Seven days with Paul_MAKING UP

Two best friends were very different from each other. Amos was loud, excitable and a big personality. Danny was quiet, shy and a bit of a loner. They laughed and hung out all the time. But then came the day they fell out. Danny said he’d had enough of Amos being so self-centred and that they were no longer friends.

Three days later, Amos called with terrible news. Doctors had found cancer and given him six months to live. Danny’s heart broke. “We’re friends,” he said, “no matter what.”

Paul was a hard-nosed visionary and Barnabas a gentle-hearted encourager. God put them together and sent them on a missionary journey (ACTS 13:2-3). They preached and started churches, along with Mark who they were mentoring—that is until their disagreement over Mark leaving them. Barnabas wanted to give Mark a second chance on their next journey, but Paul said he could no longer be trusted. So they split up (15:36-41).

Paul eventually forgave Mark. He closed three letters with greetings that included Mark’s name, showing they were working together again (COLOSSIANS 4:10; 2 TIMOTHY 4:11; PHILEMON 1:24). We don’t know what happened with Barnabas. Did he live long enough to make up with Paul? I hope so.

Whatever your situation today, try to reach out to those who you may have had a falling out with. Now is the time to show and tell them how much they mean to you.

Completing the picture . . .

After Paul became a Christian he went away into Arabia for three years, being taught “by revelation from Jesus Christ” (GALATIANS 1:11-18). During the book of Acts, Paul went on three missionary journeys (the first of which was with Barnabas and Mark). In the first he spent a lot of time in Galatia (modern-day Turkey), setting up new churches. In the second and third journeys he encouraged those churches (ACTS 15:36) and travelled as far as Greece, and spent quite a bit of time with the church at Ephesus (ACTS 19).

After these journeys Paul returned to Jerusalem, where he was arrested for talking about Jesus. He was sent to Rome to stand trial before Caesar (ACTS 25; 26:32). The book of Acts ends with Paul preaching in Rome under house arrest (28:30-31).