Join us through Acts 15, as we gather to break bread over the contentious issue of Gentile believers' need for circumcision. What if we told you that the unity between Jewish and Gentile believers could be bridged by moral guidelines? As we traverse this path, we'll lean on James's wisdom, recount Peter's account of God's concern for the Gentiles, and discuss the warnings against idolatry, sexual immorality, and dietary restrictions. We'll then turn our attention to the apostles, elders, and brethren's decision to send an affirming letter to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. As we emphasize the importance of trusted men like Barnabas and Paul in delivering this message, we'll underscore the pivotal role of the Holy Spirit in guiding these decisions.
In our closing segments, we'll tackle the tension between Paul and John Mark, revealing not a doctrinal disagreement, but a clash of personalities. We'll explore how God uses even these conflicts for His glory, presenting an unmatched perspective on complex biblical characters. All this, while addressing false teachings and reaffirming the Gentile believers as brethren. We assure you, this is not just another Bible study, but a lively, deep, and thought-provoking exploration of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. So tune in, engage, and let the teachings amplify your discipleship journey.
Join us through Acts 15, as we gather to break bread over the contentious issue of Gentile believers' need for circumcision. What if we told you that the unity between Jewish and Gentile believers could be bridged by moral guidelines? As we traverse this path, we'll lean on James's wisdom, recount Peter's account of God's concern for the Gentiles, and discuss the warnings against idolatry, sexual immorality, and dietary restrictions. We'll then turn our attention to the apostles, elders, and brethren's decision to send an affirming letter to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. As we emphasize the importance of trusted men like Barnabas and Paul in delivering this message, we'll underscore the pivotal role of the Holy Spirit in guiding these decisions.
In our closing segments, we'll tackle the tension between Paul and John Mark, revealing not a doctrinal disagreement, but a clash of personalities. We'll explore how God uses even these conflicts for His glory, presenting an unmatched perspective on complex biblical characters. All this, while addressing false teachings and reaffirming the Gentile believers as brethren. We assure you, this is not just another Bible study, but a lively, deep, and thought-provoking exploration of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. So tune in, engage, and let the teachings amplify your discipleship journey.
Welcome to the Be Disciples podcast. With your hosts Cal Morris, dakota Smith and David Glavin, we are currently studying the book of Acts. Welcome to the podcast, guys. How's everybody's Thanksgiving?
Speaker 2:Hello, it was awesome. Hello, that was good. Hello, hello. Who says hello like that? David? I was thinking like Robin Williams, or something like that.
Speaker 1:Like Miss Doubtfire.
Speaker 2:Hello.
Speaker 3:Hello, there you go.
Speaker 2:Well, your question how's our Thanksgiving? Mine was really good. We went to Northwest Arkansas. I took my son hunting. We almost got something that was pretty exciting. Got to watch the Dallas Cowboys play really well on Thanksgiving Day 45 to 10. We're going to win Super Bowl this year. Yeah, it was a good time with family. I probably ate too much food, but that's how Thanksgiving should be.
Speaker 1:Yeah, david, your phone keeps going off.
Speaker 2:David's very popular.
Speaker 1:David, yeah, there's way too many people want to talk to him.
Speaker 3:I always think to turn this thing off.
Speaker 2:Leave him on red. Leave him on red, yeah.
Speaker 1:We'll talk about podcast etiquette after the show.
Speaker 2:Yeah, david, we'll talk about this after class. Where's my phone?
Speaker 3:For that. Before we hosted Thanksgiving for my wife's side of the family, for Audrey's side, and it was good, awesome. How did we ate a turkey that I killed and cleaned with some friends of ours? Where'd you kill it At their farm?
Speaker 1:You didn't have to do it, you didn't hunt it, you just butchered it, I killed it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I butchered it. Gotcha Good for you.
Speaker 3:If you didn't ask questions, people could have just assumed that I hunted it, but no.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It was good.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it turned out well. Everything was good. I had some folks over and it was good. There was an international student my in-laws have staying with him and got to connect with him for the first time. He's been there for several months and haven't really got to talk.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:That was good.
