Gtcotr/ws101619
We
are continuing our study of the book of Acts this evening with several
important points to note as we survey the 15th
chapter. Let’s begin and I’ll provide
commentary and we will conclude with a great take-away.
Note: Chapter setup
before James, speaking at the Jerusalem council, said:
Acts 15:18 “Known to God from
eternity are all His works.”
1.
God
always planned, from the very beginning of eternity, to include the Gentiles in
His plan of salvation. (Acts 15:16&17 quoted from …)
Amos 9
11 “On that day I will raise
up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I
will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old;
12 That they may possess the
remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” Says the LORD
who does this thing.
Genesis 9:27 “May God enlarge
Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant.”
2.
Silas
was already a well-recognized prophet before he became a missionary partner
with Paul.
Acts 15:32 Now Judas and
Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren
with many words.
3.
The
Church in Antioch was a hub of activity with many teachers and prophets.
Acts 15:35 Paul and Barnabas also
remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many
others also.
We
don’t know how long Paul and Barnabas were there, but this is probably the
period of time when the incident between Paul and Peter took place as recorded
in:
Galatians 2:11 ¶ Now when
Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be
blamed;
4.
Paul
and Barnabas had their differences before their split in Acts 15.
Galatians 2 NLT
13 As a result, other Jewish
Christians followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by
their hypocrisy.
14 When I saw that they were
not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all
the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are
living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the
Jewish traditions?
In
Chapter 3 of Galatians, Paul called it a “bewitching” as though someone had
cast an evil spell on Peter and Barnabas and those who were acting as though
they were better than other Believers who weren’t Jews by birth.
5.
The
separation of Paul and Barnabas was perhaps not so sudden …
Acts 15: 36 ¶ Then after some days
Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city
where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are
doing.”
·
Note:
it was first Paul’s vision to begin a new mission trip … perhaps God was
speaking to him - he seems to be the one inspired by God.
·
It
is apparent at the end of the chapter that Paul had the backing and support of
the established Church leadership at Antioch, his home Church.
o Paul was sent …
Barnabas may have just went
o Perhaps their
differences should have been submitted to the Church leadership for a time of
prayer, fasting and counsel.
Acts 15:37 Now Barnabas was
determined to take with them John called Mark.
·
John
Mark was the nephew of Barnabas. Mark’s mother, Mary, was a strong prayer
warrior and supporter of the early Church in Jerusalem.
·
Barnabas
was determined …
o I have found it a
good practice to never invite someone to another person’s party, or to play on
another person’s team.
o It can be
embarrassing and end up offending and dividing family and friends. It’s usually
best to follow the leader.
38 But Paul insisted that
they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia,
and had not gone with them to the work.
·
Paul
insisted and he had his reasons. Barnabas disagreed strongly.
·
A
person does not have to be unforgiving to disagree or to have reasons why they
do not prefer to team up with someone who has let them down in the past.
·
Forgiveness does not always equal restoration.
·
We
aren’t privileged to know the conversation between Paul and Barnabas, or Mark,
prior to Mark leaving them during the first mission journey … but it seems like
nothing had sufficiently changed in Paul’s estimation that suggested greater
success at this time.
39 Then the contention became
so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and
sailed to Cyprus;
·
The
indication is that Barnabas reacted … He took Mark and left …
o Leaving somewhere
does not equal doing somewhere.
·
And
… Barnabas was never heard from again.
·
Mark
on the other hand continued to grow and later became a disciple of Peter;
penned the third Gospel, believed by many to have been dictated by Peter; and
was later invited by Paul to join him.
40 but Paul chose Silas and
departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God.
·
The
commendation of the Church leadership in Antioch seems to be the one factor
which separates the continued impact of these two strong men of God.
·
Paul
ended up being the one followed and written about in the inspired and preserved
teachings of the New Testament while Barnabas simply fades from view and
perhaps, from more significant impact as well. Eternity will tell …
Our
take-away from tonight:
Acts 15:18 “Known to God from
eternity are all His works.”
God
sees the problems you have had, the problems you are having and the ones you
will have and yet He chooses to use you anyway …
