Acts 15:32-16:5

Open your Bibles to Acts chapter 15. In our text today we'll be Acts chapter 15 starting in verse 32 through chapter 16 verse 5. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for your gospel. Lord, thank you for your Holy Spirit that indwells your people. Father, would you buy your Holy Spirit, illuminate this word to us today, open our hearts, open our ears, open our eyes, that your word would have entrance and that it would indeed transform us. Renew our minds and conform us to Christ that we would be a people to give glorious witness to you, that your name would be known and be glorified. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Acts beginning in chapter 15 verse 32, hear the word of the Lord. Now Judas and Silas themselves being prophets also exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words and after they had stayed there for a time they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles. However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there. Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord with many others also. Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, let us go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing. Now Barnabas was determined to take with him John called Mark, but Paul insisted they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphilia and had not gone with them to the work. Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another and so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Solisia strengthening the churches. Then he came to Derby in Lystra and behold a certain disciple was there named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed but his father was Greek. He was well spoken up by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. And Paul wanted to have him go on with him and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in the region. For they all knew that his father was a Greek and as they went through the cities they delivered to them the decrees to keep which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily. This is the word of the Lord. So we see here in our text a transition from Luke's account, his record of the Jerusalem Council and the decrees that went forth from them to the Gentiles and all the churches to Paul's second missionary journey. And we see in a sense the work of the Jerusalem Council, the mission was accomplished, yet the mission is ongoing as it still is today. The mission is not finished, the mission is ongoing and God uses ordinary people in extraordinary ways to accomplish his work. Verses 32 and through 35 we see the mission of the Jerusalem Council accomplished with the delivery of the Council's letter and various prophets and teachers remaining for a time to strengthen the brethren in Antioch with many words. Having accomplished their mission the men sent to Antioch from the Council in Jerusalem returned after they had stayed there for a time exhorting and strengthening the brethren. However, Luke writes it seemed good to silence to remain there. Silas decided to stay in Antioch because it seemed good to remain there. Luke does not indicate any divine revelation or special prophetic word only that it seemed good to silence. There was obviously God's will for Silas to be there because that's where he stayed. Yet the reason he remained there was simply it seemed good to him. As we read through this very condensed version of the Acts of the Apostles, we sometimes fail to remember these were ordinary people like us in many ways, if not most ways. I say a very condensed version because we must always remember and realize there was so much more that they lived and experienced than could possibly be written in this. I mean Acts is just one book of 66 in your Bible. It is a very condensed version that spans years but it is a very thorough version, a very thorough account. So like you and me the people we read about in Scripture, they woke up each day and they went about their life in the context of their newfound faith. Yet they were ordinary people with ordinary responsibilities and desires who were sometimes given extraordinary gifts and callings and experiences. They were in many ways no different from us today. They have electricity they didn't but others in that they were very, very much like us. It's refreshing to think that Silas woke up one day and decided it would be good to remain in Antioch because that's what he desired. I believe as we read the Scripture we sometimes read the Bible and think that everyone in it is hearing voices and having supernatural revelations with unusual experiences all the time because we read those things and they stand out to us and we consciously or subconsciously begin to think that's just how they live their lives all the time and that is not the case at all. Most of the people were living very normal lives with very normal challenges just like we have. Most were people living ordinary lives just like our own. Yes, they lived in extraordinary times but guess what? So do we. Do you not realize that we are living in amazing times? God in His providence works in extraordinary ways through the lives of ordinary people just like He does with His church today and you never know when God is going to use you just an ordinary person to do something extraordinary. You never know so we should always be ready for however