God Moves In Mysterious Ways
Acts 15:36-16:10
SHADOWLANDS -- was a motion picture starring Anthony Hopkins that tells the story of C. S. Lewis and his wife, Joy. C.S. Lewis was the author of the popular series, "The Chronicles of Narnia" including "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe." The title "Shadowlands" comes from the shadow that was cast across their lives because of their struggle when Joy was diagnosed with cancer. After Joy died, C.S. Lewis reflected on their last days together as it became clear that Joy was losing her battle with cancer. "It is incredible how much happiness, how much joy we sometimes had together after all hope was gone."
What a paradox. They experienced the purest joy and purest happiness when all hope was gone. This is how God works in the lives of his children. There is joy in the midst of sorrow, peace in the midst of pain, living by dying, gaining by losing. The life in God is a life filled with mystery.
Another person who discovered this and wrote about it was 18th century English Poet William Cowper. Cowper struggled with depression and even sunk to a point of clinical insanity where he was institutionalized for a period of time. He wrote the poem, Light Shining Out Of Darkness
God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.
It's from the opening line of that poem that I've entitled this message, "God Moves In Mysterious Ways." And no, that's not a verse in the Bible. As we continue our series through the book of Acts this morning we're going to look at three consecutive paragraphs. Three paragraphs that contain three enigmas, three paradoxes, if you will, that show how God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. The first mysterious move of God we'll notice is this: God accomplishes...
I. Multiplication By DIVISION
Luke records what on the surface appears like a very unfortunate event. It's a division in the church; a conflict between Paul and Barnabas that seems to never be resolved. Now if you're a Christian today and you've never experienced conflict with another Christian, that means you were just saved this morning and I'd like to talk to you about baptism a little later. Conflict - sometimes intense conflict - with other Christians is going to happen. Why? Because we're human. But God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. God performs and executes his sovereign decrees and designs even in the midst of our conflict.
In this conflict between Barnabas and Paul he accomplishes the multiplication of mission teams through the division of a relationship.
36And 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.” 37Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38But 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. 39And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 40but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
This is one of the reasons we know the Bible is true. If fallen humans were making up this whole thing they would not include unfortunate events like this where two leaders, two pillars of the faith have what Luke describes as a "sharp disagreement."
Now many of us are very familiar with this account, but I want you to imagine this morning that you're Theophilus. Theophilus is the nobleman to whom Luke addressed the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. Theophilus has received chronicle of the early church's history and he gets to the end of chapter 15 and sees this division happen between Barnabas and Paul. This would have been a bit shocking the first time it was read.
Why? Because Paul and Barnabas are the original dynamic duo. They're Batman and Robin, Tom and Jerry, Lennon and McCartney, Peanut Butter and Jelly. You couldn't imagine that they would separate and divide from each other. These two had the perfect contrast of gifts, leadership styles, and personality traits; they seemed perfectly complementary to each other. They were a great team. Where Barnabas was weak, Paul was strong. Where Paul was lacking, Barnabas was abundant.
We know Barnabas to be a kind, encouraging, considerate leader. We're first introduced to Barnabas in Acts 4 where it says he sold some of his property and gave the money to the church. The very first time we meet Barnabas he is divesting himself of his personal wealth, generously supporting the work of the church, he's the son of encouragement. That's just who he was.
Acts 11:24 describes Barnabas in this way: For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. Acts 11:24
That's who Barnabas was - a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and full of faith. We would love to have Barnabas as a pastor, elder, deacon, small group leader.
Then there's Paul. He is the premier Christian of church history. He wrote most of the NT. We know of his dramatic conversion. He was a zealous Pharisee, persecuting the church, and God literally knocked him off his high horse on the road to Damascus and becomes the apostle to the Gentiles.
Paul and Barnabas - these two belong together, they've been through so much together, they've got such a powerful history together. Acts 9 shows how their relationship began. Right after Paul's conversion, people think it's a trick, it's a ploy for him to arrest more Christians. Who comes alongside Paul and believes in him? Barnabas does. The son of encouragement comes alongside Paul and commends him to the disciples in Jerusalem, some of whom Paul had previously ravaged their homes and lives.
