Upside Down - Kingdom LivingSample

"Life with Each Other Between the Gardens"

The fifteenth chapter of Acts starts out with a vigorous theological debate that ends up with the opponents Paul and Barnabas coming back together in ministry. But it quickly gets ugly again, this time it was personal. It was a “sharp” disagreement about priorities.

How beautiful Scripture is when it gives us the unvarnished truth. Mark was Barnabas’s nephew, something like his kid sister’s son. The journey was everything for Barnabas, he doesn’t care if Mark slows them down. People before mission.

You have to give it to Paul… he managed to tick off the “son of encouragement”. Paul was about the destination. One strike and you are out, and Mark had that one strike. Hurt feelings did not seem to enter the equation. Mark was not going with him even if it meant splitting with Barnabas.

This is the reality of life between the gardens. Two great men could not be with each other for a season because sin had colored their reality to the point they could not see the difference between principles and desires.

As gritty as Scripture can be at times, it is filled with more hope than grit. Although there is no record of how Paul, Barnabas, and Mark reconciled, it is clear that the spat ended well. It ended with Paul commending Barnabas and sending for Mark for encouragement. Mark may have been the “eyes” for Paul for penning some of the epistles.

Reflections:
1. Do you have any broken relationships with people?
2. Is there anything you can do to reconcile those broken relationships.