God might choose to use us. In verse 35 we see that Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch doing what they had already been doing teaching and preaching the Word of the Lord with many others. Luke adds here with many others which would have been expected as the church was a collection of small bodies primarily meeting in homes at this point perhaps in some of the synagogues. They would need many other teachers to cover all the churches scattered across Antioch which was the third largest city in the Roman Empire. This was a big city. There were no mega church facilities where thousands of people could gather together. They met primarily in small groups and in homes wherever they could meet. Thus they needed many men to do this work which is why Luke says that Paul and Barnabas remain there preaching and teaching the Word of the Lord with many others. You know we drive down the street, think about this sometimes maybe today or tomorrow as you drive down any street, any main thoroughfare, think about how many churches you will see. Think about just driving between here and round rock or driving up any busy thoroughfare, how many churches you see. That's not the way it was in Antioch in that day. Not yet. And the fact that we can drive down our roads and see churches everywhere should remind us of how powerful the gospel is. The gospel has populated our, the very fabric of our culture not with church, not just with church buildings, but it is foundational to our very society and our very culture. And the fact that we can drive or we can open our papers and find a page listing all the churches and there are literally scores of churches there in large city hundreds of them in Taylor. There is over 60 churches. Think about that little Taylor. You say well that's not necessarily a good thing. No I think it is a good thing. Maybe all those churches weren't birthed for the right reasons but the fact that we have churches everywhere is really a good thing. We just need those churches to be faithful to the Word of God and their pastors to be faithful to the truth and those congregations to be faithful to the work of God. If we ever think that the church will not function without us, God will prove us wrong. He can raise up many others for the work but in his grace he has chosen to use us here and now. He's chosen you. He's chosen to use you. We must see the privilege. That is a privilege that God has given to us by his grace and we should be happy to accommodate his choice. We are blessed to be called by God in the work to make his name known. And Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch to help facilitate the preaching and teaching of God's Word. That would soon change as Paul would be moved to embark on his second missionary journey. It would be his care and his concern as an apostle but also because of his heart as a pastor and a shepherd that moves him to leave Antioch and embark on his second missionary journey. And his shepherd's heart is obvious when we read his letters that are recorded for us and preserved for us and our Bibles. Thus we have the beginning of the second missionary journey. The work goes on. The Jerusalem Council accomplished its mission, its work but the work didn't stop there. Now Paul and Barnabas and others would take those decrees and they would take them across the empire to all the churches that had been planted. In verse 36, after some days Paul has moved to go check on his other flocks. We see the pastoral heart of the apostle. When he says to Barnabas, let us go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing. Here is the shepherd going to check on his sheep. They had appointed elders in the churches but even though Paul had true care and true concern for the believers and for those churches. This revealed his sense of responsibility not only to those believers but also to God to whom he would give an account. This trip initiated to go back and visit the brethren in every city where they had preached would begin Paul's second missionary journey. This journey would begin with a severe disagreement between Paul and Barnabas. One of the things I love about the Bible is that the Bible does not withhold the hard things, the messy things. You read the Psalms, you read the history of the kings of Israel and the prophets and you see the good, the bad and the ugly. God puts it all out there for us because that is who we are as human beings. We live and we experience and we cause the good, the bad and the ugly. We are humans who make messes. We make messes of our own lives. We contribute to the messes and other people's lives. And so here Luke records, he doesn't hide the conflict, he records the conflict. He puts it out there because this is the church. There are no perfect people, therefore there are no perfect churches. And if you haven't had a conflict in your life lately just hold on once coming. And I'm not being negative, I'm just being real. Is full of conflict. Life is full of challenges. It's full of things that interrupt us and disrupt us. And you know what God uses those very things for His plan and for His purpose. And so this second missionary journey begins with a conflict. Consequences, conflict, but a way forward. So what we'll see here is that the conflict arose, the consequences of actions, years before, months more than a year. Consequences now are actions