The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to The Word Made Plain with Senior Pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Tony is teaching a study in the book of Acts. Please open your Bible to Acts chapter 15, verses 37 through 41.

Tony Clark: All right. Let's dive into the word of God together. Turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter 15, and we're going to be looking at verses 37 to 41 as we continue to go verse by verse and chapter by chapter through the book of Acts on Sunday mornings. As you know, we're in the book of Ruth this Wednesday, and we will be finishing up the book of Ruth and moving right into First Samuel. I just enjoy the Old Testament on Wednesdays, the New Testament on Sundays, and just enjoying the word of God.

And Father, thank you so much that you did not leave us here on this earth to try to figure things out on our own. But you've given us this word to lead us and guide us into all truth. Lord, it's through this word that you shared your heart with us. And so, Lord, I pray that you will soften hearts today, open up ears to hear your voice speaking to us. And so the seed of the word of God may be sown on good soil, and that it may bear fruit for your glory and your kingdom alone. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Acts chapter 15, looking at verses 37 to 41. The title of this message is "Break Up To Make Up." Break up to make up. Now, is this even possible to break up and then make up? I ask because many of you have relationships in your life that are fractured and broken beyond repair, and you have not made up yet or even tried. And I believe that these verses show us not only a break up, but how they made up as well.

Now we left off with talking about how God guides his people. We saw five of the six ways that God guides his people. Number one: God guides through the oneness of the church. We saw that in verse 25. Number two: God guides through gifted men and women in the church. We saw that in verses 25 to 27. Number three: God guides through the gifts of the Spirit. We saw that in verses 28 and 29. Number four: God guides through desires we may have personally in verses 32 to 34. And number five: God guides through concerns we may feel internally in verses 35 and 36.

Now we're going to see how God can guide through number six: interpersonal difficulties. Look what it says there in verse 37: "Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark." Stop right there. So here are Paul and Barnabas, to give you the background, about to go out on another missionary journey to see how the new Christians were doing in all of the cities they led to Christ. We know this from verse 36. However, according to verse 37, Barnabas was determined to take with them John Mark. I want to draw your attention to this phrase "was determined." The Greek word is bouleuó, and it means deliberate, purposed, or determined.

The question is: How did Paul respond to this deliberate, determined reaction from Barnabas? Look at verse 38: "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." Notice it says that Paul insisted. The Greek word for insisted is axioó, and it means desire, to think good, to count worthy. Now, you would think that Paul thought that what Barnabas was saying he thought good of it.

But watch this, when axioó is coupled with a negative particle me, it means that Paul did not think that it was a good idea to take John Mark. He did not think that John Mark was worthy to go on this trip. Why? Because the rest of the verse tells us why. It says because he had departed from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. John departed from them. We talked about this when we were in chapter 13, Acts 13:13.

He departed from them when they were in the city of Pamphylia, which happens to be in modern-day Turkey. We're not told by Luke, the author of Acts, why he went back home. Maybe he was homesick. Maybe being out there was too much for John Mark to handle. The persecution was very intense, and maybe he couldn't handle it. John, being the nephew of Barnabas, could have resented the fact that Paul was now the leader and not his uncle Barnabas.

Whatever the reason was, it is obvious from these verses that Paul didn't think it was a good enough reason for him to go back home. So here they are, ready to go back out to visit these churches they established, and Barnabas, whose name means "Son of Encouragement," wanted to give John Mark another chance. And here is Paul saying, "No! He may run home again like last time." Barnabas objected, maybe saying, "He's different now, Paul. Come on, now. I've been encouraging him, and he's ready to go and to stick it out this time. Paul, come on."

Paul is like, "No. You're only saying this because he's your nephew." "No, Paul, stop being so stubborn. Give him another chance." Well, how did it end? Look at verse 39: "Then the contention became so sharp that they departed from one another." Now, notice the contention became so sharp. That phrase is one Greek word, paroxysmos, and it means violent emotions, which means they were about to go to blows over this incident.

Paul was saying in essence, "What can he do for the ministry?" Barnabas was in essence saying, "What can the ministry do for him?" Who was right? They both were, because John Mark needed a second chance. Maybe you're here and you need a second chance. He needed a second chance, and Paul was right because he needed someone on the trip that was reliable, someone he could trust, and not looking over his shoulder wondering if John ran back home again.

So notice in the second part of verse 39, it says they parted from one another. We can see that sometimes even believers and those in leadership have disagreements and part from one another. So Barnabas took John Mark and sailed to Cyprus, which was his hometown, according to Acts 4:36. I want you to notice: Who did Paul choose? Look at verse 40. It says, "But Paul chose Silas and departed, and being commended by the brethren to the grace of God."

