from 15.7.17
Personal Matters
Christians always seem to be divided. Quite independently two folk recently sent me an article about Hillsong which claimed, “Houston has single-handedly destroyed Christianity in Australia”. The writers of such articles seem not to grasp the New Testament’s repeated exhortation, “make every effort to…to do what leads to peace….to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace….to live in peace with everyone….to be found at peace…” (Rom 14:19; Eph 4:3; Heb 12:14; 1 Pet 3:14 N.IV.). Peace between Christian brothers and sisters is a great biblical imperative. We love Psalm 133; “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity….For there the Lord commands his blessing, even life for evermore.”, but I am familiar with numerous church splits in our city, including one involving me! Let alone the disagreement between Luther and Zwingli which divided the Reformation, the Wesley Whitefield fall out and the clash between Evan Roberts and a fellow pastor signaling the collapse of the Welsh revival etc. But it was the division between two of the giants of the early Church, Paul and Barnabas, which drew our prayerful attention.
Person and Work
The global reach of the gospel was initiated through their joint call; “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”” (Acts 13:2). After various shared sufferings on their successful missionary journey they returned to home base and we read; “Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord…” Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other.” (Acts 15:36-39). That Acts records Paul was “commended…to the grace of the Lord” on his second missionary journey but omits further reference to Barnabas indicates that Paul was in the right (Acts 15:40). This separation was not about personalities but a matter of faithfulness to “the work” of gospel ministry, a central priority for Paul (1 Cor 15:58; 16:10; Eph 4:12; Phil 3:20; 2 Tim 4:5). Paul judged Mark unfavourably because he had been unfaithful in “the work”. Paul and Barnabas had happily suffered together in the cause of “the work” but were unwilling to struggle together as one to a point of resolution over the person of Mark. When the distinction between person and work is not discerned division is predictable. E.g., when a son succeeds his father as senior pastor because he is the “natural” successor strife often follows because person has been elevated above the work of ministry. Historically, division seems to concentrate around a person above the work e.g. John Mark, Luther, Calvin, Arminius, Brian Houston. From this error Jesus can deliver us.
Undivided
The issue of the relationship between who a person is and the work they do leads us into the infinite depths of the Incarnation. In Jesus, Person and Work are indivisible. This is his own judgement; “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.” (John 14:11). Jesus saw his life-work in terms of one great overriding goal; “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:1-3). The glory of the Father was the work of the Son. As such Jesus could withhold judgement about persons whilst on earth awaiting the time when glorified through suffering he would share in the Father’s flawless judgment (John 5:22-23; 8:15-16; 12:47-50). The perfect unity of Father and Son is the undivided relationship of person-and -work in which we are called to share (John 10:30; 17:11, 21). If Father and Son are essentially one in being and doing what sense can we make then of Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane and his cry of dereliction from the cross, ““if it be possible, let this cup pass from me…why have you forsaken me?”” (Matt 26:39; Mark 15:34)? What these two prayers share in common is Christ’s holy fear of being separated from his Father (Isa 11:3). This split is something the Son does experience on the cross, but as it is contained within the will of God his person-and-work remain united with the Father. The revelation of uncorrupted unity is Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (Isa 53:10-12). The fear of the Lord holds everything together (2 Cor 7:1).
The Same Judgement
Paul appeals to the divided church in Corinth; “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” (1 Cor 1:10). In the Spirit of unity this must be a share in the one judgement of Father and Son concerning the death-and-resurrection of Christ; the consummation of the work of God (Eph 4:3). As the glory of the Father was the goal of Christ’s life-work it must also be the arbitration point in any disagreement between two Christian parties. This requires a suspension of personal judging. Paul is in the right in the case of John Mark because like Jesus he awaits the judgement of the End, “it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court….I do not even judge myself.” (1 Cor 4:3). Barnabas however, and multitudes of godly men and women after him, have elevated the judgement of their own conscience above their brother and so have destroyed the unity of “the work” of God (Acts 11:24; Rom 14:3ff). The raising up of “lofty opinions” over our brothers and sisters sets us up for a divine judgment that wreaks division (2 Cor 10:3-5). Such self-exaltation shares in Satan’s character and repeatedly hands him victory in the course of the history of the Church (Isa 14:3-14).
The Fear of the Lord
Many are praying for revival but an imminent outpouring of the Spirit would witness a fragmentation of the Body. Only when the cross is moved to the centre of our minds supplanting our conscience’s judgement of others can the Spirit bring an alignment in “the work” and the supernatural unity of the Church be preserved (Rom 9:1-2). For this to happen requires a form of sharing in Christ’s passion few desire, sharing his holy fear. As Christ’s fear kept him unified with the Father so Paul testifies; “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience….work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God whoworks in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (2 Cor 5:10-1; Phil 2:12-13). Holy fear gives us insight into the End, when we will amazingly discover that despite all the judging in the Church in Christ all the thrones of judgment we are seated on are set on the same level (Luke 22:30; Rev 20:4).
Conclusion
At the end of our prayer time I felt extremely sobered. Is division among godly folk inevitable? “No!” If Barnabas had joined with Paul in holding to a godly fear that discerned the Spirit’s judgement in relation to Mark and the primacy of “the work” of the gospel unity would have been preserved. What though of us? How does such a judgement apply in your life for the sake of the gospel? May the kind Lord assist us to “make every effort” to be at peace with everyone for the sake of his glory. Amen.