The Second Missionary Journey – part 2
Acts 15:36 – 16:10 (15:37 – 16:10)
January 13, 2010
Well this morning we got started on this second missionary journey,
Although we didn’t get started very far.
We only made it through that very first verse.
“After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”
We started this study looking at the attributes of a good missionary
And by reading that verse we said that the first attributed was:
GENUINE CONCERN
And we saw how Paul’s concern was real.
And not just a concern for the lost to be saved,
But also a concern for those who had been saved
To be fully sanctified and conformed into the image of Christ.
And that really does have to be at the top of the list.
• You have to love Christ.
• You have to love His elect.
• You have to love His bride.
• You have to be driven by things that matter to Him.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”
So the first quality that Paul had and the first quality of a good missionary is genuine concern.
Let’s move on tonight.
#2 STRONG CONVICTION
Acts 15:37-41
This is an incident that most of you are probably familiar with.
It is one of those incidents that has really shaped the reputation of Paul over the years in a sort of negative way.
There have been some who view Paul has sexist
Others view him as divisive
And to do that they quote passages like Paul opposing Peter to his face,
Or they quote this one where he and Barnabas got into a fight.
I for one think those are unfair observations in Paul’s regard.
I really think that they rather are a testimony to a tolerant society
Who never sees the need to have courage or conviction.
Our society thinks you should never tell another person they are wrong,
And often times people who do that are viewed in a negative light.
However it is important for you to understand that
If you are unwilling to tell someone they are wrong
Then you aren’t going to make a very good missionary.
Most of this world dwells in darkness, steeped in some false religion,
And if you refuse to confront that, you are missing the point of missions.
It takes strong conviction to be a missionary for God.
And that is precisely what Paul has.
For here, we see that Paul has had it enter his heart
To make a return mission trip.
He courageously desires to return to all of those cities that mistreated him
In order that he might be able to encourage the believers that he left there.
And Paul has brought this “mission trip” idea up to Barnabas.
(36) “Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return…”
But before the trip can even get good and underway, we hit a snag.
(37-38) “Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.”
Barnabas wants to take Mark just like they did the first time.
Mark went on the first missionary journey, but he didn’t last the whole trip.
Acts 13:13 “Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem.”
Now we aren’t told why John left.
But now on this second trip Barnabas wants to take him along.
It probably doesn’t hurt that Colossians 4:10 reveals
That Mark is Barnabas’s cousin.
(38) “But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.”
The fact that Scriptures says “Paul kept insisting” indicates
That Paul and Barnabas were in the middle of an argument.
Neither was budging.
Barnabas wants to take Mark, Paul doesn’t.
And Paul’s reasoning is clear.
1) He deserted us
We don’t know why Mark left,
But obviously Paul didn’t think it to be a valid reason.
2) He did not go with us to the work
Paul didn’t see that Mark had any claim on the mission.
He skipped out on the hard part.
He skipped out on the labor.
And Paul had no interest in taking him again.
And incidentally the fallout from this was huge.
(39-41) “And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”
The disagreement was so severe, and the men so agitated
That they “separated from one another”
This mission team had a fight that they could not resolve
And so the solution was to split the team.
And so “Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.”
If you will remember that was Barnabas’s home town
And exactly the first stop on the last trip.
So Barnabas is retracing the route back to those previous churches.
And so is Paul.
“But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”
Now Cilicia was Paul’s home region and he is headed back too,
Only Barnabas went by sea and Paul is traveling by land.
But chapter 16 reveals that Paul was also headed back
To Derbe and Lystra and all those cities.
The only difference is that Paul would approach them
In reverse order from Barnabas.
But the team has split.
They are headed to the same destination in opposite directions.
Now, I have heard many preachers in my day analyze this story
And quickly come to the conclusion that Paul was wrong
And that he should have given Mark a second chance.
And they will quote from the end of 2 Timothy (Paul’s last letter)
2 Timothy 4:11 “Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.”
And they will say,
“Paul finally came to his senses and got over it and called for Mark.”
I’ve even heard them commend Barnabas for having so much love that he willingly walked out of the pages of Scripture just for the sake of Mark.
So Barnabas comes away the saint.
And Paul comes away looking like a hot head.
But I’m not sure that is getting the full gist of the story.
• I would like to point out that Paul was an apostle, Barnabas was not, so if one of the two men was being insubordinate, it was not Paul.
• I would also point out that one man went away commended by the brethren and one did not. Paul was commended, not Barnabas.
So it appears that the church in Antioch saw Paul’s point.
• I would also point out that Luke (and Scripture) followed Paul, not Barnabas.
And as far as Paul looking like a hothead,
Let me remind you that entering temple, throwing over tables,
And whipping people out can appear a bit harsh as well.
One question we have to ask is: “Is defection a minor thing?”
Is it ok for someone to commit to serve and then to just back out?
Is it acceptable for those in the ministry to quit when it gets hard?
Should there be no ramifications for failing to honor a commitment?
