God Can Draw A Straight Line With A Crooked Stick (Acts 15:30-16:5)
We are going to be focusing in on two different things that work hand in hand as we go forth and carry the gospel to a lost and dying world. And here it is.
God is in complete control, therefore He can and does use flawed individuals to grow the Kingdom. Or, as you’ve likely heard it said, “God can draw a straight line with a crooked stick.”
Those two things go hand in hand. And we will see both of them in our text today.
As Christians we have to understand that God uses flawed individuals. And He does so regularly. If He did not, then there would be no hope for our own usefulness.
I know that I am incredibly flawed. And I know that I am doing my work for the Lord trusting that He can and does use people despite that fact.
We get to see this in Acts 15 today.
Paul and Barnabas have spent a lot of time together and been rather close in their relationship with one another. That tends to happen when a person has been through tough times with someone else. But we see the fracturing of this incredible relationship at the end of Acts 15.
As we look back at their relationship, it would seem that Paul owes a lot to Barnabas. He had vouched for Paul to the disciples over 10 years ago (Acts 9:27). Since that time, they had done much together. They had been persecuted together. They had been in some very close scrapes together. They had taken the gospel to the Gentile world together. But there was a problem that began to show up before this moment.
The first hint of a problem comes to us from the Book of Galatians. Here we find out that Barnabas was led astray by Peter’s behavior when the circumcisers were telling everyone that they must be circumcised in order to be saved (Galatians 2:13, Acts 15:1-2). Peter didn’t completely align himself with them, but he began avoiding the Gentile believers. Paul confronted him. And Peter’s mind was changed. We know this because of the testimony he gave at the beginning of Acts 15. We can safely assume that Barnabs’s mind was changed as well. And so, all should be well. But then something else happened.
Barnabas wanted Mark to go with him and Paul on this second journey. Mark was Barnabas’s cousin (Colossians 4:10). But Mark had already accompanied Paul and Barnabas on one missionary journey and fled them in the middle of the work (Acts 13:13). And now, Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them on a second journey. Paul was unwilling to allow Mark to accompany them a second time.
In Paul’s mind, Barnabas’s cousin had already shown himself unworthy of the task. And he abandoned them in such a way that made Paul believe Mark was unreliable. This happened to them just a few years ago. And that abandonment in the middle of the mission was still remembered.
We are not told the exact nature of the argument. We do know that a “sharp disagreement” in which both parties part ways is no small matter.
When we consider everything that took place here, we are saddened. Paul and Barnabas, who had done so much together and worked so well together, now parted over whether Mark should come.
But when we consider what God did in this, we see something beautiful as well.
God used this sad ordeal to double the mission. Barnabas went with Mark to Cyprus and Paul took another man, Silas through Syria. And when Paul made it to Lystra, he picked up another young man, Timothy.
Here is what I want you to see through all of this. God is in control. And he can and will use flawed individuals to carry out His mission.
This is incredibly good news for us. For if this were not the case, then there would be no hope for God using us.
Read Acts 15:30-16:5
God Uses Sinners To Proclaim The Gospel
Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed that they were humans when the people of Lystra attempted to worship them (Acts 14:15). And they proved that this was the case in this moment. But God was with them.
We don’t know enough about this fight to say who was in the right or the wrong. But the fact that they separated in this way tells us that both likely bear some guilt in the matter. But God still used them for the spread of the gospel.
It is important that we take note of something here. God doubled the places and more than doubled the missionaries. God can draw a straight line with a crooked stick.
I don’t want to be misunderstood here. Paul and Barnabas lived righteously. They were righteous men that stood for the cause of righteousness time and time again.
They faithfully preached the gospel in terribly difficult circumstances. Their lives were upstanding.
But they were, like us, humans stained with the taint of sin.
God created us upright, holy and righteous. But we rebelled against Him. And because of our first parents’ disobedience, we are now sinful and rebellious at heart. By nature, we rebel against God. emphasize the sinfulness of mankind. We have earned for ourselves God’s righteous judgment. But He did make a way of escape. He sent His Son to redeem sinful humanity. He sent His Son to accomplish our redemption. God the Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us. He lived a perfect life and accomplished all righteousness that we should’ve done ourselves. And He died on the cross, taking upon Himself our punishment for sin. He then rose from the grave for our right standing with God. And all those that trust in Him will be brought to God. They are brought into God’s family and forgiven of their sin. They have eternal life.