then now having consequences. In verses 37 through 38, Luke informs of a conflict between Paul and Barnabas that is later referred to as a sharp contention. This concerned the inclusion of John Mark in this second missionary journey. This stemmed from the actions of John Mark, probably now more than two years previous. And the resulting consequences when he deserted the work of the first missionary journey. Barnabas was determined to take with them John Mark. Paul insisted they should not take him. Robertson in his word pictures provides a more full context of this sharp contention as Luke describes it. A literal rendering of the Greek would be this, but Paul kept on deeming it wise not to be taking along with them this one. Barnabas did not agree. Paul saw a real problem taking a quitter. That's what he called John Mark a quitter. Each man was insistent in his position. But Paul had a definitive reason for this view describing John Mark as him who withdrew from them from Pamphilia. That's where John Mark departed from Paul and Barnabas and sailed back to Antioch. John Mark is described as the one who stood off from the one who apostatized from the word translated departed in my New King James translates this Greek word departed. Your ESD and other translations translated, deserted. They mean the same thing. This word translated departed or deserted is where we get our word apostasy from. He is also described as the one who went not with them to the work. John Mark is not guilty of theological departure or apostasy, but a physical departure from the missionary work they were engaged in. They were not told. They were not told why. Luke doesn't tell us why John Mark left, but we're told that Paul saw it as a desertion from the work. Whatever the reason John Mark had for deserting the work, whether it was good reason or not a good reason, it was considered desertion by Paul. He quit the work. And that quitting would ultimately result in contention so sharp between Paul and Barnabas that they would each go their separate ways. Paul was adamant that he would not take John Mark along on this journey. Barnabas was just as adamant that they would. Something would have to give, and it was the relationship between Paul and Barnabas. Yet, even with this sharp contention as Luke describes it, they forged a way forward. So we will experience conflict in our life. But in the midst of those, we have to find a way forward. We can't let those things stop us. And that is what happened here with Paul and Barnabas. They forged a way forward, not together, but each going his separate way, going forward in the mission of God. Even in the midst of conflict, we must find the way forward to do the will of God. Verses 39 and 40, Luke lays out the way forward, settled on by Paul and Barnabas in the midst of their sharp contention. The contention became so sharp that Paul and Barnabas parted from one another. And that contention did not make them enemies. We need to understand this. They weren't enemies. But it did cause them to agree to separate ways. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus. Remember Barnabas was from Cyprus. And they revisited the churches there. Incidentally, this is the last time we will see Barnabas mentioned in the book of Acts. Paul, on the other hand, chose Silas. Remember Silas decided it would be good to remain an anti-Occupal. He chose Silas to accompany him. And with the blessing of the brethren, they went back through Syrian Celicia to strengthen the churches there. Though not traveling together, Paul and Barnabas were on the same team, preaching and teaching and discipling with the same gospel of grace. There would be happy reunions later, but for now it was necessary for them to separate. It should be noted that the division between Paul and Barnabas and John Mark seems to be healed. We'll see this later on in Paul's letters. We're not told why John Mark deserted the mission only that he did. So to loot, the reason was not as important as the fact that he did. And that the mission went forward in spite of this sharp contention. This should always be the case. This demonstrates the commitment to the mission had by all. Paul, Barnabas and John Mark. It is not our will that is most important, but it is God's will that is most important. So we'll see later that John Mark and Paul work together as indicated in Paul's letters. And Colossians 410, Paul makes reference to Mark the cousin of Barnabas. And we see in Paul's letters that Mark is with him. So that informs us of reconciliation taking place as should always be our hope and always be our prayer and always be what we work toward. Divisions and conflicts for various reasons will arise. And it is good to know that there is grace for one another and that reconciliation and healing is expected to take place among brethren. The Lord has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation and that must be our aim whenever contention arise and they will. Thus, Luke makes the transition in his narrative from the Jerusalem Council to Paul's second missionary journey. And that crucial second journey would eventually take Paul beyond the continent of Asia into Europe and that would ultimately change our world. That brings us to chapter 16. Divine appointments. It was a divine appointment for Silas to remain in Antioch because he ended up going with Paul when him