In chapter 11 we see over and over how they labored together, preaching the gospel together. We see in chapter 13 that when the church in Antioch determined to send out the first missionary team, they pray and fast seeking the Lord's will. The Holy Spirit leads them that the team was to be Paul and Barnabas.
On that missionary journey they experienced victories together, persecution together, miracles together, opposition and hostility TOGETHER. To put it in Luke's vernacular, "there was no little history between them." They had experienced so much together. And here, they're divided.
And Luke calls it a "sharp disagreement." This was not just a minor misunderstanding. There is an intensity communicated here, it's not a little dustup but a harsh conflict. This is not a cordial back and forth exchange, "Correct me if I'm wrong here, this is my personal opinion, this is just what I'm feeling right now, I want to hear your perspective, I'm not entirely comfortable, not sure if we should bring John Mark or not, no offense." Nothing like that. This is a SHARP disagreement. Barnabas has dug in his heels, Paul has dug in his heels. Neither are budging on the matter.
More than likely you've been involved in a sharp disagreement, or at least you've seen one. Face turning red, veins bulging, eyebrows furrowed down, snarling mouths, voices raised, emotions are elevated. This is that kind of disagreement. Why?
What is the disagreement about? The issue is whether or not to bring John Mark on this next missionary journey. Mark wrote the second book in your New Testament. He's mentioned in Acts 12 when Peter is miraculously freed from prison. The church is meeting and praying at Mark's mom's house.
And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark. Acts 12:25
So in chapter 12 when Paul and Barnabas were in Jerusalem they take Mark with them, eventually getting together in Antioch. When the church in Antioch decides to commission Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journey, they bring along John Mark as one of their companions and co-laborers on the trip. So John Mark goes with them, but here's the problem, Acts 13:13: Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem. Acts 13:13
This little phrase at the end of verse 13 is what this conflict is all about. John left them. It's just three words, but it is precisely those three words that caused the sharp disagreement between Barnabas and Paul. He was with them on the journey and for some reason on the journey he said, "I wanna go home. I wanna go to mom's in Jerusalem."
Barnabas and Paul look at that event from two different viewpoints. Paul sees it as abandonment. He thought John Mark was immature or unreliable. He was with us once and couldn't finish the job. We don't know if he got homesick, or if he thought the work was too difficult, the trip didn't turn out to be as glamorous as the brochure made it out to be. There were a lot of long, difficult days and sleepless nights. And Paul's perspective is, we don't need that kind of wishy-washy commitment when it comes to missions. The task is too great, the mission is to vital to bring along someone like that. I mean I can see Paul's perspective, can't you?
But Barnabas perspective is entirely different. Barnabas is the consummate encourager; Barnabas believes the best in others; Barnabas is all about giving people a second chance. I mean isn't God the God of second chances? Are you thankful God gave you a second, third, fourth, 9 thousandth chance? I can see Barnabas' perspective, can't you?
I thought about polling the audience today to see who would agree with Paul and who would agree with Barnabas, but it might cause a church split. Depending upon who you side with says a lot about you, your personality, your character, what you value. Luke doesn't tell us who's right or who's wrong, Luke doesn't take sides here. And I don't think we're meant to take sides because both sides have validity.
And here's an important principle for Christians to understand: Conflict is sometimes unavoidable.
But here's what God does: God takes this division between Paul and Barnabas, and he accomplishes something great from it. God can bring something good out of every conflict. We could look at this on the surface and think, "Oh no, this whole church thing is going to fall apart. God, what are you thinking here? The dynamic duo has gone their separate ways, this does not look good for the future of the church.” Newsflash – God knows what he’s doing. This conflict that lead to this division wasn’t a part of their plan, but it was a part of God’s plan. Because the paradox here is that God multiplied the missionary efforts through this division. It wasn’t a part of their plan but it was always a part of God’s plan.
When they separated Barnabas took John Mark with him to the island of Cyprus, which was his home; and Paul chose Silas to go with him and his plan is to visit the churches they planted on their first missionary journey. But what we’ll discover in a moment is that the Holy Spirit prevented them from following through. So they had their plans, and then after the sharp disagreement they adjusted their plans, but God had his own plans.
