Faith Goes Farther (Acts 15:36 - 16:40)
We all experience doubt and fear when things don't go our way. But what happens in those moments when we feel like giving up? Faith in God is the only thing that can give us the strength to persist even when the going gets tough. It's not always easy to have faith, but it is essential for our journey in life. Faith is an essential element of life in Christ and can be especially beneficial during times of struggle. It can provide us with hope, courage, strength, and a sense of peace. Even when things seem dire or insurmountable, having enough faith in God to persist can make all the difference. Whether dealing with personal or global issues, understanding what faith is and how it works is vital to having the confidence to keep going even when everything seems bleak.
Today, we will be studying the second missionary journey for Paul. As I studied this week, Paul's faith kept popping out. This text teaches us how valuable faith is.
In Chapters 13-14, we learned that Paul and Barnabas vastly spread the gospel in Asia Minor. They have taught thousands of people and created many congregations. Then, in Chapter 15, we learned about Jewish disciples trying to force circumcision and the Law of Moses. This issue stalled the brethren out. They had to clear up an internal issue before moving forward with the mission. Now, Paul and Barnabas are back in Antioch, but they aren't content. They long to visit the congregations they helped establish. They long for God to work through them again and bear fruit. In their eyes, "The harvest is plentiful, and the laborers are few." They want to get back at it.
Faith Spreads
But there is a problem. Barnabas wants to bring John Mark again. In the first mission, John Mark abandoned them. He couldn't cut it. Paul wants John Mark to stay. He sees him more as a liability than an asset. This becomes a "sharp disagreement" and leads to Paul and Barnabas going their separate ways. Barnabas takes John Mark, and Paul takes Silas.
Isn't it sad when we can't agree? But notice that this is not a doctrinal issue. This is a matter of opinion about how they should visit the congregations and who should go. It says there was a sharp disagreement. In other words, they weren't budging on this. We don't see any hard feelings or animosity between the men. They could not agree.
So they decide to split up and cover more ground in less time. Instead of one team, there are two. Some people might take this disagreement and separation to encourage a split in a congregation, but the body of Christ was not divided here. This is just two men disagreeing on how they will do the work God wants them to do. There is nothing wrong with each of them doing it the way they feel God wants them to. Regarding congregational divides, Paul tells us to strive for unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:1--7 (ESV) --- 1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit---just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call--- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Regarding one's ministry, different methods work for different people. We work together by complementing each other, not by doing the same thing. We all have gifts that need to be used according to the measure that they are given to us, but we use those gifts to unite the church in the likeness of Christ. If we divide the church, we aren't doing God's work. We are playing into Satan's hands. Notice how the faith of these men inspires a solution that prevents Satan from winning. They will double their efforts. Paul travels to Lystra and Derbe with Silas. Barnabas travels to Cyprus with John Mark. The solution is to let more people be involved in the work.
This event sparks an idea in Paul. He takes on Timothy as well. There has been some discussion about possibly training young men to preach here. This is what we are looking for. We want Timothys, young men who have been doing the work where they are. This is what faith does. It spreads the work around and multiplies the effort. These men aren't content to take it easy and live their lives. They are itching to help reach the lost.
The faithful spread faith. What sparked Timothy's devotion? Remember that Paul was stoned in Lystra. Did Timothy see Paul's stoning? Did he see how he got up and returned to work? The faith of Paul might have left such an impression on Timothy that he wanted to follow in his footsteps. This is how it works. Satan tries to destroy, but God uses it to build.
Faith Endures
They move up northwest and plan to head throughout Asia, but everywhere they go presents, obstacles. The Holy Spirit forbids them to speak in Asia. Then, the Spirit of Jesus didn't allow them to enter Bithynia.
This is an exciting series of events. I wonder how the Spirit forbade them, and the Spirit of Jesus didn't allow them. Paul and his companions are working their way through the region of Asia, planning to preach everywhere they go. Do they get the feeling that God doesn't want them to? Are they somehow prevented from speaking? Maybe the synagogue leaders won't let them speak, or perhaps they didn't find a place to build tents and provide for themselves. Or maybe God just told them not to. The text doesn't say that, but that might be what happened. Whatever the problem, they attribute this to God. They recognize that God could providentially work to prevent them from doing their work. Doesn't that seem odd? They do not see signs everywhere.
Have you ever had this happen to you? Sometimes we think we need to take a job, take the next step in a relationship, or do something new, but nothing falls into place. It's like an external force prohibits you from moving in that direction. Notice that they are entirely devoting themselves to the work of God. They haven't sat around waiting for God to show them where to go. They are moving forward without instruction, trying to discern God's will. That's precisely what they are supposed to be doing, but God says, "No." He has a different plan in mind.
Instead, God gave Paul a vision of a Macedonian man urging him to come to Macedonia and help him. The vision of a Macedonian man urging Paul to come and help him is precisely what Paul was looking for. As soon as he sees the vision, he commits to the work God calls him to do. But God doesn't start with that. He lets Paul struggle with rejection and failure. I wonder how close Paul was to just pack up and heading home. But God gives him the encouragement he needs to go farther than ever.
