Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Acts 15:36-41 (NIV)
When you have a sharp disagreement with someone, how do you know when it’s time to go separate ways?
Today on Daily Read, we find Paul and Barnabas arguing over whether or not they should bring John Mark along with them as they plan to go back and visit the churches they’d planted. Paul thinks they should not bring him because he wasn’t reliable the last time they went, Barnabas seems to have wanted to give him a second chance.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen some pretty significant disagreements with people I love and respect, folks who I’ve served alongside in ministry. It’s hard! Now sometimes these disagreements have been because me, the other person, or both of us are sinning. But other times, we’ve both been right, and the question was about who’s gonna do what. Will we align around one side, one of us give up and let go, or is it better to part ways?
There is no clear answer to the trouble we see in today’s passage, but it gives us a window into the presence of conflict in the early church. It happened then, it will happen now, the questions is are we in disagreement over the mission or something else?
----------REFLECT----------
1. Who do you think you’d have agreed with, John Mark shouldn’t go, or he should get a second chance?
2. Think of a recent, significant argument that you had with someone you love and respect. What were you arguing over, and what happened. Did you give in, did they? Or did you decide to agree to disagree? How do you feel about it right now?
3. It’s not clear whether it’s the same Mark, but Paul tells Timothy to bring Mark to him because he is very useful in ministry. If this is the same Mark, then a lot has changed, there has been a reset, there’s been redemption. Is there someone who you’ve disagreed with who you need to reach out to?
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