Rage on in Ministry

If you want to last in the work of God you are going to have to learn to handle conflict.

Maybe it was the Jerusalem council that wore on their nerves. Perhaps the hours of endless preaching and raising up leaders in every city where they travelled. For whatever reason Paul and Barnabas got into a very heated dispute over John Mark...

Acts 15:36–41 (ESV) 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.” 37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

The word for "sharp disagreement" is translated "provoked" in Acts 17 when Paul sees the many idols of Athens. It can also mean "rage", "convulsion" or "heated conflict." This was no tense board meeting, this was a fight! A real mono-e-mono in your face grunge-match between two powerful men of God. 

Yet, they settled their argument and went on to have successful fruitful ministries... apart from each other.

If you're going to be active in church, or care about the work of Christ in your local spectrum, expect a fight or two, or three hundred. When the mission of Jesus is important to you, you will fight for your convictions. 

Passivity is not a fruit of the Spirit. I often think ministers are mistakenly supposed to be "peace keepers". Gently trying to calm everyone down and sing Kum by Ya.  I hate that image of a Pastor. I refuse it. I think we need to be peace makers! And sometimes peace makers have to fight to get the peace made!

It's important we share the passion of Paul and Barnabas!  Some of us will be passionate that people take this mission seriously and commit (in Paul's case), and others will be passionate to give people a second chance (in Barnabas' case). Here were two men of God who stood toe to toe because they cared about people and the mission. They may have seen things very very differently, but they didn't let the fight stop them from moving forward on mission with the Holy Spirit. They parted ways and kept working.

Too often we have a fight in church or with another Christian and let it ruin our month, stop our witness, and shake our emotions to the core where we think about giving up. Let's stop that! Let's understand that passion is good and essential, we can forgive each other and perhaps even come around in the long run... but let us NEVER let our emotions dictate our involvement in the mission of Jesus!

In the end, Paul is the one who came around. Sending instructions to Timothy at the end of his life... 2 Timothy 4:11 he says, "Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry."

PRAYER:

Father, give me passion for your work that overrides how I feel about me or other people's perception of me. Help me to move forward and give no foothold in anger or resentment to the evil one. I want to work harder than ever for the cause of Christ, help me get over my feelings to see the fields white unto harvest! Amen.