and Barnabas split. And Silas now becomes one of several constant companions that Paul has in his missionary journeys. We're getting ready to meet another one here. Paul meets a certain disciple. And verses 1 and 2 in Acts 16, Luke records these words, then he came to Derby and Listerum to behold a certain disciple was there named Timothy. The son of a certain Jewish woman who believed but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Listerum in Iconium. Paul returned to the places where he faced greatest opposition. Even to Derby, Derby is where Paul was dragged out of the city and left for dead after they had stoned him. He returns there to care for the saints. His faith in God was greater force than the lying temptations that would try to lead him into fear. How many of us would want to go back to the city where they stoned us to death and drug us outside the city and left us there? I would think, I'll be honest with you, I would think twice about going back there. I would think, no, I don't know if I want to go back to that place or not. Paul went right back. He went right back because his faith in God was a greater force than the temptation to fear. And once there, Luke uses this word behold and behold a certain disciple was there, not by accident in other words, but again by divine providence which had arranged a divine appointment on this return to Derby and Lister, the very place. Think about this. It seems as though the enemy did his best work to try to keep Paul from this city and yet Paul returns. Upon his return, he divinely meets a certain disciple named Timothy. This is our introduction to Timothy who would become a constant companion and spiritual son to the Apostle Paul. In fact, we have two letters in our Bibles addressed by name to Timothy. Timothy was born to a Jewish mother and his father was agreed. Having a Gentile father meant Timothy was not circumcised after birth. That would have been his father's responsibility to see that his son was properly circumcised, but as a Gentile, that was not going to happen. Even though Timothy's mother was a Jew, Luke informs us that Timothy was well spoken of by the brother and at Listera and Iconium. And this was no doubt of follower of Christ. This would indicate that Timothy was active in the church to the point that his reputation was well known among the brethren in these cities. This speaks to his character as well as his giftings. In verse 3, we see that upon encountering this young man, Paul decides that he would have Timothy go with him as he continued his missionary journey, but first Timothy would be taken to be circumcised. And he did this because of the Jews who were in that region. It was known by all the Jews that Timothy was the son of a Gentile. Therefore they knew that Timothy was not circumcised even though his mother was Jewish. Part of what Paul was doing on this journey, think of the irony here, part of what Paul was doing on this journey was taking this message from the Jerusalem Council saying that it is no longer required for the Gentiles to be circumcised. It's no longer required for anyone to be circumcised in order to be saved in order to be welcomed into the church. But here is Paul now taking this newfound disciple that he's going to take with him to spread this message. He's first off taking him to be circumcised. Paul's plan for Timothy seems contrary to the message of the Jerusalem Council. He's going to circumcise this half-dew, half-gentile even though he's carrying this message of the Council to all of the churches. The question is, was Paul contradicting the Jerusalem Council? The answer to that question is a resounding no. He was not contradicting the Council. There is no contradiction here. There is only a shrewd and wise move on the part of Paul and Timothy. Paul and Timothy were becoming all things to all men that they may save some. This is what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9.22. I have become all things to all men that I might, by all means, save some. That means Paul and Timothy were going to use a means, the means of circumcision, to save as many as possible. There is no doubt Timothy proved he was committed to this mission. It prompts me to ask of myself, what I would be willing to do for the sake of the mission God may task me? What about you? What would you be willing to do? Those questions are difficult to answer until we are faced with our choices. Pray that God would give you necessary grace for the necessary commitment he calls you to. During his first journey into the region, Paul had already experienced near death at Derby in much opposition from the Jews in Lystra, in Iconium, in Antioch. It was this opposition from the Jews that prompted Paul to have Timothy circumcised, not as a protection from the Jews, but as a means to open doors to win the Jews. If the Jews of this region were going to hear Paul at all, they certainly would not listen to a Jew who was keeping company with an uncircumcised half-Jew. The fact that Timothy was now circumcised was speak to his respect of his Jewish heritage and the law of Moses. His circumcision would remove existing barriers that would exist, keeping these Jews from hearing the gospel from the mouth of Paul and Timothy and Silas. So what are the implications of Timothy's circumcision? Let's take a moment and look at this. First of all, we must point