MARK AND TIM

Acts 15-16

This week's lesson is about fighting and training – no, not training to fight! Although he lesson begins with a fight between two friends, both dedicated Christians who had worked together fairly constantly for a couple of years. Barnabas, in fact, was the guy who got excited about what was happening at Antioch and went to find Paul to bring him back and get him involved. They worked together, and it looks like Barney was Paul's mentor for awhile. In fact, at the beginning of the first missionary journey, Barnabas was always mentioned first and then Paul, as if Barney was the leader. Somewhere along the way, the order switches, as they seem gradually to shift the leadership as they gained experience. Remember on the first journey they were learning what it meant to “do missions” and how to do it.

The fight was over John Mark. That young man had accompanied them on the first trip, but he turned around and went home before half the journey was completed. Some have suggested he got homesick. Others that he was afraid of the opposition. Still others noted Paul was about to become the leader, and Mark didn't like the way Paul was bossing around his cousin Barnabas. We don't know. The scripture doesn't tell us. But Paul was unhappy with him and was opposed to taking him on another trip.

It was Paul's idea to take another trip and revisit the churches they had begun and see how all the new Christians were doing. But Paul didn't trust Mark and didn't want him with them. Barnaabas wanted to give the kid a second chance. The dispute became sharp enough that the two split. Barney would take the kid and go one way, breaking new ground, while Paul enlisted Silas as his companion. So they each went their own way.

Lessons that can be learned and explored further.

1 – Even mature Christian leaders can disagree. Sometimes there is honest disagreement. When I was at Southern Seminary in 1958-59, 13 professors left the school in conflict with the administration. It was not at all doctrinal, but like here in Acts, it was administrative. The school at one time had been run primarily by the faculty, and the president was seen as head of the faculty. Now the president and his administration were making more decisions and the 13 didn't like it. (That same arguments surfaces from time to time in other universities.)

2 – The Lord used the split for good. We have only the record of Paul's trip. I'd love to find a set of Barnabas's notes on his trip. What other churches might they have established and adventure they must have had.

3 – There is more than one way to do something. Often churches are locked in arguments as if the motion before it would be for all eternity. I have several times eased debate by pointing out, “If we pass it and don't like it, we can go back and do it another way.” Of course some issues are more permanent than others. If you build a half million dollar building, you can't just go back and do THAT another way.

At the second stop, Lystra, they met a man, probably a young man, whose name was Timothy. He was of mixed race, a Jewish mother and a Gentile father. To avoid unnecessary disputes, he circumcised Tim, so the Jews would accept him. Remember Paul first entered synagogues everywhere he went as long as they would let him teach there.

4 – Notice both Paul and Silas mentored apparently younger men. These men would be able in a year or so to do what their mentors were now doing. Learning by example is an excellent way to learn. Almost certainly both Mark and Tim in their travels came across one or more of Jesus's original Twelve and hear the message from their mouths.

Who are YOU training?

THE PIVOT POINT

Acts 15

Remember that time you were introduced to someone, and that someone changed your life? Or that time you chose a job in this state rather than a very different one? Pivot points crop up in life. The decision made then determines a huge amount of your future. The early church had come to that point.

Remember two weeks ago I wrote an introduction to the Book o f Acts. I told of the Faith beginning with 120 people filled with the Holy Spirit, who hit the streets and changed the world by thousands at a time. By the end of the book, the Gospel is being preached in the capital of the Roman Empire unhindered. Along the way, we discover how God led His people away from being a privileged few to an open altar call of “Whosoever will may come and take of the water of life freely and without cost.” Today's lesson hits at a critical point, and a decision shared by a group that seemed to be the pillars at the center of the young church.

The early church began in many people's minds as an off-shoot of Judaism. They considered it branch of Judaism. After all, they had Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes (of the Dead Sea Scrolls). And they were all Jews. They differed on some things, but had a core set of beliefs for all of them: circumcision, sacrifices, and certain dietary laws, for example.

But a problem emerged as the Gospel began to spread. Some of the Christians came from Gentiles. They were not circumcised and they did not follow the Jewish dietary laws. In addition they came from a background with a very different morality. So some of those who objected and believed one had to become a Jew first and then a Christian, began to stir up dissent. They would follow Paul and Barnabas into various towns and begin to teach the new Christians they

needed to be circumcised.

Paul makes very clear in his writings that salvation comes by grace through faith without works. The changed life produces works, but a very different kind of works. The Judaisers are talking about keeping the Law, including circumcision and dietary laws. But Paul means works such as service to people stemming from God's transformation. See Ephesians 2:8-10.

