How to Stop a Fight

Acts 15:2 (ESV)  - And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnaba and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 

Have you been in a disagreement lately? Arguments can lead to real pain and anger and sometimes violence. Once deep, loving relationships might be permanently severed. Families, friendships, companies, churches, and even nations are split and may never recover unless those who have been hurt decide to get it worked out.

When we are convinced our position is correct and others disagree with us, it is natural for us to dig in with a firm resolution. We know we are right. Those on the other side are either stupid or they have bad motives and want to hurt us. In either case, the last thing in the world we want to do is to be in the same room with them, let alone talk through the painful issue.

Acts 15 tells about a time the young Christian church faced such a schism but chose to handle it the right way. It is easy for look back nearly 2,000 years and see Paul and Barnabas as the good guys and those who opposed them as the bad guys. Those in the other group were Christians (Acts 15:5), but they believed non-Jewish people had to become Jewish in every respect before they could become Christians. Yet, that group had history on its side. The Hebrew Bible had specific instructions for Gentiles who wanted to convert to Judaism. Why would those principles not apply in the Christian era, as well? They had good reason to think they were correct. Paul and Barnabas did, too.

This divide almost split the young church, but God had intervened in both a vision and the visible miracle of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to show Peter (respected by both sides of the debate) that Gentiles can come to Jesus without accepting all of the Jewish traditions. (Acts 15:7-11) The miracles and changed lives Paul and Barnabas had seen on their first mission gave even more evidence of this. (Acts 15:12) When both sides chose to sit down at the table together with other wise leaders, they listened to each other’s backstories to fully understand why the other side believed what they did. They then turned to the pages of the Bible to see what God had to say about the question. (Acts 15:16-18) Finally, the senior leader of the group – respected by both sides – spoke up to describe what they had all experienced to tell the new story that has been the church’s story ever since: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us to lay on you no greater burden.” (Acts 15:28) Since that day, we Gentiles who come to Jesus don’t need to first adopt all Jewish tradition. The church was reconciled and strengthened. Those who were almost enemies became friends again. This probably would never have happened had they not gotten together to work it out.

I know it is hard to sit down and work things out with someone who has hurt you or made you angry, but reconciliation is essential if you are going to see the best future possible.

Hand It Over

Acts 13:9 “But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked at him and said…”

This little verse in Acts 13 is loaded with significance for several reasons:

1)     This is the first time we see Paul’s name changed noted. Luke, the writer of the Book of Acts, called him Saul in every occasion before this verse and never again calls him Saul after this. The most influential apostle and writer in the New Testament gets a new identity.

2)   Paul became the leader. Barnabas appears to be the team leader in all of their join activities before this. Barnabas took initiative to explain Paul’s conversion to the Jerusalem church (Acts 9:27). Barnabas went to Tarsus to get Paul to bring him to Antioch to help that growing church (Acts 11:25-26). Barnabas led the team to Jerusalem with a relief offering (Acts 11:30). The Holy Spirit even called Barnabas’ name first at their commissioning during the Antioch Church’s prayer meeting (Acts 13:2). Yet, leadership swaps here, again by the work of the Holy Spirit, who fills Paul with the word and anointing for the miracle needed at the moment. Luke subtly shows this leadership transition a few verses later with the team now noted as “Paul and his companions” (Acts 13:13). As far as we can tell, Barnabas never voiced objection or resentment. He was happy to see his protégé go to a greater level of influence than he ever would.

3)   One previously filled with the Holy Spirit was filled again for a specific situation. Luke’s wording here expressly refutes a doctrine that would claim a Christian will receive all of the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation that person will ever receive. Paul received the Holy Spirit shortly after first meeting Jesus on the Road to Damascus when Ananias laid his hands on him (Acts 9:17). Yet, Luke expressly adds the words “filled with the Spirit” here to indicate a fresh work of the Holy Spirit that enabled Paul to understand what Elymas was up to and how to respond to it. Paul’s bold initiative led to a miracle clearly visible to all.

4)   The region’s most influential leader became a Christian. As proconsul, Sergius Paulus was the highest ranking Roman ruler on the island of Cyprus, the third largest in the Mediterranean Sea. He would have been, by far, the most influential Christian anywhere to that point. Paul’s decisive, Spirit-led action help launch a strong Cyprian church still in existence today and took his own career to a new level that eventually led to Paul’s preeminence in early Christianity.

As a professor at two different universities, I have had the privilege of teaching hundreds of people called into God’s ministry. Many of them have gone on to far greater positions of influence than I will ever know. Can I be like Barnabas and willingly hand over that leadership and recognition? The Kingdom of God is best served when we each fulfill our part in that process and remember we are all working together for Jesus’ glory, not our own.