So, this is where Luke here in Acts leaves things with Paul and Barnabas, but we know from other parts of the New Testament that God did a work of reconciliation in their lives. For example in 1 Corinthians 9:6, after this event Paul writes, Is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 1 Corinthians 9:6 The context of that verse is that the church has an obligation to financially support career pastors and missionaries. He includes Barnabas with himself as one who is deserving of that support. There was a split for a time, but God wasn’t done with them.
And what about John Mark, the one Paul refused to go on a mission trip with because he abandoned the previous trip. Was there reconciliation there? A couple of verses suggest there was. Philemon 1: 23Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. Philemon 1:23-24 Mark goes from being unworthy to take on a mission trip in Paul’s eyes, to now being one of Paul’s fellow workers. Awesome redemption of relationship there.
Here’s another one – this should give you hope in your relationships. 2 Timothy 4. This is the last letter Paul wrote before he was killed by the hands of the Roman Empire. From that Roman prison he is reflecting on those who have deserted him and he gives this instruction to Timothy: Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 2 Timothy 4:11
At the end of Paul’s life he says Mark is VERY USEFUL for ministry. How did it happen? We don’t know. God can redeem our conflicts and disagreements; God can redeem our relationships that have become divided. You may be here and you’ve written off certain people, you’ve written off certain relationships. You’ve got 99 things in common, in faith, but there was this one disagreement. God may not be done with that; God may redeem that for his gospel purposes. But what you may not ever see is how God accomplishes his purposes behind the scenes as a direct result of that conflict. God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform.
II. Advancement By CONCESSION
16:1Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. 2He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. 3Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 5So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.
As the account continues, Paul makes it to the cities of Derbe and Lystra. There he picks up one who was probably converted on the first missionary journey, a young man by the name of Timothy. This is when Timothy is introduced on the scene. Paul was like a father to him in the faith. Timothy came from a mixed household. His mother was a Jewish believer and his father was a Greek. We know from 1 Timothy that he had been raised up with the Scriptures. He was well spoken of by the brothers, he had a good reputation. This is Timothy.
But then we come to verse 3 and there’s a very puzzling statement. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places.
But in the very next verse we read that they went from town to town and delivered the decision that was reached by the Jerusalem council. If you were with us last week you know what that decision was. The landmark decision was that Gentile converts did NOT have to be circumcised in order to be saved, in order to be a Christian. Paul is going from city to city delivering that good news, but before he takes Timothy with him to deliver that message that there’s no need for circumcision, he circumcises Timothy. Elsewhere, like in Galatians, Paul is the biggest opponent of circumcision.
What are we to make of that? This is an enigma; it’s something of a paradox.
This is what I’m calling Advancement By Concession. Paul was the biggest preacher of grace. He preached that requiring circumcision struck at the very heart of the gospel of grace. In fact look at Galatians 2: 3But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. Galatians 2:3-6
That’s the Paul we know, he’s not backing down for a moment, not giving an inch to the Judaizers. This is a gospel issue, this gets at the very heart of the gospel of grace. So why did Paul say, “I will not circumcise Titus.” But with Timothy, “You need to be circumcised.”
There are two different things at stake here. With Titus, the truth of the gospel was at stake; with Timothy the hearing of the gospel was at stake. With Titus people were saying, “He’s a Gentile and he can’t really be a Christian unless he’s circumcised.” And to that Paul says, “Absolutely not, I refuse to circumcise Titus.”
But with Timothy, Paul was going to be taking him along to visit these churches, many of which were predominately Jewish in their background. And in order for there NOT to be a hindrance to the proliferation of the gospel among ethnic Jews Paul says, it will be best if Timothy, whose mother is Jewish, was circumcised and had the covenant mark of Judaism on his body. With Titus, no circumcision because that would undercut the heart of the gospel. With Timothy, circumcision because that would gain a hearing for the gospel. Paul was willing to make a concession with regard to circumcision because he knew it would advance the gospel message.
Sometimes it’s right to blow up traditions; sometimes it’s right to keep doing the traditions because it will advance the gospel. And it takes great wisdom to know. There are some things you say, “I’m not going to budge an inch on this.” And there are other times as Christians we say, “This may not be ideal, but it will help us get to the big deal so, fine.” There are some hills to die on and there are some that are not worth dying on.
