Dealing With Conflict — Acts 15

0:00 So good to be with you this morning. Open your Bibles to Acts chapter 15. Acts chapter 15. Very good. I just recently returned from Mexico working with a lot of youth, and the one thing that astonished me from from the group was how many of them had suicidal thoughts.

0:26 They were either thinking, contemplating that they wanted to kill themselves, and many of them during the camp repented of those thoughts and praise God for that. Right? But there was also so many people... So so much demonic activity, which also kind of surprised me. And praise the Lord that God God moved and many of them gave their life to Christ, and the Lord freed them from from such activities.

1:00 So praise God for that. Acts 15... Acts chapter 15, I have been blessed myself as we've been going through this study. And today, we're gonna look at three different conflicts. So we're gonna address...

1:16 This is what I titled the the message, how to handle conflicts. Now the the funny thing about it is I've always been terrible at handling conflict. I I mean, really bad, really bad. In fact, I was reflecting on on my youth and then some of the issues I had to deal with, and I wish I can go back and and redo how I handled the particular conflict because I'm still not that good at it. But we're gonna see three different conflicts here and how the leadership handled it, and hopefully, we can be blessed by it.

1:54 At least, I know I was. So let let's read and then we'll we'll explain the the text with god's help. We'll start with verse 22, verse 22. Acts fifteen and twenty two. Then it seemed good to the apostles.

2:13 Now I want you to notice the different people here who helped make the decision. Now it seemed good to the apostles and the elders with the whole church to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas leading men among the brethren. So they sent these men to Antioch because they came up with a solution to the conflict, and this is what they did. Verse 23. And they and they sent this letter by them, the apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Sicilia...

3:01 Cilicia, I'm sorry, who are from the Gentiles greetings. Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words unsettling your souls, it seems good to us having become of one mind to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word-of-mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials, that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from the things strangled and from fornication. If you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well.

4:08 Farewell. So when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read read it, they rejoiced of its encourage... Because of its encouragement, and Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message. And after they had spent some time there, they were sent away from the brethren in peace to those who had sent them.

4:44 But it seemed good to Silas to remain there. But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch teaching and preaching with many others also the word of the Lord. We're gonna read... We're gonna just... We're gonna stop here for now before we do the last part.

5:00 We'll we'll read that later. So let's just pray. Father, thank you for your word. I pray that the holy spirit would help me to do justice to this beautiful text. I pray this in your blessed name.

5:35 And what they were trying to do is say... Well, what they did was they went over and they started to say that they basically had to take on Jewish customs to to truly be saved. So to be specific, they went up there and said, you need to also be circumcised to to really be saved. And Paul and Barnabas and the other leaders there were were furious. They're like, what?

6:02 How could you come and you can... You teach this? That that is not true. And they had a a tremendous disagreement there. And if you read the text, they went at it pretty seriously.

6:14 So then they decided to send Barnabas and Paul and some others to Jerusalem to to meet with the apostles and and the elders, the leadership there so they can come to... So they can fix this conflict, if you will. So they come down, and they they did... They had long debates about the issue. Do the Gentiles need to be circumcised to be saved?

6:43 The the church was still new. They didn't have the Bible written yet, so they can go... They couldn't say, okay, well, let's turn to Galatians, see what it says there. So the apostles had to seek from God and the prophets and the elders there. Lord, what do we do with this this question and and it was clarified very clearly.

7:04 They came to a clear conclusion that you do not need to be circumcised or to practice the law, the Old Testament law, to be saved. That doesn't need to be part of the, life in Christ. Very important, their their conclusion. Alright? So this...

7:25 That that was the issue that was was hap... What was going on. And so they they established this particular truth. Look at chapter 15 and verse eight. And god, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the holy spirit just as he also did us.

7:49 And he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their heart by faith. Now, therefore, why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke, which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear. Now, here it is. Watch this. Verse 11.

8:09 But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the lord Jesus in the same way as they also. Alright. So this became and is from the very beginning the foundation or one of the pillars that we believe in that we hold to be true, that we hold dear, that salvation is by faith in the Lord Jesus. By faith alone, in Christ alone. Amen?

