Monthly Archives: April 2026

ACTS THE SEQUEL…THE SPLIT – 35

Bible Study, ,

“The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭15‬:‭31‬-‭33‬, ‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Once again, peace reigned in the early church. Each went his own way…some back to their home churches, others remained in Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch where they continued their teaching ministry in their home church. 

The time came for the missionaries to be on their way again. Their work in Asia was not finished and there were new fields to work in Europe as they were to discover. 

“Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 

Good idea, Paul! But…there was a stumbling block in this partnership…John Mark. He was the “nigger in the woodpile”! Paul, the rigid, principled, pragmatic leader, didn’t want a repeat of their first foray into Asia. They had enough to contend with without friction between them over a lame duck in their team. 

Barnabas, the gracious, patient, generous uncle, was willing to give his nephew a second chance. 

“Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company.”

They disagreed! They argued! Each stuck to his guns! They parted company. Barnabas did his thing…he took John Mark and went off in a huff. Paul did his thing…he grabbed Silas and went his way, back north to Syria and on to Cilicia. 

“Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭15‬:‭36‬-‭41‬ ‭NIV‬

Barnabas disappeared from the scene while Paul, God’s chosen man for the hour, carried on with his calling, accompanied by Silas, Paul’s new partner and fellow-sufferer. 

Two human beings clashed! Although they were brothers in Christ, they were also fallible men. After years of partnership and fellowship, they parted company on bad terms. How did this affect them? How did it affect their ministry? Did they ever reconcile?

These questions remain unanswered but…the work of the gospel continued to prosper. We can conclude, then, that the Holy Spirit did not penalise or disqualify them because of their failure to submit to one another in love. He is gracious towards us when our fallen nature intrudes. Like Peter when he denied Jesus, our failures are part of the journey and a big part of our learning curve. 

This incident encouraged me to realise that God works with and through imperfect people. However great a missionary and apostle Paul was, he was still a fallen human being. He was still capable of being stubborn and pig-headed. He still wanted his own way. 

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Somewhere along the line, Paul changed his mind. John Mark, the quitter became John Mark, the helpful…and Paul was finally willing to acknowledge that he was not a worthless individual but a man whom God could also use. 

So, we continue to follow Paul, now joined by Silas, on their mission to the Gentile world. Armed with years of experience from his first mission trip, Paul led the charge again, this time pushing deeper into the Roman world, with the Holy Spirit ever present, always leading… until Paul, after many trials and struggles, would finally reach Rome. 

To be continued

ACTS THE SEQUEL…ERROR CREEPS IN – 34

Bible Study, ,

“Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Once again, the enemy was on the warpath…introducing a far more subtle strategy than persecution. If he could not destroy the church from outside, he would attack from within…mess with their minds…subtly introduce religion…one of his favourite weapons to confuse and capture people through fear. 

What does religion do? Religion introduces the very thing that destroys faith…fear. Why fear? Fear is the fruit of uncertainty. Religion demands performance. I must do what the deity demands.  Have I done enough to satisfy God? This is the exact opposite of faith because faith rests on the finished work of Jesus while fear is the insecurity of not knowing, based on what I do. 

This line of attack came straight out of Judaism…and the demands of the law. To be sure of your salvation, and to gain entry into  God’s kingdom, you were obliged to submit to the rite of circumcision as well as to keep the laws God gave as the terms of His covenant.  The trouble was, as Paul later pointed out to the Galatian church which was also assaulted by the Judaisers, you could not single out one law and ignore the rest. To obey one law as a means of satisfying God’s requirements was not enough. Which one would you choose…and what about the rest? You had to keep the whole law… and that meant cancelling faith as a way of salvation. 

This intervention was so troublesome that it almost split the church in Antioch. So, go sort this out, once and for all, in Jerusalem where the big shots were presiding. 

“This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad.”

Of course, Paul and Barnabas, experienced as they were in preaching to the Gentiles and winning them to faith in Jesus without circumcision, told their story along the way as they proceeded to Jerusalem. 

