Who Has Ever Learned the Lesson of Surprise!
VBC Albuquerque · May 6, 2024
This sermon presents two inevitable aspects of life: mistakes we cause ourselves and unexpected circumstances beyond our plans. Through the story of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15, the preacher shows that even mature and dedicated believers can disagree and part ways. The key lesson is that we must accept the reality that not all conflicts can be fully resolved according to our wishes, yet God uses all circumstances to benefit those who love Him.
The opening section presents the main theme that everyone inevitably encounters two things: mistakes caused by oneself and completely unexpected circumstances beyond our plans. Although everyone desires to act correctly in family, church, and work, our mouths often speak words we should not, and wrong decisions still happen regularly. Unexpected events also continually appear in our lives, sometimes right before we enter the church to worship.
The second section develops this theme through biblical examples, particularly the story of Paul and Barnabas. Paul was a giant in church history, having written at least 13 books of the New Testament and traveled over 13,000 miles to preach the Gospel. Barnabas, whose name means "son of encouragement," was the one who vouched for Paul when no one else trusted him, and later sought Paul out in Tarsus to work together in ministry. Both were mature, wise, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, yet they disagreed about bringing John Mark (Barnabas's cousin) on the second missionary journey because Mark had abandoned the work during the first journey.
The third section analyzes this disagreement deeply. The preacher does not attempt to judge who was right or wrong, but points out that Barnabas wanted to give Mark a second chance, while Paul was concerned about trustworthiness. A famous Bible scholar, A.T. Robertson, observed that reason could agree with Paul but the heart with Barnabas. The preacher emphasizes that God used both directions—Paul with Silas, and Barnabas with Mark—to spread the Gospel. Mark later became a beloved spiritual son of Peter and wrote the Gospel of Mark.
The fourth section applies the message to the congregation's actual life by pointing out that even the early churches had division issues, such as Corinth, Philippi, and Ephesus. Satan uses divisive schemes to destroy church unity. The important lesson is that we must accept that it is rarely possible to completely resolve all conflicts according to our wishes, yet God still uses all circumstances to benefit those who love Him. The preacher encourages the congregation to seek reconciliation but also understand that we can only do our best. The final lesson is to forget what is behind and focus on the present mission in the church.