And we are continuing a series in the New Testament book of Acts today looking at Acts chapter 15 starting at verse 36 reading into chapter 16 verse 5. This is the moment in the story of the book of Acts where there's a gathering in the city of Antioch and there's an important gathering here because this is the time when of the Christians in Antioch have just heard the report from the apostles and elders in Jerusalem concerning how Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians are supposed to share together and be one together. So that was the Jerusalem Council, the report and decision was made, it was sent to the Christians in Antioch who were more primarily non-Jewish or Gentile believers and there was Real encouragement at that point. So and here we pick up the story starting at Acts chapter 15 verse 36. And after some days Paul said to Barnabas let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaim the word of the Lord and see how they are. Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to their work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places for they all knew that his father was a Greek. And as they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and they increased in numbers daily. And may the living God today impress upon our hearts and our minds the truth of his word. There's an old Peanuts cartoon where Charlie Brown is talking to Lucy and Lucy says, I love humanity. It's people I can't stand. You know, many times it is in the particulars that give us difficulty, isn't it? We have noble and positive attitudes in theory, but then they bump into the hard reality of the particulars of life, and that's where we bog down. Maybe the particulars of life are difficult people. Maybe they're strained relationships. Maybe they're challenging circumstances. All kinds of things that make our good intentions a vanishing dream. The flow of the book of Acts shows something like that. It's the challenge of good intentions crashing into the reality of a difficult situation. The church in Jerusalem had just labored to come to this positive and incredibly helpful position that would unite Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians together as one people of the Lord. And before the word can hardly get out, it's still on the way. It's reached Antioch. It hasn't gotten any further. And at that point, the two main leaders, Paul and Barnabas, who championed this effort are now at odds with each other. Isn't that striking? And maybe a little discouraging. But take heart. Take heart. There is good news here. For even though there is the hard reality of differences and a degree of separation in the church, what we're going to learn from our passage is there is the grace of God that creates a unity that the Lord intends for his people. even with the differences, even with periods of separation. There is, by God's grace, a unity for his people and a mission to accomplish together. And again, if we back up through it all, we see the big picture we've seen over and over again in the book of Acts. The Lord Jesus Christ is building his church. He's accomplishing kingdom purposes in all those particulars. the difficult circumstances and divided people, even in the failures of people, the Lord is building His church. So the first thing to note in the passage is that whatever the particulars are, whatever the setting, whatever the circumstances, care is always essential. Caring is essential. It's easy to think of this story with Paul and Barnabas as kind of two personality types that end up with kind of two branches even of the church. So you have Barnabas, and we've already heard he's called the son of encouragement. So you have maybe in a way, you could think of Barnabas as, well, he's the people guy, right? He's the one that's caring and sensitive to people needs. And then you've got Paul. Paul's not maybe quite like that. Paul's more the task-oriented guy. He's the getter done kind of guy. And so the two have that kind of difference, but really that's not the case at all. And there are probably some different personalities, but the point is we see the importance of caring. Barnabas is the encourager, but guess what? Guess what? Paul is the encourager too. Notice again the opening words of the passage, verse 36. After some day, Paul said to Barnabas, let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaim the word of the Lord and see how they are. Paul wants to go and revisit the cities where they had witnessed and first talked about Jesus. And just think for a moment before you skip over this. What happened in those cities, right? Is this kind of like your anniversary trip? You're gonna go back and go to some of the highlights of the places you've been? No, these are the cities where Paul was rejected. These are the places where Paul was ridiculed. This is where he was threatened and beaten. And Paul says, hey, I got a great idea. Let's go back there, right? And why? Because here's the heart of a pastor. Here is the care of Paul, not just Barnabas. We'll think about him in a minute, but Paul has this incredible heart of caring. That's what pastors do. He wants to look out for them. He wants to see how they are. No translations really get it. The word is episkopos. It conveys concern. It's the word used when the psalmist wonders in Psalm 8. of God, he wonders of God, what is man that you are mindful of him? That mindfulness, that's episkopos, right? And so here's Paul, he has this mindfulness for the people, he's the pastor and he represents the mindfulness of God. Notice how he writes to the Christians and Thessalonians about his ministry there. First Thessalonians 2, verses 7 and 8. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children, so being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. And that kind of care, Contrasted, unfortunately, from our Old Testament reading today in Jeremiah 23, where the shepherds of God's people did not care for the sheep. They cared more about their own interests. Notice Jeremiah 23, 2 again. