What led the Apostle Paul and Barnabas having a sharp disagreement at the end of Acts chapter 15? What was the issue at hand? What was the result? And what can we learn from this that will guide us in the future? Hello, friends. I'm Wayne Shepherd. And those are the questions we'll be wrestling with today on Encounter God's Truth from Whitcomb Ministries. Our speaker, Dr. John Whitcomb, taught through the Book of Acts over the course of six years for the Independent Fundamental Bible Conference in Middletown, Connecticut. With assistance from Middletown Bible Church, we're grateful for the opportunity to bring these messages to you here on the radio. These are truly timeless truths for changing times. And you can find even more on this subject when you access a free commentary on the book of Acts on our website at WhitcombMinistries.org. It was written by Dr. Whitcomb and Pastor George Zeller of Middletown Bible Church. Disagreements between Christian brothers, especially Christian leaders, can be a very difficult thing to handle. The text before us gives us principles that we can implement in our ministries that will help us when these kinds of situations arise, as they inevitably will. We praise God that his word remains true from the beginning to the end, even when dealing with controversies like this, and it can guide us through the most difficult of situations we may face. So, if you are able, turn with us now to Acts chapter 15, as we learn more about the circumstances that led Paul and Silas to Europe. Here's Dr. Whitcomb with a new lesson for us today. Friends, I invite you to join me in a word of prayer. Father, we open the book of Acts once again. a tracing step-by-step, city-by-city, country-by-country, the outworking of the gospel to the ends of the earth. We remember way back at the beginning of the book of Acts, chapter 1, verse 8, that this gospel was to be starting in Jerusalem to all Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost part of the earth, and the pattern is unfolding, chapter by chapter. Thank you for your magnificent plan, hindered only by human sin, failure, disobedience, and unbelief, and that it's still happening today, and help us to tune in to what you're doing and how you're doing it and for whose glory it's happening. Thank you, Father, for your presence this afternoon. According to your promise, there were two or three are gathered together in your name. There you are in the midst. Apart from that, we meet for no purpose. Thank you in Jesus' precious name, amen. Amen. Acts chapter 15, verse 36. The great Jerusalem conference has been completed. There has been an amazing agreement that, of course, the apostles were very happy to say in verse 28, it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us. So this is something that God overruled and God accomplished in spite of the fact that it would create great problems for that church in Jerusalem because of the environment into which God had placed them, namely, a million or more hostile Jews who hated Jesus and hated the gospel and hated people who believed in him. So that Jerusalem church was in a very hostile environment, wasn't it? And it's going to get worse and worse and worse until finally the nation just explodes in rebellion, insurrection against Rome, the Roman armies come, And in 68 A.D. to A.D. 70, for two or three years there, at least one million Jews are killed. Millions are scattered to the ends of the earth with no further official permission to even come to Jerusalem at all. And of course, that scattering, that dispersion, that diaspora of the Jews has continued until 1948 A.D. And in my opinion, and the opinion of many dispensationalists, that is a significant date that God began to publicly, officially reinstate the people of Israel into their land. Now, of course, we know that this is a transition time described in Ezekiel 37. It's a valley of what kind of bones? Not dry bones. I mean, these are spiritually dead Jews, but they're assembling from the ends of the earth back into the promised land, and something spectacular surely is about to happen. I think you have to be sort of historically blinded to see nothing happening over there that has biblical, prophetic, dispensational significance. Now, friends, in the process of this scattering, of course, the church in Jerusalem is shattered. Okay? annihilated, shattered, and scattered, okay, so that Judaism is no longer going to be the kind of threat to Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles that it was in the first generation that occupies our attention in the book of Acts, okay? Now, Paul is ready to launch out into another great mission tour. We call this the second mission journey of Paul that begins, of course, in Antioch again, his sending church. And it's going to move out this way and all the way into Europe, Macedonia, Achaia, down here where Corinth is. And then, of course, back over to Ephesus and down to Jerusalem. And Paul is never going to see Antioch again, his home church. because from Jerusalem, he goes where? To Rome, okay? Now, he's ready to launch his second great missionary journey. Chapter 15, verse 36. And some days after, Paul said to Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they do. Of course, this is primarily these churches up here in what we call Eastern Turkey now, working backwards, Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. Let's see what these Christians are doing, because he has More than one reason to be alarmed and concerned about them, doesn't he? What's the first reason? Persecution by godless Jews, which they already have experienced over and over and over again. But now he's got another concern. Heresy, fomented and spread by believing Jews who are what? Legalists, okay? Who are teaching them they have to obey the law to be saved. And so he had to write that letter to the Galatians. And at that time, of course, the Jerusalem council hadn't occurred. So now he's able to tell them officially on behalf of the Jerusalem church itself, endorsed by Silas, a representative of that church, that what Paul said to them in the book of Galatians is correct. They do not have to obey the law as a law, law of Moses, in order to please God and to avoid judgment. They are now free from that, but of course, they're under Christ and under grace, but nevertheless, it's