8:39 Yeah. That's it. And so that that was their conclusion, that that Christ did the work on the cross, and what he did was enough. And so you place your faith in Jesus to be saved from your sin. And then you, at that moment, when you believe in the lord Jesus, you believe, of course, that he died on the cross, was buried, rose again, having paid for your sin.

9:04 When you believe that, and then at that moment, you have eternal life. Now this is one of those that we cannot flex or bend or or change in any way, shape, or form. There's other things that we can bend on a little bit, right, that the way the church can function, the different things, but this is one of those that the church does not compromise. Amen? And we can't.

9:32 We can never compromise this reality that we are saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are saved by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the foundation. This is what this church believes. We can go on with other doctrines like the Bible is the inspired word of God, and and it is the authority by which we we stand also.

9:57 The fact that Christ rose from the dead and is alive, and that we can go on and on. But just to put in one quick statement, we are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I like also what it says in five eight, God knows the heart and bore witness to them. So in other word... In other words, God knows who is saved and who is not.

10:23 Because God looks at your heart. We we cannot pretend or fake, with with God. He knows those who are his. In fact, I like the way second Timothy two nineteen puts it. Nevertheless, the firm foundation of god stands having this seal.

10:41 The lord knows those who are his and let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness. So a person who has by faith turned to the Lord for salvation, which is the core of what the Bible teaches, that we believe, that we cannot compromise, that same person receives the holy spirit. That same person, god knows who they are. They're his. He gave them the holy spirit, and the final thing is that we begin to live a life that's different.

11:17 You abstain from ungodly things. So that's the believer's life right there in a nutshell, if you will. Alright. So they settled that issue. Do you need to be circumcised to be saved?

11:33 No. Today, do you need to be baptized to be saved? No. Do you need to... Whatever.

11:53 I I would have made it a bigger issue and and more complicated, but I'm surprised at how simply they handled this. Notice, what they did. Do you notice how short the letter was too that they sent? It was extremely short. I would have done a bigger letter explaining more details and saying a lot more, but I was like, that's all you...

12:15 That you're gonna say, a couple of verses? But but that's how it is. Alright. So what did they do? They they prepared a letter.

12:24 Judas and Silas, who are part of the leaders in the church of Jerusalem, were sent with Paul and and Barnabas to confirm that the letter was true and that they were backing Paul and Barnabas as they were defending the truth of the gospel. Alright. Now secondly, the letter confirmed that the Gentiles did not need to get circumcised to be saved or to keep the law. Now notice fifteen twenty two, the first verse that that we that we read. If you notice, it says this, it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, notice, with the whole church.

13:08 So here's the way I picture that it happened. The apostles that you know were given the responsibility to set the doctrines of the local church, which then we go to Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians. All the doctrines are explained there and given in detail. But it was their responsibility to make sure that what was being preached was from God. Right?

13:32 So the apostles then were part of that great debate and they came up with no. This is what God wants, salvation by faith alone and Christ alone. Right? And then the elders who who... Because the apostles were gonna fade away, and and God established that the church have elders.

13:49 Right? So the elders were in agreement with the apostle. They were on the same page, in other words. So the leadership then went before the body, the church, because you notice that the church also was there, and they said, look, here was the issue, a doctrinal issue. Here's our decision.

14:08 Do you see why we're gonna do this letter? We're gonna send these men. And they were like, yes, we're with you. And then they sent them off. So that's how they handled this particular conflict.

14:21 Now I wish I would have studied this passage myself a lot harder ten, twelve years back because I would have done things much differently, but I've already repented of of all those kind of things. Alright. So it's it's good to learn and then move on. Right? Amen?

15:00 Did you notice that? You would have thought that they would have said something. You know, don't allow them back in. Don't let them teach. They don't do any of that, which kind of amazed me, the simplicity of the letter and and and how easily they explained what what they wanted.

15:18 So let's look at the letter again and look at how direct and how simple. The apostles and the brethren who are elders, verse 23, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. I keep saying Sicilia. I don't know because I know this little girl named Sicilia. Alright.

15:38 Who are from the Gentiles greetings. Now watch watch how simply they explain it. Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instructions, so they're saying, we didn't send them. They went on their own accord. So it wasn't from us.