But they still make mistakes. Paul still made mistakes as well. Paul admitted as much.
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:14-24 ESV)
Every one of us sitting here today can understand that sentiment. We feel the inner turmoil as we fight against sin and temptation, and sometimes lose.
Now, as discouraging as this is, in some aspects, it is very encouraging in another.
God has chosen to use us to declare the gospel to the nations.
You are sinful.
You are not worthy of being included in the mission. None of us are.
Btu God uses us, sinful creatures though we may be, to declare the fame of His great name to the nations.
Have you lived poorly in your past life and feel that you can’t be used?
Let Paul and Barnabas make you set those thoughts aside. You are not worthy, but God will use you anyway.
We are commanded to live righteously, so I don’t want you to leave here thinking you can live rebellious against God.
But I also want you to leave here today confident that by God’s grace you will be used by Him.
This is nothing new. We’ve seen this repeatedly in the Scriptures.
Abraham was often weak in faith and lied out of fear. He would argue it was a half truth, but you get the point. A couple of times his weakness endangered his wife. But God used him in a mighty way.
Moses murdered an Egyptian and fled. But God used him to bring the people out of Israel.
Gideon was fearful, but God used him to save God’s people in the Book of Judges.
David committed adultery and then had a man murdered to cover it up.
Peter denied Christ as he was pressured by a little girl.
And Paul murdered Christians before he became a believer. And here, he likely let his temper get the better of him.
And God used these people.
They all repented and followed the Lord, but their flaws were evident.
Let stories like this one really sink in. Understand that the God of the Universe really can hit a straight lick with a crooked stick, as it has sometimes been said. And go out there and profess Christ to those around us.
You are not perfect. You have sinned. And god can still use you for the growth of His Kingdom.
And here is another thing that has maybe not been considered by you just yet. God used the fight for the good of His Kingdom.
God is in control when bad things happen. And somehow God uses all things for His glory and the ultimate good of His people.
In this case, the controversy doubled the locations the gospel would go.
And it more than doubled the number of people that were taking it forth!
Again, as the title of the sermon states. God can draw a straight line with a crooked stick.
God Uses Sinners To Disciple Others
Paul and Barnabas, who were involved in this fight, both go their separate ways. And both take people with them. Both disciple people for their roles in the leadership of the church along the way. Let’s look at what happened because of this fight.
Barnabas took Mark with him. Mark developed into the type of person Barnabas thought mark could be. And this is proven by Mark’s later life. But Paul was not willing to give Mark another chance.
We don’t know when it happened, but at some point Paul and Mark reconciled. We only know this because of what Paul writes about Mark at the end of Paul’s life.
“Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:11 ESV)
So, let’s look a little at Mark’s life.
We know that Mark was eventually closely disciple by Peter. He was so close to Peter that Peter called Mark his son (1 Peter 5:13). It is Mark who followed peter around, was told about Jesus’s life from Peter, and wrote the Gospel of Mark.
Mark was a missionary with both Barnabas and Peter. And he was a faithful witness to Christ and leader in the Church until his death. He was killed by Egyptians who were unhappy about the many converts to Christ he’d made in Alexandria. Mark, who’d abandoned Paul and Barnabas when things got tough on their missionary journey was later courageous all the way to death.
“Mark was therefore seized, his feet were tied together, and he was dragged through the streets, and left bruised and bleeding in a dungeon all night. The next day they burned his body. His bones were afterward gathered up by the Christians, decently interred…” Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Moody Press, 1985 p. 29
Many people heard Mark preach the gospel and were converted. And that may not have happened had Paul and Barnabas left on their journey together.
How many people do you think have heard or read the Gospel of Mark?
Timothy is another person that might not have been in the picture had Paul and Barnabas stayed together.
