Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Have you had the great privilege of going back to visit places which were very significant earlier in your life? Maybe a visit back to your childhood hometown? Perhaps as an adult you’ve walked the halls of your childhood school many years later, or maybe you’ve gone back and visited a previous place of employment or a previous church. But have you ever gone back to a place which had a wonderful memory of a powerful spiritual experience, maybe even life changing for you?
Yesterday we witnessed a very disturbing scene as two good friends, who had a strong partnership over several years, and had traveled hundreds of miles together, found themselves in a conversation which should have had exciting potential for a new trip together, yet they found themselves in such deep disagreement they actually parted company!
We’re talking about the famous apostle Paul and Barnabas, and the scene is described for us in Acts 15:36-39. This statement: “Barnabas took John Mark and sailed for Cyprus” is where the story of the book of Acts leaves Barnabas. Barnabas was from the island of Cyprus, and he had led Paul and John Mark there as the first segment of their first missionary journey. (Acts 13:4-12) It would have been familiar territory for Barnabas and John Mark. There were several towns with groups of Christians for them to visit.
From this point on, the book of Acts follows the journeys of Paul. While God was doing great things through Peter, John, Matthew and all the other apostles, both in Jerusalem and their various travels, and we presume God did great things through Barnabas, the story of the book of Acts focuses now on Paul and his journeys.
Acts 15:40 records this statement for Paul as he and Barnabas part ways: “Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia strengthening the churches.” That means Barnabas headed south from Antioch to the coast and by ship to Cyprus. Paul headed north from Antioch, through the region of Syria, then into the province of Cilicia and then west, retracing the road he and Barnabas had traveled on their homeward leg of their first missionary journey together. (Acts 14:21-23)
I can only imagine how often Paul saw a place he and Barnabas may have stopped for a meal or an overnight. Or more significantly, a place where Paul and Barnabas had shared the Gospel and people had responded. Over and over, I presume Paul prayed, asking God to do a refining work in him, freeing him from any future angry outburst as caused his separation from Barnabas, and praying that God would bless Barnabas and John Mark in their travels.
But this was now a new journey for Paul and with a new traveling companion Silas. We don’t know if there was much of a relationship between Paul and Silas before. We know they had met when Paul and Barnabas had gone to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles and Jerusalem church leaders to give a report of their first missionary trip and discuss the legitimacy of the salvation of the Gentiles from the Central Asian towns where Paul and Barnabas had visited. By the way, the region of those towns is today in the nation of Turkey.
Silas had returned to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, and evidently been invited by Paul to join him on this second missionary trip after Barnabas and John Mark had left for Cyprus. As they walked along together, I have no doubt Paul was continually describing to Silas what Paul and Barnabas had experienced a few years earlier on this same road, in these same villages. We can assume Paul was welcomed with great joy each time he arrived at a place he and Barnabas had been a few years before on that first journey, and now Silas was meeting firsthand, the Gentile Christians Paul had described to the Jerusalem council meeting.
As Paul and Silas approached the outskirts of the town of Derbe, I’m sure Paul had wonderful stories to tell, but we have only this brief statement which summarizes Paul’s first visit there with Barnabas a few years before: “They preached the gospel in that city [Derbe] and won a large number of disciples.” (Acts 14:21)
That’s it, but oh I wonder what they found as Paul and Silas walked into Derbe this time, and probably to the very houses where these new Derbe Christians had met with Paul and Barnabas to learn of Jesus. Can you see Paul walking up to the door and knocking, with Silas standing back and watching? Can you see big smiles, shouts of great joy, big bear hugs, quick invitations to come in and sit for a while?
Put yourself in the scene my friends, it shouldn’t be difficult, for I’m sure you’ve had that very same experience many times when you’ve visited old friends you haven’t seen in a while. But I have a question… when you visit old friends, how long does it take before your reminiscing turns spiritual and you talk about Jesus?
For Paul and his dear friends in Derbe, I imagine it took less than one minute, for Jesus was the center of their shared memories. There was little else worth talking about! Weather, politics, sports, the economy…all paled to meaninglessness when compared to talking about Jesus and how Jesus had transformed their lives and their families.
I can’t imagine Paul and Barnabas were in a rush to leave Derbe. I assume they spent at least a week or maybe several, for there would have been so many people to see, and of course news of Paul’s visit would have spread quickly, and the Christians would have gathered, perhaps every evening, asking Paul to teach them more about Jesus, more about the Gospel. And of course, the Derbean Christians would have wanted to know news of Barnabas. Do you remember his name means ‘son of encouragement”? (Acts 4:36)
I have no doubt he was greatly missed at Paul’s side this visit. Can you imagine Paul having to explain that Barnabas was also on a second trip visiting places they had been together before, but I wonder if Paul was honest enough to tell these young believers about the danger of a temper, or the damage of unforgiveness or the albatross a grudge can be? I wonder if God used that harsh separation of those two friends as a powerful teaching point for Paul as he explained why Barnabas was not with him?
Of course, Paul would have been excited to tell these Gentile Christians about the meeting in Jerusalem and how Silas had been part of that meeting and the all-important agreement from the apostles that God accepts ANYONE and EVERYONE, regardless of nationality or background, who trusts Jesus Christ to be their Savior!
And that as the Holy Spirit does His saving, cleansing, life transforming work in any repentant person, they are adopted into God’s family and therefore brothers and sisters, all across the Roman empire! The people of God, the family of God, the church of the resurrected Jesus Christ! Oh friends, can you imagine the wonderful worship celebrations they had together in Derbe during this great visit of Paul, his first major stop on his second missionary journey?
How many times did it happen in those reunion days in Derbe? How many times did one of those people, whom Paul had led to trust Christ, bring to Paul a friend, maybe a whole family who they had led to trust Jesus? The miracle of spiritual reproduction had happened many, many times in Derbe in the months and years since Paul had last been there.
May I ask, have you had that great privilege friends? Have you seen someone you led to Jesus Christ share their excitement with someone else and that person trusts Jesus Christ to be their Savior?
Let’s just pause here in Derbe, watching the celebration of what God has done and I’d like us to pray for that region of Turkey in our day. Turkey is often in the news. Nothing remains of the town of Derbe today, but there are towns and villages in the region. What do they know of Jesus the Christ and the hope of His Gospel? Tomorrow we’ll follow Paul and Silas to their next stop, Lystra, which for Paul had fearful memories of his near-death experience!!
As Paul and Silas and those Derbe Christians worshipped, here’s a worship song that surely would have fit well in those praise gatherings…
Today’s Scripture is Acts 15:40-16:1.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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