Bible Reading: Job 40-42. Acts 15:22-41
“And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;” Acts 15:39 (KJV)
Contention is defined as heated disagreement that results from opposing arguments. Such arguments sometimes occur among brethren because the way some do things may run counter to the way others do theirs. There are often personality clashes in local churches. It is however important that you learn to deal with such situations for a number of reasons. First, it’s a commandment of God. Jesus said in Mark 12:31 (KJV), “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” And this is further linked to the first commandment by Apostle John in 1 John 4:20 (KJV), “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” Secondly, Jesus talked about Christian unity (John 17:22-23). This is key as some Christians have even left the faith on account of clashes with fellow Christians!
The bible says concerning Barnabas and Paul in Acts 15:39 (KJV), “And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;” and their reconciliation was not expressly reported though we saw that Paul commended Mark later in Colossians 4:10 and 2 Timothy 4:11. However, one key lesson from the contention between the two great godly men is that Christians must be diligent to maintain unity and to continue serving the Lord in-spite of personality clashes.
From this, we can also infer that spiritual maturity does not erase personality clashes. In fact, we know that personality clashes can arise between men who share the same basic theology as in the case of Barnabas and Paul both of whom agree on salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Also, personality clashes can arise between godly men who are committed to the cause of Christ and even served together for years in the same cause (Acts 13:2;15:35). However, care must be taken to recognize that personality differences can lead to personality clashes that can cause us to sin. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13;5 that love is not easily provoked; how well he and Barnabas adhered to this is yet to be seen particularly when Luke noted that both men had sharp contention.
Based on the above, it’s important to note that a man’s greatest strength may be his area of weakness as it could be seen that Paul felt Mark could not be trusted when the heat is on and Barnabas felt his cousin, Mark had potentials and should be given a second chance. Both of them were right and should have found a way of separating in an orderly manner. Events in the scripture, however, showed that both men worked on this later. So we should all know ourselves and ensure our area of strength is not stressed to the level of sinning! We should also recognize that God uses the imperfect instruments in His service by perfecting them. So our focus should always be on God and not men! The best of man is still a man!
Prayer Point: Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, give me the grace not to be easily provoked in all my relationship with others.
Bro. Joel Ezeugo