Timothy accompanied Paul a lot. And at one point was left behind to strengthen churches. He would later go with Paul to Corinth and Ephesus (Acts 19:22, 1 Corinthians 16:10-11). At times Timothy even represented Paul to other churches (1 Corinthians 4:17, Philippians 2:19, 1 Timothy 1:3). And he was with Paul when 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon were written.
It is said that he pastored the Church at Ephesus until the year 97 when he got into a scrape with the pagans.
“At this time the heathen were about to celebrate a feast, the principal ceremonies of which were that people should carry wands in their hands, go masked, and bear about the streets the images of their gods. When Timothy met the procession, he reproved them for their idolatry, which so angered them that they fell upon him with their sticks, and beat him in so dreadful a manner that he died of the bruises two days after.” Ibid p. 51
He was faithful to lead the Church until he died.
It is very possible that we would not have 1 & 2 Timothy if not for the fight between Paul and Barnabas and he would likely never had been the leader in the Church that he was.
Lastly, we don’t really know a lot about Silas outside of his journeys with Paul in the Book of Acts. His influence must have been widespread because Peter called him “a faithful brother” (1 Peter 5:12). And I think it’s safe that we assume that he was also a faithful leader in the Church.
Why was Silas with Paul? Silas was chosen to go with Paul because Paul and Barnabas went their separate ways.
There are two things to note here.
First, I want you to see that you can make disciples.
That’s what Paul and Barnabas are doing. They are training people by doing ministry with them. They were multiplying laborers by being with them through this process.
They learned how to preach while preaching with Paul and Barnabas.
They learned how to behave with the locals while doing so with Paul and Barnabas.
That is something that you can and should be doing.
As this church grows, I will be looking to you to bring people under your wings, to bring them along and help them understand how to live faithfully in this life for the Lord.
And, let this encourage you. You need to be striving for righteousness so that others can imitate your life. But you’re not perfect, and that’s okay.
God uses imperfect people to make disciples.
And the second thing we get from all this is confidence in God who is overseeing all things.
God’s plans were not thwarted because of Paul and Barnabas’s fight. In fact, God so oversaw the entire affair that whatever sins were committed ended up working for His glory and honor. In this case, the sins led to the growth of major leaders in the Church and the expansion of God’s Kingdom.
God Is In Control, And That Gives Us Confidence
How do we, as imperfect as we are, have confidence that we can go forth with the gospel and be faithful and effective?
Because God is in control.
Our mistakes don’t thwart God’s plans. And neither do the mistakes of other people. Even outright sin and animosity does not thwart God’s plan.
I would like to illustrate this with the life of Joseph.
When Joseph’s brothers threw him into a well, he was enslaved, accused of wrongdoing, and imprisoned. And through it all, God eventually made him second in command of Egypt so that he was in a position he could save the people of Israel.
After Joseph’s father died, his brothers thought that he was going to get his revenge on them. They approached him to talk to him about it. But notice what Joseph said to them.
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Genesis 50:20 ESV)
God knew, in eternity past, that you would be here today at this church. It was part of His plan. And what happens according to His plan?
“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,” (Ephesians 1:11 ESV)
God is not surprised by anything that takes place. He is still in control. He’s in control when you live righteously. And He’s in control when you sin. He has always been in control.
Last week Elon Musk said,
“Unless there is more bravery to stand up for what is fair and right, Christianity will perish.”
Now, I believe we should stand up for what is truly fair and right. But I do not believe Christianity stands or falls based on my actions.
It stands because Christ will make it stand.
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18 ESV)
Our personal actions matter and make a difference.
Pastors can sin in such a way that they are forever disqualified from ministry.
Church members can sin and receive discipline from their church because of it.
And our actions out in the world can move an individual’s heart closer or further away from Christ.
“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:5-6 ESV)
But, even though all these things are true, in the end we must say that it is Christ who builds His Church. And He uses imperfect people to do so.
Walk in righteousness. Walk in wisdom. Be a light to a lost and dying world. Do all these things.
But know that we all sin. And because God is in control, He can draw a straight line with a crooked stick.
R. Dwain Minor