Image: "Long Road Ahead", 2013, Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Hiway 286, north of Sasabe, Mx in Arizona.
Acts 14:3 Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
Acts 14:14–15 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out 15 and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,
Acts 14:21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,
Acts 14:27 Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
Acts 15:1 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
Acts 15:13–14 And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: 14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.
Acts 15:38–41 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. 39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus; 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
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In 2013 my brother and I decided to visit all the Western National Parks between the Mexican and Canadian borders. I will always treasure the trip though it was not without its challenges. We saw some spectacular sights, visited some quaint little towns, and took thousands of pictures. It was with a real sense of satisfaction that I arrived back home. Paul and Barnabas must have felt an infinitely greater joy when they returned to Antioch.
By all "Kingdom" measures the first missionary journey was an incredible success. By "worldly" standards the "fake news" would have reported that they returned after having been chased out of virtually every city they visited, been stoned, and had left a significant amount of turmoil in their wake. Some would say that it is all a matter of perspective but that doesn't mean all perspectives are equal. God's perspective was that it was a great success... and that's all that matters.
These chapters constitute a real milestone in the progress of Christ's Church. This first organized mission journey resulted in several new churches over a significant range of territory. Think of them as frontier outposts manned by small garrisons of "troops". These churches would be the springboard for other works that would one day fill the entire Roman empire. A new social order had been founded. A society built on the call for all nations to "turn from these useless things (idols) to the living God..." (14:15) Here was a radically new world order being birthed.
It was difficult for everyone to grasp just what was happening. The "Jerusalem Council" meeting recorded in ch. 15 reflects this. The Jewish Christians had a very understandable hesitation. If these new converts did not have to be circumcised then did that not mean that 1500 years of Israelite tradition was rendered meaningless in any meaningful way? This would mean that God must have changed in how His covenant people were to be organized and recognized. It's not easy for any motivated and thoughtful person to essentially cast away his heritage.
So, in God's providence and through the Spirit's deliberate guidance, what we see at the end of chapter 15 is the first vestiges of a structured social order that stands over and outside all others. We see bastions of Christianity, already tempered by difficult opposition and, importantly, under indigenous leadership ("elders", 14:23). We have the founding of a prototype "high-court" in the Jerusalem council that has the critical function of judging "orthodoxy" within the new community. God is a God of order, not chaos, and it is not consistent with His wisdom for His Church to have widely differing fundamental doctrines. There will always be room for some disagreements about relatively minor points, but there is an amazing unity in the core doctrines of the true Church of Jesus Christ. That is one of the key features that distinguish it from pretenders.
Thus there is at the end of ch. 15, a long road ahead of the Church. Troubles and trials still abound, both within and outside its walls. Paul and Barnabas part ways over how to view John Mark's previous departure. The Church will struggle in every age. Truly the Kingdom is built, like Nehemiah's wall, by working with one hand and holding a sword (of truth) in the other. But it is built... and is being built... and will continue to be built. The Master Builder will have His Temple and we are it.
The message of these chapters is very timely at this cusp of a new year. Perhaps it is a good time to pause and ponder the road ahead of us. We need to get our priorities right in one sense. It's one thing to drive along and enjoy the view. It's another thing entirely to recognize that our road leads somewhere... that there is work to do along the way... and that our goal is to come to the end of our journey with more than just memories... we need to bring fruit from our labors.
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