15:53 What they thought was wrong, we didn't send them. Had disturbed you with their words, unsettling your soul. They they went up there. They confused you in teaching wrong doctrine. It seemed good to us having become of one mind.

16:10 Notice how, again, the leadership was of one mind, the church as well, to select men to send with you... To send with our beloved Barnabas and Paul who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that they already knew how Paul and Barnabas had almost gotten killed for preaching the gospel, for for talking about Jesus Christ. Therefore, we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word-of-mouth. Basically, they're saying is, we sent them along so that because they can easily...

16:46 Paul and Barnabas can easily say, see, we went down there, and we were right. They agreed with us. They're like, well, you can easily say that. Well, here's Judas and Silas to confirm that we were right in what we were teaching. So they sent them along to to kind of give credence to to what they were saying that that was from god that they were teaching correctly and biblically.

17:09 Alright. And so notice verse 28. Notice how interesting. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials. Have you noticed that just about every chapter, well, every chapter up to this point, it's...

17:31 The Holy Spirit is always involved in everything going on with the church. Have you noticed that? And you noticed also how in tune they were with the Holy Spirit that they could say, it seemed good to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit told us, hey, this is a good thing, what you're doing. Now, could you say the Holy Spirit told me to live in this certain way, to practice these certain things, and to preach a certain way?

18:00 Could could you say that? Are you that in tune with the Holy Spirit that you could do that? I was amazed. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us. So it's like almost like if they were talking with the Holy Spirit, which they were through prayer, and they came to this agreement.

18:16 Yeah. This is what the Holy Spirit wants. Wow. It's amazing. So the Holy Spirit was intricately involved in this decision, in this letter, and every action that was being taken with this conflict.

18:54 Now, the first of the three restrictions was this, things sacrificed to idols. Now quickly turn with me to first Corinthians 10 because he gives an explanation there. Now remember I told you that other... A lot of the doctrines of the of the church of the New Testament are explained in the epistles. Right?

19:15 Now look at verse nineteen and twenty, and he get... This kinda explains why they were saying abstain from idols. Look what it says. What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idol is anything or that an...

19:32 The... Or that an idol is anything? In other words, what he's saying is, an idol is a statue. A piece of wood, somebody paints a face on it. Right?

19:42 It could be a man or woman. It could be a a bird. You know, statues are everywhere. Idols, things like that. Is there anything to it?

19:51 Of course not. They have eyes, but they cannot see. They have ears, but they cannot hear. Right? They have a mouth, but they can't speak.

19:58 So an idol in itself is nothing. But but watch verse 20. No, it's nothing. But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice... Now listen, they sacrificed to demons and not to God.

20:14 And I then... I do not want you, Christians, to become sharers in demons. Oh my word. Wow. And so if you were to pray to or sacrifice to an idol, you're actually doing it to a demon.

20:33 And Paul is saying, I don't want you in any way, shape, or form to be associated with that. Now the demons don't care. In fact, they want Christians to do it because then you open the door for them to disturb, right, to harass, which I've seen. And so that's why the first restriction, stay away from things sacrificed to idols. Now, the second thing, things strangled.

21:02 If you go back, if you were to go back to Genesis nine four, when they came off the ark and they were able to eat animals now, the one thing that that was said right there in verse four was, when you eat an animal, you gotta make sure you drain the blood. Now, I don't know how much... How many of you all know this or not, but when I was at the Bible College, I worked at a slaughterhouse killing pigs. And when you kill the pig, the first thing they do is they drain the blood. I don't know if you knew this or not either, but my relatives in Mexico used to kill sheep and and goats and cattle, and they would actually put the blood in a bowl, boil it, and then drink it.

21:44 Yeah. I saw my grandma and grandfather do it. Of course, I never did it gross me out like, oh, how could you do that? But when when my dad got saved and we learned about this and then my grandmother was saved, they went, look, grandma, you can't do this anymore. Turn the Bible and they stopped doing it.

22:02 Praise god for that, right? But I actually saw that happen. So, when you get saved, you have to put that away. That's not from God. And then the final one, fornication.