Sometimes the Jewish opponents became violent, even to the point of stoning Paul and running him and his crew out of town. When Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch from where they had started, they were well received. As they related their successes, Then the Christians in their home base rejoiced. But word reached the church at Jerusalem that They were preaching and baptizing Gentiles without requiring circumcision or other observances.

Meantime a group of these Judaizers (as they were called) had come to Antioch to teach circumcision. That got Paul and Barnabas bent all out of shape and they contradicted these men, and a “church fight” ensued. To solve the squabble, the Antioch Church sent Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem along with some others to ask some of Jesus's original Twelve how they understood the Gospel.

Along the way, they told their stories of God's great salvation transforming many Jews and Gentiles in different cities in “Asia” (mostly part of what we call Turkey today). In 15:4 Luke tells us they were well received by the “apostles and elders.” They told their story.

Thena group, who were Pharisees and Christians combined insisted that the new Christians must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses. Apparently they discussed the issue back and forth for a good while. Finally, Peter stood up and reminded them of his experience with the Roman Centurion. On that occasion he witnessed an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that took him back to the Spirit's coming on the day of Pentecost. He said that God knows our hearts, and if He confirmed their conversion without requiring more, that what right do we have to “place that burden on them?”

Paul and Barnabas continued to add the signs and wonders they had witnessed as God moved among the Gentiles. Jesus's brother James then stood and pointed out that it had always been God's intention to offer salvation to all. He quoted scripture to prove it. (Note the early church valued what we call the Old Testament.) James then proposed a sort of compromise. He stated four things he – and presumably the others – considered important and suggested writing a letter to the churches asking four things of them:

1 – Abstain from food offered to idols.

2 – Abstain from sexual immorality

3 - From eating meat from animals killed by strangling (probably because of the importance of blood being spilled).

4 – And from blood, which was offered to the Lord. There goes my rare steaks!

The group agreed and further decided to send some men back to Antioch with the missionaries to confirm what they had said. They carried with them the letter you can read in verses 23-29.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE COUNCIL...

1 – It settled that only acceptance of the gospel was necessary to become a Christian. Neither circumcision, nor observance of the Jewish law was required.

2 – The Judaizing issue was settle.

3 – The argument from experience was laid alongside Scripture that explained it.

4 – At least two of the Twelve who had been with Jesus, probably more, agreed Paul and Barnabas had it right. Scholars consider James the leader at Jerusalem.

5 – The possible establishment of the Council idea and principle. The history of the church, especially the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, established a great deal of official doctrine through Councils, such as Nicaea. But was this idea correct?

Suppose for example that Peter and James had ruled that Gentiles must be circumcised also, do you think Paul would have accepted this. Or would he have said, as Luther did 1500 years later, “Here I stand. I can do not other?” I for one believe that had Paul not got their approval, he would have told that Council at Jerusalem, That they were wrong, and he would continue to baptize the uncircumcised.

Baptists, by the way, have been strong supporters of the “Priesthood of the Believers.” Until around 1970 that doctrine meant that we did not have to go through any priest, church, or creed to get to God. Rather we could go directly to Him . Our beliefs come from the Bible as interpreted by the individual believer, and there is no creed but the Bible.

A “conservative resurgence in the SBC from about 1970 til now has moved away from that idea and given more authority to The Baptist Faith and Message than any previous confession of faith. From Baptist origins in the 17^th century until the late 20^th, our theology was in reaction to the Catholic church. But the Second Vatican Counsel made significant churches to the Catholic approach to laity and the world. Taking their place as the foil for SBC doctrine was modernism: Evolution, the “Big Bang,” and certain forms of Biblical criticism. Thus the shift from a loose interpretation of the individual's priesthood to a more authoritative creed-like structure in an effort to clarify and assure our conservative stance.

It is instructive to read and compare the 1963 and 2000 versions of that document, voted on by the SBC in session. I consider the intrduction to 1963 among the greatest doctrinal statements in Baptist History.

GODS OR DEMONS?

WELCOMED OR STONED?

Acts 14

Paul's in boot-camp! In Philippiaans 4:11 he tells us he has learned to be content or at least able to deal with any condition that comes along – for better and worse. Chapter 14 tells us some of the first lessons of both good and bad times. Although, he needed to get rid of both.

Remember the Antioch church had set them aside at the Spirit's direction, and Barnabas and Paul went on what's known as Paul's first missionary journey. It may be the first foreign missionary journey any time – at least for Christianity. In Chapter 14, they find themselves worshiped as gods and stoned for demons. Man! Talk about an emotional roller-coaster!

But for aa minute let's back up and see what has happened since leaving Antioch.

