Acts, part 6 Acts 15:36-41 07/17/2011

Sermon title Acts – part 6 Acts 15:36-41

The good that Paul and Barnabas do in chapters 12-15
First missionary journey
Travel- preach – encourage-kicked out of one city- about to be stoned in another –snuck out. Mistaken for gods. Paul is stoned but survives. Disputes. Preaching. Telling the story. Winning people to Christ. It is pretty amazing

u can see where they went. Now getting ready to go again, there is a prob.

36 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.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 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. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

2 parts to this….their conflict. What we can know about conflict

Notes about the conflict between paul and barnabas over john mark going along

This was heated- they could not find a resolution- sharp disagreement
Disagreements to the point of fracture-

Paul and barnabas were not separated by persecution, impositions of the churches
Yet our humanness- pride, passion still get into the way

John Mark left them before-
Why the conflict - He is a relative of barnabas
Sometimes we get our personal agendas in the way of what is best
Yet paul too could have offered some more grace

Neither would yield, and therefore there is no remedy but they must part.

Even good Christians have disagreements.

Yet there is good news coming out of this conflict
a. Barnabas believed in mark and he later finds restoration
Everyone needs someone to believe in them

b. Go easy - Things can change in the future
Paul writes Timothy (2 Tim. iv. 11), 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.

and he writes to the Colossians - 10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)

c. The gospel is furthered. Paul goes to his home – barnabas to his 4:36

Now that is paul and barnabas, what about you and me?
Everyone has conflict. A man once said that he and his wife have only had one fight their entire marriage. He said it started on their honeymoon and he is still waiting for it to end.

Any argument has two sides, and they're usually married to each other.

Officially the vote was 40 yes, 7 no. and one, over my dead body.

Lisa boehm’s cartoon


Principles to face conflict
1. Pray for help- Seek God
Don’t react. Stop and think. Pray. Step back. Act out of the best of who you are
Ps 46:1 1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.


2. Ensure there is a problem, not just an offense
Offer grace. Have you ever done anything like this?
If you can let it go, let it go

A horse can't pull while kicking. This fact we merely mention.
And he can't kick while pulling, Which is our chief contention.
Let's imitate the good old horse And lead a life that's fitting;
Just pull an honest load, and then -There'll be no time for kicking.

Many things that we get upset over are not worth it.

French novelist and playwright Alexandre Dumas once had a heated quarrel with a rising young politician. The argument became so intense that a duel was inevitable. Since both men were superb shots they decided to draw lots, the loser agreeing to shoot himself. Dumas lost. Pistol in hand, he withdrew in silent dignity to another room, closing the door behind him. The rest of the company waited in gloomy suspense for the shot that would end his career. It rang out at last. His friends ran to the door, opened it, and found Dumas, smoking revolver in hand. "Gentlemen, a most regrettable thing has happened," he announced. "I missed."

Two men who lived in a small village got into a terrible dispute that they could not resolve. So they decided to talk to the town sage. The first man went to the sage's home and told his version of what happened. When he finished, the sage said, "You're absolutely right." The next night, the second man called on the sage and told his side of the story. The sage responded, "You're absolutely right." Afterward, the sage's wife scolded her husband. "Those men told you two different stories and you told them they were absolutely right. That's impossible -- they can't both be absolutely right." The sage turned to his wife and said, "You're absolutely right."

Years ago, a large statue of Christ was erected high in the Andes on the border between Argentina and Chile. Called "Christ of the Andes," the statue symbolizes a pledge between the two countries that as long as the statue stands, there will be peace between Chile and Argentina. Shortly after the statue was erected, the Chileans began to protest that they had been slighted -- the statue had its back turned to Chile. Just when tempers were at their highest in Chile, a Chilean newspaperman saved the day. In an editorial that not only satisfied the people but made them laugh, he simply said, "The people of Argentina need more watching over than the Chileans.


3. Act quickly- don’t let it fester
Don’t let the sun go down upon your wrath –eph 4:26
26 “In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
Heb 12:15 - 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.


4. Talk directly to the person- don’t triangulate
Mt 18 if your brother sins against you – go talk to them
Speak directly with the person involved.

Fern Bondurant


5. Be prepared to forgive as we have been forgiven
Forgive.
1 cor 13 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.


6. You don’t have to agree, but you do have to love
Jn 13 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Value the person, concentrate on winning them, not winning the argument

leave an escape hatch for your opponent, so that he can gracefully swing over to your side without too much apparent loss of face.


7. Keep at it Until you cant anymore
Until it is resolved
Until you need a break
Until you cant any more
Relationships are broken when there is no more grace left to give
Grace is much more powerful than we think. Keep trying to deliver it.

To be continued. Stay tuned. Lets pray