22:14 This is true of all the Gentiles who included included fornication with their cult practices. So in other words, there were prostitutional fornication going on throughout the whole Gentile world. And so we can understand why these three restrictions are there. Even us now, we don't want to do those things. Right?

22:36 And so it made sense. Stay away from idols. Don't drain the blood of an animal when you you kill it, and then and then go ahead and cook your steak or do your thing. Right? But make sure you drain the blood.

22:49 God doesn't want that, that we drink the blood or or eat an animal that was strangled and fornication. Also, these things would offend the Jewish people, and they didn't want there to be any tension between the Jews and the Gentiles, Christians. Right now, I have a lot of friends from India. And if you notice them, the ones that were born over there and come over here, they have zero jewelry on them. No earrings, no rings.

23:20 In fact, when I do some of their weddings, they'd say, we're not gonna do the ring thing. I'm like, why? Because we're not Hindus anymore. So many when were Hindus before, when they get saved, one of the things that identifies you as a Hindu is the jewelry. And they said, in order for us to show them that we're not Hindu anymore, but now we belong to Christ, we take off our jewelry.

23:44 That's not necessary over here really, but it's in their system. Right? And so they... A lot of them still choose not to wear anything. And so basically, what what the text is teaching us is when you get saved, there are certain practices that had to be eliminated from your walk to identify you as a follower of Christ.

24:05 So that makes sense. Right? It makes sense. Yes. Amen.

24:08 Amen. Okay. So this is what happened. And then they went to the church. They explained to the church what happened, their decision, and you notice that they stayed there and they taught them.

24:20 So I'm sure at that time, they were teaching them the doctrine of salvation, how we don't we don't have to practice these Jewish customs and so forth and so on. And so that... That's what happened there. So that was how they handled that particular conflict. A simple letter, made a reputation to confirm and to teach and build the faith of the disciples.

24:56 Notice what the Bible says. Verse 36. After some days, Paul and Barnabas... Paul said to Barnabas, let us return and visit the brethren in the city in which we proclaim the word of the Lord and see how they are. Barnabas was desirous of taking John, called Mark, along with them also.

25:24 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and departed, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. Alright. So here we go.

25:54 We got a little conflict going here. Conflict number two. Alright. Now Barnabas and Paul were very close friends, and god used them for many years to bring many people to Christ. In fact, Barnabas was instrumental in in introducing Paul to the ministry and to the believers.

26:18 Let let just quickly... Let me show you Acts nine and twenty six. Look what it says. And when they had come to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, of Paul, not believing that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the lord on the road and that he had talked to him and how at Damascus, he had spoken up boldly in the name of Jesus.

26:49 And he was with them moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the lord. So, when when Paul first got saved, nobody believed him. They thought, oh, this guy's tricking us. He wants to get into the church and see who the Christians are so he can persecute them But Barnabas sat down with him and said, tell me your story, and he heard him. Then he went to the apostles with him and said, look, this guy saw the Lord.

27:18 He's saved. He's a Christian. And he he introduced him to the apostles, then they already able to see that. Wow, he was truly converted. So Barnabas was instrumental.

27:30 Right? Would you agree with me? Wow. He was very instrumental in introducing him and bringing him in. Now look also at chapter 11 and verse 24.

27:41 Now, you remember that the church of Antioch, the one we're talking about, that had gotten started. There was a lot of people getting saved. The apostle Saint Barnabas and when he saw, he was like, wow, there's a lot of people getting saved, and the work was overwhelming. He goes, I need help. I need help.

28:02 And who do you think of? He thought of Paul. Paul is in Tarsus. By the way, Paul had been saved about nine years to this point. So Paul was in Tarsus.

28:14 He goes to find them. He goes, Paul, God is saving so many people in Antioch. I need help, and you're gifted. Come on. And so, really, Barnabas not only introduced him to to the apostles and to the Christian Jerusalem, but also was very instrumental in him becoming a full time worker.

