Alan Lewis
Elon, North Carolina
March 2026
Sometime later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.
39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. (Acts 15:36-41 NIV)
We have been studying the Book of Acts. It is one of the most amazing books of the Bible. There are all kinds of firsts in this book.
We see the first church prayer meeting in the Upper Room, first evangelistic sermon preached by Peter on Pentecost, and the first altar call, which led to 3000 conversions on one day. It led to a mass conversion.
In Acts, we see the first church. We see the first mega church (3000 members). We see the first multicultural church at the Church of Antioch.
We see the first discrimination. One group in the church was not treated the same way as another group. We see that in Acts 6.
We see the first charismatics, the first people to speak in tongues and heal people. We see the first persecution and the first martyrdom. Stephen was the first person to die for believing in Jesus.
In Acts, we see the first missionaries and the first missionary journey, and the first church council.
Last time, we saw the first doctrinal dispute. Today, we come to the first Christian quarrel. We have them today and they had them in the first century.
Two of the greatest missionaries in church history Paul and Barnabas had one. They did not just have a disagreement. Luke says that they had a SHARP DISAGREEMENT (Acts 15:39 NIV). This was a big blow up.
Paul and Barnabas attended the same church. They traveled together. They worked together. They served together. They ministered together. They evangelized together. They started churches together on the mission field.
They suffered together. They faced physical danger. They went into hostile territory together and faced angry mobs together. They supported each other in hard times.
They were part of history. They did something that was historical. They did something that had never been done before. They went on the first mission trip sent by a local church to specifically evangelize Gentiles.
They did something that was controversial. Even some Christians were not on board with what they did and did not support them. They reached out to Gentiles and made them part of the church.
They were part of the dream team. Together they made the perfect missionary team. They worked well together and complemented each other.
They balanced each other out. God used them in the first missionary journey. Then, they got into an argument. These two old friends had a falling out and parted ways.
They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. (Acts 15:39 NIV). This is one of the saddest verses in the Bible.
This separation was permanent. They never worked together again. They never went on another mission trip after this. This separation was painful. They were old friends. They were ministry partners.
The last time we see them together in the Bible was in Acts 15. They both attended the Jerusalem Council and participated in it. Then, they went back home three hundred miles to their home church, and taught side-by-side in the church.
But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord. (Acts 15:35 NIV)
That was the last time they were together. After that, they got into an argument, and they could not work together anymore. That must have been hard.
Nature of the Argument
What was the argument about? It was not about doctrine. They were not arguing about salvation. Paul and Barnabas agreed on doctrine. They agreed on how people got saved. This argument was not theological. It was personal.
There are two major disputes in Acts 15. There are two big arguments. There is a big blow out at the beginning and one at the end of the chapter. The chapter begins with a DOCTRINAL DISPUTE about Gentile salvation and ends with a PERSONAL DISPUTE about a mission trip.
There was a big debate between Paul, Barnabas and the Judaizers. That led to a church council meeting in Jerusalem with the Twelve Apostles. The major argument at the end of the chapter between Paul and Barnabas was about something completely different.
Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work (Acts 15:37-38 NIV)
Reconstruction of Events
First, Paul and Barnabas took John Mark with them on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:5). He went to help and support Paul and Barnabas.
Second, Mark left them and he left them very early on their trip (Acts 13:13) and went home to Jerusalem. He did not last long. That was a huge disappointment. Paul and Barnabas needed him, but he quit.
Third, Mark realized that he made a mistake. He felt guilty. He felt like a failure, and he wanted another chance to prove himself. He wanted to go on another mission trip with them, and he told Barnabas about it, since he was close to Barnabas.
Four, Paul told Barnabas about an idea he had.
Sometime later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” (Acts 15:36 NIV).
This thought came into Paul’s head, and it came from the Holy Spirit. The plan was not to go start new churches but to visit all of the old churches he started to see how they are doing.
Paul did not say, “I got the job done. I evangelized them.” They also needed to be discipled. It is one thing to have babies. It is another thing to feed them, take care of them and help them grow.
Many churches focus on reaching the lost, which we need to do, but we also need to strengthen and build up believers in church. Jesus told the Apostle Peter “If you love me, feed my sheep,” not evangelize goats but feed sheep.
