Mission in Conflict

When Conflict Comes

Acts 15:36-41

The world is filled with conflict. As we saw this past week in the events in Texas, we are a world at war.  James 4:1–2 writes,

[1] What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? [2] You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

We are a world at war because of the war of the human heart. Our hearts so often rage against God. Paul writes, Ephesians 6:10–12,

[10] Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. [11] Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. [12] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  

Our enemy is not flesh and blood, but it is a spiritual battle. It is a spiritual battle that rages in our own hearts and every human heart. What do we do when conflict comes? For we know conflict will come, but how will we respond when it does? 

Today, we look at a conflict between two faithful servants of Christ and by God’s grace, we will grow in our own ability to face and endure through conflict.

Checking on the Mission (v. 36)

Paul and Barnabas have recently returned to Antioch with the letter from the Jerusalem council declaring salvation belongs to the Gentiles by faith not through the works of the law. Judas and Silas came with them to deliver the letter and to share the word of God with the church. Acts 15:35, “But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.” Paul and Barnabas were regular teachers of God’s Word at the church of Antioch, but Paul’s calling was as a missionary. God set him apart to minister to the Gentiles and Paul’s heart started to stir, Acts 15:36, “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.” Paul wanted to see if the brothers had remained faithful to the Lord, if they were facing persecution from the Jewish leaders, if they needed guidance on anything and simply how they were doing. Paul was concerned with the mission yet his concern for the mission was always centered on people. People were the mission. And people are still the mission today.

Pastors must be concerned with the lives of the people. How are people doing? How are their souls? How are they handling the pressures of being a new parent? Are they continuing to fight sin? Are they taking advantage of opportunities to share the gospel at their jobs? How are they dealing with the grief of losing a spouse? Are they trusting in the Lord to sustain them through sickness? How is their time in Word and prayer? Are they developing friendships within the body or are they lonely? Are they flirting with false teaching? How is the Lord working in and through them? Are they drifting away from the body of Christ? Is it well with their souls? 

As elders, the thing we talk about the most in our meetings is how people are doing. We have placed each member on an elder and deacon family list and are responsible to share how they are doing. We must make sure we know the state of the flock. If the mission of the church is to make disciples, then at bare minimum we must know the disciples. And remember shepherds are sheep too. It is the mission of the church to care for one another. 

Beloved, the ministry of ‘checking on each other’ is one of the simplest yet most important aspects of church life. When someone doesn’t show up for Sunday School, are you checking up on them? After a big job interview or important family conversation, are you asking how it went? When someone is absent from the gathering, are you following up with them? Checking on one another is a simple way of saying, “I care about you.” One of the regular wounds that happen in church is when they start to drift away no one checks on them. “Well, no one cared that I wasn't there so why am I a member there.” Beloved, we have to care about one another. Hebrews 10:24, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” It is basic christianity.  Here are a few encouragements of checking on each other.

Use the membership directory - our membership directory is a great tool to pray and read through. You can access it online and on our church app. 

Join a Sunday School class - our Sunday School classes are a great way to get in deeper relationships with one another. It is easier to get lost in a large gathering, but committing to a Sunday School class helps people know you.

Invest yourselves in our church life - make the regular gathering of the saints on Sunday and Wednesday a priority. Become like furniture. If you ever walk into your house and a chair is gone, you ask, “What happened to the chair?” Be so invested in the body that it is strange when you are not there. 

Share if you are struggling - if you don’t feel connected with the body, let us know. Share that you are lonely. Let people know how you are doing. It is not only the responsibility of others to check on you, but for you to reveal yourself to others. One of the reasons you may not be getting checked on is people don’t know you are struggling.

Be patient with the Church - there are lots of needs and lots of pain and lots of people. We want to excel in caring for each other, but if we fail, be patient with us. Love covers a multitude of things. It may be sinful neglect or it may be we have things going on in our own lives or in the lives of others which has limited our care capacity. 

Help the elders care for the body - if someone is struggling share it with one of the elders so we can follow up with them. We are responsible before God to care for your souls so help us do our jobs. Let us know if you hear someone sick or hurting or drifting or growing. We do not only want to reach out to those struggling but also to those who are growing. And pray for more elders to shepherd the sheep. 

Paul was motivated by love for the brothers and simply wanted to see how they were doing. I pray our congregation is motivated by love for one another and are constantly checking in on each other. It takes an entire church body to love each other. So lean into the body for we need you. Your text or call or email or card may be the connection that helps keep someone in Christ. Galatians 6:10, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Conflict in the Mission (v.37-39a)

As we have been following Paul and Barnabas relationships over the last several chapters, it would have been very difficult to predict a sharp disagreement coming between them and yet that is exactly what happens. Acts 15:37–39a,

[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. 

