Read: Open-Minded or Closed-Minded?

Overview (Acts 15:36-41)

After their first missionary journey, Paul suggested he and Barnabas visit the churches they established. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them again, but Paul did not think this was wise since John Mark deserted them on the first trip. Unable to agree, the two parted. Paul recruited Silas and left Antioch (in Syria). As he went, he encouraged the churches he had previously established.

Timothy Joins Paul on His Journey (Acts 16:1-5)

As Paul traveled, he discovered that the new churches grew stronger and made new converts. Among other places, Paul returned to the city where the inhabitants offered him sacrifices. There, he found a young Christian, Timothy. The disciples in the region spoke highly of Timothy, so Paul took him on his journey.

Guided by the Spirit (Acts 16:6-10)

Paul and his companions trusted the Holy Spirit to guide them when they planned their route. Sometimes the Holy Spirit kept them from sharing the message in one province so they would travel through another. One night, Paul saw a vision. In it, Paul saw a man from Macedonia who was begging, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” Concluding that God wanted them there, Paul and his companions abandoned their route and sailed to Macedonia.

Lydia and a Slave Girl in Philippi (Acts 16:11-40)

Paul arrived in Philippi, the principal city of Macedonia. Since few Jews lived there, Paul found no synagogue. Instead, Paul and his companions went to the riverside, where people gathered to pray. Among the people, there was Lydia. She was a Gentile who was a dealer in expensive purple cloth. After listening to Paul’s message about Jesus, she was baptized with her household.

Another person Paul met in Philippi was a demon-possessed enslaved girl whose skill as a fortune-teller made lucrative profits for her enslavers. This girl followed Paul, saying, “These men are servants of the highest God, and they are bringing you news of a way to salvation.” After several days, Paul told the evil spirit to leave, and she was healed. Her enslavers couldn’t profit by fortune-telling. Angry, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities, complaining, “These men are teaching customs against Roman law.” The city officials had the Christians beaten and imprisoned, giving strict orders to the jailer to keep them secure.

By midnight, the disciples prayed and sang to God. Suddenly, a violent earthquake shook the jail, flinging open the doors. Roused from sleep, the jailer saw the open doors. Assuming the prisoners escaped, he drew his sword to kill himself. Paul called out loudly, “Don’t harm yourself; we are all here.” The jailer asked Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” After the jailer washed their wounds, he and his household were baptized.

The next day, the city officials sent an order to release Paul and Silas from prison. However, Paul answered, “They have flogged us in public without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and they have put us in prison, and now they are sending us out secretly! Absolutely not! Let those officials come and take us out of prison themselves.” The officials became alarmed when they heard Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. The city officials met Paul and his companions at the prison to appease them, escorting them. When Paul and Silas left the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, encouraged the disciples there, and left the city.

Believers in Berea (Acts 17:1-15)

Paul spent weeks in one city where he reasoned in the synagogue that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah. As in other places, after many believed, the Jewish leaders stirred a mob against the missionaries. That night, Paul and Silas left for Berea. In contrast to the last city, people were open-minded when Paul shared about Jesus in the synagogue. They listened to Paul’s message carefully. These Jews examined their scriptures daily to see if what Paul said were true. As a result, many became followers of Jesus. When the Jewish leaders discovered Paul was sharing his message in a new place, they followed Paul to stir trouble. Worried about his safety, the disciples escorted Paul from Macedonia. As he left, Paul told Silas and Timothy to join him in Athens quickly.

Paul's Sermon at the Areopagus in Athens About the "Unknown God" (Acts 17:16-18:22)

In Athens, Paul walked around and became distressed at how many idols were there. In particular, one altar’s dedication read, “To the unknown god.” Ancient Athens was known for its many philosophers, who studied and discussed knowledge, existence, wisdom, and values. Athenians loved listening to and talking about the latest ideas. Although some scoffed at Paul’s message, others listened. Paul claimed Jesus was raised from the dead, which interested them. The resurrection was a novel idea, so they took him to the Areopagus, where new concepts were explained and debated. He brought strange ideas, and they wanted to know more.

Paul stood in the Areopagus and said, “People of Athens, I see you are very religious. As I walked around and saw your sacred altars, I saw an altar labeled, ‘To an Unknown God.’ I am now going to introduce to you this unknown god who you worship.” Paul explained that God made the world and everything in it, including all people. He told them God was not made of gold, silver, or stone like the Greek gods. Instead, God gave everything life since he was the creator. When Paul told them about Jesus’s resurrection, some scoffed. Others said, “We want to hear from you again on this subject.” Others decided to follow Jesus. After a few more stops, Paul and his traveling companions returned to Antioch.

Expand: A Disagreement that Ended Well

Although disagreement erupted between Paul and Barnabas about whether or not to take John Mark, looking years ahead, there appeared to be no lasting animosity among the three men from this argument.

Who Was John Mark?

John Mark was sometimes referred to as John (his Jewish name), and sometimes by Mark (his Greek name). Therefore, to distinguish him from other Johns in scripture, he is referred to as John Mark. He was Barnabas’s cousin (Colossians 4:10), which may be why Barnabas was sympathetic to him and disagreed with Paul about not taking him along on a second missionary journey. John Mark is the author of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament and eventually became closely associated with the Apostle Peter.

The Disagreement: Ending Well

Although Paul and Barnabas went separate ways on their second missionary journeys, the Bible indicates that this disagreement did not cause lasting animosity. In one of Paul’s letters to the Corinthian church in the following years, he spoke of Barnabas and his ministry respectfully. In future years, Paul and John Mark worked together. While Paul was in prison, he wrote letters that indicated that John Mark was with him. Finally, towards the end of his life, Paul requested Mark’s company in a letter to Timothy.

Even though Paul and Barnabas disagreed over the details of a mission, they didn’t allow this to inhibit the spread of the Gospel from going forward. They maintained the same goal: sharing the news of Jesus with those who hadn’t heard it and strengthening the disciples who had their message. Furthermore, they refused to stay angry with each other and mended their relationship for the sake of working on the same team.

Module 10 Lesson 3 of 4