Mark asks Barnabas if he can give him another chance. Paul suggests they go on a second missionary journey to visit the churches they already planted in the first missionary journey.
Five, Barnabas loved the idea and wanted to take Mark with them.
Barnabas loved to encourage people. He was the son of encouragement, but he wanted to take Mark with them.
Six, Paul absolutely refused. He said, “No way. That is not going to happen after what he did on the first missionary journey. Mark left us on the first missionary journey and went home to his mother.”
Paul and Barnabas had two completely different reactions. We are going to look at them both.
Both sides actually both make some really good points. You can see which one you can relate to. Most people relate more to Barnabas, but Paul has some good points as well.
The Position of Barnabas
Barnabas wanted to take him. He knew Mark. He liked Mark, despite his flaws. Mark was family. He was his nephew. He was a young man. He might have been only twenty.
Mark blew it on the last trip, but Barnabas believed in grace. He believed in forgiveness. He believed in second chances. God is a God of second chances. He did not believe in writing people off when they make a mistake.
He believed that past failure does not define a person. Peter denied Jesus three times publicly and then became one of the chief apostles. He preached the sermon at Pentecost. He was not permanently disqualified as an apostle because of his sin.
Barnabas believed in restoring people who had fallen. God can restore anybody. Even failed missionaries can be restored.
Barnabas by nature was encouraging. Those were his gifts. He liked to build people up. He wanted to encourage people.
He liked to lift people up who other people had rejected. He did that with Paul. Everyone else was afraid of him after he made a profession of faith, because Paul used to persecute Christians. Barnabas believed in him.
When other people saw problems, he saw potential. He did not see what he was, but what he could become.[1] Barnabas probably thought, “Paul, I gave you a second chance. You need to give John Mark one.”[2]
The Position of Paul
Paul believed in grace. He believed in forgiveness. He believed in second chances, but he also believed in standards for people. He believed in standards for leaders.
There are qualifications for leaders. There are qualifications for missionaries. Not everyone is qualified to go on the mission field.
Leaders have to be trustworthy. They have to be dependable. They have to be faithful. They have to be reliable. Paul needed someone he could count on.
If you have just proven that you are not dependable, you should not be in a position of leadership. Paul thought that Mark was young. He might have been only twenty and was more of a liability than an asset.
While Barnabas was looking at POTENTIAL, Paul was looking at PERFORMANCE. Paul was a little bit of a perfectionist. Mark had already failed once. He was a quitter. He was a deserter.
Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. (Acts 15:38 NIV).
Mark was not the only one who deserted Paul. A man named Demas did as well. Mark was a lot like Demas, although he used a different Greek word (ἐγκατέλιπεν).[3]
Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. (II Timothy 4:10 NIV).
Mark left early before it even got hard in Acts 13. What is he going to do when it gets hard and people want to stone him? How will he respond then? The mission field is dangerous. You could lose your life there.
Paul had Scripture on his side. Proverbs 25:19 says, “Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble” (NIV).
Jesus said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62 NIV).
Who Was Right?
Who was right? Paul or Barnabas? Barnabas was right that Mark had great potential. He was right about that. Paul later admitted that.
Mark ended up writing the first Gospel. He wrote the Gospel of Mark. He visited Paul when he was in prison in Rome. At the end of his life, Paul called Mark useful in the ministry (II Timothy 4:11). Paul completely changed how he felt about Mark.
Barnabas was right about one thing, but Paul was right about another thing. Paul was right that Mark would not have been the best man for his missionary trip.
Paul ended up not just visiting the churches he started on the first trip. He also ended up starting some more in Philippi and Thessalonica, Corinth and Berea.
In Philippi, he was imprisoned and beaten for his faith in Acts 16. He chose a man who was fearless in the face of persecution. He chose Silas. He was a prophet (Acts 15:32). He was also a Roman citizen. Mark was not.
Silas was the right man for the job. This gave Silas an opportunity to be used by God. He was just what Paul needed.