Speaker 1:Good, yeah, yeah, I just stayed home with the kids and mother-in-law came over, but that was about it. Just watched the parade in the morning, like I always do. It's fun to watch that With the kids and then just listen to Christmas music and watched football and made food and just kind of the typical stuff. Just pretty low key.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we pray. If you're out there and you're listening that you would remember that thankfulness, according to the Bible, is the very tool that God can use to guard and protect your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. I think thankfulness is one of those things that can be robbed of us very quickly when we lose perspective. Then we become bitter, we take an interest in trivial things. We stop becoming focused on the things that do matter. It's a big downward spiral. There's something very preserving about thankful life in Christ. We just encourage you to enjoy your family, to enjoy your walk with God, to not allow life to be a burden and to continue to see what the Lord has done for you in your life.
Speaker 1:I would add to that a little bit about Thanksgiving. Biblically is, if you struggle with worry or anxiety, living with Thanksgiving isn't to give thanks of what's already been done.
Speaker 1:It's to give thanks of what is coming Ultimately yes, I just think if you worry about the next day you were having anxieties or any of those things, you can trust in Jesus Christ and his promises and what he's going to do. That should help you in that area of life. I think Thanksgiving is really good, that we, even as a country, celebrate it, though not everyone celebrates it for the same reason but I think it's good to be reminded of what has happened in our lives. What can we be thankful for? And ultimately, we can be thankful for Jesus.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was listening to a sermon the other day and the first time that the word thankfulness, or at least the derivation of being thankful, is in the book of Leviticus, it's the word tada. It's in connection with giving a sacrifice unto the Lord and having him ultimately bring about the atonement for your life. Isn't that interesting?
Speaker 2:Yeah that's cool. So what could we be more thankful for than that very thing that the Lord himself would be our protection from wrath and judgment against sin? Pretty cool, yeah. So, with that being said, it's been a while, but we're getting into the book of Acts. We're concluding Acts 15. This morning, we're going to begin in verse 19. We're going to try to finish the entire chapter, and so why don't we jump into prayer? Let's pray for our listeners and let's dive back into the Word of God, maybe just as a reminder before we begin. We have been reading about the Jerusalem Council. Do the Gentiles need to be circumcised to become believers, or is the Holy Spirit just doing that in their hearts by faith? Yeah, we're kind of in the middle of that dilemma.
Speaker 1:All right, let's pray. Father, I thank you for this podcast for all those who are listening, that this conversation would be a tool to equip the listener, that they would use these conversations to help them in understanding your Word and in discipleship with other people. We just pray that all those who are listening would have meetings with people with the Bible open, just as we are modeling today. Lord, I thank you for all that you've done and all that you're going to do. Just be with us during this podcast to have fun. Enjoy it, because we are doing your work, lord, in Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 2:Amen. So here we are in the Jerusalem Council, If you remember. It reaches a critical point as they're discussing the nature of the Gentiles and their faith. For the sake of reminding us, verse 13 says after they had stopped speaking, james, that's the brother of the Lord, james answered saying brethren, listen to me.
Speaker 2:Simeon, or literally Peter, has related how God first concerned himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for his name. With this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written. After these things, I will return and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins and I will restore it so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord who makes things known from long ago. And that's a quotation from Amos 9.11. This is our text for today, verse 19. Therefore, it is my judgment.
Speaker 2:James said that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols. One, and from fornication. Two, and from what is strangled and from blood. Three, for Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath". And I think, you know, just camping out in verses 19 to 21 would be a good start for us, kyle, when we continue on. I think this is the tipping point in the chapter where they come to a decision, right. And so what do you notice in some of the things that James has to say? And then, david, why don't you dive in and follow up?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it seems like James here is like, since we shouldn't have them do this, we shouldn't have them become circumcised, this shouldn't be something they should be troubled with. There seems to be. The purpose of circumcision itself was for a sign of the promise. It wasn't an actual salvific thing, a sign of devotion, right, and so it wasn't a need for the Gentiles. The Gentiles didn't need to do this for any specific reason, and I think James points out hey, there's plenty of other things that we should warn them about, plenty of other things that will hinder them in their walk with Christ.
