Acts 15:36-16:34
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36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”
37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark.
38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.
39 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus,
40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.
41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
God has called us to preach the gospel we are following him but noting is going right...
Now What?
What do we do when our journey to follow the Lord gets Rocky?
We’ve all had those trips where nothing was working out and we question whether or not we should turn back....
Paul experienced this pretty much whereever he went. Only he didn’t have the flu all the time. I mean people threw rocks at him a lot. They beat him a lot. They spit on him they lied about him.
You name it he experienced it.
So this morning let’s walk through what it looks like to follow the Lord in the middle of trouble and trial and tribulation...
Let’s read verses 36-41
Attempting to Follow God will lead to Conflict
Passionate People Will Collide
Let me explain...
Who is John Mark?
Why does Paul not want to take Him?
This conflict is basically not overcomable.
You can imagine the conversation...
So what we see here is that...
Two passionate people approaching the same goal from different views are going to collide.
We have all experienced this at one point or another...
The Bible never really tells us here who is right and who is wrong.
One commentator posed the problem like this...
Another said....
Either way what see here is actually
The positive outcome...
God takes this negative and creates a postive...
When we are truly seeking his will and the best way forward he will work out the details of how that is going to work...
1 Paul 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.
2 He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium.
3 Paul 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.
4 As 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.
5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.
We obey principled priorities not inflexible rules
? Why Paul?
Why the inconsistency?
Think about where he is coming from.
What he has in his hands.
But here he....
What’s up with that?
Don’t change for the sake of change.
Don’t put up a wall where there doesn’t have to be one.
Very often there is a middle ground.
Let the gospel be offensive not you.
Paul did his best not to offend if he didn’t have to...
it was only when the gospel was at stake he’d really plant his feet in the ground and that’s why he ended up getting rocks thrown at him alot of times.
Like this place he finds timothy in…the last time he was here...
You see the truth is you can never truly make everyone happy.
Someone said if you want to make everyone happy sell Ice Cream don’t try to lead.
and it’s true. Paul was never gentile enough for the gentiles and he was never jewish enough for the jews no matter how hard he tried because the gospel has a way of drawing the line in the sand and saying sorry
Jesus is the point not you. And for some people that is more than they can handle.
Thankfully this time around no one throws rocks and instead Paul adds another person to his team.
We can all learn from this though even in every day life. Don’t instigate just to instigate. Don’t point out disagreements just because they are there.
It’s ok to not agree with eveyrone. It’s ok to let people be wrong…if it’s not a gospel issue then don’t stir it up...
So Paul continues this journey...
6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.
8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.
9 And 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.”
10 And 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.
Here we learn that...
God Guides those who truly listen
Verses 6-8 show us Paul trying figure out which way to go.
But instead of showing him the way God keeps shutting doors.
He tries going this way but...
You can imagine the frustration that we might feel right?
Try that way no
this way no
this way no
He may have felt like he was trying to figure out where to go to eat. Ya’ll ever been there? Where you want to go? I don’t know let’s go to Wendy’s nah not there. Well how about…BBQ nah. so where oh I don’t care you decide.
20 minutes later how about a ham sandwich....
That be what it feels like sometimes trying to figure out what God wants us to do.
Sometimes as a Church it can feel that way as we try different things to reach poeple and also to help people grow in their faith.
It can feel like no matter what we try it doesn’t work.
Or when you’re tyring to figure out how to deal with a probelm you have in your life
or where to work...
In those moments we need to remember what James says...
If any of you lacks wisdom....
And so just when it seems like they are never going to figure out which direction to go
God gives Paul a vision...
Now it’s at this point that it appears Luke joins the journey.
notice this word in verse 10…we...
Now as we get into next section we are going to learn that...
The Gospel does not have a Type
Sometimes you may here people say, well I’m not the religious type. I’m not the Jesus type of person.
God says there is no type...
3 stories of Grace for three very different types of people.
First
The Rich Business Woman
11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis,
12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days.
13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.
14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.
15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
The Poor Demon Possessed Slave Girl
16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling.
17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.”
18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.
The Battle Tested Blue Collar Man
19 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.
20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city.
21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.”
22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods.
23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely.
24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Even when we do everything right things still go wrong
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,
When we keep our eyes on the prize even the prison’s sewer is a place to sing praise.
Our ability to remain joyful in hurt is the testimony the world needs to see.
26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.
27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”
Never underestimate the influence of a Christian testimony.
29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.
30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.
34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
God can Turn our Troubles into Triumph
Think of how we got here. All the troubles Paul went through to get to this place. You take out one of those failures one of those bumps in the road one of those twists on the path.
and Lydia this little girl and the Philippian jailor spend eternity in Hell.
God knows what He is doing even when we are totally clueless.
So even if we find ourselves at the bottom of the jail we sing praises cause it isn’t our job to know how we’re going to get out of this mess. It’s our job to praise Him until he shows us the next step.
A few lessons and we’ll go.
Even the Most Godly People Can Have Conflict
The Son of Encouragement got into a fight.
Doesn’t mean you’re a failure.
Doesn’t mean the other person is Satan.
God can use even our conflicts for his glory if we continue to follow Him.
People hearing the Gospel is More Important than being Right
While conflict is going to happen try not to pick fights.
God’s Guidance is Seldom in a Straight Line
We follow His Will one step at a time.
He gives us enough light for the next step.
When Paul and Silas were trying to figure out which way to go they kept trying different paths until they found the right one.
Don’t give up and quit.
God has a way of using his no’s to get us to where he wants us to be.
Having trouble finding a girl guys maybe you’re asking the wrong ones....
The Gospel Doesn’t Have a Type
Rich and Successful
Poor Abused Forgotten
Tough Strong Hardworking
All hear the same answer to how must I be saved?
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.