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That's ConnectWithSkip.com. Now, let's get into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. Every time I travel, I think of Paul the Apostle.
Why? Because it's estimated that Paul the Apostle in his lifetime traveled 13,400 miles. He didn't get on an airplane, didn't have a hotel room. He usually went from prison to prison, from city to city. And those were 13,400 what we would call airline miles. Not that he got on an airline, but you just draw a straight line and add up the miles. But if you think of walking that and the circuitous routing of his travels, it was many more miles than 13,400.
And traveling, as I mentioned, can be very exhausting. But for Paul, it was very fruitful. Because he begins on his first missionary journey traveling, seeing what the Lord wanted him to do, and God used him to plant churches. So in 47 AD, there were no churches in the areas that he traveled on his first missionary journey.
Ten years later, 57 AD, there are many. So in ten years, he has planted several churches. On his first missionary journey, Paul traveled, if you remember, I'll just refresh, from Antioch in Syria, and he went to Cyprus. And then from Cyprus, he went north by ship and landed in the area of Galatia. And in Galatia, he went to cities like Lystra, Derby, Iconium, Perga of Pamphylia, and then he went back to Antioch. Now he's going to begin his second missionary journey, and his desire is to go back over all of those areas on his first trip, and just see how those believers are doing. You know, he went there and he did evangelism, and it was very successful.
He was very controversial, but he had great results. So now it's time to go back, he thinks, and visit those people who responded on the first trip, see how they're doing. That's where we left off at the end of chapter 15, around verse 36. But Paul has started, in ten years, churches in four Roman provinces. The province of Galatia, which we covered in the first trip, and I just mentioned. The province of Macedonia, where he's going to go in chapter 16, the province of Achaea, and the province of what was called back then Asia, not modern-day Asia, Asia, which was a part of what we would know as Asia Minor.
So in four Roman provinces, churches are established. It's time to go back. And in going back, he talks to his buddy, his friend, his colleague in ministry, Barnabas, but we know him better, so we just call him Barney by now.
He says, Barney, we ought to go back and just see how those brethren are faring. So they both agreed. They agreed on the mission. They agreed on the action. The mission of the team, they both agreed on.
The composition of the team, they didn't agree on. And the problem was over the cousin of Barnabas named John Marks. If you remember back in chapter 13, verse 13 of that chapter, it says that, when they were at Perga of Pamphylia, John Mark, Barnabas' cousin, departed from them and went back to Jerusalem. Evidently, Paul did not take kindly to his returning home. He saw it as a failure.
He saw it as a weakness. Barnabas, however, did not. You got to understand Barnabas is Mr. Encouragement. Paul isn't so encouraging.
Well, let's just refresh our memories. Verse 36. Then after some days, Paul said to Barnabas, let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they're doing. Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark. 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.
He didn't finish out the work that they had set out to do in the first trip. Then, verse 39, the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark, sailed to Cyprus. Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. And he went through the area of Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Now notice the language in the verses that we have covered.
Notice that in verse 37, it says Barnabas was determined. He made up his mind. He's bringing his cousin John Mark again. We're going to call for him. He's in Jerusalem.
I want him to go with us again. He was determined. He put his foot down. Now notice verse 38. Strong language with Paul the Apostle. It says, but Paul insisted.
So one is determined, the other insisted. And then, verse 39, then the contention. Now that word contention is an interesting word. The Greek word is paroxysmos, where we get the English word paroxysm, which is like to have a fit, a heated argument, a divisive, confrontive disagreement. A split was inevitable, a paroxysm, an angry argument that led to a split.
It's a very, very strong word. Now I can just imagine the conversation. Barney, let's go back. Barney says, great. I'll call for John Mark.
Oh, no, you won't. We tried that already. It was your idea to bring him on the first trip. I'm not interested in bringing him. He didn't finish the task. He's a featherweight.
He's a lightweight. Oh, come on, Paul. Give him another chance. If you remember, I, Barnabas, gave you a chance. I was the one who stood by you when the Church of Jerusalem wanted nothing to do with you. I stood up for you. Doesn't matter.
He's not coming. And evidently, they couldn't agree, so they agreed to disagree and go in two different directions. Now people often ask, well, who was right?
And we like to say, well, Paul is right, because after all, it's Paul the apostle. My view is that both are right. You say, well, what a shame they divided from one another. Well, you could look at it as a shame, or you could look at it as a victory. Now God has two teams, not one. Now they can cover more ground. Okay, they disagree. That's okay.
Why? Because later on, at the end of Paul's life, he will write something very interesting to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 4. He said, only Luke stood with me, Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. When you come, bring Mark with you also, for he is useful to me for the ministry.
