Sacrifices for the Gospel | Acts 15:35-16:10
Paul’s second missionary journey begins with three sacrifices that every Christian should be willing to make for the spread of the gospel: (1) friendship; (2) freedom; and (3) control. This sermon is part 9 of “Spreading the Faith,” Bryan Craddock’s verse-by-verse sermon series on Acts 8-20.
I have always loved superhero stories. I mean who wouldn’t want to be invincible, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound? As children, we dream about having those powers. But as adults, we give up that fantasy. It will never happen. Those are fictional tales.
At the same time, we still crave real life heroes who transcend the failings of mortal men. You might think of characters in the Bible that way. If so, you’re not the first. The Orthodox and Catholic branches of Christianity both look to significant people from the Bible and from church history as saints with special powers. We may not go that far in Protestantism, but a lot of us do revere certain leaders--pivotal theologians, bold missionaries, or influential pastors.
There are problems with that way of thinking. When we exalt people, we treat them as if they are incapable of sin or error. We tend to overlook or excuse any concerns about them, and that naivete has caused countless problems throughout church history. At the same time, we also assume that normal Christians like us cannot or do not need to live on the same spiritual plane as those exceptional people.
The Bible, however, does not put any human being on that kind of pedestal. It does not hesitate to record the weaknesses and sins of prominent people like Noah, Abraham, Moses, King David, the Apostle Peter, and the Apostle Paul. Those accounts serve three powerful purposes. They show that we all must resist temptation; that our sovereign God still accomplishes his good plan through our worst failures, and that every believer can serve God in significant ways.
Our study of Acts brings us now to a passage that raises some questions about Paul. Acts 15:34-16:10 recounts the beginning of his second missionary journey. Three sacrifices are made, and they are difficult decisions. You might even second guess them, yet God clearly uses each one to accomplish his good plan.
So, as we work through them, we will see that we should all be willing to make similar choices for the spread of the gospel. Deciding whether we should do so in a given situation requires wisdom, discernment, and faith, but we should still be willing. The greater challenge might be to accept and support others who make those choices when we do not understand them and may even suffer somehow because of them. So, what are these sacrifices?
Friendship
There is great wisdom in cultivating good friends. Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Our lives should be tightly woven together with other people who love the Lord. In fact, the fellowship of the church is designed to do that.
But as important as those relationships are, they should not take priority over the spread of the gospel. There may be times when you need to part ways and go in different directions. The friendship should not end because of that. But when you are close with someone, it may still feel like you are being torn apart. I suspect that Paul and Barnabas felt like this was happening to them.
Their lives had been closely intertwined for years. After Paul’s conversion, Barnabas was the one who welcomed him into the fellowship in Jerusalem when no one else would. When Barnabas was sent to help the church in Syrian Antioch, he sought out Paul to serve with him. Then they were sent off together on their first missionary journey.
Now they were not always on the same page. In Galatians 2:13, Paul mentions an occasion when he confronted Peter and Barnabas in Antioch. It may have happened during the time between their first missionary journey and the Jerusalem Council. After some men came from Jerusalem, Peter and Barnabas stopped eating with Gentile Christians. Paul exposed this as hypocrisy, and it seems that both men repented. Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem together to argue that Gentile Christians do not need to be circumcised or to keep the Mosaic law. They then return to Antioch to encourage the believers there.
So, what could possibly separate these close friends? We find out at the end of Acts 15. Many early manuscripts of Acts do not contain verse 34, so it is not included in the English Standard Version. It simply says that Silas, one of the representatives from Jerusalem, remains in Antioch, but that will become obvious in a moment. Verses 35-38 tell us,
But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. 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." Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 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.
Paul has a point. During their first missionary journey, Mark left them to return home to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). Paul thought that they needed co-workers who had proven themselves faithful. He might have also felt that Barnabas was biased. In Colossians 4:10, he mentions that Mark is the cousin of Barnabas.
On the other hand, the gospel is all about grace. So, was Paul being too harsh? Of all people, he should have recognized the need for forgiveness and second chances. Plus, this is Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement. He wants to help Mark overcome that previous failure to have a long-term fruitful ministry.
So, what happens to the dynamic duo of Paul and Barnabas? Verses 39-41 say,
And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Sharp disagreement is probably an understatement. The same word is used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to describe the anger and frustration that led the Lord to allow Israel to be conquered and led away into exile (Dt 29:28; Jer 32:37). So, this was a heated discussion. Paul and Barnabas split up, and there is no indication that they ever reunite or even cross paths again.