Together

Acts 13:2 While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

I really like it when God tells me what I am supposed to do. My mission becomes clear and I don’t have to worry about bothering anyone else with my stuff. I can do it on my own independently. The only problem is that God wants us to be interdependent. Acts records many occasions like the beginning of chapter 13 in which God spoke through the church together, not a single individual.

Verse 1 most likely makes note of prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch because the Holy Spirit spoke through one of those prophets in verse 2 to commission Barnabas and Saul (better known as Paul). Paul had received this same mission, in a general sense, directly from Jesus much earlier. (See Paul’s recounting of his calling in Acts 26:15-18.) In one sense, he was fulfilling it in part in his work at Antioch where many, both Jewish and Gentile, people were coming to faith in Jesus (Acts 11:21-26). Yet, it was time to take the mission farther and the Holy Spirit let both Paul and Barnabas know this through other Christians at Antioch when the church was gathered together praying and fasting.

This season of isolation we are experiencing because of the coronavirus pandemic will come to an end. We have been able to continue to worship and hear good preaching remotely, but this is not the full Christian experience. Although it has been right to do this social distancing now, when this time is over, let us not think we don’t need to return to gathering together. We might miss a message God has for us.

When God Shows but Does Not Tell

Acts 11:28-29 One of [the prophets] Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world… And in the proportion that any disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea.

The Bible is filled with examples of God giving specific commands and instructions to his people. From the first command to humans in first chapter, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it,” (Genesis 1:28, NAS) until the last command, “Let the one who is thirsty come and… take of the free gift of the water of life,” (Revelation 22:17, NIV) God usually tells people what  to do. However, there are many occasions that God gave a prophetic picture of what was going to happen but the Bible seems to indicate the Lord let his people decide what to do about the impending reality. Acts 11:27-30 is one of those occasions.

The prophet Agabus came to the young, growing, mixed-race Antioch Church and “signed through the Spirit” that a famine would hit the entire world. (Worldwide natural disasters are not a new thing in 2020!) This wording makes it clear the Holy Spirit gave Agabus a picture of what was going to happen. Luke’s wording here in Acts does not say that vision came with instructions to the church. Instead, he wrote, ”They determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea.” This word (orisan in Greek) means to appoint, to set a boundary, and, ultimately, to determine, implying those doing the determining have the authority and responsibility to decide.

It seems the Antioch Christians heard Agabus’ prophecy, believed it, and started to consider its implications. Although a famine would be hard on everyone, they had just received visitors from Jerusalem who gave them an update on the state of the Christian church there. Although the Jerusalem Church was the oldest church in Christianity (Acts 1:14) and was seen as the central place of Christian authority (Acts 15:2 & 22:17), they had faced persecution for years (Acts 8:1) that probably made it difficult for people economically. Many of those in Antioch had done well financially and chose to draw from their savings help the Jerusalem Christians. They got together and “determined” to send some money and realized they need to make sure the money would get their safely, so they chose Barnabas and Saul (later Paul) to take it on their behalf.

Many of the decisions we face in life have relevant specific biblical instructions. We do not have to wonder if we should tell the truth or pay our tithe. The Bible is clear However, we may occasionally run into a situation like the people of Antioch. We can see what is coming. God may give us a supernatural sign through a prophecy, vision, or dream. There may be clear, yet natural, indications of coming change. It may be up to us to decide what to do about it. If you are uncertain, don’t be afraid to reach out to other mature Christians. Notice the Antioch Christian’s decision was corporate: they determined. It may have been a process to come to the decision, but they decided together.

Sometimes God tells us what to do. Sometimes it is completely up to us. Sometimes he shows us what will happen and lets us decide what to do about it.

God’s Orchestration

Acts 11:12a (ESV) – And the Spirit told me to go

Sometimes God speaks to more than one person in more than one way to coordinate and confirm what he wants his people to do. Acts Chapters 10 and 11 describe one of those occasions twice. It leads to the salvation and Holy Spirit-filling of a Roman Centurion and his friends and becomes the evidence that God accepts Gentiles (non-Jewish people) without first obeying the outer works of the Old Testament Law.

1. An angel visited and spoke to Cornelius with specific instructions to send for Peter (Acts 10:3-6; 11:13-14). 
2. Peter became entranced, saw a vision, and heard an unnamed voice. The vision and initial instructions gave freedom to eat previously banned food but seemed to not directly address the issue of Gentiles. However, the final command, “What God has cleansed no longer consider unholy,” encompassed the food and the people and verified that God accepts all (Acts 10:10-16; 11:5-10).  
3. The Holy Spirit spoke to Peter and gave specific instructions to go with the men Cornelius sent (10:19-20; 11:12). 
4. The Gentiles present believed the message and were filled with the Holy Spirit with the physical evidence of speaking in languages they had not learned (10:44-46; 11:15).