a whole new program, okay, for Gentile Christians. So he knows he's got to go back there and inform these churches of the new agreement at the Jerusalem Council, and he says to Barnabas, let's go, let's go. Okay, verse 37. And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. Now the reason, of course, for that, or a reason, I should say, is that John Mark was related to Barnabas, and he had confidence in this young man that with patience and love, they could restore him, and John Mark could vindicate himself before Paul, and prove himself, okay? But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia and went not with them to the work. And the contention was so sharp between them, between Paul and Barnabas, these dear friends who had bonded together for years in the ministry, years, that they departed asunder one from another. The Greek term paroxysm, it was a very, very deep division, okay? And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, his home country, remember, down here, where their first journey had started. And what did Paul do? Paul chose Silas here at the Church of Antioch, where Silas had either come back or had stayed. and departed, now notice this point in verse 40, being recommended by the brethren under the grace of God. Now it doesn't say that Barnabas and John Mark were recommended under the grace of God. I don't think that means they were not, it just doesn't mention them at this point. And so I just say, well Lord, please help me now. This is so sad, isn't it? Let's look at the positive side. As a result of this split, we now have two gospel teams instead of one. Say, praise the Lord for church splits then. Let's split all our churches and multiply and spread by splitting. We're often accused of that, aren't we, friends? But no, there's a sad side to this too, friends. And that is that they simply had to disagree on ministry policy. It wasn't really a doctrinal issue so much. It was just an issue of mission policy. I served for 25 years on a board of trustees of a foreign missionary society, and we prayed and we struggled and we searched the scriptures about how to watch over, to hold accountable, to encourage missionaries around different parts of the world for all those years, traveling to those fields to see what they were doing and praying with them and for them. But there were disagreements at times, very serious ones on policy. How before God, accountable to God and to the churches, are we going to be able to administer these vast sums of money being invested in these many, many servants of the Lord in different countries of the world, Africa, Latin America, primarily, even Europe. And there were some sharp disagreements at times, nothing quite as serious as this, during the years I was with them. But here's the policy problem, here's the issue. Paul said, I will not endorse any missionary who is a proven failure, an experienced failure. Okay, Barnabas's policy was this. I am committed to the restoration of missionaries that have failed, especially if I know him personally and love him personally as one of my close relatives, thank you. Now, here's a possible answer. They both were right. In fact, Barnabas turned out to be correct, that John Mark was not beyond recovery. In fact, Paul finally wrote In 2 Timothy 411, his last chapter of his last letter, he said, Mark is profitable to me for the ministry. In other words, Barnabas was right, see? But at that time, I was right, because it took apparently years for Mark to be what? Pure, as long as he lived. So here is an amazing situation here, friends, that teaches us some lessons on what? Legitimate biblical separation. Now, I have in front of me here and back there in the table, you'll find a very excellent study called, Are Separatists Divisive? by a man I've never met, Mark Perry. This is very well done, very balanced with all the biblical verses that emphasize the necessity of living in harmony, Romans 12, Romans 15, 2 Corinthians 13, 1 Peter 3, pursuing peace, et cetera, et cetera, and reconciling our differences, one with another, with the Lord. Then when and under what circumstances do we separate from a fellow Christian? over mission policy or methods of serving the Lord. And it's, of course, obviously doctrinal or moral problems, yes. But sadly, we live in a generation, dear friends, where the worst possible thing to be imagined is what? Having to separate one from another as Christians into different Christian ministries or local churches or schools or whatever. And so there's that balance that is very rarely achieved in which we speak the truth, but speak the truth in what? In love. I mean, for the glory of God, for the honor of the Lord Jesus, for the integrity and perpetuation and appreciation and preservation of his word, and yet with some sad differences and sad departures and separations from one another. And I say, well, Lord, just help us to be very careful here in how we view occasional necessities of division as occurred right here. So my conviction is that both Paul and Barnabas did the right thing for the right motives, and God honored both of them because of it, okay? Paul and Silas launch forth and start where? Notice they're not going the route they followed on the first trip, namely starting down here in Cyprus and going up this way. They start in Paul's home country, which is Cilicia, right here, and work their way from Syria and Cilicia back through the cities they had been in that Silas, of course, had never personally visited. But what a joy it was to the Christians in those cities to hear from Silas, an official representative of the Jerusalem church and a prophet of God as well. I mean, supernaturally endorsed messages from him. And so they went to these churches and as they went, chapter 16, verse one, they came to Derbe and Lystra and behold, a certain disciple was there named Timotheus, Timothy. the son of a certain woman who was a Jewess, and believed, a believing Jewish mother. And what was her name? Eunice. And Eunice's mother's name was Lois. We read that, of course, in the epistles that Paul wrote to Timothy about this wonderful connection he had with that godly woman. And so Timothy, in God's marvelous providence, was the fruit of a horrible persecution that Paul endured, namely being stoned to death in Lystra. And Philippians chapter two, he