In some Christian traditions a preacher would never preach without wearing a robe. The robe, the vestments represent some spiritual truth, being clothed in Christ when you get up to preach. If I were invited to preach at one of those churches, I would wear a robe. It would be a bit awkward for me, I don’t even own a robe. Not sure if you can rent robes for such occasions, but it’s not something that’s worth fighting about.
When I do get asked to preach somewhere else I usually ask the person inviting me what the usual attire is. Why? Because I don’t want to stop the hearing of the gospel by what I wear. I knew my first Sunday here at LVBC that when there were two men who came up to collect the offering were wearing shorts, I knew that I was in the right place.
But the basic principle is that sometimes you make a concession for the advancement of the gospel. Paul didn't want something that was avoidable to be a hindrance to the hearing of the gospel among ethnic Jews. God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform.
As we look at this third paragraph this morning, I want us to consider the third enigma.
III. Direction By PREVENTION
Have you ever done one of those corn mazes? You start at one point of a corn field at the entrance, with the 8 foot corn stalks all around, and you try to work your way through the maze through all kinds of twists and turns to the exit of the maze. You make a few turns, thinking surely this turn is going to take me to the exit when you’re faced with a dead end. You’re prevented from moving forward there. So you try another way, twisting and turning, only to find another dead end. This is something like what Paul and his companions experienced in this next paragraph:
6And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
This missionary team was prevented by the Holy Spirit from going into Asia in verse 6. Then they attempt to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. It's like they're in a spiritual corn maze and they keep hitting dead ends. Then Paul has a vision of a man in Macedonia was calling him over to help them. Fascinating turn of events.
As we think about this paragraph, I want us to consider some things we DO know, and some things we DON'T know. First, we DON'T know by what means the HS prevented them from going to Asia and Bythinia. We don't know if it was through an internal impression, or if there were more practical reasons, perhaps a bridge was out, or a military skirmish broke out in that region. We don't know.
We also DON'T know what this vision was exactly. Was it a dream while he was asleep, an apparition; was Paul taken up into the heavens like he talks about in other parts of the Bible? We don't know.
Here's what we DO know about this:
1. These decisions were not made by a single person. No doubt Paul was the leader of the team. Note the use of the plural personal pronouns throughout this paragraph: 6And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
What's the point - you don't see one charismatic leader claiming to have a vision from God and everyone following him like lemmings. The decision to go was made in the context of a group. Paul was the leader, but THEY determined to go.
2. Paul was not seeking the vision. No where in the NT do we see disciples looking for a vision, or pursuing a supernatural vision. Peter did not go on the roof and say, "I'm hungry God, could you give me a vision of what I should eat." God determined of his own accord to give the vision. Paul is not looking for a vision here. Without fail, when someone receives a vision from God in the Bible, it is always by God's design and discretion.
3. Luke joins the team in this paragraph. Did you notice the plural personal pronouns changed at the end of the paragraph? They go from "they" and "them," to "we" and "us." Some conclude that Luke himself is the Macedonian man that Paul had a vision of that was calling him to help, though we can't be sure.
4. God's call was clear. God gave direction by prevention on several occasions. Let's go here - blocked. Ok, how about here - another dead end. But in the context of the team, they figured out God's call on their lives and exactly where they were supposed to go.
I'd like to introduce you to someone else who has God's call on his life; someone who has a clear direction on where he's supposed to go and to whom God has called him to share the gospel. And God has called him to some of the most difficult parts of the world. But God is with him. His name is George Ayoub.
You welcome George as he comes to share about God's call on his life and how God has used him to reach those in the most spiritual dark places of the earth with the light of the gospel.
George Ayoub
I started this message by telling you about William Cowper and his poem, "Light shining out of darkness."
God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill
He treasures up his bright designs, And works his sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take, The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower.
God has his will, we have our plans, and God’s will always supersedes our best plans. And we can trust him to accomplish his purposes, even when there are ominous clouds over head, his mercy breaks with blessing on our head.
That leads to my last thought. And this thought I actually saw on a church sign. I usually scoff at those pithy church sign sayings, but this one certainly fits the context of what we've seen today:
Last Thought: Write your plans in PENCIL, and give God the ERASER.
We make plans, we make decisions with the best information we have at the time. But we write them in pencil and give God the eraser as he directs us according to his purpose and pleasure.