28:35 And so so Barnabas had a great appreciation for for Paul, and they they went... You can look at verse 24... Eleven twenty four, for he was a good man, that is Barnabas, full of the holy spirit and of faith, and considerable numbers were brought to the Lord, and he left for Tarsus to look for Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch, and it came about that for an entire year, they met with a church and taught considerable numbers. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

29:12 And so, yes, Barnabas then was very close to Paul, and they were dear friends. They did a lot of work together. They taught the Bible for years together. And as you know, they they went on the first missionary journey. They preached together.

29:28 They suffered together. They almost died together. They went to the to the Jerusalem Council, this this whole mess, right, this doctrinal thing. And then Paul says, hey, how about we go back and visit the churches? Sure.

29:43 He goes, but I wanna... But... Barnabas said, but I wanna take I wanna take Marcus with me. Now let's let's talk realistic here. Even the best of friends, godly men, full time servants, full of the holy spirit, as the text said.

30:02 Preachers, teachers, full of the word of God can have a disagreement, a different opinion. Yes or no? Yes. Yes. Wow.

30:12 It's... You know, these men were so full of God, it was incredible. And yet, they have an intense disagreement, which tells me, okay, that means I'm human. So are you. You can be in the word, and you can act in pride in a minute in flesh.

30:31 Right? We've all done it. So who was right? That's my question. How can these intimate friends, have such a difference of opinion?

30:57 The expression sharp disagreement, that is... Look at it in in verse verse 39. And there arose such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another. Alright? So the expression sharp disagreement, parioximos, that's the Greek word, means a state of irritation expressing an argument.

31:20 So it wasn't just we disagree. They started arguing. But I think we should take Mark. No. I don't wanna take him, But we should.

31:27 No. And and the boy, they were going at it. And it was like they had a big time argument. And I can imagine the Christians looking at all my word. Look at these two godly men fighting.

31:40 Wow. It was intense. I mean, it was so intense that they separated. The... These intimate friends, these men of God.

31:51 Alright? So so here's here's the here's the reason. Verse 38. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And so Mark quit in the middle of a missionary trip, a mission trip.

32:13 It seems like he just abruptly left. He probably said something like, it's... I had enough. It's not for me. I'm done with it.

32:21 Now, I've done many mission trips. As you know, I do them every year. And I have had people come with me, and and of the ten days we're doing the work, nine of the 10 that were sick with diarrhea and fever. So obviously, they never came back with me again. Right?

32:39 Now, hey, this is not for me. I've had people four or five days in the bed just sick with fever and because of the food or whatever happened to them. The whole time was a miserable experience. We spent four days sleeping on benches or cement floors with no shower for four days. It's it's not easy.

33:01 And if I could be honest with you, I remember being like in the eighth day going through the mountains and just feeling kind of sick and tired. And like, Lord, if I can be honest, I wish I could be back home already. I don't wanna be here. Now I can imagine something like that happened to Mark. Now, Paul took it as, you know, this guy wimped out on us.

33:23 You you know, I I can't believe he left us and and Mark was saying, I'm sorry, Barnabas was saying, wait a minute, you know, the guy's young. He he he got discouraged. Let's work with him. Let's take him along. No.

33:36 And and, man, they just really went at it. Alright. So let... Let's see what happens here. Alright.

33:57 He saw potential in Mark. He said, even though he blew it, I don't want to give up on him. And so they they just... They couldn't come to a... To an agreement, and so they had...

34:12 What what happened was that two two teams came as a result. Mark... I mean, sorry, Paul went with Silas, and they went through Turkey and Macedonia and Greece. That's where they went. Barnabas took Mark along with them, and they went to Cyprus.

34:29 They went to Cyprus. So now we have two teams. But let me remind you of Romans eight twenty eight. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God. Now, would you agree with me that both Paul and Barnabas love God extremely?

34:50 Would you agree with me? Yeah. I think so. I think so. I think Silas did as well, and I think Mark did too.

34:57 I think Mark did too. They love God. But, man, they just couldn't come together, and so they split, and they went to two different things. But the positive thing is two teams came out, and they were ministering in two different areas now. The second positive thing is that Mark is being mentored by Barnabas.

35:42 You ready? Okay. Or do only Barnabas and I have the right to refrain from from working? Now he's writing to the Corinthians, and the Corinthians knew Barnabas in order for him to be writing about him, and he spoke in a positive way. Right?