out that long before Timothy was circumcised in the flesh, he was already circumcised in heart by the unseen hand of God. In light of the Jerusalem decree, the justification for Timothy being circumcised had everything to do with his own choice and the fact that his mother was Jewish. That fact opened the door to circumcision with Timothy's willingness to submit to it. And the implications would be far reaching. I want to make it clear that neither Paul nor Timothy allowed this circumcision for any other reason than a means to open doors to preach the gospel to the Jews. Paul wholeheartedly agreed with the Jerusalem decree concerning no further burdens be placed upon the Gentiles. This is why later we'll read that Paul did not require Titus to be circumcised. But Timothy was a different story. More Timothy choosing to be circumcised was not seen as a burden. But as a means to open necessary doors for the gospel to the Jews, Timothy became a Jew that he might win Jews to Christ. It was in no way a theological statement, but a practical means for the gospel of grace to go forth to Jews who otherwise may not hear. Verses 4 and 5, Paul and Silas and Timothy are going through the cities delivering the decrees from the apostles and the elders at Jerusalem. And the fact that Timothy was now circumcised would not be lost on any Jew hearing the gospel and the decrees from the mouths of Paul or Silas or Timothy. This would be a powerful witness as they went through the cities with the message of God's salvation by grace while demonstrating a respect for the ordinances of the law and for circumcision not as a means of salvation but as a means of upholding Jewish life and culture. And that was so important to the Jews and Paul and Timothy recognized that that Timothy was willing to submit to this ordinance so that he would have a better opportunity to win Jews to the gospel of Christ. That is commitment. It was worth the price to win Jews for Christ. They could do this and preach the gospel of grace while demonstrating that adherence to the ordinances of circumcision was not out of necessity but was out of choice. Our salvation is not by works of the flesh but is by God's grace. But this action, this sacrifice, if you will, by Timothy was to open doors that otherwise would never be opened. Luke tells us the result of their efforts. He writes, so the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily. It is true that more than likely most of those saved in these regions were Gentiles, yet Paul did not forsake preaching to the Jews. He was so adamant about the Jews hearing the good news he led Timothy to be circumcised to make that hearing more likely. There was a large Jewish population in these regions and the synagogue was a natural place to preach and teach the gospel. The synagogue presented an opportunity to reach a more substantial number at one time of both Jews and Gentiles who were Godfairers. Those Jews and those Gentiles would in turn then go to their family and their friends and they would spread the word and this is how the church grew. What we see here with Paul and Timothy is what we call contextualization. Paul understood the context in which he would be preaching the gospel and he made accommodations so that he could enter into that context and preach the gospel more effectively. In evangelism to contextualize is to tailor the presentation of the gospel to the wider culture or the wider cultural context in order to achieve greater understanding and therefore greater acceptance of the message. This is what, this is why Timothy got circumcised. This was not compromise. This was wisdom. The apostle Paul demonstrated contextualization when he had Timothy circumcised in order to remove barriers he knew existed with the Jews especially if Timothy remained uncircumcised. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians put contextualization very succinctly when he wrote, for though I am free from all men I have made myself a servant to all that I might win the more into the Jews I became as a Jew that I might win Jews to those who are under the law I became as under the law that I might win those who are under the law. To those who are without law as without law not being without law toward God but being under law toward Christ that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became as weak that I might win the weak I have become all things to all men that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel say that I may be a partaker of it with you. The example we see in our text today is of Paul circumcising Timothy in order to become like the Jews so that they may have, so that they may by any means win Jews. Paul and Timothy did not compromise with sin but adapted to a cultural norm among a certain group of people in order to save them and we should not be afraid to do the same. Theologically Timothy was under no obligation at all to be circumcised. His salvation had nothing to do with keeping the law or with circumcision. He willfully submitted to this only to win Jews. Paul, a Jew would submit to certain dietary or cultural compromises of the Gentiles in order to win Gentiles. Today you and I may compromise our cultural norms or preferences in order to see some saved. This is why we're told in the scripture when we sit down to a meal with someone to just eat what's put before us and don't ask any