Speaker 1:He points out you know, not turning to idols, you know sexual immorality, I mean, these things would clearly put a hinder on their spiritual maturity and on their witness as followers of Christ. And so these are a lot of these things would be a little bit more outward things, which all of it starts in the heart. But outward things and circumcision itself, I just don't think James is like one. There's, no, necessarily a need for it from a salvation standpoint they're not Jewish and there's a lot of other things that we could help equip them in and and warn them of, and I think there's more emphasis there than there should be on circumcision. So it turns it into a practical like hey, they still need something, but it's not this. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and it goes also going back to verse 10, where Peter was talking and he said now, therefore, why do you put, why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers and we have been able to bear? You know so, kyle. You're talking about the fact that the Holy Spirit is doing that which circumcision previously did, but also that Jesus is completing the law. So it, james, is pushing them forward, you know, into what Jesus is doing and has done, and what the Holy Spirit, the work of the Holy Spirit, is doing. So, not looking backwards, but looking forward and trusting in in the spirit.
Speaker 3:Also, what stood out to me was this part in 19, where it says do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles. So they were troubled by it. There's a conviction in their hearts that was turning, and so there's this desire to resolve that inward conflict that the new converts are having. Obviously, if the spirit is at work, those signs are evident. Why get in the way of what the spirit is doing and let the spirit convict them accordingly?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think, on that note, it's also important to see that what would trouble these Gentiles is not necessarily circumcision, by the way, because, remember, that was just a sign of devotion. I think it's what was wrongly understood of circumcision in that day and age. Right, and so if originally it was just a sign of devotion and now we're moving on to new things where your heart is what's being circumcised? Right, according to Romans, I think, chapter 2. Then there is no need to perform a physical circumcision when the Holy Spirit brought about the better circumcision. I think what would trouble the Gentiles is placing a theological interpretation of physical circumcision upon them when that's not even what the Word of God was insisting on to begin with. Right, and something else that I'm looking at is these three things that they were asked to do right, to abstain from idols, fornication and meat strangled and from blood.
Speaker 2:I think what James recognizes is that, hey, we have got to find a way to get Jewish believers and Gentile believers together in the same room and for there to not be that awkward wall between them. Relationally and culturally speaking, some of these things the Gentiles had lived with their entire life and others you know like for the Jews it would have been totally offensive. I think fornication is the one that would have been wrong across the board, no matter what right, and oftentimes that fornication came because of idolatrous practices that was in connection with the temple, and so it's almost like James is saying hey, there's some moral things that we need the Gentiles to understand so that there's fellowship between both the Jew and Gentile. And so the argument really becomes how can two people from two different cultures, both being believers, lay aside things to not offend one another? I think there's a theme of that in there, and if we're sitting around at a coffee table having this discussion over the word, you know what would be some of the principles that we could draw out of that.
Speaker 3:You're also talking about these. These are connected to the practices of pagan worship. It definitely is, yeah.
Speaker 2:But eating meat that was sacrificed to an idol didn't have to be a sin if it didn't go against the person's conscience, right? We see that in 1 Corinthians. So it's more of saying like, hey, we want to make sure that both Jew and Gentiles have fellowship together and in the appropriate place. Like these things need to be laid behind.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think we see some of that, depending on where you live in this country or around the world. I know, being from Arizona, and the church I was at previously there was a big. There's two different cultures. There was a Hispanic culture, the senior pastor bilingual Hispanic, but the church was situated in a white neighborhood, a high middle class neighborhood, so where you had two different type of cultures socioeconomic status, just ways of life, even the structure of the home, from a Hispanic home to an American home.
Speaker 1:Those are two different types of family structures, all under the same church, all under the same place, where, even though they all believe in Jesus, which the Jews and the Gentiles here do okay, we believe in Jesus, but we Jewish people have been doing it this way and you Gentiles haven't been living, forgot at all, and now we're going to come together and try to do this together.
Speaker 1:That would be kind of weird. And it is kind of weird because, though I grew up in Arizona and I know a lot about Hispanic culture, I think it takes time to learn it and it takes time to understand it, and it doesn't mean anything that they're doing is wrong necessarily. It's just different and that's okay. But can we worship together, can we come together in the same room and not be awkward? Can we speak two different languages and praise God in both of those languages? Like there's so many things that we need to come together on, unified in the gospel and I think James is trying to teach them to be unified in the gospel and here are some practical things that you need to look at as you come together. There's going to be differences. Let's let's not ignore them, but let's also observe them and address them and meet together and be unified in Jesus and offering grace, yeah, freely offering grace.
