’ [Psalm 16:10]

36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.

38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. 40 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you: 41 “‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’ [Habakkuk 1:5]”

So what are some of the elements of this sermon that make it a quality teaching?

1. It begins by referring to a common experience, identifying the speaker with the listeners. Together they shared a common Jewish background of two thousand years of God’s work and preservation of their heritage.
2. The teaching is based upon Scripture and exposition. The message begins with assumptions of a common understanding of many passages that detailed Israel’s history. It moves on to quote four specific passages to ground his grand idea and argument in authority.
3. The content focuses not only on current truths and events, but it demonstrates how those events relate to the overall plan of God that He is executing through all of time and human history. It culminates in the cross and resurrection, drawing the attention to these pinnacle events and to Jesus as the heart of God’s big story.
4. It ends by calling the listener to action and to faith. There is glorious hope and provision, while also stating the warning for unbelief.

Effective sermons share these elements to a large degree. We identify a common problem or life challenge. We point to God’s work in addressing this through the use of the timeless truths of Scripture. And we present the opportunity and encouragement for all who hear to be renewed by again trusting in the grand work of God.

Does this work all the time for all the people? Nope … and tomorrow we’ll see an example (that will be repeated in Acts and is repeated to today) of what happens when the truth of Scripture is presented to a wide group of people.