I have been thinking over the last couple of weeks about faithwalks and how each of our journeys unfold uniquely and individually within our own experiences with God. What set this thought track on course was the idea that so many of us only know about a deeper relationship in the Lord based on who they were born to in life. Many people are Baptist, Protestant, Buddhist, Jewish, agnostic, or flat-out atheists, are based on how they were raised, as opposed to who they were introduced to in life.
In other words, why were you, I, or any of the Apostles blessed to have a relationship in and with our Lord, in a world that so often doesn’t know our Lord? And for that matter, why do faithwalks in the Lord unfold the way they do? I know God has a plan, and somehow our God is able to weave His plans and our free will, into a complimentary existence that affords you and me a beautiful life in this reality. Before anyone gets to worried that I’m about to get too deep into the philosophic harmony of anything, let me reassure you… I aint!
It’s just that I was thinking how improbable life unfolds itself at times and I started to think how wonderful life has been in my own case when it easily could have been different. And I think I’m not alone.
Take today’s Message title for instance; Mark’s Bogus Journey, and Faithwalk Found! The Gospel writer John Mark, it is believed was raised on scripture from the Old Testament (that’s all there was). Mark has a story line that weaves itself throughout the New Testament, with a presence in the Gospel, then appearing in Acts of the Apostles, and the epistles of Peter and Paul.
In fact, today’s Call to Worship mentions John Mark, after Paul details his instructions to Timothy about how to minister God’s word to the world and sharing his own journey in the Lord. Reading this time even more from Paul’s letter, 2 Timothy 4:1-11;
1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
*Interrupting Paul only to insert yet another passage from Paul; In his letter to Titus, Paul talks about how the kindness and love of God has saved through His mercy, how to share this gift, and what to avoid from other faithfollowers. Reading, Titus 3:4-9;
4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.
There will always be those who will want to argue law, rules, and pettiness with you, and here are your instructions from Paul’s advice. Now back to today’s Call to Worship and 2 Timothy 4:5;
5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.
Just when you might have been thinking that I had forgotten about today’s example of Mark. A mature Paul admires John Mark enough to ask for his aid towards the end of his career of witnessing, because Mark is helpful to his ministry. At this point, Mark has come a long way from the time Peter visited his mother’s house in Jerusalem after being rescued from Herod by God. Let’s visit this event by Reading Acts 12:11-12, 23-25;
11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”
12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying…
… 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. 24 But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.
25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.
Just like that Mark is actively a part of our Apostle group in Acts, that will witness God’s word to the world at large. In fact, Mark will join Barnabas and Paul on Paul’s first Missionary Journey. Reading from, Acts 13:1-5, 13;
1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 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.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper…
…13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.
Well, that is an abrupt change in plan, and our author, Luke doesn’t explain why Mark has returned home. Luke is so matter of fact at this point, that it seems planned. So what happened? Why did John Mark leave Paul and his uncle Barnabas?
Here is a thought, and that’s all it is. You are charged with reading, studying scripture with your Lord and others and thinking with God for your selves. My thought is that God leaves blanks here and there in scripture, to foster thought on your part as you grow and mature in Him.
In many ways our lives are like Paul, Banaba’s, Silas, Timothy, Titus, Luke, and Mark’s. Full of ups and downs, being right, and wrong, being devout, and lazy. The book Acts, depicts those ups and downs with our own Apostle group, scars and all. We find out more, at the beginning of Paul’s next Missionary Journey in Acts 15:36-40;
36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.
One gets the idea that tempers were at a peek, and a nasty parting of the ways has taken place. Paul believes Mark just up and deserted him and Barnabas on the first trip, and Paul hasn’t forgotten. We don’t know if he has forgiven Mark yet, and left to think about what Paul should in fact do.
What I think important here is that Acts does not record others weighing in on the bruhaha. There is a disagreement, but God’s outreach to the Gentiles will continue in a new and different form for now with Barnabas and Mark going to Cyprus, and Paul and Silas teaming up with others will go to Asia Minor, and Europe, and change the world! God shows us that He can do wonders with the material at hand at any given moment.
The specifics on Mark are not available, but we know that others in the Christian Community had forgiven John Mark, and he will continue to serve and grow in the Lord. So that in time Paul will say latter in His career as we have earlier read from his letter to Timothy, specifically 2 Timothy 4:11;
11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.
We also have the thoughts of Peter, another man of God that Paul has worked with and tangled with in disagreement. Just read for yourselves in Galatians 2:11-21, I’ll just give you a taste with verse 11;
11 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
And on it goes…
Peter was wrong, and perhaps Paul was wrong in the way he approached Peter, and then reported their disagreement. But God gives us this scripture to learn and grow deeper in our service to Him. We also know that Peter and Paul will move on and work in harmony for God’s praise, glorification, and magnification. Just read your Bible to confirm my words. Here in fact are Peter’s words concerning Mark. Reading 1 Peter 5:12-13;
12 With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.
13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.
She who is in Babylon is believed to be the Christian Church in Rome. Babylon was a first century codeword for Rome. God’s Church in Rome was growing and surviving in spite of challenges, and the liabilities inherent with having fallen people in a fallen world serving God by serving others in His name. Being the church!
And so, our Apostles of the first era, Sharing themselves in the first century, went out to stake the Good News about our Lord, Savoir, and God, to a dark and hurting world. No doubt they had in my mind their purpose of sharing God’s Word, and they were armed and equipped with the words of Jesus to His Disciples. Reading from Matthew 10:39-42;
39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.
42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
Thinking that last sentence about children and the helpless, while serving on a Tuesday night Food Pantry, will change everything in your life. All of a sudden, the petty arguments, and nocturnally focused, sleep deprived, disagreements of triviality, don’t seem nearly as important as God’s mission for our lives. The reward…getting to serve Him!
When we freely loose our lives of first world privileges to serve our Lord, we actually discover our true lives in and with Him! You don’t have to die physically, become a martyr, or deprive yourself of health and limb for God to discover your life in Him and His family. The invitation is extended to all the willing, that are looking for a better way. And once you do, what truly is important, suddenly becomes apparent in our lives.
So why did Paul, Peter, Luke, Silas, Barnabas, Titus, Timothy, Mark, and others endure the hardships, deprivations, and disagreements, to share the Gospel of God with the world? Well, we have today’s Message Reading for an answer. Reading from Matthew 28:16-20;
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Because our Lord told us to! Reason enough. Also, when we do, we are following the Great Commission, of our Lord. Oh, and our Lord reassures us that we are never alone, and that He is always with us. Let me say it again. You have never been all alone, and you never will be. Your God, and His family (the Body of Christ), hold each of us as we participate in that commission of sharing the Gospel, until the end of the age, when we will be glorified!
Through fighting, arguments, missteps, arrogance, fear, ineptness, and disagreements, our Lord’s Church, managed to share the Gospel with much of the known world in a short period of time. Through the individual ups and downs, or each member of the Body of Christ, God’s word continues to invest into the world today.
I think its important to remember that regardless of who was right and who was wrong, at any given time, when we seek the best for God’s family the Church, that His will, will pervade through time. With or without any of us, our Lord’s plans will unfold. Making anyone’s; Bogus Journey, and Faithwalk Found, truly a unique experience for us all!
My hope and prayer for you, is that you will have the opportunity to make mistakes (through which we can truly grow from), disagree with others (where we can learn of), and come out the other side as Paul, Peter, and in today’s example Mark, still intact, loving and serving your Lord. And if the Church at large is any example, we will continue to flourish in a world desperate for our message.
Amen!