ACTS: Barnabas and Paul Separate, but the Missionary Work Continues; Hold to Your Convictions!

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.” (Acts 15:36)

 

As we have studied is several of the previous lessons, Barnabas was the reason the original apostles and disciples accepted Paul.  And when Saul [Paul] had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. (Acts 9:26-27)

 

Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. (Acts 11:19-22, 25-26)

 

Barnabas and Paul were together for years and traveled throughout the Gentile nations preaching the Lord Jesus.  Everywhere they went, they started and establish churches, bodies of believers in Christ Jesus.  They went from Antioch to Judea; And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark. (Acts 12:25) Then Barnabas and Paul were joined by Mark, and went to Seleucia, Cyprus, Salamis, Paphos; ...Perga in Pamphylia; and John [Mark], departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. (Acts 13:13)  Then Barnabas and Paul continued without Mark to Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, Jerusalem and back to Antioch.

 

Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark. 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. 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 Cilicia, strengthening the churches. (Acts 15:37-41)

 

Well, what a sad ending to a powerful duo!  Who was right?  In this case, there is no right or wrong.  They were both under conviction.  Barnabas was dealing with the conviction of family loyalty, ...Mark the cousin of Barnabas... (Colossians 4:10)  Paul didn't have those attachments.  He was dealing with the conviction of commitment.  Remember when we first met Paul, he was zealous against the believers, and ...he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. (Acts 8:3)  But very soon after his conversion, Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. (Acts 9:20)

 

Paul believed that when you commit to doing something, you stick with it, no matter what.  He was disappointed that Mark had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.  He did not have that family tie with Mark like Barnabas did.  But soon he would meet a young man named Timothy, that he would come to feel a fatherly connection towards, and then he would understand the conviction of family loyalty.  Then he came to Derbe and 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 of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.  Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. (Acts 16:1-3)

 

Now, Paul had a new partner in the ministry, Timothy.  But before they start their missionary journey, he circumcises him.  Why?  We just studied in the previous lesson that ...the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter [circumcision of Gentiles]. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.  So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” (Acts 15:6-11)

“Known to God from eternity are all His works. Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. (Acts 15:18-20; see ACTS: Circumcised or Uncircumcised? Doesn't Matter...) So, the apostles and elders determined that it wasn't necessary for the Gentile converts to be circumcised, but here Paul took Timothy and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region.  Why?  We can't forget what was stated, Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. 

Paul didn't just circumcise Timothy because of the Jews who were in that region, but also because his mother was a Jewish woman.  Remember, the disciples convicted by the Holy Spirit would not require Gentile converts to practice all of the Jewish rituals of purification, except that they abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.  But as for the Jewish converts, they were still expected to practice certain things they had been instructed throughout scripture to perform.  Remember what Jesus said to the Jews, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." (Matthew 5:17)

 

Now that Paul had done everything he felt was necessary, he and Silas along with Timothy started their missionary journey, while Barnabas and Mark started theirs.  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. (Acts 16:4-5)