First, they went by boat to Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Luke notes that John Mark was with them. They began a pattern they followed almost everywhere. Since Paul was a well-respected rabbi, trained under the best, he had an open pulpit in any synagogue. From examples of apostolic teaching elsewhere, he almost certainly began by scanning Jewish history from the Exodus through the prophets, often beginning as far back as Abraham. Then he proclaimed what God had done in recent days through Jesus the Messiah and usually adding his own testimony. Throughout Acts, we see the same three results, some believed and joyfully joined their growing numbers, some were interested but not ready to commit, and the third group rejected the message and its messengers. At least half the time, these were fellow Jews who wanted to remain in their belief. A few became violent enough to chase the apostles out of town or even try to kill them. Life following Jesus can be hard.

I found a website of “Christian Hedonists” with one article labeled, “God Wants His Pastors to Be Happy!” Well. I still think of myself as a pastor, even in a retirement, and you know, I never thought of that as God's will for me. Yeah, most of the time I was very happy and enjoyed what I was doing. God created me for that lifestyle. But I would have to say God primarily calls His pastors (and people) to be faithful! To carry out the mission and the assignment he has given them. What about the third world countries in which pastors aare imprisoned for being Christians and trying to win others? Any sound doctrine of ecclesiology and Christian leadership should apply across the globe and in multiple societies.

Meanwhile, back in Cypress and “Asia” (now Turkey) some of the Jews who did not accept that Jesus was the promised Messiah, tried to squelch the new faith they considered a Jewish heresy. They drove Paul and Barnabas out of town. Further they followed him to other towns and told their cohorts to watch out for those imposters preaching heresy.

Their first opponent on Cypress was a “sorcerer” named Elymas, who got really bent out of shape when a government official, the proconsul of the area got interested in Christianity. He began loudly abusing Paul, but the preacher out-trash-talked him and threw a spell of blindness on him. Note he was already blind to the gospel.

The missionaries then left Cypress for the mainland at Perga. At that point, John Mark turned back. No explanation is given, but a bit later when about to set out on a second journey, Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them. Paul refused on the grounds he turned back, and the two split. Noticed God used even this disagreement between two good men to double the missionary force. Notice also Paul picked up Timothy to accompany him and Silas. (I'm getting ahead of the story, but I'm my own editor, so...) You could conclude that from the very beginning training the next generation is vital. Who are you mentoring?

Chapte 13 contains another example of the first century sermons I mentioned above. The audience apparently received the message well, because they hung around afterward and invited them to speak again the next Sabbath. A huge crowd (“the whole city”) came the next week. Some of the Jews disagreed violently and started heckling them. Paul then told them they always preached first to the Jews as God's people, but if they didn't accept the message, they would turn to the Gentiles. He also quoted scripture to show God allowed, predicted, and approved of the whole world getting the message.

And now we come (finally!) to Sunday's lesson from Acts 14. Some troublemakers had followed the missionary expeditions and stirred up the local citizenry about the Gospel. As a result of that pressure, Paul and Barnabas traveled away from the coast into the heartlands of what is not Turkey. The next stop was in Iconium on the border of Capadocia. Cappadocia is still a remarkable area with its “fairy chimneys,” mountains with caves, and homes emerging from the rocks. Google it and click on Images.

In Iconium, the apostles ran into the same emerging pattern. First came successful preaching and many new converts. This led to a division among the people and sometimes rioting. Then Paul healed a man and chaos broke loose. They had no idea what to do. The Greek's first reaction was to call them gods walking on earth. Since a major Temple to Zeus, the chief of the gods (you may remember him from the Roman system as Jupiter) was there in Lystra, the people called them Zeus and Hermes (Mercury). The chief priest of the shrine to Zeus came prepared to offer sacrifice to them. So the same day they were called demonic and divine. With difficulty they convinced the people not to crown them or sacrifice to them.

Next, the persistent Jewish opposition showed up and swayed the crowd back to hostility. So they stoned Paul, pulled him outside the city, and left him for dead. But like Mark Twain, the rumor of his death was greatly exaggerated. He eventually aroused and the next day He and Barnabas left town and resumed their travels. More learning how to be content, via the college of literal hard knocks.

Look down to the last paragraph of the chapter. Paul and Barnabas began to retrace their steps, even into the cities they had been chased out of! They were beginning the process of deepening their discipleship and appointing leaders for the churches. Note especially verse 22: We must go through many hardshipsto enter the Kingdom of God! Hardships? How does that fit into the “prosperity gospel”? You're right, it doesn't. Remember Jesus talking about a wide road and a narrow road?

They retraced their steps, once again visiting the churches they had established. Their intention was to make sure the church was still growing, and the leaders were capable. Eventually, they came back to a huge welcome in their base church of Antioch. They reported their experiences in detail to that congregation and stayed with them “a long time.”

NEXT WEEK: A major crossroad!