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Getting Along
If anyone understood how difficult it could be to get along with people, it was Paul. At one point in his ministry, Paul had a disagreement with Barnabas, one of his closest friends. If Paul was able to get along with anyone, he should’ve been able to get along with Barnabas, but they did not always see eye to eye.
Mark abandoned Paul and Barnabas during their first missionary journey, so Paul refused to take him on the second. Barnabas, however, gave Mark a second chance. Paul and Barnabas parted ways. At first glance, it seems they failed, but they did not.
Paul and Barnabas did agree. Both believed that advancing God’s Kingdom was more important than bending a brother to their own will. Paul did not want to jeopardize the spread of the Gospel by taking someone along who couldn’t be counted on, so he took Silas. Barnabas did not want to jeopardize the spread of the Gospel by denying a brother a second chance, so he took Mark. The two parted ways, but they remained partners in the quest to preach and live truth.
When Paul warned his brothers and sisters in Christ against division in the church, he wasn’t talking about methodology, or how things are done, but about theology, or why things are done. No matter what else comes up, brothers and sisters in Christ can and must always agree on two things, the truth of the Gospel and the importance of Its spread. Everything else is secondary and should be regarded as such so we do not discourage each other or cause outsiders to doubt the presence of a common and unifying Holy Spirit in our midst and dismiss the Gospel we preach.
Paul did not expect his brothers and sisters to agree on everything, but he did expect them to cooperate and love each other.
How about you? Which is more important to you, winning an argument or discerning the truth?
Which is more important to you, gaining a following or building unity within your local church body so outsiders will put their faith in the Gospel you preach?
Do you make peace or stir dissention among your brothers and sisters in Christ? Do your actions help or hinder the spread of the Gospel? Explain.
What, if anything, needs to change? What would that look like?
About this Plan
Of all the apostles, Paul’s conversion/calling story was arguably the most notable and miraculous, his assignment to take the Gospel to the Gentiles the most unique, and the tangible results of his obedience the most impressive by human standards. Even so, Paul did not operate as a lone wolf, set apart from the pack and self-sufficient. On the contrary, this hero of the Christian faith understood the essential role his brothers and sisters played in his life and stayed connected to them even when his assignment to preach and live truth called him away for long stretches of time.
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