Should they have handled their disagreement differently? Perhaps. Did one of them choose the right path and the other the wrong? Luke does not explicitly say so in his account, but he does say that Paul and Silas are commended to the grace of the Lord. In other words, they were formally sent out by the brothers in Antioch. Barnabas and Mark simply sailed away.
Yet Paul and Barnabas were both clearly committed to serving Christ and proclaiming his gospel, and we will see that the Lord blesses their efforts. Paul ends up spreading the gospel to cities in Macedonia and Greece. The New Testament does not say what happens to Barnabas. There is a traditional account outside of the biblical record that he was martyred by stoning in Cyprus, but we do not know whether that is true.
We do know, however, that the investment Barnabas makes in Mark bore great fruit. Mark ended up serving with Peter (1 Pe 5:13) and writing one of the Four Gospels. Over time, Paul also acknowledged his great value in Christ’s service. Toward the end of his life, he writes in 2 Timothy 4:11,
Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.
So, the sacrifice that both Paul and Barnabas made challenges us. Are we willing to leave close friends or even family behind to head in different directions for the spread of the gospel? Peter asked Jesus about this kind of sacrifice, and Luke 18:29-30 tells us,
And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life."
The Lord honors those sacrifices. From the standpoint of eternity, the spread of the gospel and the salvation of souls is worth it. Do you believe that? The next sacrifice is not any easier.
Freedom
Freedom is one of the most celebrated values in our society. But at the core of our faith is a radical sacrifice of personal freedom. The eternal Son of God chose to accept the limitations of becoming human. Through his supernatural conception and humble birth, he became subject to hunger and thirst, temptation, pain, and death. Prior to that he had been free from those conditions.
His sacrifice of freedom made it possible for all who believe in him to find freedom. He frees us from condemnation for our sins so that we receive eternal life. We also saw in the first part of Acts 15 that he frees us from the burden of keeping the Mosaic law. The Jerusalem Council affirmed that because of God’s grace, Gentiles do not need to be circumcised or to submit themselves to that yoke.
Yet right on the heels of that debate, Paul directs someone to sacrifice some of that precious freedom by being circumcised. Acts 16:1-3 tells us,
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. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. 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.
Paul had visited these towns during his first missionary journey, and he probably also wrote his letter to the Galatians to them after he returned home. In it, he speaks very strongly against circumcision. He says that those who accept it are obligated to keep the whole law and will be severed from Christ (Gal 5:2-4). So, how could he then turn around and require Timothy to be circumcised?
Paul condemned circumcision in his letter to the Galatians because some people were claiming that to be saved you must be circumcised and keep the Mosaic law. He, on the other hand, taught that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ. So, he would not instruct Timothy to violate that truth. Timothy’s circumcision is not for the purpose of justification. His situation is unique.
Since Timothy was of Jewish descent, he should have been circumcised right after he was born, but he wasn’t. We are never told why. Perhaps his Greek father did not allow it. In 2 Timothy 3:15, however, Paul mentions that his mother still taught him the Scriptures. Timothy may have also kept the law to the best of his ability. But since he was not circumcised, he was probably never accepted by the local Jewish community.
When he begins to follow Jesus, Timothy finds acceptance with Jews and Gentiles in the church. He is welcomed into the fellowship. But his rejection by the Jewish community will hinder him from reaching out to Jews who do not believe. Paul sees that the way to overcome this barrier is for Timothy to honor his Jewish background by being circumcised. So, evangelism is the motive.
Paul explains the rationale for this kind of sacrifice in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22. It was a guiding principle in his life, and it extends far beyond circumcision and the law. He says,
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
So, Paul believed that he was free from the Mosaic law. But when reaching out to unbelieving Jews, he humbly conformed to the law’s standards. He also did so with believing Jews who still felt bound by conscience to obey all the stipulations of the law. He considered them weaker brothers, and he did not want to cause any unnecessary offense. Unbelieving Jews might take offense at the gospel, and he was fine with that. He never softened his message. But he was willing to adapt in any other way that would keep the door open for further ministry.
He took the same approach in reaching out to Gentiles who were outside the law. He would not personally do anything that violated Christ’s commands. But he would adapt to Gentile culture and practices wherever he could for the sake of the gospel. Earlier in 1 Corinthians 9 he gives the example of earning a living from his ministry. Though he had the freedom to do so, he chose to give that up, working as a tentmaker so that no one would think that he was doing ministry solely for the money.
So, is there something you do or talk about that might push people away unnecessarily? People don’t need to hear your opinion about everything. They need to hear the gospel. Is there something you could do differently that would open more opportunities to share the gospel? It could be as simple as how you spend your time.