So now, at the end of Paul's journey, he admits how useful John Mark has become to him in doing some form of ministry on his team. So a division has caused a split. Now there are two teams. Why the split? Because you have two different leadership styles going on.
And I just want you to make note of this. It's not that one is bad and the other is good. They're just both different. You see, Paul looked at a person and he asked a question. What can that person do for the work of God? Barnabas, when he looked at a person, said, what can the work of God do for that person? Two different ways of doing ministry. Both are okay.
Both fit different tasks. So for Barnabas, he was a rehabilitator. He was the son of encouragement.
That's how he got his name. He had this personality of finding people who were broken and made a mistake and he would stick up for them and stand up for them and get them going again. And Paul thought, okay, thank you for doing that for me and that was okay then, but on these missionary journeys, I can't afford that. We have a higher calling.
We have a task to do. What can this person do for the work of God? For Paul, church wasn't a parking lot. It was a launching pad. For Barnabas, church was more of a parking lot, rehabilitation. Got to get these people whole, get them going, give them a second chance. All of those ideas are correct.
It just depends on the task. And so God, in His grace, in His wisdom, now has two teams. One to go to Cyprus, where Barnabas is from. Barney owns land there, sold land, gave it to the apostles in the early part of the Book of Acts, so he's familiar with it.
They had been there on the first journey, so they're going to go cover Cyprus. Paul and another partner are going to go back over to the area that Paul and Barnabas first went on. So verse 1, chapter 16. Then he came to Derbe and Lystra.
Do you remember those two towns from previous studies in the Book of Acts? Derbe and Lystra were not kind to Paul. Paul got stoned there. I don't mean he got loaded there, didn't get high there. They stoned him there. Paul wasn't like getting stoned. They threw rocks at him and thought he was dead. So they go back over to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed.
But his father was a Greek. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we get back to Skip's teaching, we want to help you learn more about God's radical love for all people by sending you four booklets by Skip Heitzig that will encourage you in God's abounding love and challenge you to love even the unlovable, just like Jesus did. This resource is our thanks for your gift of at least $50 today to help share solid biblical teaching with more people around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig.
Go to connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888 and request your copies when you give at least $50 today to reach people around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig. Now, let's continue with today's teaching from Pastor Skip. Now, we know her name, don't we? It's not mentioned here, but in 2 Timothy 1, Paul writes her name. Lois was the mother of Timothy. And we know his grandmother's name.
Anybody remember? Eunice. Eunice and Lois. Both Jewish women, messianic believers, believed that Yeshua was the Jewish Messiah, Jesus was the Messiah.
But it was a mixed marriage. You have a Jewish now believer and an unbelieving Greek father. But it mentions Timothy. And it says he was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on with him and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region.
For they all knew that his father was Greek. And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep which were determined by the apostles and the elders at Jerusalem. And so the churches were strengthened in faith and increased in number daily. Now, do you remember the decrees from Jerusalem?
I know it's been a few weeks since we've been in Acts. But do you recall that they were able to boil them down and say, look, tell the Gentiles that you don't have to keep the laws of Moses to be saved. You don't have to be circumcised to be saved. You just have to abstain from blood, from things sacrificed to idols, and from fornication. If you do these things, you do well. Farewell.
Very easy. They didn't want to lay a burden on them, as Peter said, that we nor our fathers were ever able to bear. So they delivered the decrees that were given by the Jerusalem church. And it's interesting that in the decree, it was to answer the question of must a person be circumcised to be saved. And yet, Paul takes Timothy, and what does he do with him? Circumcises him. Now, we wonder why. If you answered the question of circumcision in chapter 15, and you're not telling people to be circumcised to be saved, why on earth are you going to have Timothy circumcised?
Very easy answer. And the answer is in your Bible, right there in your text. It says in verse 3, he took him and circumcised him.
What does it say after that? Because of the Jews. For they all knew that his father was a Greek. One translation says, and it would be better understood if you translated it this way, he circumcised him out of consideration for the Jews. You see, Paul didn't want to make circumcision an issue when witnessing to Jewish people. It's like, if I have to get into this conversation and explain why this person isn't circumcised, because that's the only question that's on their minds. They know his background, Timothy's background. They know his dad is an unbeliever, and chances are he's not circumcised.
It's going to be an impediment to preaching to the Jewish people. It's just like I have a friend in Israel. I met with him this time for a couple hours on this trip. He owns a tour company there, the one that we used in the country. He's a Jewish believer. His father started the first Messianic synagogue in modern Israel.
Way back in the 40s, the late 40s, early 50s. First Messianic synagogue, first set of Messianic believers in modern Israel. His son, this friend of mine, keeps kosher law. And I said, Sammy, why do you do that? He goes, just because now it's not an issue. When I witness to Jewish friends, if they see me not keeping kosher law, it's such an impediment to them that I make it not an impediment. Now it's not an issue.