When Mark deserted, not only did he jeopardize the mission
But he also let down all those people who laid their hands on him
And in effect said, “You go in my stead”
Furthermore how would new believers interpret such an action?
I would just want you to know that what Mark did was no minor thing.
And Paul had a conviction about what he was doing.
To Paul the mission was more important than the missionary.
We saw that two weeks ago when he said he would suffer even to imprisonment because the word of God can never be imprisoned.
This trip was not about Mark’s feelings.
This trip was about encouraging those churches.
And Paul wasn’t going to risk Mark jeopardizing this trip as well.
Listen, Scripture is clear that ministry and missions is a privilege.
People can disqualify themselves from service.
Take a pastor who is not above reproach,
Or who is greedy, or who is pugnacious.
It doesn’t matter how much you like him,
Or how good he has been to your family, he is disqualified for service.
It’s bigger than the preacher, and it’s bigger than the missionary.
And those who have been on a trip know this.
We purposely work hard before a trip.
Those who go have to read a lot, they have to listen a lot of sermons,
They have to write Bible studies, they have to be prepared.
2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”
One of the reasons we do that is to prepare them for the grind of the trip.
Because not being prepared, or quitting is not really an option.
Paul had conviction about this trip and he was willing to stand
Even at the cost of watching Barnabas walk away.
Now, I would say this.
I don’t at all point the finger at Paul here as though he were in the wrong.
But I’m not going to beat up Barnabas either.
It is hard to begrudge such mercy and compassion.
I’ve always likened Paul and Barnabas
To both be necessary agents in Mark’s life.
(like a father who disciplines and mother who consoles)
• Mark had to know that his behavior would not be tolerated.
• He also needed to know that he could still be of service.
And Scripture does indicate that Mark eventually learned his lesson.
(That has to be attributed in part to Barnabas)
But the main point here is that Paul had conviction.
He was a man on a mission,
And to be a good missionary you had better have conviction too.
Genuine Concern, Strong Conviction
#3 SELFLESS PERCEPTION
Acts 16:1-4
So Paul and Barnabas have parted ways, and Paul and Silas have taken off by foot through the regions to go back to those same cities where Paul already preached the gospel before.
And finally they make it back to those cities,
Hitting them in reverse order this time.
And it is in Lystra that Paul makes an observation.
(1) “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek,”
Please keep everything here in perspective.
• This is Lystra, the city where Paul healed a cripple and the whole town thought he was a pagan god.
• Just outside the city of Lystra was the temple of Zeus, and in fact that priest had come into town and tried to make sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas.
• In addition, it was an easily swayed town as Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there and convinced that town to stone Paul and drag him out of their city, supposing him to be dead.
It was a pagan, intolerable, rough city.
And yet, in that city a church had formed.
In that city some had believed.
Among whom were Lois, Eunice, and Eunice’s son – Timothy
And Timothy had a good reputation.
(2) “and was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium.”
So Timothy had a good reputation as a genuine follower of Jesus Christ.
(3) “Paul wanted this man to go with him;”
I really like the human element here.
• I know that God is the architect of the mission trip.
• I know that He is sovereign.
• I know that ultimately He has to call people to go.
But also appreciate Paul seeing a young man who fit the bill
And adamantly telling this man, “I want you to go”.
Often times other believers see ability in us
That we don’t see in our selves.
So I never mind telling people that a certain trip “fits” you,
If I think it does.
(I’ve already told several people about Sanyati, that I want them to go)
In fact, like Paul I will “want” them to go with us.
BUT IT’S WHAT PAUL DOES WITH TIMOTHY
THAT REVEALS HIS SELFLESS PERCEPTION.
(3) “Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.”
Alright – TIMEOUT!
• Did we not just spend a chapter debating about the necessity of circumcision?
• Did we not just learn that it wasn’t required?
• Was not Paul himself one who opposed it?
• Have we not read the letter he wrote to the Galatians?
Galatians 5:2 “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.”
So what in the world is he doing?
The answer is that Paul is seeking
To keep the main thing the main thing.
Everyone in those parts knew that Timothy was Jewish.
But they also knew that his father was a Greek.
That meant that everywhere Paul took Timothy
The first issue would be whether or not he was circumcised
And that was not what Paul wanted to debate.
For Paul, it was about Christ not circumcision.
Paul’s agenda wasn’t to stop circumcision.
Paul’s agenda was to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Now, when some Judaizer came preaching circumcision as necessary, Paul adamantly opposed him, but it’s not like he was on an anti-circumcision tour.
Paul wanted to preach Jesus, and he was willing
To sacrifice his own personal freedoms and rights to do that.
Remember what he told the Corinthians?
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”
That is what Paul was doing here.
He was making sure to keep himself from being offensive.
In the Jewish culture, it mattered, and so Paul was sensitive to that.
It is worth noting, however that Paul never circumcised Titus.
Galatians 2:1-3 “Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain. But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.”
Titus was a Greek, and Paul did not ask him to be circumcised,
But Timothy was a Jew and it was easier to circumcise him
Than to answer debate it in every city.
This was Paul’s Selfless Perception.