questions. Don't worry about it. Yeah, but this isn't what I normally eat. Doesn't matter whether that's what you normally eat. An example could be sitting down to a meal joining a celebration or submitting to anything out of your cultural norm in order to save some by the gospel. We do not evangelize only those who agree with us completely in every way. We evangelize and disciple any who are willing to hear. We must uphold the truth. Yes. We must also be flexible. When I went to Ethiopia, I submitted to many cultural norms that were outside my own. I can remember very vividly going into homes and every home there is such an honoring culture there. If you went into someone's home, you could plan on having a meal. And it didn't matter what time of day it was. They were going to feed you something. It's meant in America, we go into homes and people offer us things and we say, oh, that's okay, no thanks. In Ethiopia, you don't do that. That would be an offense. And so you go into a home of a person who, I mean, you just can't even imagine, you know? And you realize this person has sacrificed greatly to prepare this food for me. And there is no chance I'm going to not eat it. And I don't care what it is. I'm going to eat it because they are giving it to me, sacrificially, because they want an honor as a guest in their home and to their country. In America, we don't live in as honoring a culture or society as a lot of cultures across the globe. We're not a particularly honoring culture or society. And when you encounter a culture or people from a culture that's honoring, it can be different. But we need to learn how to adapt. We need to be flexible. So we need to be willing to compromise our own cultural norms for the sake of others, for the sake of our witness. If we're not willing to meet people where they are, no matter how different they may be, we will hinder our ability to win them, to see them saved, to Christ, at least through our witness. And you're witness, something, you know, I say this, we, first impressions are important. Sometimes you don't get a second chance. And that's why, as believers, our first impression is important. You need to be mindful of what we say and what we do. And I know sometimes I'm not mindful. I get lost in myself, in my own thoughts, my own caught up with my own things, but that can be dangerous because our first impressions are important. So don't be afraid to compromise your cultural norms for the sake of others. Only God can and does save people. But God uses us humans as His vessels that carry His love and His gospel. Like it or not, God has chosen you to be His vessel through which His gospel and His love will be made known. We are the means that God has chosen to use in order to save some. In fact, God has chosen to use you along with many others as the means to bring the message of salvation to a world full of people in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Let us prepare our hearts and ourselves to come to the Lord's table. Here is your charge, church. As we see with Paul and Barnabas and the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, later with Silas and Timothy, and so many others, both named and unnamed in Scripture, the work of God goes on. No matter what may come, it will continue to go on even to a thousand generations long after we finish our time of visitation here. Therefore, be ready, where if you have not noticed when you finish one task, the work is not done. There is always new work, new tasks, and new opportunities. God has ordained it to be so. Your charge is to be ready for the work that always continues. Be ready to accomplish your mission's plural. Be ready for the consequences whether good or bad or hard. Be ready for the conflict that will arise from within your ranks or from without, but it will surely come. For that is the nature of humanity. It's the nature of sin and it's the nature of your opposition and all that goes with the work God calls you to. Be ready to find a way forward even in the midst of conflict and sharp contention. Know that your trials and even your sins do not derail the work of God or his plan or his purposes. God works in the midst of your trials and he is not adverse to using your conflicts and your contensions and your tribulations as part of his plan and purpose. He uses both bitter and sweet providence to bring about his divine will and purpose. Be ready. This is how God works and this can be the nature of the work he calls you to. In the midst of it all, his love never fails. He never fails you. You have one life to live on this earth. You have limited time here. You have been placed here by God. You are blessed because of this providence. You cannot change your past but God can redeem more than you could ever imagine. Trust him. Do not despair but rejoice. Life is hard but full of joy. Life can be challenging. The work overwhelming but God and his grace are always and ever sufficient for every task at hand. You can rest assured. He is the God who never leaves you nor forsakes you. Amen. We are living inévils. The Lord and the justice are the human beings. My only card is a list faith in you. God. Raise Mother earth with glad angels today I praise you for joyful Banjo He your ваши virtue. the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. The Lord bless you.

Acts 15 · chapter mention Acts 15 · chapter mention