Paul and Timothy both gave up their freedom in different ways, and God blessed their sacrifice. Acts 16:4-5 tells us,
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. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.
Are you willing to sacrifice some of your freedom for the salvation of souls? The next sacrifice is closely related.
Control
Some people are driven. They rush through life with clear goals and a carefully planned schedule to accomplish them. Others don’t want to be so tied down. They want to be able to move along at their own pace, to meander and take their time. The common thread between both personality types is that we all want to do it our own way. Everyone wants to be in control.
The Apostle Paul seems to be the driven type. I suspect that he always had a plan. In his letter to the Romans, for instance, he talks about wanting to visit them to receive support and go on to Spain (15:24). But during his second missionary journey, he has no other choice but to take his hands off the wheel and sacrifice control. Acts 16:6-7 says,
And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.
Paul’s plan was to preach the gospel in more cities in the northern part of Asia Minor that is now part of Turkey. The mix of cultures there was probably familiar to him, since he grew up in Tarsus, a city in the south. But, apparently, Paul’s plan was not God’s plan.
Luke does not explain how the Spirit communicated with the team. Did one of them have a dream or a vision? Did they receive a prophetic message? Was there a sign or a feeling? Were there just circumstances that led them to this conclusion? We do not know.
Paul was probably disappointed, confused, and even frustrated for several days. Why was God doing this? We find out in verses 8-10. Luke tells us,
So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 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." 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.
This vision finally explains all those closed doors. Paul’s objectives were not large enough. God’s plan was for him to cross over to Macedonia to begin spreading the gospel in southern Europe. He was heading into the heart of Greece. The storied conqueror, Alexander the Great, was from Macedonia. He lived four centuries before Paul’s time, but Greek culture was still influential throughout the Roman Empire.
Another significant shift occurs in this passage, but it is stated so subtly that we might miss it. Verse 8 says, “They went down to Troas.” But verse 10 says, “We sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” So, this seems to be the point at which Luke, the author of Acts, joins the team. Some speculate that Luke might have been the Macedonian man in Paul’s vision.
Luke’s personal background is not recorded in the New Testament, other than in Colossians 4:14, where Paul refers to him as the beloved physician. With the physical abuse that Paul sometimes suffers at the hands of opponents, having a doctor along on the trip must have been a blessing. But Luke ends up doing much more. He writes both the Gospel that bears his name and the book of Acts. That is around 20 percent of the New Testament. So, this meeting was another part of God’s perfect plan that Paul probably did not anticipate.
So, should we expect to receive direct revelation from God about our plans as Paul does here? This is a uniquely important moment in the history of Christianity. New Testament teaching does not suggest that it is normative. God has given us his Word to guide us, and it is clear about our mission. Every believer must seek to exalt the Lord, to evangelize the lost, and to edify our fellow believers. So, we should not wait for some extra revelation. We should all aspire to do great things for his glory and for the spread of the gospel. If our drive to be in control leads us to ignore that focus, we are being disobedient.
So, it is good to make plans, and as we do so, we should pray for wisdom and seek advice from mature believers who know the Word and know us well. As we saw earlier, Paul and Silas had this kind of support from the church in Antioch. We may find that things seldom go as we anticipate, but that does not mean that we should give up. We should be willing to sacrifice our control, trusting that God has his own perfect plan. As Paul says in Romans 8:28,
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
God is in control, and we can trust him. Don’t be discouraged when you encounter roadblocks in serving him. Persevere. Remain humble and teachable. Recognize that God may be doing something greater than we would ever imagine.
__________
Are you willing to make sacrifices for the spread of the gospel? That level of commitment is not reserved for spiritual superheroes. It may require us to head in a different direction from friends or family, to give up some aspects of our freedom, and to relinquish control to the Lord when our plans do not work out. The salvation of souls and the glory of God is worth it all.
If you are not a follower of Christ, this may all sound extreme. But it makes sense when you consider the sacrifice that Jesus made by becoming human and dying for our sins on the cross. He came to save us and to give us a compelling purpose to live for. I invite you to join us. Begin to follow him. If you want to learn more about this mission and how central it is to the Christian life, I encourage you to read Matthew 10.
Perhaps you are a believer in Christ, but you need to renew your commitment to him. Would you do that today? Would you stop fighting for control and simply follow his word? Has the Lord brought to mind a sacrifice that you need to make for the gospel?
May God give us strength to live for Christ and for his glory!
Reflect
What sacrifices have you made for Christ and his gospel?
How do the examples in this passage encourage you?
How do the examples in this passage challenge you?