Lechem Panim #186 “The Weight of Glory” (Acts 15:36-41) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. Thank you for tuning in today as we continue on our journey through the book of Acts.

The 2nd Missionary Journey— Today’s passage is an important one, as it marks the beginning of Paul’s second missionary journey. After this interlude with the Jerusalem Council, Paul is eager to get back to the work of the ministry, which had been interrupted by this debate with the legalists. Now this wasn’t because Paul was bored with the ministry in Antioch. There are many things pastors are. Bored is rarely one of them. In full-time ministry there is always something to do. And helping to pastor the church in Antioch, where (think about it) there were so many new believers was no doubt a great challenge. But something happens when you truly encounter Jesus and allow His mindset to shape yours; and that is that you begin to think eternally. And that is a good thing. But with that will also come a burden. You will no longer be able to ignore the needy and the lost. You will (like God does) feel the weight of eternity on your shoulders as you become awakened to people’s spiritual conditions.

The Big Heat Wave— This past summer (which if you live around here you will know was unusually hot) I read of a man who drove all the way to Arizona during the heat wave in order to buy air conditioners for his friends and neighbors back home, which he then brought back and gave to them. It was apparently a big enough story to make the news. And this man no doubt did it because he knew the dangers of the coming heat. Well, how much more ought we as Christians who (seeing the heat wave of Judgment Day and Hell coming) do what we can to prepare people for it. You see, with an eternal mindset comes what Paul calls in 2 Corinthians 4:17 “The Weight of Glory”; recognizing that every person we meet is going to live forever in one of two places; and God has called us to share His burden in helping to lead people into the life that is found only in His Son Jesus Christ.

Paul On The Move— Well Paul is one of those who always felt that weight of glory, which is why when we look at the broad spectrum of his life, we see that he was never content to remain in one place for very long. No, he was always on the move. Anywhere he went was a step to somewhere else. Even Rome, which you would think would be a place he would be content to remain in (seeing as it was the capital of the greatest empire the world had ever known and therefore probably the best place to remain strategically); it was not his ultimate destination. He longed to visit there (which we read about in Romans 15:22-23); but even in his letter to them he writes “whenever I go to Spain—for I hope to see you in passing, and to be helped on my way there by you, when I have first enjoyed your company for a while…I will go on by way of you to Spain” (Romans 15:24,28). And the reason he was always on the move was because of how keenly aware he was that there were always other people in other places who had not yet been told about the way of salvation. And he always felt compelled to reach those people. Listen to his own words in 1 Corinthians 9:16: “I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel”.

Hudson Taylor’s Burden— [Paul’s passionate concern for those without Christ found an echo in the heart of J. Hudson Taylor, the nineteenth-century English missionary to China. He wrote: I have a stronger desire than ever to go to China. That land is ever in my thoughts. Think of it—360 million souls, without God or hope in the world! Think of more than twelve millions of our fellow creatures dying every year without any of the consolations of the Gospel. Barnsley including the Common has only 15,000 inhabitants. Imagine what it would be if all these were to die in twelve months! Yet in China year by year, hundreds are dying, for every man, woman and child in Barnsley. Poor, neglected China! Scarcely anyone cares about it.]

A Needed Burden— Now we can read every ministry strategy book out there (and let me tell you, there are tons of them), but none of them will ever replace that internal concern for lost souls that motivates us (or as Paul says “compels us”) to witness. That burden (as hard as it is to bear or even to think about at times) is what every Church needs more than anything else; the burden for the lost that only comes from being close enough to Jesus to have His mindset become our own. And so, feeling that burden, it says in…

Acts 15:36 (ESV)— 36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”

Make Disciples, Not Merely Converts— Now even though some have called Paul the greatest human evangelist the world has ever known, we see that he is markedly differently from the modern, 20th & 21st-century stereotypical evangelist, who travels from city to city to win converts, but then leaves them to either grow on their own or be discipled by others. No, Paul didn’t believe in making converts; he believed in making disciples. Well, what is a disciple? Well, a disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ who is rooted in and growing in faith and is becoming fruitful, leading others into faith in Christ and able to disciple them. Now how do you make a disciple? By taking a new believer under your wing (becoming a friend and mentor to them) and giving of your time to help them to become established in their faith. Now we’ll come back to this theme, because it is very important. But I want you to see how ingrained this concept was in the mind of Paul right from the outset, as he wants to return to all the places where he won converts to Christ in order to make sure that they are rooted and growing in Christ. Now Barnabas no doubt thought this second missionary trip was a great idea. But it says in…

Acts 15:37-38 (ESV)— 37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. {The actual language in the Greek carries a tone of being adamant. Barnabas is determined to take him.} 38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.