First remember Paul and Barnabas were not just regular teachers at the church at Antioch, but they were dear friends and partnered together for years in the gospel. After Paul’s conversion to Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) the disciples in Jerusalem were afraid of him until Barnabas spoke up and declared all that God had done through Paul. Barnabas was later sent to Antioch to test if the Holy Spirit was moving among the Gentiles and Luke describes him as, Acts 11:24, “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.” After seeing the need in Antioch, Barnabas went and found Saul at Tarsus and brought him to serve the church. Saul’s usefulness in ministry was in part of Barnabas seeking him and speaking up for him.

Paul and Barnabas were sent by the Holy Spirit to bring the gospel to other towns outside of Antioch. They traveled together for months ministering to people and sharing the gospel and facing conflict together. Imagine how much they shared as they walked from town to town or as they sat around a campfire or over a meal. Paul and Barnabas were dear friends. And yet even as dear friends and ministry partners, they had conflict with one another. Their conflict was centered on John Mark. John Mark returned with Paul and Barnabas from Jerusalem after they delivered the gift from the church in Antioch for the believers struggling with the famine in Jerusalem. Mark joined Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey but something happened at Pamphylia. Luke does not give us much detail, Acts 13:13–14,

[13] Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, [14] but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.

Mark may have had a physical limitation that caused him to return to Jerusalem. He may have been homesick, he may not have been able to handle the intensity of the mission field, afraid of persecution, or he was simply immature. Whatever the reason, Paul did not want to take him on the next journey. Barnabas wanted to give him a second chance. 

We do not know all the personal dynamics entering into this disagreement. John Mark was Barnabas’s cousin. Paul recently had to confront Barnabas because of his hypocrisy in following Peter in Galatia (Gal. 2:13). Paul and Barnabas may have had unresolved feelings from their last conflict. Barnabas may have seen things in John Mark and prompted him to give him a second chance, while Paul may have not seen the growth necessary for the intensity of the mission field. We do not know if Paul or Barnabas or both were in sin in the situation. All we know is two faithful gospel ministers had a sharp disagreement on how to fulfill the mission. 

Beloved, conflict will come. If conflict can come between Barnabas, the son of encouragement, a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles, author of 13 New Testament books, conflict will likely arise with us. When conflict comes, we must first assess what kind of conflict it is. Some of us may be prone to enter into conflict too quickly and forcefully, while others are prone to avoid it all together. Regardless of our tendencies, we cannot avoid conflict. We must face it. 

Tim Challies offers three categories of conflict and helpful advice on how to handle each kind of conflict: Conflicts of differentness, Conflicts of righteousness, Conflicts of Sinfulness. 

Conflicts of differentness - arise between people on matters of preference especially in ministry. Paul and Barnabas had a conflict of differentness as they disagreed on the how and the who of how to check on the brothers. They viewed the situation differently and were unable to come to a healthy resolution. These conflicts are bound to happen as people come into the body from all different backgrounds, experiences, cultures, socio-economic situations, and ethnicities. Challies writes, 

Generally, such conflicts are not resolved through a formal process of confrontation, but through growth in Christian character and deliberate expression of that character. If you find yourself in a conflict of differentness, learn to listen, learn to appreciate rather than fear or resent the differences in other believers. Find ways to express the Christian virtues of kindness, love, and patience. Guard yourself against making rash and unfair judgments about another person’s motives or maturity. Do what you can to care more for the other person than for defending your own views.

When we face conflicts of differentness, we should thank God for the diversity in the body and strive for unity in the bond of peace and as far it depends on you to live in harmony with one another.

Conflicts of Righteousness arise when people have different understandings of matters of conscience. Paul addresses this on food sacrificed to idols in Romans 14. Modern day examples may be Christians using birth control or education choices or voting or view of alcohol. We will all have convictions regarding life choices, but our convictions may not be shared within the church. Paul warns the brothers to consider how your choices affect others in Romans 14. The temptation of the strong will be to despise the weak while the temptation of the weak will be to condemn the strong. The weak will see the strong as licentious and will condemn them for lawless behavior. Both pull away from the other. Challies writes, 

Paul’s solution is two-fold: Welcome one another and refuse to pass judgment. When you find yourself in a conflict of righteousness, understand that healthy resolution involves self-confrontation, not confrontation of the other person…Deliberately seek out the people who differ from you, get to know them, and learn to express love to them. Do your best to understand how they have arrived at their convictions. Be aware of your temptation to divide from people who differ from you (and group together with people who agree with you) and utterly refuse to judge others as godly or ungodly, mature or immature, worthy or unworthy, on the basis of similarity or difference.

Work to welcome one another and refuse to pass judgment. This is very wise counsel.