Two Types of People TodayPaul and Barnabas did not just have two different approaches to a question. They represent two different types of people. Everyone falls into one of two categories. There are grace-people and truth-people. Which are you? What’s the difference? Grace PeopleWhat are grace-people like? Grace-people are relational. They like people. They are warm and fuzzy. They are not big on confrontation. They emphasize love and acceptance. They don’t judge people. They believe in mercy, compassion and forgiveness. They are peace makers. They believe in second chances. They believe in restoring the broken and fallen. They like to nurture and encourage people. They are not harsh and unloving when dealing with people. Truth PeopleWhat are truth-people like? Truth people love truth more than people. They do not emphasize compassion but conviction. They are more analytical. They emphasize correct doctrine. Doctrinal purity is important to them. They do not believe in compromising or watering down truth. They are not afraid to confront moral or theological error. They are bold in speaking up for the truth. They also believe in high standards for leaders. They hold to high standards for ministry, not out of legalism but out of integrity. They emphasize faithfulness and reliability, whether they are family members or not. Both NeededAre gracers right? Are truthers right? One thing is clear. We need BOTH. We need conviction and compassion. We need grace and truth. Jesus had both. He was full of grace and truth. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH. (John 1:14 NIV) If we are ALL GRACE, we will never confront sin or false doctrine. We will never take a stand on truth. We will never hold people to high standards. If we are ALL TRUTH, we will be harsh, critical, unloving and judgmental. We are to be both. We need both a Paul and a Barnabas in church. Every healthy church has both. If they do not have both, the church will not be balanced. We need both a Paul and a Barnabas in our life. Do you have one? We also need someone who does not give up on us when we make mistakes and will encourage us. On the other hand, we do not just want to surround us with people who love us, nurture us and affirm us. Sometimes we need people who tell us the hard things. We need someone who will be loving enough to rebuke us when we are living a sinful lifestyle or are out of the will of God. We need to be encouraged. We also need to be challenged. |
Applications for Today
There are three things we learn about disagreements for our passage.
1) Disagreements are a fact of life
Disagreements are a fact of life. We have disagreements every day. We have in them in the world. We have them in the church. We have in them in the home. Spouses have disagreements. Christians have disagreements. Baptists and Pentecostals disagree about some things.
Even leaders can have disagreements. Ministers can have disagreements. Pastors disagree. The apostles had disagreements. Paul and Barnabas were church leaders. They were missionaries and they did not agree.
2) Disagreements can be sinful
They are not always sinful. Paul had a disagreement with the Judaizers at the beginning of the chapter. That was not wrong. A group came into the church and began teaching false doctrine. It needed to be confronted. That was good.
When might a disagreement become sinful? What are some signs that an argument might be sinful?
Signs a Disagreement Might be Sinful1. When we waste our time arguing about foolish things But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless (Titus 3:9 NIV) Some controversies we need to deal with. Some are foolish. Don’t waste your time with them. Paul says they are unprofitable and useless. Many divisions have taken place among Christians over useless controversies. Churches split over foolish arguments. Spouses sometimes argue about foolish things. Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him (Proverbs 26:4 NIV). The verse in Proverbs is important. We don’t have to respond to every stupid thing that people say. There are a lot of dumb things that people say online. You don’t have to respond to them all. 2. When they are rooted in pride Disagreements are sinful when people are not interested in truth. Most of the time when people argue about a topic, they do not even listen to the other side. All they want to do is to argue. It is rooted in pride. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. (Proverbs 18:2 NIV) 3. When you lose your temper A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1 NIV) When we get into an argument, do we lose our temper, do we shout and scream, or do we argue calmly with a soft answer? 4. When we attack the person rather than the argument This is common in arguments. It does not deal with the issue but attacks the person. |
3) Good can come out of them
Is it good for believers to get into arguments and separate? Are church splits good? No
We are to keep the unity of the spirit in the body of peace. We are to be one heart and mind, but God can bring good out of evil. He can bring good out of church splits. He can bring good out of divorce. God is sovereign over everything that happens in the world.
Paul and Barnabas should have come to an agreement and worked together but because they didn’t, they were able to reach more people. They were able to cover more ground.
They ended up with two missionary teams, instead of one. One was Team Europe and one was Team Cyprus. It turned out for the better.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf2Sfbjji3c
[2] https://thevillagechapel.com/resources/acts-1536-41/
[3] The word used in Acts 15 (ἀποστάντα) is only used once in the NT.