Many of us who make Jesus our Lord are eager to do what he wants us to do and relish when we have such clear guidance from God but note how this incident is portrayed as exceptional rather than common. Yet, the message was critical to the early church and was initially misinterpreted by those not present. Each piece on its own might have been cause to question if God was really speaking, but the confirmation by all four incidents made it clear that God was in this. In fact, not only did this convince Peter and his friends in chapter 10 and the first group of skeptical Christian Jews in chapter 11, it was again key evidence several years later at the critical Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15.

Even today, God often confirms his direction for us both through other people and in otherwise explicable circumstances. (I Corinthians 14:29) This has happened many times in my own life. I share some of these in Making Big Decisions Wisely. Sometimes we can confuse our selfish personal desires with what we want to be God’s voice. Other times those claiming to speak for God to us may have ulterior motives. Yet, when several sources and incidents align in inexplicable ways, God’s confirmation brings clarity and confidence this is his message.

Let’s be open to God’s direction and let’s look for his confirmation that it is truly his direction.

Be an Advocate

Acts 9:26-27 (ESV) – They were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.

The Christians in Jerusalem had reason to not trust Saul (later and better known as Paul). He had fully endorsed the stoning of the first Christian martyr, Stephen (Acts 7:58). He had authority from the Jewish priests to imprison anyone claiming to be a Christian (Acts 9:2, 22:4). He made it his mission to do everything he could to destroy the young Christian church (Acts 26:9-11). He could have pretended to have had a miraculous conversion just to be able to infiltrate the Christian community to learn the hiding places and discover who all the Christians were. He could have led the total destruction of the fledgling church in its home city. Christianity might have been completely eradicated if this happened. It was no surprise the Jerusalem believers were afraid of this Saul.

Everything changed one day, though, because of the actions of one brave Christian, with the well-deserved nickname of Son of Encouragement (Acts 4:36). Barnabas was not one of the twelve disciples who walked closely with Jesus in Galilee, but he had experienced a life changing encounter with Jesus. He had made a noteworthy financial contribution to the early church (Acts 4:37).  

Barnabas understood what was happening but he also understood that what Paul had experienced was real. Barnabas must have also seen what God would be able to do through this gifted young man, so, not for the last time (Acts 11:26), Barnabas found Paul, took him to the Jerusalem Christians, spoke on Paul’s behalf, and opened the door for Paul’s acceptance and the credibility to take his ministry to another level.

The Christians knew and trusted Barnabas, and Barnabas knew and trusted Paul. He became the bridge for a vital relationship. Has there been someone in your life whose speaking well of you to others opened doors of opportunity for you? Have you ever come to trust someone you had not previously met because of an endorsement or recommendation from someone you did know? Relational trust carries more weight for most people than the most elaborate resume. Even in our age of advanced technology, networking is more important now than ever.

Who will you advocate? What relationships can you help form that can lay the foundation for great achievements? Intentionally be aware of people you know who can benefit one another through yet unseen relationships. You can be the one to make that connection. You can be a son or daughter of encouragement.

Decisive Action

Acts 9:123-25 (ESV) – When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

Acts 9 opens with Paul (then Saul) meeting Jesus in a supernatural encounter. The narrative then moves to Ananias’s vision of Jesus to restore Paul’s sight and give him the rest of his mission. With a start like this, we might expect everything in Paul’s ministry from this point forward to be similarly supernatural, yet he had not even left Damascus before he met his first crisis without clear divine guidance. The Jewish leaders in town did not like how he persuasively preached Jesus as the Son of God. They laid a plot to capture Paul and destroy him.

Notice that the Bible does not say Paul had a supernatural vision or prophecy that let him know about this. God could have destroyed those lying in wait, perhaps with a lightning bolt, but that did not happen. The text does not even show specific divine direction in how Paul and the rest of the Christians chose to act. It seems they just knew they had a crisis that required immediate action, they looked at what they had available (a basket big enough to hold Paul), and decided on a plan to get Paul free. Dropping him over the city wall away from the guarded gate at night meant the guards who sought his life would not be able to see him. The plan worked and freed Paul to continue his ministry.

Crises usually require decisive action. Leaders often emerge in these times by recognizing the situations, the cost of doing nothing, and the opportunities that a good decision can bring. Paul’s solution required cooperation from the rest of the Christians. Perhaps they brainstormed the idea. They certainly worked together to drop Paul in his basket.

Don’t let a crisis paralyze you in indecision. Certainly, be open to divine guidance, but be ready to make the best decision you can with what you have available and don’t hesitate to invite some people to help you decide and make your decision a reality.