He was willing to give a little on a non-essential
In order to accomplish the most good.
In seeking to be good missionaries, we do the same.
How many times have we seen some woman serving in an Isalmic country wearing a head wrap?
In Africa we were asked not to wear camo, or don’t talk politics.
We are free in Christ, but also perceptive that our freedom can get in the way of the gospel and so a good missionary is selfless in his perception.
Timothy certainly was.
(If I’m Timothy, I’m reminding Paul of Acts 15)
The mission was most important,
And freedom was ignored in order to be effective.
Genuine Concern, Strong Conviction, Selfless Perception
#4 SERIOUS COMMITMENT
Acts 16:4-5
This section reads quickly, but what you actually have here
Is Paul accomplishing the purpose for which he started.
He wanted to return to all those cities and see how they were doing.
This was the mission that was on his heart.
Well here, he is doing just that.
(4-5) “Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.”
These were Gentile regions and we know the Jews in these regions
Were zealous for the Law.
But Paul successfully traveled back through those cities
In order to strengthen these new Gentile believers
By delivering the results of the Jerusalem confession.
One can only imagine the opposition these new believers were facing.
It is only fair to assume that the Jews
Had sought to push circumcision on them as well.
And so Paul’s trip was a very encouraging one.
No doubt he explained that circumcision was not necessary for them,
And no doubt he explained why.
And the result was that “the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.”
It was a successful mission.
And even though he and Barnabas had parted ways and this particular trip had faced difficulty, it didn’t stop Paul from accomplishing his purpose.
And that is a trademark of a good missionary.
They are committed to the goal.
The set out to accomplish a task and they accomplish it.
It was important to Paul to continue to encourage these believers
And that is what he did.
It doesn’t matter what sort of opposition you face.
• Travel plans change…
• Delays occur…
• Circumstances can prove difficult…
But it is a mission and those who are committed accomplish it.
They don’t just stop because things don’t go according to plan.
A Genuine Concern, Strong Conviction, Selfless Perception, Serious Commitment
#5 PATIENT ENDURANCE
Acts 16:6-10
And this is the part of the trip that I personally find remarkable.
It would probably help if you could see a map,
• But Paul had traveled north from Antioch, up the coast, and then west to the region of Lycaonia where all of the previous cities were located.
• From there he traveled further west in Phrygia and had intended to move further west into Asia, but the Spirit would not permit him.
• So instead Paul went north into Galatia And then again attempted to go west into Asia all the way to Mysia (which was on the eastern coast)
• From there the tried to go back north into Bythinia, but again “the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them.”
• So they came back down into Mysia and all the way to the coast at a city named “Troas”
Now I know that is confusing, but let me explain what is happening.
In Turkey you or on a sort of peninsula.
• It extends out of Asia westward.
• To the north is the Black sea.
• To the south is the Mediterranean sea.
And Paul, Silas, and Timothy were headed west through Turkey,
Zig zagging north and south as they went.
But Everywhere they tried to go, God was blocking them.
We don’t know how, he just was.
Until finally God ushered them to the far western edge of Turkey,
(Which is also the far western edge of Asia.)
In short, they ran out of continent.
And at this point, it would have felt pretty frustrating because you just aren’t able to do the things you feel like you’re supposed to do.
And then something happened.
(9-10) “A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”
And all of a sudden it became clear what God was doing.
God didn’t want them ministering in Asia.
God wanted them ministering in Europe.
Macedonia was the region of Philipi and Thessalonica.
It is modern day Greece.
This was the sovereign hand of God yet again.
• God wasn’t just saving Israel, He was saving Gentiles.
• And God wasn’t just saving Asia, He wanted to save the world.
It was time for the gospel, for the first time ever, to go to Europe.
And God accomplished it through a couple of missionaries
Who faced closed door after closed door, but refused to give up.
I don’t know how long it took Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke
To travel zig zag all the way through Turkey, but they never got frustrated,
They never turned back, they patiently endured.
“BLESSED ARE THE FLEXIBLE,
THEY WILL NEVER GET BENT OUT OF SHAPE”
They faced one closed door after another, but did not quit.
And finally their endurance paid off, God had even bigger plans for them.
Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Corinth, Athens
And eventually all of Europe were about to get the gospel.
If I have learned anything over my 11 years in the ministry,
It is that ministry of all kinds is a MARATHON, not a sprint.
God doesn’t work a drive through window.
There is no quick way to do what He requires.
If you or I want to be good missionaries, then sign up for the long haul.
Paul was committed, and he just kept looking
Until he finally found where God wanted him to go next.
The key is, he kept going and looking until he found it.
Now, the second missionary journey is not over by a long shot,
But just in the introduction of it
We see some of what it takes to be a good missionary.
• You need Genuine Concern for the work of God in people’s lives.
• You need Strong Conviction because decisions must be made.
• You need Selfless Perception because we minister to different people.
• You need Serious Commitment because the job must be completed.
• You need Patient Endurance because the job is rarely committed quickly.
Begin to cultivate those same attributes in your life
And be a good missionary.