John Mark Leaves— Now the reason that Mark had not gone with them was probably because, after he had arrived with Paul and Barnabas to Perga in Pamphylia and got a glimpse into the interior of Asia Minor and sees all the paganism and danger that lay before them, he gets scared (Acts 13:13). And so he decides to turn and go back to Jerusalem and (more specifically) to his mother, who was a prominent member of the Church there. Now here in this passage we get a glimpse into how Paul felt about that. He sees John Mark as lacking courage and commitment and therefore doesn’t want to take him. He sees Mark as more of a hindrance and a burden than an asset. And so he refuses to take him. Now Barnabas (whose name means “son of encouragement”) wants to give his cousin (Col 4:10) Mark another chance and to allow Mark to show courage where he had shown fear before. And this is typical of Barnabas. In fact years earlier it was he who recognized Paul’s calling (11:25-26). But remember that the other believers were afraid of Paul because of what he had done to the Church. And so Barnabas took him to the apostles (Acts 9:27) and insisted that he be given a chance to prove himself. And he is given that chance. But interestingly, here Paul doesn’t back down in his dispute with Barnabas. He is thoroughly convinced that Mark is not the right person to come along with them at this time. Now we don’t know all the reasons why. But Paul may have had in mind [the immediate needs and demands of such a rigorous journey. Undoubtedly, Mark’s earlier departure {had} placed increased demands on Paul and Barnabas, and he was unwilling to risk that again.] And so, sadly, immediately following the Jerusalem Council, where we see the Church coming together and becoming absolutely unified in their decision, we find in the very next section the opposite. Between Paul and Barnabas it says…

Acts 15:39-41 (ESV)— 39 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus {(which, by the way, was Barnabas’ home (Acts 4:36))}, 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Was Paul or Barnabas Right?— Now I don’t know how you feel about this story; who was right and who was wrong. Scripture doesn’t explicitly say, though the weight of the evidence seems to actually favor Paul; because (think about it) Paul was an apostle, whereas Barnabas was not. That alone is enough reason for Barnabas to submit to Paul’s authority. But even if it wasn’t, Barnabas probably should have recognized that it would be unwise and difficult to take along someone Paul didn’t trust. And last but not least, it is important to note that it was Paul and Silas (not Barnabas and Mark) who are commended by the church in verse 40. Now does that mean Paul was completely in the right? Not necessarily. Maybe he should have shown more mercy. We don’t know enough concerning the circumstances involved to make a decision one way or the other. But what we do know is that [Although they apparently never again ministered together (this is the last mention of Barnabas in Acts), we know Paul and Barnabas eventually reconciled their differences, because Paul later wrote approvingly of Barnabas’s ministry (1 Cor. 9:6). Even John Mark, the cause of all the trouble, later became one of Paul’s valued co-laborers (Col. 4:10; Philem. 24; 2 Tim. 4:11). He also became a close associate of the apostle Peter (1 Pet. 5:13) and was privileged to write one of the four gospels. {And so} Barnabas did a remarkable job in helping to turn around the life and ministry career of his young cousin.]

God Used It— But at this point there is a very painful split. Yet even though it was painful, we see that God was able to use it for good in that because of the split, there are now two missionary endeavors instead of just one. And what that shows us is that God can use even the rough patches to further expand His Kingdom work.

Our Burden— And you know, it is a comfort to me to see that the early Church struggled with many of things that you and I face today. But they were always able to push through their differences and find healing and reconciliation. Why? Because the mission mattered more than their differences; that weight of glory was heavier than any individual’s own personal opinion regarding the way things ought to be done. And the same is true today. The Churches that are the strongest and the most unified are Churches who are living under that weight of glory and keep Christ’s Great Commission central. And so that is the challenge I want to leave you with today. Let us seek to live (like Paul did) under that weight of glory. Let’s do so. Amen.