Paul advances the mission now with Silas and Timothy and Luke
Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for Acts 15:39-16:10
Three very important things happen in this week's passage. Paul and Barnabas split their efforts due to a disagreement (disagreements are not always avoidable). The Holy Spirit prevents Paul from going into certain regions (we need to carefully listen to the Spirit's leadership). And Timothy and Luke join the team (God puts future leaders everywhere)!
So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. (16:5)
Getting Started: Things to Think About
An Unexpected Friendship
Who is a friend you have that you met someplace you weren't expecting to make a friend? I've heard stories of making lifelong friends at a campground, at a ballpark, and in traffic court. Places they weren't going for the purpose of making a friend.
This week's passage has two such stories. In Lystra, a town with very few Jews, Paul meets a young man who will eventually become his closest lifelong friend -- Timothy. And in Troas, a random stop where Paul wasn't even intending to be, Paul meets a man who will become one of the most important ministry partners in his life -- Luke.
You just never know.
When a Disagreement Cost You a Friendship
The reason Paul was in place to meet new friends and make new ministry partners is he had a painful split with his longtime friend and partner Barnabas. Even the most committed Christians and ministry leaders can have serious falling-outs.
What's a disagreement you have had with a friend (that's safe to talk about in mixed company) that damaged or ended your friendship? It happens to all of us.
You can take heart in the fact that Paul and Barnabas (or at least Paul and Mark) reconciled in later years. If you were able to reconcile your friendship, perhaps also tell the story of how that happened.
Where We Are in Acts: The Second Missionary Journey
Last week, we covered the pivotal "Jerusalem Council" in which the Christian leaders in Jerusalem affirmed that Gentiles Christians did not have to adhere to Jewish custom (namely circumcision). They sent Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch with a letter, and they sent Silas and Barsabbas with them to corroborate the story.
Paul and Barnabas eventually decided to take this news to the churches they planted in their First Missionary Journey, but they had an argument (more on this below) that caused them to part ways. Barnabas went to Cyprus, and Paul went overland to the churches they planted in Asia Minor.
And then he just kept going.
But this was not the "I just felt like running" of Forrest Gump. Just as in the First Missionary Journey, the Holy Spirit was guiding Paul and his group step-by-step.
In the larger context of Acts, Luke is just helping see the boundaries of the Christian mission continuing to expand.
This Week's Big Idea: Persecution and House Churches
I'm going to mention this story again next week (next week's passage is about Paul and Silas in prison), but I read an update to it this morning that's very pressing.
You might have seen the news last week about pastor David Lin's release from Chinese prison after 18 years (even mainstream sites reported it). He was an American who traveled to China to plant churches and assist pastors of existing churches. He was threatened on a few occasions but continued to go back to China, eventually being detained in 2006 and formally arrested in 2009.
I bring that up today because I just read this article:
In February, one of China's regions passed amendments -
Those amendments, among other regulations, require religions to “practice the core values of socialism,” to interpret religious teachings in line with “traditional Chinese culture” and China’s contemporary requirements for “development and progress,” require religious schools to cultivate “patriotic religious talents” and interpret religious doctrine in line with CCP thought and policies.
In other words, it gives the government the right to force religions to change their beliefs to line up with Chinese Communist priorities.
This is happening right now in China.
All of that to give us some perspective on one of today's verses:
they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. (16:6)
("Asia" to Paul did not mean "China", see below!)
Perhaps the imprisonment that Pastor Lin endured was the kind of experience the Spirit was "protecting" Paul from. Or perhaps an even worse fate awaited Christians in one of those areas. We just don't know.
Next week, we will talk more about Christians imprisoned for their faith. And soon we will see even other kinds of persecution Paul and his churches faced. This week, I just want us to be aware of the potential dangers in church planting. I want us to appreciate the risks Paul and Silas and Timothy and others knew they were accepting.
Part 1: Paul and Barnabas Split Journeys (Acts 15:39-41)
39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed off to Cyprus. 40 But Paul chose Silas and departed, after being commended by the brothers and sisters to the grace of the Lord. 41 He traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
I already talked about this passage at length a few weeks ago:
You might remember that lesson was about the jealousy the Jewish leaders had toward Paul and Paul's enormous crowds. I included a large section about Acts 15:39-41 because I believe that the "sharp disagreement" between Paul and Barnabas was also rooted in jealousy.
(Remember that this is all speculation -- Luke does not tell us exactly what happened, other than that it centered on Barnabas's cousin, Mark.)
