Experience: S2 - Day 27

The risk of investing in others

Acts 15: 36 After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.” 37 Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark. 38 But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work. 39 Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus. 40 Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care. 41 Then he traveled throughout Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches there.

Ahh, and here you have it, turmoil in the early church.

For so much of my life, I romanticized the early church.  I’d say things like, “If only we could get back to the basics, like the early church,” or, “If only we’d let the Spirit lead like they did.” I saw the early church as this place where the Spirit was poured out, and the people followed, and more and more were added to their number daily.

Then one day I realized that there is a lot of the rest of the New Testament that addresses some of the challenges the early church had.  A lot of those challenges concerned how to love and treat one another, especially the more diverse the church became.

So here, we have Barnabas and Paul who get into a disagreement.  What’s interesting is that the disagreement is over someone else Barnabas wanted to invest in, John Mark.  John Mark had left Barnabas and Paul in the midst of their work, at a time that Paul felt was crucial, so Paul wasn’t ready to put any trust back in John Mark.  But Barnabas, on the other hand, was someone who saw something in others that not many others could see.  He saw potential in John Mark, just like he had in Paul, and he was willing to take yet another risk to help see that potential become a reality.

Now, reading between the lines, Barnabas may have felt for a while that Paul was ready to lead without him.  And truly, were they to go their separate ways, then the gospel could spread even farther.  But Barnabas had set the example, you can’t lead alone.  So Barnabas chooses to invest in John Mark, and Paul chooses a young man named Silas.

I am so thankful for Barnabas, and in truth, though they had this disagreement, I don’t believe Paul ever forgot how important Barnabas was to him and his spiritual journey.  Because of his walk with Jesus, Barnabas was able to see something in others that no one else saw.  Because he was willing to invest in others, take a risk on them, not only did they change, but look at what they contributed to the work of the kingdom of God: Paul was the first real missionary of the church, helping the gospel spread to it’s farthest reaches to date, and, he just so happened to write what became a majority of the New Testament we now hold in our hands; John Mark became the author of one of the first stories of Jesus to be shared with the world.  Barnabas, as far as we know, didn’t author anything, but his mentees did.  All because Barnabas was willing to invest in others.  I think Paul held Barnabas in his heart up till his dying breath.

Are we willing to do the same?  Are we willing to take the risk of investing in others, encouraging them, lifting them up, helping them see who God has called them to be, and then unleash them to go into the world as sent by God?

Barnabas invested in two people who helped change the world, maybe we could do the same.

Questions:

1. Do you think we can all seek to follow the Holy Spirit, and still have disagreements?
2. What do you think are some of the best ways to handle a disagreement within the body of Christ?
3. Can you think of one or two people in your community right now that you could spend some time investing in?