Now they'll listen to me. So to remove the roadblock, it's like what Paul said. I become all things to all men that I might by all means save some. To the Jew, I become a Jew. To the Greek, I become as a Greek.
And so to remove that from his inroad with them, it was really an act of consideration for them. He had Timothy circumcised. But the verses introduce us to Timothy here, whom Paul will now take on his second missionary journey. If you know much about Timothy, you know that Timothy became Paul's protege.
He was called by Paul, my son in the faith, my true son in the faith. 26 times in Paul's writings, Paul mentions Timothy. In six different letters, when Paul writes the letter, he writes it not just from Paul, but from Paul and Timothy. Timothy became very important to Paul. Paul took him on his second missionary journey, which begins here.
Later on, when Paul goes to Jerusalem with an offering of money, a financial offering that the Gentile believers took for the poor, struggling church in Jerusalem, Timothy went on that trip. And much later on, Paul will tell Timothy to go to Ephesus, a place where he spent a few years himself getting a church started and teaching them. He's going to send Timothy to Ephesus to pastor the church.
And his job will be to teach correct doctrine, to raise up good leadership, to confront false teachers, set them straight, get them out of the church if need be. And in all those cases, Timothy proved faithful. So much so, that later on, when Paul writes his book of Philippians, he's going to visit Philippi in this chapter. He's going to say, for I have no one who is like-minded as Timothy.
Esapsoukas is the Greek word, means like-minded. Equal-sold, we track, we're on the same wavelength. He values what I value, he's a true son in the faith. So Timothy, from this point on, becomes very, very valuable to Paul the Apostle. Interesting thing about Paul, he reached into the younger generation. And he seems on his journeys, as part of the makeup of his team, to have younger men with him.
On the first trip, it was John Mark, not so much on the second trip. But on the second trip, as if to replace that zeal that maybe John Mark had initially, he brings Timothy, okay, he's got a good reputation, well-spoken of, very energetic, very zealous. I'm going to train him. I'm going to take him under my wing. I'm going to instill my principles into the next generation. Why?
Because he knew that's the future. And I'm always on the lookout for young men with that fire in their eyes to do ministry. And when I find one who really, really, really wants to serve the Lord no matter what, that's worth investing in. Because you want to make sure that you're going to have those people who are going to carry on the ministry when they carry you out. And Timothy will do that, one of his young men, for Saul of Tarsus, or for Paul the Apostle.
So what does that mean? It means that for the next few years, in all of the cities he's going to visit, Timothy will be able to listen as Paul preaches sermons. He'll be with Paul as he has individual conversations with people. He'll be with Paul when he's in the synagogue arguing with people about Judaism, faith versus grace versus works, et cetera.
And in all of that, it's going to shape him. It's not so much his preaching as much as following his lifestyle and being around him for such a long period of time. He's going to get and impart, have imparted to him those values of Paul. Somebody once said that ministry is more caught than it is taught. You can teach a person classes on theology and teach them all sorts of head knowledge, but to just be able to observe someone's life up close like Timothy did with Paul is tremendous. Howard Hendricks, who is now in heaven, once wrote that every Christian, every disciple, every follower of Christ needs three relationships.
You grade yourself as to how you're doing on these. He said everybody needs a Paul, some mentor, someone who inspires their faith, meets with them regularly, semi-regularly, inspires them in the things of the faith. Then he said everybody needs a Barnabas because we all need encouragement. You feel down, I'm not going to make it, I quit, the Lord can't use me anymore. I need somebody to go, oh yes he can.
Let's get up and try it again. But then Hendricks said everybody needs a Timothy. That person that they can pour their life into, pour themselves into, and help shape their future.
So evaluate how you're doing in those three relationships. Who's your Paul, your Barnabas, your Timothy? And it says in verse five, so the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily. Now when they had gone through Phogea and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.
So get the picture here. They are moving from the east to the west. And as they move from the east to the west, they're evaluating where to take the gospel next. So they attempt to go south. That would be the area at this time of Ephesus, Colossae, Sardis, Smyrna. It's an area of what's today modern day Turkey.
I've been to those places. But they met resistance. They were unsuccessful.
Luke writes, the Holy Spirit didn't let them. We're glad you listened today and hope you've been strengthened in your walk with Jesus. Before we let you go, we want to remind you about this month's resource, the Jesus Loves Them bundle, which comes as thanks for your support of Connect with Skip Heitzig today. Request your bundle when you call and give 800-922-1888.
That's 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. We'll see you next time for more verse by verse teaching of God's word here on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Make a connection. Make a connection at the foot of the cross.
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