Conflicts of Sinfulness arise when one person sins against another. There are countless examples throughout the Bible of sin along with all our own personal examples of sin within our own family and churches. In many cases of being sinned against, we should overlook an offense with love. We choose to identify it as a smaller matter and overlook it. In some cases, we may have to confront the sinner especially if the sin is “too hurtful, habitual, or significant to overlook.” In those cases, we pray and follow the example of Matthew 18. Challies again,

For church leaders: Some of the most common phrases pastors should utter is, “Have you spoken to him about this?” or “Have you confronted her for what she said?” Leaders can be too quick to short-circuit this Christian-to-Christian process. For church members: There is a fine balance between confronting too often and too rarely. Immaturity or fear of man may keep us from confronting sinners and pursuing reconciliation. Many relationships remain broken simply because no one had the courage to confront. On the other hand, immaturity and pride can compel us to address even the smallest issues. There is a balance that can be attained by seeking counsel from wiser, more seasoned believers.

Beloved, we will face conflict in our families and in our churches. The question is not whether we will face conflict but how we will respond to it. Every conflict gives us an opportunity to show love and humility while understanding more of the grace of God in Christ. 2 Timothy 2:24–26

[24] And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, [25] correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, [26] and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. 

If you belong to God, we must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone. This is the calling of Christians for it is the example of Christ. 

The foundation of every aspect of conflict resolution for Christians is to understand how our greatest conflict has been reconciled. We sinned against a holy God. God had a conflict with us. And what did he do? He came to bring peace by the blood of the cross. Colossians 1:19–22,

[19] For in [Jesus] him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.[21] And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, [22] he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him

If God reconciled you to himself through his own blood, you who were alienated and hostile in mind and doing evil deeds, he reconciled to himself through his death, then we can be reconciled with one another. The gospel is the ultimate conflict resolution. 

If you are a non-Christian, the Bible says you are in conflict with God. You are under his judgment, but God wants you to be at peace. I implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Repent of your sins and trust in Christ you will have peace with God. For our sake God made Jesus to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. The only way to peace is through the blood of the cross of Christ. No matter what conflicts are raging in your life or the conflicts you have caused, there is peace with Christ. You can be made right with God by faith in his blood and have eternal peace. If you want to learn more about how to find peace, I would be happy to talk with you or any one of our members.

Paul and Barnabas did not agree on the best course of action with John Mark but they got over it. Paul at the end of his life told Timothy, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.” Either Mark grew and became useful, or Paul was finally able to see Mark’s usefulness. We do know, but we know whatever conflict they had, was reconciled. Let’s give ourselves to the ministry reconciliation. Let’s model our reconciliation with God as we live reconciled lives with one another.

Carrying on the Mission (39b-41)

Even though Paul and Barnabas had a sharp disagreement, the mission did not stop. Jesus is going to build his church and the gates of hell or the conflicts among Christians will not prevail against his mission. Acts 15:39b–41,

[39] 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. 

Paul wanted to visit every city where they proclaimed the word of the Lord. Paul takes Silas with him. Silas was from Jerusalem which further helped strengthen Antioch with the church in Jerusalem. Paul and Silas will revisit most of the cities they had gone to before. Barnabas and Mark will go to Cyprus and minister there. The resolution for their conflict was to create two distinct ministry teams. There are times when it is necessary to create two teams rather than remain one. It may be over doctrine like who should be baptized or who should be allowed to take the Lord’s Supper. It may be over strategy or focus of a ministry. Regardless, the mission must carry on. 

Paul and Silas went to strengthen the churches through Asia. Beloved, how encouraging is it that we are sending Abby Swinney, the Camps and the Whiteakers this summer to strengthen the church in Asia, how we are sending teams to strengthen the church in Boston and Miami, and how we will have a team of summer interns strengthening our church and other churches in Rock Hill. Our elders are working to lead our church to help strengthen other churches. Even this morning, we have members leading music at another church, we have one of our elders preaching at another church in town next week, and I just returned from encouraging the leaders of the First Baptist Church of Lisbon, Portugal. Beloved, what a blessing it is to be part of a body that loves to strengthen and encourage other churches for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Jesus Christ has given us a mission of reconciliation. We have been called to reconcile the world to God through the gospel. The unity and joy in our church is necessary for us to reflect the unity and joy we have in Christ. We must labor to be at peace with one another. We want the world to see our peace with one another and desire peace with God. 

This past week has been spiritually exhausting. I have been weary of seeing the sinfulness of humanity and the pain it causes on the bride of Christ. Conflict abounds, what are we to do? The words of When Trials Comes have ministered to my heart this week, I pray it will to you as well. 

When I am weary with the cost

I see the triumph of the cross

So in its shadow I shall run

Til you complete the work begun

Til you complete the work begun

One day all things will be made new

I'll see the hope you called me to

And in your kingdom paved with gold

I'll praise your faithfulness of old

I'll praise your faithfulness of old

When I am weary from the conflict in this world, I must remember the blood of the cross and look to that Day when all things will be made new and the peace of God will reign forever more.