“When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

They did the same in Jerusalem, as a preparation for the debate. Who could argue for circumcision when a whole new phase of the church had opened up in Asia Minor among the Gentiles without their first being circumcised. 

“Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” The apostles and elders met to consider this question.”

The debate began…the issues carefully discussed. Good old Peter…the one who had disappeared after he was almost assassinated…the one who had almost fallen, due to the same error, in Antioch…the one whom Paul had to rebuke for hypocrisy…he put the cherry on the top. 

“After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe…”

Peter repeated his story about Cornelius and his household, a case study about Gentiles who had believed when he, Peter, had preached the gospel to them. That finally settled the matter. God did not require obedience to circumcision or any other law for Gentiles or Jews to be saved. The gospel of Jesus was enough. 

“Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭15‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Jews had tried this way to be saved and had failed dismally, as their history had recorded, so why should the Gentiles be expected to do any better? Grace that bypassed works was God‘s infallible way of salvation. 

On the strength of Old Testament prophecy, which confirmed what God was doing, the company decided to make an official declaration to the Gentile churches…that circumcision was out. 

“Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: …’that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’—”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭15‬:‭14‬-‭15‬, ‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, the matter was finally and officially settled and communicated in a letter to the churches. 

“Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings… It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭15‬:‭22‬-‭23‬, ‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Defeated again! In partnership with God the Holy Spirit, the door was closed to another onslaught on the fragile church, strengthening their commitment to Jesus as the Lord and only Saviour of sinners. Once again, the gap between the church and the devotees of Judaism was widening…and with it, the protection the Jews enjoyed from the Roman government.

Before long, the full might of Roman opposition, under the rule of Nero, would rain down on the believers…opening the door to a season of cruel and ruthless persecution…but the devil still could not win. 

The two dauntless missionaries would soon be on the road again, soldiering on against Jewish and Roman aggression, to sow the seeds of truth into fertile fields in Europe, and finally reaching the centre of the empire, Rome itself. 

To be continued

ACTS THE SEQUEL…HOME AGAIN – 33

Bible Study, ,

“They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. “

It seems that this first journey was not a short burst but a lengthy period of moving and staying, to teach and consolidate the work before they moved on, giving believers time to learn and grow. From among them there emerged men who were maturing in their faith…leaders who could be trusted to continue when the missionaries left. 

“Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust….”

These two now-battle-hardened pioneers longed for home. The first leg of their missionary journey had led them from Cyprus into the interior of Asia Minor…into the heart of pagan idolatry where they had experienced both the whole-hearted response of some and the bitter hatred of others. 

The Holy Spirit had moved powerfully, including doing miracles in the mix. 

The Jews, in the main, remained  resistant to the gospel, even turning the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. Some, but not many Jews, believed and became part of a new species…as Paul wrote to the Ephesian church later on…a new race in Christ…of Jew and Gentile… with a new identity. 

It was time to retrace their steps…to consolidate the work they had done…and to report back to headquarters. They returned to the small groups of believers they had left behind as they went from city to city…teaching and encouraging them to stay firm in their faith…until they finally reached their home base…Antioch in Syria. 

“From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭14‬:‭21‬-‭23‬, ‭26‬-‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What  a homecoming! How many years has gone by since they had left Antioch, we do not know. They had no email…no WhatsApp…to keep them in touch with their home church…only “snail-mail” no quicker than their own presence. So, they had much to talk about to their beloved fellow-believers…years of conflict and conquest to share with them. 

How lovely for them to rest in the shelter and safety of their own family. “A long time…”, long enough to gather their strength and their zeal for another season on the road…on the battle field. They now had years of experience behind  them. They knew what lay ahead when they hit the road again. 

So, we leave them in Antioch for a while until…rested and refreshed…they press on toward Rome!

To be continued

ACTS THE SEQUEL…THE CROWD TURNS NASTY – 32

Bible Study, ,

“In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.”

“From the frying pan into the fire…” You don’t walk into a crowd of pagan people, tell them about Jesus, heal a lame man… and expect them to praise the Lord! Why not? 