Paul chose Silas and was commended by the brethren to the grace of God. Paul goes out on his second missionary journey this time with Silas as his partner. And please don't think that Silas was just some scrub. No, he was a very gifted and trustworthy man, being involved in the Jerusalem Council that we saw in the first part of chapter 15. He was one of two men to take the letter to the church in Antioch of Syria of their decision, according to Acts 15:22.

These two traveled together to many of the cities to not only spread the good news of Jesus Christ but to check on those believers that they led to Christ some five years earlier. As I looked at this and I began to say, "Okay, Paul partnered up with Silas," and I began to think: Who are you partnered up with in ministry? When it comes to ministry, who are you partnered with? You know, we have a saying: Never do ministry alone.

Paul had Silas, someone he could rely upon. The question is: Are you reliable? It's still said and it's still right: The greatest ability is availability. Are you available? If we were to say, "Hey, we need somebody to come and do this," would that be you? Would you be trying to hide behind somebody's head so we don't pick you? Are you reliable? See, this is something you have to check your own heart about.

Because many people say, "Oh, God, I want you to use me," but are you available? But you're available for everything else: the kids' games and grandkids' stuff, and you got this on the job and the company party and all this sort of stuff. But when it comes to the kingdom of God, you're not available. But secretly in your heart, you're like, "Hey, I want God to use me." Are you available to be used?

What's so amazing to me is this: Is that the one group of people who were available, who were entrusted with the message that Jesus Christ was resurrected, were the women. They were the last ones at the cross and the first ones at the tomb, and God used them. He used them, you know why? Because they were available. Are you even available? Or do you have so much work? The Bible says a man who doesn't work doesn't eat. We know we have to work. We know that.

But are you available for the things of God? Let me tell you something: When we get to heaven, no one is going to care about how many hours you put on the job. Not one person. Not one time will you be asked that. "How many hours you work down there?" Not one person is going to ask that. Not one. And it's still an old saying, but it's true: Only what you do for Christ will last.

You're going to be judged based upon the works that you did for the Lord. Now, it has nothing to do with your salvation. Your salvation is sealed at the cross of Jesus Christ, but what you're going to be judged based upon is the works that you did for him. Not the works in order to be saved. No, works because you're saved. And I just wonder. We have so many excuses when it comes to the things of God and being available for God, and we're never available.

I want to just jump up and down and do one of those slow claps if I see you three weeks in a row. I'm just amazed. So what can we learn from this incident? What can we say about it? What Satan meant for evil, God used it for good. Satan tried to bring discord and disunity between Paul and Barnabas to try to destroy their efforts of going back out there to check on those new believers.

And let me just say this, parents. Satan's greatest weapon is to bring disunity and disharmony between the two of you. Jesus said it himself: A house divided cannot stand. Therefore, he knows if he brings disharmony and disunity in your home, he has your home. You know why? Because just like it took a man and a woman to have that child, it takes a man and a woman to raise that child.

There is a uniqueness about each of us that needs to be poured into the children so they can grow up balanced. There is a softness and a tenderness about moms that there's nothing like you on the face of the earth. There's a tenderness and a softness. When we hurt ourselves, we don't want our daddies. "Boy, get up and go on back out there! Ain't nothing but a little scratch!" He needs about 10 stitches.

"Ain't nothing but a little scratch! Get on back out there! Boy, when I was your age, boy, I used to have two or three of those a day!" When you cry, you want the tenderness and softness of your mother. And then there is a thing that we bring as men. There's a strength, there's a sturdiness, and there's a steadfastness that we bring that gives that kid balance, so that he's not just all soft, but he has a strength about him.

And both together, it brings... and a kid is raised balanced. I can always tell those who've been raised by or came up in a two-parent home. I can always tell. I can tell who's been brought up in a single mother's home and, nowadays, even a single father's home. I can tell the difference because there's always that aspect of the parent that's missing that's always a little bit lacking in that person's life.

I can always tell it, always. And this is not a knock. But what I will knock is for how you moms try to say you're mother and father. Stop it! You can never be a man. It takes a man to show a boy how to be a man. It takes one to know one to show one. It takes a man. You can never show a boy how to be a man, never. And we can never show a child how to be a mother. Trust me. And don't want to.

We cannot. We don't have that tenderness and softness that you have and that way you love and you tuck them in the little nook. We don't have that ability. We try to hug on a kid, we muscle booging them in the face. We lack it. So stop saying you're mother and father. You're not. You can never be that. I will tell you lovingly in your face: You're not. Stop saying that.