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people, you have scattered my flock, you have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. That's kind of that caring. Behold, I will attend to you. And that's probably not in a good way, right? I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. So Paul is an encourager, but so too is Barnabas, right? We've met Barnabas so many times as the encourager. And then this passage too, he wants to encourage John Mark, who's actually his cousin. John Mark who had left them earlier at that first mission trip. So verse 37, the passage continues, now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. So when we first met Barnabas in the book of Acts, he was giving an incredibly generous gift to support the ministry and the mission of the church. Acts 4 verses 36 and 37. Thus Joseph who was called by the apostles Barnabas, which means, you ready, son of encouragement, a Levite, a native of Cyprus, remember that by the way, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. And then next it was Barnabas who literally, literally took Paul by the hand and led him to the apostles and the other Christians in Jerusalem because they were so afraid of Paul for all the persecution he had done. Paul had converted and no one was quite ready to open the door wide. to Paul, but one, and that was Barnabas. And so in Acts 9 verse 27, Barnabas took him, that's Paul, and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord who spoke to him, how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. And it continues, Barnabas was one of the first Christians who would go to Antioch and share the gospel with the Gentiles, that's in Acts 11. Verses 25 and 26. And not only did he do that, but get this, the ministry is thriving. This is even before the Jerusalem Council. The ministry in Antioch is thriving, and Barnabas goes and gets Paul. He's willing to share that ministry with a brother. Let me tell you, friends, you might not know this, but many times, especially for pastors, when the ministry's going well, you don't always want to hand it off, right? So here's Barnabas, the encourager. And again, right when he could have had all the attention, all the limelight right on him, what does he do? He goes and gets another because he cares For Paul, he cares for the broader ministry to the people. And then it was Barnabas who went on that first missionary journey with Paul. And then it's Paul and Barnabas that go up to Jerusalem to help share this concern that had arisen about how non-Jewish Christians should relate to the broader church. They're doing all that. And now there's this issue. Once again, Barnabas, the encourager, considers John Mark. And what are you going to do with a guy who's failed in ministry, right? And that's what John Mark did. What are you going to do? Barnabas, the encourager, wants to restore and reach out to him. And so he does, and he does that. And then the disagreement comes, verses 38 and 39. They're both encouragers. Hopefully we got that. Caring is essential in every situation. But there is a disagreement. Paul thought best not to take with them one, this would be John Mark, who had withdrawn from them and Pamphylia and had not gone with them to their work. That was the first mission trip. And there arose a sharp disagreement so that they separated from each other. verbs that are used to both Barnabas and Paul, and those verses are in an ongoing tense. So it wasn't just like, okay, here's your idea, here's my idea. It was continual. They were debating, and this continued. They held their different opinions, they stuck to their different opinions about John Mark, and then they end up going in separate directions. Now this is what we need to know. They are Christian brothers. They are united, even though they are separated. How are they united? First, they're united in fellowship. They're going in different direction, but the relationship doesn't end. It's real easy, I think, at this point to say, yep, you don't get along with a Christian, just go and launch out into a different direction, start a new thing, start a new movement. Sometimes that happens. But this isn't the passage to justify it. because the characters stay connected even though they're going now a different direction. So Paul is going to reunite with Mark and that relationship, that partnership will continue and eventually they'll even labor together. So in Galatians 4 verse 10 we read this, Paul writes, Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, concerning you have received instructions, if he comes to you, welcome him. You know, if this strained relationship had continued, if anyone harbored grudges, it would be real easy for Paul not to say anything kind. In fact, he could have said, hey, you know, if you see John Mark, you might just want to be on your guard. Isn't that kind of how we do it today? Right? Someone did you wrong and you say, oh yeah, yeah, well, you know, they're, they're, they're Christians, but, but you might just want to be a little cautious. You might just want to be aware of this. No, separated but united in fellowship and relationship. In fact, in 2 Timothy 4 verse 11, we read this again, Paul writing, Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you for he is very useful to me for ministry. So again, there's a fellowship, the ongoing relationship with these Christians who have gone in different directions of ministry. But notice, please, they're not indifferent towards each other, right? Even the distance and separation between them is for a time. And today, we apply it to ourselves. Remember, care and concern applies to all in every situation. We may be separate from other believers. There may be times where we do go in different directions, either because of philosophy and strategy and personality. But we need to be mindful. Remember that word? We need to be mindful of the connection we have with one another. That's the concern. We need to be