I believe that Mark was jealous for his uncle. Early on, Paul started taking the lead role in the mission work, and I think that rubbed Mark the wrong way.
But Paul was also jealous. Paul was jealous for his own reputation. We will see this throughout his letters -- responding to people questioning what gave him the right and authority to instruct them about doctrine and behavior. Well, Jesus Christ Himself did.
Paul rightly believed that he was God's chosen instrument to lead the charge of the gospel into the Roman Empire, and if his own people questioned him (maybe even publicly!), that mission had no chance of success.
I'm also going to speculate that Paul didn't handle it as well as he should have. This is a disagreement with Barnabas. That's not his "real" name -- that's a nickname. The apostles nicknamed him Barnabas ("son of encouragement") because he was so uplifting and encouraging. I think it would take a serious argument for him to not be able to work it out.
I think Barnabas took the high road. Think about his competing interests:
He's obviously all-in for the gospel mission. He has sold property to give the money to apostles to take care of the church.
He's all-in on Paul. Think about the number of times he has gone out of his way to include and mentor Paul.
He's Mark's uncle. He has a familial responsibility for him (and Mark's father is never mentioned in the Bible...).
Barnabas wants what's best for the gospel mission. He wants what's best for Paul. He wants what's best for Mark. And he found a way to achieve all three.
It certainly wasn't ideal. Barnabas had to believe (as I do) that Christians should be able to work anything out. And that's just not how real life goes.
By splitting up with Paul, Barnabas could double the mission activity, spend meaningful time developing Mark into a leader, and allow Paul to spread his wings, so to speak. And in time, it worked out. Mark and Paul reconciled. (Barnabas faded from the scene -- this is actually the last verse we hear his name mentioned. Not to be morbid, but it's certainly possible that he died sometime in the next few years.)
Note that this missionary journey had two (three?) drivers:
Spread the news of the Jerusalem Council's decision.
Check on and build up the churches they established.
Reach more people with the gospel.
Application #1: Overcoming Differences by Keeping Focus
My guess is that if you're a human, you've had personal disagreements with other humans, including humans in your Bible study and in your church. This is probably not the time to discuss those out loud. But you can think about them.
Barnabas and Paul (and Mark) worked out their disagreement by agreeing on what was most important: making disciples of Jesus. When you have a disagreement in your church or Bible study, come back to what you agree on and what you prioritize. And you can come up with a solution that works (or at least keeps the peace).
If someone in your group does not share the priority of making disciples, it will be difficult to come to any kind of resolution.
Application #2: Sometimes Distance Is a Healthy Solution
Barnabas decided that the best thing for everybody (including the gospel mission!) was to part ways with Paul. I can't imagine how hard that must have been. I'm sure he felt at times that his solution meant that he had failed. But that wasn't true.
I've used the illustration of a chart before to suggest that the Christian life at times can look like a complete mess. Up, down, backward, upside-down, you name it. But if you "zoom out" (so to speak), you want to see a general trend upward.
Just because you make a decision you're not thrilled with doesn't mean that your life is a failure and your walk with Jesus is a dead-end. Maybe you're just in a down season, and you're doing the best you can with where you are.
When Barnabas saw the outcome of their missionary journeys, and when he heard that Paul and Mark eventually reconciled, I'm sure he took solace in knowing that God worked through their tough decisions and choices.
Learning Activity: Role Play
You'd have no choice but to do some speculation, but your group could attempt to role play the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas and work through how they got to a resolution. Take into account what you know of Paul and of Barnabas.
Part 2: You Can't Stop the Mission (Acts 16:1-5)
Paul went on to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman, but his father was a Greek. 2 The brothers and sisters at Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to go with him; so he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled through the towns, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem for the people to observe. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
We talked about Timothy a couple of weeks ago. He would go on to become a uniquely important figure in the early mission.
His first encounter with Paul almost certainly included Paul being stone near-to-death, so he knew from the beginning how dangerous the work was.
He was a well-thought-of young Jew whose father was almost certainly a non-believing Greek, so he had experience with being a "lonely believer".
Here's what Paul said about Timothy:
19 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I too may be encouraged by news about you. 20 For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care about your interests; 21 all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know his proven character, because he has served with me in the gospel ministry like a son with a father. (Phil 2)
Paul sent Timothy on important leadership mission both to Philippi and the Corinth. Six of Paul's letters include Timothy as a "co-author".
Going to Lystra at this moment to connect with Timothy clearly changed Paul's life and ministry.
