Hold on to them
April 17, 2009 (Friday)
We’ve been studying the life of the Apostle Paul on Wednesday nights at our church, and we have reached the point when he decides to go on a second trip to spread the gospel, retracing his steps in the cities he visited the first time.
On the first journey, young John Mark had deserted Paul and Barnabas and had gone back home. As they prepared for this second journey, Barnabas suggested taking John Mark again, but Paul would not allow it. They differed so strongly about it that they parted company. There is no evidence that the two ever saw each other again. This was a very sad moment.
Paul was goal-oriented, but Barnabas was a people person. It was Barnabas’ willingness to look for the good in people that had moved him to help Paul get started in serving the Lord. Because Barnabas wanted to help people, he had stood by Paul when others would not.
Paul’s reputation as a persecutor of Christians stalked him after his conversion. Followers of Jesus were afraid of him, with good cause. Barnabas, however, accepted Paul as a brother, introduced him to leaders in the church, and urged the Christian family to accept Paul as a brother. At a time in his life when Paul had no friends, Barnabas believed in him and was a good friend. It was this very trait that moved Barnabas to give John Mark a second chance.
The bitter separation of Barnabas and Paul was a low moment in the history of the Church. Paul refused to give John Mark a second chance, but the greater tragedy was his forgetting Barnabas’ kindness that had touched his own life. Later in his life, Paul changed his mind about John Mark, but he never had another chance to express his love and appreciation for Barnabas, to whom he was deeply indebted. How sad, indeed.
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A couple of Scriptures about friends:
Ecclesiastes 4:10
If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! (NASB)
Proverbs 17:17:
He who is a friend is always a friend,
and a brother is born for the time of stress.
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Lots of quotes about friends:
http://www.theholidayspot.com/friendship/quotes.htm