Speaker 3:I'm reminded of I think it was made mentioned of in a former in my previous podcast, but our time in Mexico. There was a moment at our table with the gentleman there and where they acknowledged the fact that our culture is laid back. And you know, this study is is very ambitious and wants to push us forward, and so they were talking about a need for them to for discipline, like we need to discipline ourselves to to stay more focused and and trust the process of study, the coma method that we were using, and so they were kind of humbled by that. And I was having conversation with a leader afterwards about his table and he was I don't know if the men, one man, woman. He had a table of women.
Speaker 2:I don't know if there's a difference there, but anyways, there is a difference, but I mean there's a difference to men and women. You mean for the context, the context big context to this, but we had to do it, guys, sorry.
Speaker 3:They were talking more spitefully, like this is our culture and we go slow and we don't need to be pushed and it's okay what we're doing, you know, going off on these rabbit trails. And so it was just a fun, funny contrast that one table was realizing that this is something that we should take as a challenge to. But both sides can meet in the middle. You know, and as table leaders from you know, united States, where we're, our culture is a little more fast, but that can blend as we show each other grace, we continue in grace and and the Lord, no matter what we're doing, whether it be study, whether it be worship, whether it be um, in any practice in the church.
Speaker 2:Yeah, amen, I think I. I want to wrap a bow on this just to provide ultimate clarity for our listeners, though you know the three things abstain from idolatry, fornication, and meat, uh, that hasn't been strangled of its blood. I am not saying that idolatry and fornication was just a cultural thing that the Gentiles needed to set aside, like no, they needed to be equipped and matured in that area to let them know hey guys, like idolatry and sensuality, that stuff needs to be put far from you. That that's totally true. Regardless, if you're a Jew or Gentile, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2:I think I'm more so just specifically talking about the meat that hasn't yet been strangled of blood and just one telling the Gentiles hey, be aware, because you're Gentile, pagan culture wants you to go back to idolatry and fornication and also be aware that the whole meat with blood thing, like that, that may be a small vehicle to get you back there and and to do whatever you can to preserve the fellowship between you and Gentile. So there is a both, and yes, it's a hard line of morality, but also kind of a gray line a little bit there of it's not necessarily a sin to eat things like this, but we want to preserve fellowship between you and Gentile. So there's a lot going on, but I think it's right for the wisdom that was handed out. So why don't we do this versus 22 to 29 kind of closes out that decision. David, can you read for us 22 to 29, and then me and Kyle can go ahead and comment.
Speaker 3:Then it seemed good to the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul, barnabas, judas called Barnabas and Silas, leading men among the brethren, and they sent this letter by them, the apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria, and Cecilia, uh uh, celestia, excuse me who are from the Gentiles, greetings.
Speaker 3:Since we have heard that some of our number, to whom we gave no instruction, have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth upon you. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials that you abstain from things sacrifice to idols and from blood, and from things strangled and from fornication. If you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.
Speaker 2:Amen. So I think something that just is an observation that's jumping off the page for me. We've already kind of reviewed some of the things that they're being asked to do and to abstain from. But just a little side note about Barnabas and Paul.
Speaker 2:Verse 26, the aside says or the parenthetical statement says these are men who have risked their lives for the name or the reputation of our Lord, jesus Christ. And I don't know about you, but you know, if we were to ask the question, how much does the gospel matter? How much does our love and our devotion matter to Jesus? What truly defines someone as Christian? I think the definition of a Christian is somebody who's indwelt by the Holy Spirit and loves God with all their heart, mind, soul and strength, and loves their neighbor as themselves, even to the point of risking their lives for it. And so and maybe that's not a perfect definition, but I think you get the point these were men who considered this message so valuable. They're willing to risk their lives. And that was just a parenthetical note in the midst of sending this letter to the Gentiles. So just something to talk about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think you know Paul and Barnabas.
Speaker 1:They've already done ministry in Antioch. Yes, they've been there. They know the people, they've built trust. So I wouldn't say necessarily they need more trust, but I think what James is doing here, this letter from the church in Jerusalem, is just giving them that extra. We have full confidence in Paul and Barnabas. They are willing to die for the Lord, they're willing to risk their lives for the Lord.