Aside: Being Circumcised
This is a bigger deal than you might think. Remember that the Jerusalem Council had just "ruled" that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised, and that Paul was expressly delivering that message to the churches! This is the same Paul who wrote,
19 Circumcision does not matter and uncircumcision does not matter. Keeping God’s commands is what matters. (1 Cor 7)
Skeptics will use this passage to argue that the book of Acts is not reliable -- that clearly the author did not know Paul very weel (if at all).
But I also remember something else Paul wrote:
19 Although I am free from all and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone, in order to win more people. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law—to win those under the law. 21 To those who are without the law, like one without the law—though I am not without God’s law but under the law of Christ—to win those without the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. 23 Now I do all this because of the gospel, so that I may share in the blessings. (1 Cor 9)
Catch that those two above passages are from the same letter, so Paul obviously didn't think they were incongruous.
How does this work? By holding these two thoughts at the same time: "(1) I do not have to be circumcised to be saved. (2) Being circumcised will help me build a bridge to people I am trying to share the gospel with."
In other words, it's about prioritizing others before yourself.
Paul's bridge argument comes in the intermediate chapter -- 1 Corinthians 8:
4 About eating food sacrificed to idols, then, we know that “an idol is nothing in the world,” and that “there is no God but one.” ... 7 However, not everyone has this knowledge. Some have been so used to idolatry up until now that when they eat food sacrificed to an idol, their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not bring us close to God. We are not worse off if we don’t eat, and we are not better if we do eat. 9 But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak.
Does that make sense?
I believe that Timothy understood very clearly that he was not being circumcised in order to be saved; rather, he was being circumcised in order to build a bridge to Jews who were not yet saved. (It was apparently well-known that his father was not a Jew and so he wouldn't have been circumcised.)
And we know that it worked. The churches they visited grew in faith and in numbers.
Application: Putting Others First in Church and Ministry
This is by far the most frustrating and discouraging part of being in church leadership, and many of you have felt it. You spend time teaching on "servant leadership" or "self-sacrifice" or "nothing is more important than reaching people with the gospel" and everyone shouts "Amen!" Then the next week, one of those people complains to you about what somebody wore. Or how hot it was in the room. Or they don't like the sermon topic. Or they don't like that song. And by golly, IF IT DOESN'T CHANGE I'M GOING TO WALK OUT.
Well, it's going to be really hard to make disciples of Jesus when you have made yourself and your own opinions the most important thing in your world.
That's what we can appreciate about Paul and Timothy here. Paul clearly cared a lot about circumcision. He saw it as something that confused people about the simple truths of salvation. It was a big deal to him. But it was not such a deal that he couldn't encourage Timothy to be circumcised for the purpose of sharing the gospel with Jews (who would still be a central "target audience" for their mission work going forward).
Both Paul and Timothy went through with an action they didn't particularly care to do because they put others first.
In what way do you need to put others first in your church?
Part 3: The Holy Spirit Controls the Mission (Acts 16:6-7)
6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia; they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.
Forgive me, but Lifeway titled this section "Plan Altered", and I can't see that combination of words without thinking of Darth Vader. I am such a nerd.
And no, that's not what's going on in our passage. 😊 (Another image you're not allowed to have of the Holy Spirit is that of "travel agent". Please, just no.)
Here's a representative map of the region. (I say representative because no two maps are exactly alike. There is still some debate over exactly what the various names referred to.)
Part of the challenge is something we still deal with today (where exactly is the CSRA?): Luke is using region names and official province names. As far as I can tell, Mysia is a region within the province of Asia, and Phrygia is a region within the province of Galatia. Bithynia is the province to the north. Ephesus was the capital of Asia.
Here's what seems to have happened:
Paul and Silas preached in the cities from the first missionary journey.
Paul wanted to keep traveling west (many speculate he wanted to to go the very important city of Ephesus), but the Holy Spirit prevented them.
So, then Paul tried to turn north (into Bithynia), but this time were prevented by the Spirit of Jesus.
Finally, they wandered down an intermediate road and ended up in Troas, where Paul had the vision we see in the next section.
I can say one thing with certainty: God wanted Paul and Silas in Macedonia, so He steered them away from other roads.
There are lots of questions of why? and how? but Luke simply doesn't tell us. My guess is it wasn't an invisible wall. And this also wasn't a permanent prevention! Paul did go to Ephesus. So, it's more about timing than destination.
So, speculate as a group. What reasons of "timing" might have caused God to steer Paul and Silas toward Macedonia? Does God use those same things today?