mindful of relationships. We need to be mindful of how we speak of other believers. We need to be mindful of opportunities to connect when they are available. We need to be mindful of opportunities to share in ministry together. That is what we see in the Bible. A season of separation, again a difference of strategy, a difference of focus, a difference of personality is never a warrant to stay at arm's length from fellow Christians. So there's a unity of fellowship, there's also a unity of mission. Notice the passage continues, Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. Remember, that was his hometown. But Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. So they're going in different directions. We now go from one mission group, one mission team, to two mission teams. And geographically, they're going to spread. So there's going to be a common mission. to the nations, to these different geographic areas. But get this, there's also a mission to different age groups in this passage. And we could call this a mission to the generations. You with me? Mission to the nations, the geography, but a mission to the generations. Because what does Paul the encourager do? We don't know exactly how young Mark is, but he's probably still a little bit younger. We think of him as the young guy in the New Testament. So Barnabas is gonna take this younger guy. He's reaching out to him, encouraging him. He restores him and he does it. He takes Mark under his wing and praise God. What a fruitful effort that actually has changed your life today. You know why? You know what Mark ended up doing? Matthew. What comes after Matthew in the New Testament? Mark, right? Would you have the gospel of Mark and the providence of God one way or another, you would have got it. But Barnabas, united in mission to the broader church and to the Lord Jesus Christ, helps restore Mark. So Mark not only is a fellow missionary in these different journeys, He's the author of the second gospel of the New Testament. So Barnabas the encourager does that. But so too does Paul the encourager in this mission to the nations and to the generations. Notice what Paul does. Actually, now into chapter 16, verse 1. Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. Timothy will become not only a partner in the ministry and the mission, but a spiritual son to Paul. Notice what Paul says in 1 Timothy 1 verse 2. He writes to Timothy. To Timothy, my true child in the faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. So you see what's going on. Paul is not only reaching out, out to the nations, he's reaching in to the generations. He's discipling a young man. So reaching the nations and reaching the generations. That's the mission of the church today. Can you think of that? We have a geographic call to go. And we are united in mission with people who may be different, that are sharing in different aspects of the Lord's work, different vineyards of the Lord's field, all right? And the common call is to reach the nations and the generations, the calling of the church. So Paul, Silas, and Timothy are going to the various cities, and these are primarily Gentile areas. They bring with them the letter that was crafted by that council in Jerusalem, a letter that described again how Jewish believers and Gentile believers should be one and be united. And it's a decision that clarified You may recall that non-Jews did not need to be circumcised and to follow the entire Old Testament law to become a Christian. However, that letter, that decision reached at the church at Jerusalem, led by the elders and the apostles there, that decision did include breaking away from pagan worship rituals and practices that were not consistent with their new identity as followers of Jesus. They didn't have to do some things, but they did have to change in some places. They did not need to be circumcised or follow the whole ritual. the dietary laws, the ceremony laws of the Old Testament, they did need to avoid things like food offered to idols, they needed to stay away from anything that could hint of blood ceremonies, other immoral pagan activities. And what a wise approach. Sorry to review this from the last couple weeks, but again, just consider how wise this approach was. You know, here, through the risen Jesus on the throne, there is going to be one body of God's people with Gentile Christians being woven into the same foundation of the faith as Jewish Christians. And it would also remove barriers to sharing the good news and hearing the good news, both for Jews and for Gentiles. So we have the fellowship of the church, how to be together, but also the mission of the church, right? So that wise decision was taking away those stumbling blocks that would get in the way. So for instance, again, the Jewish believers, or even Jews who hadn't heard the gospel yet, and they thought, okay, well, down the road, you got that Christian group, and you know what? I think they're pretty casual about eating food offered to idols, or they still kind of associate with some of this blood ritual stuff, Guess what? They're not even gonna hear. They're not even gonna come to hear the good news about Jesus Christ. So this is a roadblock, a stumbling block to the gospel and hearing the good news of Jesus. But likewise, on the other side of the fence, you've got the Gentile believers and you're not even a believer yet. You're a Gentile and you're thinking, okay, I hear the good news about Jesus and I kind of get it. I'm not sure about the circumcision thing. I'm not sure about having to, you know, can I really not eat a cheeseburger? You know, I kind of like my bacon. So do I not get to enjoy any of those things? And once again, a stumbling block that might have prevented, and if you live then, might have prevented you from really embracing Jesus Christ and hearing clearly with no obstacles. the good news about him, they are taken away. Okay, so again, just consider how wise and wonderful this decision was, preserving a unity of the church, one body, Jewish Christians, Gentile Christians together in Christ, one movement that could go forth to share the good news. And then what happens? Paul circumcises Timothy. Wait a minute, right when I thought I got it. And I understood this. Notice verses three and four. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him. He's gonna take him under his wing, they're gonna disciple him, gonna reach the nations and the generations. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places. For they all knew that his father was a Greek, which means that he wouldn't have been circumcised as a child. And as they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance, that's a very strong word, for observance, the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, right? The whole thing, I just belabored to describe what was in it, right? They've got the letter, they're going forth, this is what it says. And by the way, we're gonna circumcise Timothy. What's going on? A couple important things. First of all, first of all, Again, no obstacle to hearing the gospel. Paul is going to do everything short of compromising principles and the truth of God's word. He's going to do what he can to make no obstacle to non-believing Jews to hear the good news about Jesus. He's also discipling Timothy. Timothy's not circumcised. He can't get up in a synagogue and preach. So Timothy now is going to have a greater forum an avenue for his ministry as one to preach and to declare within the synagogue, which by the way, remember that's where they always went first when they went into these new areas. But then more importantly, I don't know if it's more importantly, but also something that we certainly would need to apply, there's liberty in what the Jewish council decided. But liberty, dear friend, does not mean autonomy. You are free. in Christ but you are still bound to brothers and sisters in Christ and you are still committed to the advancement of the kingdom of God on earth. And that's what's going on so without compromising basic principles Paul is willing to adapt that others would hear about Jesus. And that's what he does. That's what we do. He does other things. I mean, we have other examples of it. Sometimes it's called being all things to all people. In 1 Corinthians 9, verses 22 to 23, Paul says to the weak, I became weak that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people that by all means I might save some. I do it all. for the sake of the gospel that I may share with them in its blessings." And the good news is the church grew and the church was strengthened. Verse 5 from Acts 16, so the churches were strengthened in the faith, they increased in numbers daily. The nations we're receiving the good news of God's truth. And the generations we're receiving and being built up in the good news of God's truth. It's not easy when our noble goals and our good intentions run into the roadblock of the particulars of life, right? Again, maybe those difficult people, challenging circumstances, unmet expectations, whatever it might be. But we are to be confident that God is at work and we can continue with joy, with purpose, even liberty in our calling. When Dr. William Leslie became a Christian as a young pharmacist, he felt the call quite quickly to serve God as an overseas missionary. In time, he would go to a remote area of the Congo and try to reach a people that had never heard about Jesus before. He went to the village called Vanga in 1912. He set up his camp there, such as it was. He battled all kinds of natural challenges and some unnatural challenges of the jungle. And in his ministry, he found that the people were very unresponsive. Each year, he would take a tour further out into jungle regions. He'd find a small village and he'd tell Bible stories and preach about Jesus. After several years in the mission, he had a falling out with one of the tribal leaders. It wasn't a believer, but it was a little bit maybe like Paul and Barnabas. And things never seemed to be quite the same after that. And then finally, after 17 years on the mission field in that same location, he returned to America, and within seven years, William Leslie died. He died certain. of the fact that his life and his labors had little impact. And most people, if they'd even heard the name William Leslie, would probably have come to the same conclusion. All that changed nearly 100 years after Dr. Leslie first came to the Congo. A mission group around 2010 decided to try to connect with the Yanzi people. This was a people group that were in that region where he had labored. They didn't know the name Dr. Leslie. They were not sure if anyone there in that region had even ever heard of Jesus before, and if they did, what they would possibly think about Jesus. As they unknowingly followed the path of William Leslie, they came across numerous churches. healthy churches that were reproducing, they came across a sanctuary that could seat over a thousand people. So these, what they thought were pioneer missionaries, were stunned and said, how have you come to hear about Jesus and the Bible? All they could say was that their ancestors had heard about Jesus in the stories of the Bible from someone named Leslie. He taught them and they believed and received by the grace of God. Our God is good and the Lord Jesus Christ is faithful to build his church in his way and in his time. He uses the particulars of life, of your life again. The difficult people, the strained relationships, things we've seen in the passage, things we've seen in our life, right? He is faithful. He will use the best of your efforts. He will use the weakest of your efforts. He will use what you think are your successes. He will use what you think are your failures. For through it all, he is the faithful one. He is accomplishing his great plan. And for us today, we can be bold, we can be creative, we can be free, knowing that we are yoked to him. And by his grace, we are yoked to one another. May it be so. Amen.