Speaker 1:They were here, they were a part of this discussion. What comes out of their mouths is as good as this letter. It says right, and so I think it's going to give the church in Antioch, the Gentiles and the Jews more confidence in the preaching and teaching of Paul and Barnabas. They're going to have assurance that that's where this letter came from. Right. It's not like today where, like we don't have a tracking system, like Paul, barnabas could have just wrote this letter and you know. But I think there was, there was such trust, there was confirmation. They were sent there for this purpose. They came back with this letter. It gives Paul and Barnabas direction in teaching to sticking with the unity of the council itself. And so, yeah, I think this is good. I think they sent the right people. They sent the trusted people back to Antioch, who already know all the people there who've established these churches, and gave them that extra authority.
Speaker 1:But I also like that in the passage they, that it is mentioned that the Holy Spirit led them to this decision. So we can't overlook that, because we're in Acts, which is all about the Holy Spirit, but in verse 28,. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements and then list the same requirements that we've already talked about. And so they had confirmation of the Holy Spirit. This was prayed over. This was not a quick decision. Even though it's one chapter we read, I'm sure there was much discussion about it and they wrote a quick letter that shorted up, that gave the Gentile believers confidence in what they already believe that there isn't more to be done, that they are saved, they have the Holy Spirit and move forward. Let's go, let's continue this ministry.
Speaker 2:Thank you. I know we went out of order because we talked about Paul and Barnabas risking their lives and then you mentioned here the Holy Spirit. But notice kind of the construction of the letter. It begins in verse 23 by saying the apostles. That's key because there's 12 of them the apostles and the brethren who are elders. So James is not an apostle, this James at least, the brother of the Lord, but he is an elder in the church and he's standing up. So he's distinguishing. He's saying hey, us apostles and the brethren.
Speaker 2:And look at who it's addressed to to the brethren. Notice they called themselves brethren and now they're calling them brethren. It says in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, who are from the Gentiles. They're recognizing their ethnic position, but they're also recognizing them as brethren, typically brethren, if you said that, it would just mean Jewish brethren to Jewish brethren. But they're clearly saying hey, us Jews, the brethren, you Gentiles, the brethren. I think they're affirming them. And then not only that, look, they're also trying to clarify verse 24, since we have heard that some of our they're taking ownership, some of our number, to whom we gave no instruction, have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls. It's like they get right. They get right to the point. We know you've been unsettled and we know those people came from us. We want to let you know we, the apostles and the brethren, we did not approve of this. And then they go from man's authority to the Holy Spirit's authority. I think that's essential for the letter to say yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean for them to help the Gentiles become fully confident is going to allow them to move forward. Yeah, I mean, whenever there's like a hang up or something in your life that's just kind of hanging on that you can't get rid of, it just seems to stifle you a little bit, whatever area of life that it may be. But specifically here, this is about salvation and about maturity. Are we saved? We have to do more. All this stuff, like there seems to be a lot going on here. This isn't just like something small. So for them to just affirm them you are our brothers in Christ, though we are Jews and you are Gentiles, we're all followers of Jesus Christ. And what an encouraging word for them to hear. They don't need to worry about this anymore.
Speaker 1:This was somebody else was teaching this, this was not coming from the apostles and the leaders of the church, and so that would really help them. And it helped Barnabas and giving them direction, even though they already agreed with what was being done. But, yeah, I think, as a new believer, in a time where maybe the Jews some were, they were still having troubles figuring out how to live for Christ. After this, they need to read. James wrote a letter to them about this yeah, about following Christ as a Jew, and what does that look like? So, yeah, they're all figuring it out, but just that assurance that hey there's. Your guys aren't doing anything wrong. Just make sure you stay away from these things, because these things will not take you down a path of maturity in.
Speaker 2:Christ. It's just a message of sanctification. You don't need to do anything for your justification. You're saved by faith alone, by grace. Through faith, guys, you're saved. Don't let anything unsettle your soul, shake your soul. But we're going to give you a message, like we give to anybody else who becomes saved Live a pure life of sanctification that's not burdensome to anybody, that's healthy.
Speaker 3:Well, a beautiful example of conflict resolution.
Speaker 2:How so? I think you're right In the body of believers.
Speaker 3:I mean you talked about the construction of the letter itself, the apostles. There's conflict within these churches. There was miscommunication. So what they do is one, it's taken to leadership. So there was conflict between these.
Speaker 3:Those who came from us came and have unsettled you. You're unsettled, we've heard it, we're going to address it. And there's unification in the leadership, there's the leading of the spirit. They're all of one mind. And if we look back to that actual conversation where it was Peter and who else spoke up in that first part of the chapter to people, and then James finally says you know, these men have given a great argument and it is my judgment that we should do this.