Aside: The Trinity
To us, "Holy Spirit" followed by "Spirit of Jesus" probably seems awkward or out of place. Why not just use the same terminology? Or were these two different entities?
Think of it like this: have you ever heard someone pray and switch between addressing "Father God" and "Lord Jesus" and "God Almighty" and "Blessed Savior" and whatever other title? I certainly have. And I know that the pray-er wasn't speaking to different people. They were using interchangeable terms (in their mind).
There's a little of that going on with Luke, but this is more an intentional "theological hint". Luke wanted to make it clear that Jesus -- who created and saved the church -- was at work in guiding its establishment. Remember that Luke was Paul's companion, and Paul thought a lot about the relationship between Christ and the church.
Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. (Eph 5:23)
"The Spirit of Jesus" is the Holy Spirit, but that title draws the relationship between Jesus and the Spirit clearer. Luke's audience wouldn't have known much of anything about "The Trinity", so this would have been valuable teaching.
Application: Let God Adjust "Your" Plans
My biggest takeaway from this section is Paul's sensitivity to the Spirit. Yes, he was a man of action. But he was also a man of prayer and submission.
In one instance, God adjusted Paul's direction. In another, He adjusted Paul's timing.
Think about the implications of that for your life. What do you need to change in your life to be able better to listen to God's leading?
Part 4: The Mission Develops (Acts 16:8-10)
8 Passing by Mysia they went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us!” 10 After he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
It took some time and travel, but Paul got the instruction he needed. (And we have to assume that the delay was all part of God's perfect timing. Again, any set of reasons we come up with would be conjecture.) God wanted Paul to go to Macedonia.
[Aside: how did Paul know the man was from Macedonia? That's a question the Lifeway material asks. Probably because the man -- in a vision -- asked Paul to "come to Macedonia and help us". Where else would the guy be from?]
(This is one of a series of murals in Berea, Greece.)
Macedonia was an important province. Its major cities included Thessalonica (one of the four capitals of the Roman Empire), Philippi, and Berea. Plus, it was connected to Greece proper, the center of learning in the known world.
Paul immediately concluded that God wanted them to preach the gospel in Macedonia. (Wow, and I thought Peter owned the title of Captain Obvious.)
Aside: The First "We Passage"
Conservative Bible scholars geek out at the change in pronoun from "they" to "we". (This happens 5 times in Acts: 16:10–17; 20:5–15; 21:1–18; 27:1–37; 28:1-16.) Skeptics will say that some later editor indiscriminately combined different stories about Paul, but every reputable (ahem) Bible scholar believes that in these five places, the author of Acts was physically present with Paul.
Here we have to admit that we really know very little about Luke. Some early church leaders believed he was from Antioch (considering how much he talked about Antioch). Others noted that Luke remained in Philippi (see Acts 16:40) and believed he was from Philippi. Thus, Luke was the "man from Macedonia" in Paul's vision who was apparently in Troas when Paul was there, and that's why Paul had him join the party. (I really like that theory, but there's just no way to say anything other than speculation.)
Remember what we said about Luke. Paul called him a physician (Col 4:14). I would assume that a Christian physician was very rare and in very high demand in the early church. Perhaps he had a practice in Philippi, which is why he stayed. Or perhaps there was just a big need at that time. In any event, Luke would come and go from Paul's travels, as the Spirit guided. (His own travels might have been related to his physician's skills or to his church leadership.)
Anyway, Paul's core team is now completely different -- from Barnabas and Mark to Silas and Timothy and Luke. But if you look at it closely, you'll see that the total missionary leadership team has doubled from 3 to 6, and it's soon to grow even more. It's not "fast" growth, but it's steady and dependable growth. And Paul will be deploying those men into different leadership roles throughout his mission work.
In next week's lesson, we will pick up with the very next verse and see the first convert of Paul's Spirit-led journey into Macedonia.
For our part, we want to realize the clear laser-focused mission of this entire journey: spread the gospel. When they focused on strengthening churches, it was so those churches would be better equipped and positioned to share the gospel in their communities. (Over time, churches would begin to lose focus on what their primary mission was.)
Starting next week, we will begin to see the kinds of obstacles Paul would face in his church planting efforts. That would suggest that God wasn't directing Paul's movement to protect him from imprisonment or persecution but to put him in Macedonia. (I kinda think both things could be true -- if Paul was laid up in Bithynia for a few years, it might have too-adversely affected the spread of the gospel into Greece.)
But for our purposes this week, take stock of your church and your Bible study group. What is your priority? Your focus? Are you listening to the Spirit's leadership in your decisions as a church or Sunday School?
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