The people of Listra were as idolatrous as they come. Of course, who would they give credit to but the gods they worshipped! That did it! The gods, who had never spoken to them or done anything for them, had actually made an appearance…so they thought!This demanded a special celebration…a sacrifice to mark the occasion! 

“When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.”

Paul and Barnabas were horrified. This was something they had never expected. 

“But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them…”

Try as he would, Paul could not convince them that he was only a man, not God. The crowd had no ears for his message. 

“Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.”

0f course, like the Pharisees who perpetually hounded Jesus, there were, inevitably, the fanatically radical, religious Jews in the company, who made mileage of the situation. Before the two missionaries could size up the situation and flee, the stones were flying. The atmosphere changed in an instant from worship to war. 

“Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.”

Paul…dead! It can’t be! Perhaps it was…but God stepped in. He still had much work for His servant to do. 

“But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.”

Acts‬ ‭14‬:‭8‬-‭15‬, ‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

All in a day’s work. Luke’s account of this incident sounds matter-of-fact. So, the people of Lystra rejected his message. So…they stoned him to death…so, he got up and walked away…as if nothing had happened! This very fact should have started a revival in Lystra…but it didn’t….not according to Luke…

Was this the moment…when Paul was dead…when he saw heaven? 

“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We will never know…but I just wondered. 

To be continued

ACTS THE SEQUEL…MIXED FORTUNES – 31

Bible Study, ,

A“At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, where they continued to preach the gospel.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The deeper Paul and Barnabas penetrated into Asia Minor, the more the battle lines were drawn. Hell was not pleased with being disturbed by these two champions of truth. For too long, the powers of darkness had held sway in the religious arena. On the one hand, pagan religion with its focus on debauchery… drunkenness…sexual perversion…and all kinds of wickedness…had held the Gentiles captive…and the religious self-righteousness of the Jews on the other hand. 

Truth has a habit of stirring up trouble. Jesus had warned that He had not come to bring peace but a sword. His soldiers would be pitted against the powers of darkness… but they had the assurance that He had already overcome the world…and, what’s more, His peace within them would be a fortress against the world. Now was the time to put His promise to the test. 

The preaching of the gospel had a twofold effect on its audience. Some received the message gladly, believed…both Jews and Greeks…and joined the ranks of the redeemed. Others reacted violently against the truth. The unbelieving Jews led the charge…pouring poison into the minds of those who resisted. 

The influence of the Jewish faction was so powerful that the city was split down the middle. A coalition, formed between Jews and Gentiles who were normally hostile towards one another, turned violent. Satan is never content to fight with words alone. Force is his method to get his way.  Kill those who won’t bend. 

The people of the city of Iconium had made their choice. Some had found life and peace in Jesus. Others had chosen rebellion and violence as their hiding place against truth. Paul and Barnabas found themselves in the centre of the skirmish. They became the target of the hatred against God. 

“Discretion is the better part of valour.” These two pioneer missionaries still had an enormous task ahead. Now was not the time to be foolhardy. They had to beat a hasty retreat, leaving behind a group of new believers who had no background in the Scriptures…no prior knowledge of God or His dealings with people…nothing but a new-found faith in Jesus. 

What would happen to this infant church without mature leaders…without teachers who would guide them in these early days so crucial in cementing their faith? Paul and Barnabas left behind them, not people who had been taught another religious system. but a group of people who had been born of God and who were in His care, in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit who, Jesus promised, would lead them into all truth. 

As always, the work of God is a partnership between the divine and the human. The role of the human is to sow the seed. God’s part is to cause the seed to grow…rooted in Jesus… and nurtured and protected by the Holy Spirit. Since the work of these two men was to sow seed in uncultivated soil, they had to trust the Lord  with the results. 

Once again, they were forced to move on…their time with the new believers cut short by persecution. Iconium had an infant church in the care of the Holy Spirit. A new lamp had been lit in the pagan darkness. There were still vast fields to cultivate…many people ensnared in darkness…waiting for coming of  the light. 

And so they left…trusting the Spirit to do His work as they had done theirs. 

To be continued