Speaker 3:And through James' leadership, he brings together that voice in a unified message back to the church. One they took ownership. They said these men come from us, you were unsettled. And then he gives they intentionally send people prayerfully, in the spirit that are the ones to send to one. Declare these, these, this community, as brethren. It's not about Jew Gentile, it's about we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
Speaker 3:Two, to show the unification You've been before. These people came without our permission. It wasn't the whole voice of leadership, but now clearly defining the expectations in a unified voice from the leadership, the apostles and the elders and doing that in a way, so clarifying expectations, yes, and making that clear for the future, so that there is no more wishy-washy, no more unsettling of their souls, that this is settled and done, and it's done in grace, not in a way you know. They took ownership of the mistake and then moved forward. And I think even in the church and our families and our communities and our interpersonal relationships individually, we can take that example that we acknowledge conflict, not reacting emotionally, trying to backpedal or justify our mistakes, but just address our mistakes and prayerfully find that reconciliation, the leading of the spirit, and address it and then make a list. How do we make this firm so that we don't come back to this and we can move forward in this relationship, clarifying expectations and trusting the leader, the leadership of the spirit?
Speaker 2:The three of us know this really well as pastors. Whenever you're working on conflict resolution, a mere apology sometimes is just not enough, because, while you may have dealt with the wrong of the past, if you don't communicate healthy expectations going forward, you're bound to repeat it, and then the cycle just keeps going.
Speaker 3:For you and the other person.
Speaker 2:For you and the other person right.
Speaker 3:I have an illustration of that from yesterday.
Speaker 2:Okay, sledding.
Speaker 3:I took my children's sledding and they were like three families from the church, including Pastor Dakota and his kids, everyone packed up about the same time because they had to get their kids to the Christmas program. I'm loading up the car and I'm waiting for my son to come back.
Speaker 3:and I come to the other side of Dakota's car looking for him and I see Dakota standing over my son saying something to him and I can tell he was giving him a rebuke of subsort and my son's flopping on the ground, not looking at Dakota and that's something I work on him with like looking people in the eye, and I heard Dakota say you need to go, apologize.
Speaker 3:So I saw Eddie go over to the car and he said say I'm sorry, not looking at her, looking to the ground, and he walked away. So when he came back over to me I said Eddie, what do we do when we apologize? I am sorry for what? What are you sorry for? Because as we were walking away I said what did you do? I didn't see it and he said I don't remember. I'm like, yeah, you don't remember whatever, but we remember in our minds and our hearts. You know, when we acknowledge I'm sorry for this one, that person knows you're acknowledging it because actually what you think you did and what actually hurt them may not be the same thing. So it's communication and drawing out the truth of it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think, as a biblical community of faith, you know, we should all hold each other accountable to love, you know, and yeah, that was fun. Yesterday, though, I was proud of Eddie, by the way, just since we're on this tangent, like for apologizing and going to the van. I mean, I was grateful for that, I told him I loved him. It's just little kids playing in the snow being a little overzealous, that's all. Yeah, um, as we continue on, versus 30 to 35, kyle, do you want to read?
Speaker 1:Sure.
Speaker 2:Bible was on the chair. I threw you a curveball, sorry.
Speaker 1:All right, 30 to 35. So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch and, having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter and when they had read it they rejoiced because of its encouragement, and Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words and after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch teaching and preaching the word of the Lord with many others also.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it's interesting. Here in this section it continues with the theme of preaching and teaching the word of the Lord. As we look back in previous chapters, that phrase, the word of the Lord kept multiplying. The word of the Lord kept growing. The word of the Lord, the word of the Lord. It brings a good conclusion to the arc of this section of the book of Acts, especially because it concludes the first missionary journey. What was it that characterized the first missionary journey altogether? It's that the word of the Lord went forward where, into new places among the Gentiles.
Speaker 2:Now verses 36 to 40, as we start to finish the chapter, we simultaneously begin a new missionary journey. And so 36 to 40 says the following after some days, paul said to Barnabas let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaim the word of the Lord and see how they are. So the second missionary journey was characterized by like following up with those that they evangelized. 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. 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.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure if we have enough time left in this episode to get into verses 36 to 40 in a deep way, because there's much to speak about here. This is a conflict that you maybe would not expect thus far in the book of Acts. We just concluded with a conflict. Now we get another conflict and there's much to say. So maybe your brief thoughts before we begin next episode with this.