Because this is what you're saying in essence: You're standing there all of a sudden one day, poof, your stomach pops out and you're with child. You did it by yourself because you're mother and father. That sounds ridiculous. You didn't do that. You didn't do it by yourself. Stop. It takes a man to show a boy how to be a man. My father showed me what a man was in the home. Man goes out and he works, he brings home the bacon.

There was an authority that he came with. All my mom had to do was say, "Wait until your daddy gets home." Boy, we shook with fear. We tried to put on two or three pairs of pants and shirts because we knew we were going to get it. And he's spanking, all you hear is muff, boom, boom. He knew what was going on. But we shuttered and we looked at the clock; it's almost time for him to come home.

There is that healthy fear that was established as the man in the home. That is so lacking today, so lacking. So Satan's job is to bring discord. Therefore, that little one will grow up and will have just a little imbalance in their lives. Not saying they can't be productive in the world and society, not saying that. But just like it took two to have them, it takes two to raise them. That's just what it takes.

So here it is: Satan tried to bring disunity and disharmony and disrupt Paul and Barnabas, this powerful team. So what Satan meant for evil, God will use it for good. Just like Romans 8:28 says, "All things are working together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose." And instead of one dynamic missionary team, now there's two.

So here it is. Please know that Satan is behind all disharmony and disunity. This includes the disharmony between you and your children's father and vice versa. There's a reason why there's a saying "baby mama drama." There's a reason for that. Satan is behind all the disunity. So often there's baby mama drama because you're not stepping up to be the man in that child's life like you're supposed to be, and she's ticked about it.

And then you call it baby mama drama and all the time she's ticked because of how you got the goods and now ran, and now there's a baby left behind and you want nothing to do... all you wanted were the goods. Oh, somebody needs to hear that today. God bless your soul. So all disunity: disunity between in-laws. All that. Satan is behind all of that. His job is to divide and conquer.

If he can bring disharmony, if he can split you guys up, that precious child that needs both of those parents, one is gone, and that child grows up just a little imbalanced. And Satan knows that he can wreak havoc in that kid's life as a result of the lack that that kid had by not having that other parent in his life. Oh, somebody needs to hear this today. I tell you, somebody needs to hear this today.

However, we all know that the realization is that sometimes relationships break up as a result of disharmony and disunity. So how can we handle situations like this? Because no doubt about it, relationships bust up. How do we handle it? How do we deal with this? We know that later on Paul and Barnabas made up and reconciled their differences because Paul spoke very highly of the ministry of Barnabas in First Corinthians 9:6.

We also know that Paul made up with John Mark because at the end of Paul's life, John Mark was one of his co-laborers, and he became one of his close friends. We know that John Mark also became a close friend of Peter, according to First Peter 5:13. So we know he got his act together. And the Gospel of Mark, the second book of the New Testament, was written by John Mark. So he got his act together, so everybody made up.

All of us have experienced break ups. But after hearing this message, what are you going to do to make up? Let's look at all the people involved because you can relate. Some of us can relate to one of these people. One of these people in this story relates to us. Let's look at all of them, see which one you relate to. John Mark. Yes, he needed to mature and grow up, and maybe you can relate to him.

You realize that you were young and inexperienced and ran prematurely from a relationship or a partnership. Maybe you need to apologize to a Paul that you bailed out on and left them hanging. Humble yourself and say how immature you were and ask for forgiveness for inconveniencing that person and by quitting on them. Maybe you're John Mark. You may not necessarily have to be inexperienced in age; you could be inexperienced in that field or whatever it was you were doing.

Because it became a little too much and your inexperience, you bailed on them. Maybe you need to apologize to a Paul. Maybe that's you. Or maybe you relate to Barnabas. Maybe he was a little biased concerning John Mark being his nephew. Maybe he could hear his sister in his ear saying, "You better look out for my boy out there." If you can relate to him, then you need to apologize to Paul for allowing this family relationship to destroy your friendship.

Maybe you need to apologize to a Paul. And maybe you're like me; I relate more to Paul. And maybe you need to apologize to a John Mark for being so hard on him and not showing enough grace. Oh, I just thought about this. Maybe somebody needs to do that with their children. You're Paul; you're a parent and you've been really hard on a particular child, and you need to apologize to them.

Humble yourself for not showing them enough grace and being so hard on them. I relate more to Paul. And on top of that, if you relate to Paul, you may also need to apologize to Barnabas for trying to come in between him and his nephew and not believing that John Mark was different. And as you can see, no one is exempt from blame. Everyone's hands are dirty.

No one is innocent. Everybody's hands has blood on them when it comes to this situation. John Mark was immature, yes. Barnabas, maybe a little biased. Paul, a little hard. Everybody's hands has blood on them. Don't think you're little Miss Innocent.