36:06 So what is this? Now... And and I know this is pure conjecture, but I've thought about this a lot. Here's the way I picture it happening. Paul, as you know, ends out in Corinth on his missionary journey, and Barnabas with Mark were in Cyprus.

36:25 But I think that Barnabas ended out in Corinth as well, and they were working together. I think that a year or two later, they got back together. Barnabas and Paul reconciled. Barnabas showed Paul how Mark had matured and was useful for the ministry. And I think Paul probably apologized to Mark for being so harsh.

36:53 Now, kind of to back this up, let's go to second Timothy four eleven. Notice that. Because we don't wanna we don't wanna end with this conflict. These two guys mad at each other and and split, but I... They actually did reconcile.

37:11 Now look at Mark... I'm sorry. First Timothy four eleven. Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you.

37:23 Watch watch what he says. For he is useful to me for service. Well, the man that Paul didn't wanna take along because he blew it, Now he's saying this guy's useful. Well, how did he know that? Again, because my theory is that they got together in Corinth and they reconciled, and then Timothy became useful.

37:49 Now let's go to Colossians chapter four. Let let me show you another little argument here. I'm sure you're gonna go home and do your own investigation, but just watch. Watch what it says. Colossians four ten.

38:09 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings and also Barnabas' cousin Mark, about whom you received instruction. If he comes to you, welcome him. Wow. So now Mark is not only useful, but now he's visiting the churches and he's teaching them. He says, you received instruction from him.

38:34 And if he comes, receive him. So now we see Mark teaching the Bible, going to different churches. So I believe that Barnabas did a tremendous job of not only restoring him, but teaching him and training him in in the art of teaching the word of God. And and there he is now useful and teaching God's word. So Mark, the one that he didn't want to take with him, he says, now he's useful for service, and he's teaching the word of God.

39:09 Receive him when he comes. He's a teacher of the word of God. So the man who failed became useful and very effective for God, which made me think that when we fail, Jesus doesn't give up on us. How many times have we blown it and done things like that? I'm no good for God anymore.

39:34 That's not true. Mark blew it, and Barnabas brought him along, And now we see him teaching the word of God and being useful for ministry. Robert E. Lee says this, we failed, but in the good providence of God, apparent failure often proves a blessing. In the scroop tape letters, this is what it said.

40:00 Satan's strategy is this. He gets Christians to become preoccupied with their failures. From then on, the battle is won. That is if you're Satan using this strategy. So I believe that Barnabas did a a fantastic job, not only in bringing Paul along, introducing him to the ministry and to the full time work and everything that that Paul did, but he did the same thing with Mark.

40:34 So much so that Mark ends up writing the gospel of Mark. The man who failed became useful. God didn't give up on him, but they restored him. And then now we see him writing the gospel, preaching in different churches, being useful for the ministry. So let let me just conclude with this.

40:58 We were gonna look at a third... What time are we supposed to end? 12:15? Oh, alright. I had a third one, but we'll leave it there.

41:07 Alright. So let's look at this way. Let me conclude. First of all, the salvation salvation issue. The leadership met, corrected the error, wrote a letter to the churches clarifying the issue, sent men to verify the message and to teach on the subject.

41:24 That's how they handled that conflict. Second conflict, Paul and Barnabas reconciled and continued the work God had for them. Mark was restored, mentored, then became useful for the work of the Lord. So wow, what a chapter. Chapter 15 full of issues, intentions, but we see that God worked it all out.

41:52 And at the end of the day, he was glorified through these different issues. And and the way they were they were dealt with was was pretty amazing. Hopefully, you were helped by this and instructed. If anything, just remember this. If you've blown it, God doesn't give up on us.

42:16 Right? But he continues to work it, and we become useful in spite of the fact that we've failed. Alright. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for for the way these men handled the the issue of the salvation and and how how carefully they did it and how well they did it and how good came out of it.

42:41 And we thank you that Paul and Barnabas reconciled, and we thank you that Mark was restored and became useful and even wrote the gospel of Mark. Father, thank you that you don't give up on us when we fail. Be with us now as we go home. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.