Speaker 1:Well, clearly Paul cares about the people's actions because it shows their faith. And this individual, john Mark, who we know well, he clearly disappointed Paul or was scared, ran off, didn't want to go on a journey to share the word, and Paul was pretty much saying I don't have time for that. I see Paul's personality start to come out, which we see in his letters and we kind of understand him as we read his letters. But Paul's a very serious man who moves very quickly and he's like look, I've already committed my life to Christ, I already know that I'm going to die for Christ and I don't have time. I've got to go on this mission, I've got the gospel to share and you're not going to hold me behind and so I don't want him to come with us. I mean, that's pretty much where he was at. I think that's kind of the place.
Speaker 1:And I'm not saying Paul doesn't have a forgiving heart and doesn't want to show grace or those sort of things, but I think Paul is saying, no, the mission is more serious and you deserted us and I don't have time for that. And we'll get more into it and there's more details to come also, but in this moment I think Paul is disappointed and not willing to allow somebody to maybe disappoint them on the road. He doesn't trust them. He wants to go on this mission with people he trusts, that he knows is going to die for the same thing he's going to die for. So I just don't think he trusts him at the moment, and so he's being pretty harsh in the sense of nope, not going to happen.
Speaker 2:Well, the comment that was made about Paul and Barnabas in verse 26 is that they risk their lives there again for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Earlier on, it was John Mark who wanted to leave when things got tough, and he left early in the first missionary journey, Early like the first quarter of the game, so to speak.
Speaker 3:Speaking illustratively, so I'm thinking just for contemplation, until we do get to dive deeper, one way, simple way that came to mind for me, to coming out of a conflict that was had positive resolution.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You could say now we're leading into one that maybe has no resolution, or maybe a negative sort of reaction. Also, I think that it could be that you just have differently reconciled conflict, whereas sometimes there's unification and sometimes there isn't. They could be that either. God intended this to happen in such a way, knowing that their passions weren't going to meet like oil and water essentially, and God used that in their separate journeys as they departed. But I think that can be dove into a little deeper. They're two different outcomes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I mean. One thing that I think is interesting here is you don't have a doctrinal disagreement. That's a different story, right? This is a conflict of character and personality and some other things that we have to dive into and we have to consider can God? Does the text show us that God can utilize even situations like this for the betterment of His glory? That's to be seen in the next episode.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Last comment, I think God can use this, but I will say this is a passage that reminds me all the time to not say no when opportunities arise.
Speaker 1:And I'm not saying John Mark was younger than Paul.
Speaker 1:Like all kinds of things maturity, spiritual, there's all kinds of things at play with whatever happened in their situation, why he left or whatever. But it does remind me of submitting to Christ and not being afraid to step through the door. And when I do that, I don't just build trust in my relationship with the Lord, but I also do that with other brothers in Christ. So when we go on missions together, when we do things together, that grows unity amongst each other and trust, which is all under the same umbrella as Jesus. And so that I think Paul, when it comes to loyalty and friendship and this sort of thing, is really important. We see that in his relationship with Timothy. I just think when we dive into it next time, there's layers of Paul's personality, layers of John Mark's, there's layers of all these different things. I think they both love Jesus and that's not the question. But it does come down to two brothers in Christ who have a disagreement and go different ways at this point and we'll kind of discuss that next time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, many people believe that, john Mark, because we know that the one who wrote the Gospel of Mark is this very individual Right. And many people believe that that little scene at the end of Mark, when Jesus is being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, the younger teenage boy who runs away naked, his clothes are ripped off of him and he escapes and he's not given a name. That's a way in ancient writing to say that was me. And so this is not only the first time that he's walked away from Christ when things got tough, this is the second time. And so, yeah, there's much context to be shared, there's much to be spoken about as we dive in here in the next episode.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so come back to see the next episode, as we'll talk about this topic specifically. We'll finish 15. We'll get into chapter 16. Thank you all for listening to the Be Disciples podcast. Continue to share this with anybody that you know that wants to learn more about the Bible. That would just help them in their journey to walk through the scriptures. Remember, we do have the whole book of Mark already recorded and they can continue and act with us as well. Thank you all and have a blessed week. Thank you.