What about us? Don't you wish God would give you a vision of what he wants you to do? That's not the only way God speaks throughout the New Testament. That's one of the rarest ways for God to direct his missionaries. It rarely happens. But there are other ways that God reveals opportunities. It could be as simple as someone mentioning a work we could do. But notice what Paul and Silas are doing in the meantime. They are doing something. They don't wait on God to show them. They work on teaching as best they can. They fail repeatedly and are okay with that because they have faith that God will give them opportunities in his time. Will we do the same? When that opportunity finally does present itself, will we step into it? Will we say, "No. I can't do it. Look at all my failures." Or will we commit to going farther than we have ever gone before? God could be offering you success! We need faith to push on.
The truth is that I wouldn't be here without God speaking to me through random events. He has encouraged me and given me what I needed to go farther than ever. I've had to look past many of my failures and believe that endless possibilities are right here.
Faith Sings
Paul, Silas, and Timothy add another companion before moving to Macedonia. Notice verse 10 indicates a shift. Luke goes from talking about what "they" did to what "we" did. Luke joins them as they make their way over to Macedonia and come into the Roman province of Philippi, where we learn about the conversion of three people.
The first one we hear about is a woman named Lydia. She seems like a very wealthy and prosperous woman trying to worship God. She travels to a quiet place outside the town on the Sabbath to pray with other women. The text tells us that God opened her heart to heed what Paul said. Her whole house was baptized, and she offered to let Paul stay in her house. This is such a change from what we saw in Asia. God is ready to work alongside Paul, Silas, and Timothy in this place.
Then, we learn about the second person. This time it's a young slave girl who has been demon-possessed. Day after day, she follows Paul and cries, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation." Day after day, she would follow them, saying these things. Finally, Paul commanded the unclean Spirit to come out of her. Her owners were mad at Paul because she had been a fortune teller for them and made them money. The text doesn't tell us that she was converted but that the unclean Spirit comes out of her, indicating that she may have been saved. This slave girl has owners that aren't too happy about her losing the demonic spirits. So they have Paul and Silas beaten with rods and thrown in prison.
That doesn't sound very good. I thought God was going to help them here. This is a huge setback. But this is where we learn about the third person, the Philippians jailer. He puts them in the inner prison and fastens them into stocks. While they are in prison, they start to pray and sing hymns to God. Is that what we would do? They aren't ashamed of their beliefs. They are giving hope to those around them who are in the most hopeless situation. The gospel is for them too.
Do you see their faith? Their beliefs are so deeply rooted that they can endure the darkest and gloomiest circumstances while suffering from untreated painful wounds. Without faith, they would be crying, not singing.
After hours of singing and praying, an earthquake shakes the prison's foundations and causes all of the chains and stocks to become undone.
At this point, the jailer figures that he's dead. If you fail to keep your prisoners in prison, death is likely. Instead, Paul tells him not to hurt himself. No one has escaped. So, instead of dying that night, he is reborn. He takes Paul and Silas into his house to wash their wounds. Then he and all his family are baptized. Again, God is working, and faith is spreading.
What Do We Learn?
We couldn't finish up the second journey today, but notice the faith of these men up until this point. Paul, Silas, and Timothy have such a strong desire to bring the gospel to the lost and glorify God that they can push through difficulty. Things do not go smoothly for them, but they keep pushing toward the goal. The gospel creates this kind of faith.
Application
When we look at men like Paul, Silas, and Timothy, aren't we amazed by their faith? I'm afraid that our society is slowly eroding our faith. We aren't making time to study God's word with our addictions to TV, Social Media, and various hobbies. Without faith, we won't feel compelled to share God's word. We won't endure failure. We won't sing when suffering comes. We will cry.
If you are like me, you feel the pull of society and wonder how we could have the faith of these men. This text shows us that faith is contagious. Men like Silas, Timothy, and Luke are ready to commit to serving God because of the faith of men like Paul. Followers of Christ always want to push the envelope and go farther. They want to encourage more believers and teach the lost. This inspires us to keep believing and doing what we can serve God.
Paul also tells us another way our faith is increased. In Romans 10:17, Paul tells us where his faith comes from. It comes from the word of Christ. When men hear the good news about life after death and all the blessings God offers his people, they feel compelled to share that good news with others. They set aside their pride and worked things out to defeat Satan. They endure failure after failure, looking for opportunities to succeed. They sing when they should probably cry. They are willing to step up and do what's needed for God's glory because the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
Conclusion
Faith is critical. Faith pushes through difficult times and keeps us going. It even gives us cause to sing, and God works through our faith to bring souls to Christ. Aren't you grateful that the people who helped you understand the truth didn't pack it up when things got difficult? If you have yet to accept Christ and put your faith in him, I encourage you to open the word and see for yourself. Jesus is the answer to everyone's future problems because he defeated death. His work gives us the faith to step out and be what we were created to be.