says, I have no man like-minded. I mean, he's the most faithful, diligent, dependable servant God has ever given me, disciple. Okay, helper in a ministry. Praise the Lord for that. Now, he was well reported of, in spite of the fact I should mention that his father was a Greek. Now that may mean his father was an unbeliever, which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. So we're not sure exactly whether he was from Lystra, or Derby or Iconium, but I suggest since Lystra is mentioned in both of those verses, one and two, that he's probably from Lystra, where Paul was stoned, okay? Him would Paul have to go forth with him, and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters, for they all knew his father was a Greek. Now friends, this is somewhat difficult to some people. If Paul is going around preaching as he did in Galatians, the book of Galatians, you remember, that if you depend upon this outward sign, you have to then go ahead and keep the whole law, and you're under a burden you can't bear, and you've abandoned the gospel. You've abandoned Jesus Christ. Well, then why did he do this to Timothy? See? You say, well, he's a compromiser. May I suggest an alternative? He is a biblical opportunist. In other words, I am doing this in order to accomplish what? A more effective outreach to Jewish people who would be offended if this man, Timothy, were not a part of us and yet pretends to be. But on the other hand, Titus, who was 100% Gentile, Paul said, I refuse to have him circumcised because that is not at all part of God's plan for whom? For Gentiles. Now it gets kind of complicated, doesn't it, friends, at this point? And I say, well, One thing is obvious, isn't this interesting, that some people think that water baptism, believers' baptism today, is a replacement of Old Testament Jewish circumcision. No, because Timothy had already been baptized, so why have him circumcised? This is absolutely absurd. It has nothing to do with baptism at all, you see. It is not a parallel ordinance between Israel and the church. So with that matter settled, and now Timothy acceptable and very useful, therefore, in Paul's work among whom? Jews in their synagogues, you see, with Silas, who was also 100% Jew. As they went through the cities, verse four, and delivered them the decrees to keep, they were ordained by the apostles and elders which were Jerusalem, and so were the churches established in the faith and increased in numbers daily. Oh, praise the Lord for that positive report of God's work, yes. So Paul now, you see, friends, on his second missionary journey has a new leadership structure. I mean, he's the leader, okay? And then comes Silas and then Timothy, okay? And the new worker, praise God, namely Timothy, and as we'll see, a new vision that God gave him one night of where to go, and as a result, the finest church God ever helped him, enabled him to establish. At where? Philippi, okay? Now, strange, strange statement here. Look at this. when, in verse six, when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia. Now here we are, friends, here they come. They're coming up this way, and they obviously wanted to head to Ephesus, the great, great city, with hundreds of thousands of people, a major center. Now that was Paul's strategy, it wasn't in emissions. Don't spend time in small towns. Spend time in big cities where you can train people to go to the small towns. I mean, an excellent, brilliant mission strategy. Let's head, obviously, to Ephesus. You remember the seven cities of Asia. And what did the Holy Spirit say to them? No. Why? We'll never know. It wasn't time. Well, so when they came to Mysia, this region just north of Ephesus, they decided to go up in this direction, up into Bithynia and that area toward Pontus. And what did the Holy Spirit say? No. Now, isn't that strange? Doors slamming shut. Negative guidance. He didn't say where to go. He just said, don't go here. Well, somehow they are pressured into moving straight northwest, up to here. And when they got to Troas, right here, a major port city, an amazing thing happened one night. Verse nine, a vision appeared to Paul in the night. And there stood a man of Macedonia and prayed to him saying, come over into Macedonia and help us. Now, who did the man turn out to be? Lydia, the seller of purple from Thyatira, from Asia. Amazing, thank you, Lord. I mean, it's almost like the Lord has a sense of humor here in how this operates, okay? And now who else joins this team? Look at this, are you ready for this little hint? In verse 10, and after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. Who does we now include? Luke himself. Now Luke is very careful in his book. Whenever he's part of the team, he says, we did this and we did that. Whenever he's not part of the team, he doesn't allow that plural personal pronoun to be used, first person pronoun. So now Luke, the beloved physician, joins them. And many people believe that he came from Philippi himself up here in Macedonia. In fact, this city of Philippi was famous for, are you ready for this, a school of medicine. And he was a medical doctor. And I would love to find someday, wouldn't you, what textbooks he studied, what procedures he learned to apply to people in various types of problems. Wouldn't that be amazing? And he must have been a very skilled and dependable and balanced and wise physician because he followed Paul and God's providence everywhere he went and Paul needed all the help he could get because of the awful things he experienced. And God just had this man with him many, many times on his trips. We'll have to pause right there for this week before Dr. Whitcomb takes us further into Acts 16. You're listening to Encounter God's Truth from Whitcomb Ministries and I'm Wayne Shepherd. We're currently in Volume 6 of our ongoing series, Acts, Witness of the Early Church. Remember that you can hear all of the past broadcasts in this entire series in our archives at sermonaudio.com slash Whitcomb. And be sure to find our latest updates on our Facebook page at facebook.com slash Whitcomb Ministries. Next week we'll return to our study in Acts chapter 16 as we continue to learn so much from Acts, the only inspired history book about the church. May God bless you richly during these days until we gather for more here on Encounter God's Truth.